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Mortgage and refinance interest rates today, Friday, July 24, 2026: Dropping below 6.5%

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Mortgage and refinance interest rates today, Friday, July 3: Rates mostly higher again today


According to the Zillow lender marketplace, the average 30-year fixed rate today, Friday, July 24, 2026, is 6.455%, down 5.9 basis points since yesterday. The 15-year fixed loan is currently at 6.301%, 11.4 basis points higher than yesterday. The 5/1 ARM is 6.223%, 11.3 basis points lower than on Thursday.

Read more: Weekly survey of mortgage lenders with the lowest rates: Rates bubble higher

Here are the current purchase rates, according to the latest Zillow data, for Friday, July 24, 2026:

  • 30-year fixed: 6.455%

  • 20-year fixed: 6.301%

  • 15-year fixed: 5.94%

  • 5/1 ARM: 6.223%

  • 7/1 ARM: 6.213%

  • 30-year VA: 6.046%

  • 15-year VA: 5818.%

  • 5/1 VA: 5.925%

Remember, these are national averages and have been rounded to the nearest hundredth. 

These are the latest refinance rates, according to the latest Zillow data, for Friday, July 24, 2026:

  • 30-year fixed: 6.621%

  • 20-year fixed: 6.51%

  • 15-year fixed: 5.914%

  • 5/1 ARM: 6.491%

  • 7/1 ARM: 6.425%

  • 30-year VA: 5.946%

  • 15-year VA: 5.682%

  • 5/1 VA: 5.688%

Again, the numbers provided are national averages rounded to the nearest hundredth. Mortgage refinance rates are often higher than rates when you buy a house, although that’s not always the case.

Learn more: Dig deeper into the 7 home refinance options

Your mortgage rate plays a large role in how much your monthly payment will be. Use this mortgage calculator to see how your mortgage amount, rate, and term length will impact your monthly payments:

Mortgage payment calculator

Mortgage payment breakdown

81% Principal & interest

$2,149




You can bookmark the Yahoo Finance mortgage payment calculator and keep it handy for future use, as you shop for homes and lenders.

A mortgage interest rate is a fee for borrowing money from your lender, expressed as a percentage. You can choose from two types of rates: fixed or adjustable.

A fixed-rate mortgage locks in your rate for the entire life of your loan. For example, if you obtain a 30-year mortgage with a 6% interest rate, your rate will remain at 6% for the entire 30-year term unless you refinance or sell.

An adjustable-rate mortgage locks in your rate for a predetermined period and then adjusts it periodically. Let’s say you get a 7/1 ARM with an introductory rate of 6%. Your rate would be 6% for the first seven years, then the rate would increase or decrease once per year for the last 23 years of your term. Whether your rate goes up or down depends on several factors, such as the economy and housing market.

At the beginning of your mortgage term, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest. Your monthly payment toward mortgage principal and interest stays the same throughout the years. However, less and less of your payment goes toward interest, and more goes toward the mortgage principal or the amount you originally borrowed.

Read more: Determine whether an adjustable-rate vs. fixed-rate mortgage is better for you

A 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is a good choice if you want a lower mortgage payment and the predictability that comes with having a fixed rate. Just know that your rate will be higher than if you choose a shorter term, and you will pay significantly more in interest over the years.

You may want to consider a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage if you aim to pay off your home loan quickly and save money on interest. These shorter terms come with lower interest rates, and since you’re cutting your repayment time in half, you’ll save a lot in interest in the long run. But you’ll need to be sure you can comfortably afford the higher monthly payments that come with 15-year terms.

Read more: Learn how to decide between a 15-year and 30-year fixed-rate mortgage

Typically, an adjustable-rate mortgage might be suitable if you plan to sell before the introductory rate period ends. Adjustable rates usually start lower than fixed rates, and then your rate will change after a predetermined amount of time. However, 5/1 and 7/1 ARM rates have been similar to (or even higher than) 30-year fixed rates recently. Before getting an ARM just for a lower rate, compare your rate options from term to term and lender to lender.

Some rates are decreasing, but not all. According to the Zillow lender marketplace, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose by 5.9 basis points to 6.455% today, Friday, July 24, 2026. The average 15-year fixed rate rose by 11.4 basis points to 5.94%. The average 5/1 ARM fell/rose by 11.3 basis points to 6.223%.

According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year mortgage rate was 6.58% through Wednesday, up from 6.55% a week earlier. A year ago, the average 30-year mortgage rate was 6.72%.

According to the latest forecasts, the MBA expects the 30-year mortgage rate to be between 6.4% and 6.5% through 2026. Fannie Mae predicts a 30-year rate of 6.4% through the end of the year.

Mortgage rates are likely to remain little changed in 2027. The MBA forecasts 30-year fixed rates of 6.5% for all of 2027. However, Fannie Mae is more optimistic, predicting average rates will be between 6.3% and 6.4% throughout 2027. 



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Ripple’s RLUSD gets two boosts as transfer volume drops 25%

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Ripple’s RLUSD gets two boosts as transfer volume drops 25%

Fintech firm Ripple made two moves on Thursday aimed at growing its dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, in a month when transfer volume across the token has dropped by 25%.

The first is Ripple Mint, a platform that lets institutional customers create, redeem, bridge and track RLUSD through a web dashboard or direct integration.

Until now, minting RLUSD — the process of issuing new tokens when a customer deposits dollars — generally meant arranging it directly with Ripple and waiting on a manual issuance process. The APIs let a firm trigger minting and redemption automatically from its own systems and track each transaction from dollar transfer to onchain settlement.

Ripple has also been extending RLUSD beyond the XRP Ledger and Ethereum onto the XRPL EVM sidechain, Base, Optimism, Ink and Unichain, widening the number of networks where the token can circulate.

Separately, Ripple announced late Thursday a strategic investment in Notabene. This compliance network places RLUSD inside its business-payments platform, putting the token in front of institutions positioned to send and receive it.

So, while Mint is designed to make RLUSD simple to create and manage, Notabene is built to get it moving through institutional payment rails.



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Silver prices today, Thursday, July 23: Silver price hovers near $60, keeping the gold/silver ratio in line with historic averages

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Silver prices today, Thursday, July 2: Prices crest $62 following soft June employment report


Silver (SI=F) September futures opened at $60.01 per ounce on Thursday, July 23, 2026, down 0.5% from Wednesday’s closing price. The silver price moved lower this morning, reaching $58.42 as of 8:40 a.m. ET.

Silver opened just above $60 on Thursday for the first time since July 10. The metal has gained 7.3% over the past week as investors weigh inflation concerns against safe-haven demand.

The gold/silver ratio at the open was 67.9, which is in line with the average since 2000. The ratio calculates how many ounces of silver it takes to purchase one ounce of gold. Investors use it as an indicator of each metal’s relative value. A ratio value above 75 could signal that silver is undervalued and positioned for higher performance.

The opening price of silver futures on Thursday, July 23, 2026, was 0.5% lower compared to Wednesday’s closing price. Here’s how today’s opening silver price has changed versus last week, month, and year:

  • One week ago: +7.3%

  • One month ago: -3.1%

  • One year ago: +52.3%

For context, silver’s year-over-year growth was 173.3% on May 14.

24/7 silver price tracking: Don’t forget you can monitor the current price of silver on Yahoo Finance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Want to learn more about the current top-performing companies in the silver industry? Explore a list of the top-performing companies in the silver industry using the Yahoo Finance Screener. You can create your own screeners with over 150 different screening criteria.

Precious metals are in high demand. Although gold has historically been the headlining investment metal, silver, platinum, and palladium are quickly becoming popular portfolio diversifiers. Here are three easy, action-oriented steps to help you start investing in these precious metals:

1. Learn the risks, growth drivers, and purposes

2. Understand the ownership options

3. Define your goal and allocation

Keep reading to learn more: How to invest in silver, platinum, and palladium

Whether you’re tracking the price of silver since last month or last year, the price-of-silver chart below shows the precious metal’s value journey so far this year. 

More silver coverage from the Yahoo Finance team: 



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Analyzing Dogecoin’s hit to 2023 lows – Can DOGE reclaim $0.07?

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Analyzing Dogecoin's hit to 2023 lows – Can DOGE reclaim $0.07?


Amid a broader crypto pullback, Dogecoin’s downward momentum strengthened significantly. The memecoin breached the $0.07 support and dropped to $0.068.

Dogecoin last touched these levels in November 2023. At press time, Dogecoin [DOGE] traded around $0.069 after falling 4.3% on the daily chart.

Over the same period, the memecoin’s Trading Volume climbed 57% to $866 million, reflecting increased market activity.

Dogecoin liquidation
Source: CoinGlass

The decline also triggered increased liquidations across Dogecoin’s leveraged positions.

According to CoinGlass, $8.20 million worth of long positions were liquidated over 24 hours. Short liquidations reached only $552,490, showing that the decline disproportionately affected bullish traders.

Why are Dogecoin traders exiting?

As Dogecoin plummeted, rising liquidation risk prompted leveraged traders to reduce their exposure.

According to Coinalyze, Dogecoin’s Sell Perps Volume climbed to 493.04 million. Meanwhile, Buy Perps Volume stood at 426.535 million.

Dogecoin perps volumeDogecoin perps volume
Source: Coinalyze

As a result, the Buy-Sell Delta fell to -66.505 million. Net Buying also remained negative at -1.385 billion.

Both readings showed that selling activity outweighed buying across Dogecoin’s perpetual market. The Futures market recorded similar capital outflows.

Futures Outflows climbed to $520.41 million, while Futures Inflows stood at $425.94 million. Consequently, Futures Netflow declined 361.34% to -$94.46 million.

Dogecoin futures inflowsDogecoin futures inflows
Source: CoinGlass

This indicated that considerably more capital exited Dogecoin futures than entered during the measured period. These conditions intensified DOGE’s downward pressure and left traders watching whether $0.07 could be recovered.

Can DOGE avoid further losses?

Amid heavy position reductions, Dogecoin’s downward pressure intensified.

The Relative Strength Index [RSI] reflected this weakness. The RSI fell to 31.34, placing DOGE close to oversold territory.

Dogecoin RSIDogecoin RSI
Source: TradingView

This reflected intense bearish momentum, although the near-oversold reading could eventually attract dip buyers.

Therefore, if the current pressure persists, DOGE could remain below $0.07 and fall towards $0.065. However, Spot Netflow offered some relief from the derivatives’ weakness.

Dogecoin Spot NetflowDogecoin Spot Netflow
Source: CoinGlass

Spot Netflow remained negative as Dogecoin declined on the 23rd and 24th of July. It stood at -$1.87 million at press time, showing that exchange outflows exceeded inflows.

Those withdrawals suggested reduced immediate selling availability and offered DOGE some support.

If demand holds, Dogecoin could reclaim $0.07 and target $0.075. Continued derivatives weakness may expose $0.065.


Final Summary

  • Dogecoin [DOGE] dropped below the $0.07 support level and declined to 2023 lows of $0.068. 
  • Amid rising liquidation risk, traders panicked and exited their positions, further strengthening the downward momentum. 



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JPMorgan: Ageing population and deficits two drivers of higher interest rates

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JPMorgan: Ageing population and deficits two drivers of higher interest rates

In 2025, the IMF reported that, across the globe, companies, households, and countries had amassed $251 trillion in debt. Looking toward the end of 2026, J.P. Morgan has warned that interest rates on such borrowings are set to spike, owing largely to dwindling populations and diminishing fiscal discipline.

In a note yesterday, JPMorgan’s Joyce Chang and team unpacked the “six D’s” that will shape the global economy: Deficits, deregulation, de-carbonization, de-population, de-globalization, and de-dollarization.

Turning first to deficits, JPM’s research team wrote that “a global breakdown in fiscal discipline is occurring in all corners of the world, and fiscal dominance is eclipsing monetary policy. Global public debt has reached $100 trillion, reducing fiscal space, while elevated deficits are driving up interest rates.”

Among economists, there is some debate as to the extent to which deficits drive interest rates. The theory is that an expanding national debt may spark fears that the government is less creditworthy, and the Federal Reserve would then increase the money supply to reduce the value of the debt, therefore creating inflation.

Governments have leaned on fiscal stimulus (via increased spending or tax cuts) heavily during the Iran crisis, the IMF reported in its most recent World Economic Outlook update.

These increases to deficits—or reductions in government revenue—have been without “well-identified offsets, with few signs of rebuilding fiscal space,” JPM wrote. “Fiscal space” refers to a government’s ability to increase spending or lower taxes without jeopardizing its financial stability.

“In the U.S., a larger stock of debt and higher interest rates, along with no political will to achieve fiscal consolidation anytime soon, point to higher term premium,” JPM adds, referring to the return lenders expect for holding long-term bonds, demanding higher rates as a result. “The unsustainable U.S. fiscal deficit has not yet caused much damage to the U.S. economy, since the U.S. has much more fiscal space than other countries,” Chang’s team added.

The U.S. remains the safest and strongest country in a time of geopolitical upheaval, the note adds, suggesting risk to the debt outlook will come from “any dramatic military, political, energy security, or economic setbacks that make the U.S. no longer the safest and strongest.”

The population problem

Advanced economies are also facing declining birth rates and aging populations. Simply put, these economies will have a smaller labor supply to pay for goods and services needed by an older, non-working population.

Demand for pension and healthcare expenditures will rise in many countries, notes JPM, while demand for public investments—such as defense, renewable energy, and infrastructure—is also intensifying. “Without offsetting measures such as higher government revenues, other public spending cuts or changes in the interest rate-growth differential, these spending pressures imply a substantial increase in public debt across jurisdictions beyond 2031,” the research adds.

Currently, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget’s Social Security Countdown—the point at which benefits will have to be cut—stands at seven years and 10 months, and “neither political party is expected to act” until that cliff is met, America’s largest bank continues.

“Neither political party is expected to act until the Social Security cliff approaches in 2032,” the note from America’s largest bank continues. It adds that some ~$600bn in debt would need to be issued to address the shortfall, and potentially further spending cuts and higher taxes.

“We also note the demographic challenges that will lower savings and highlight the risk that aging populations and longevity could drive down equilibrium returns, with even funded systems struggling,” the team adds. “The demographic dividend that characterized the last 40 years is ending, and we view de-population as an underappreciated risk that will reduce savings and contribute to higher interest rates.”



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Live updates: Dogecoin and ether lead pullback as investors digest tech earnings

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Live updates: Dogecoin and ether lead pullback as investors digest tech earnings

Dogecoin fell 4.5% and ether dropped 2.5% on Friday, leading a broad but shallow retreat across the majors as the market consolidated a strong week, per CoinDesk data. XRP and Solana each slipped about 2.5%, while bitcoin held up better, down 0.6% to around $65,400.

The pullback barely dented the weekly picture. Bitcoin is still up 3% over seven days, ether 1.8%, and most majors remain green on the week, with Hyperliquid the exception at down 3.5%.

There was no single catalyst behind Friday’s move, more a pause after the run-up than a reversal.



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Data Center Costs Are Racking Up. What That Means for Oracle Stock Here.

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Why Reports of a Delayed OpenAI IPO Are Dragging Down ORCL Stock


Big tech companies are pouring massive amounts of money into artificial intelligence (AI) buildouts. The capex spending on AI is expected to be a whopping $1 trillion this year. Building data centers also carries the cost of increased power requirements. Tech giant Oracle Corporation (ORCL) is also a big part of this race. 

The company might have to incur $7 billion in financial guarantees for its planned Wisconsin data center. Regulators have reportedly declined to ease credit requirements to protect the state’s residents from rising power costs. The planned data center is part of Oracle’s $300 billion computing infrastructure agreement with OpenAI to deliver nearly one gigawatt of computing capacity. 

More News from Barchart

Amid regulatory risks, S&P Global has downgraded Oracle’s credit rating from BBB to BBB- (just one step above junk), citing the firm’s exposure to OpenAI and its high infrastructure spending, which could prevent the company from meeting its debt obligations.

In fact, Oracle is facing increased risk from a heightened debt load due to its large spending on AI. According to data from ICE Data Services, the annual cost of five-year credit default swaps on Oracle’s debt recently rose to about 2.03 percentage points, its highest level since 2008. 

About Oracle Stock

Oracle is a global technology company specializing in enterprise software, cloud computing, and database management systems. Recently, it has focused heavily on expanding its cloud infrastructure offerings, particularly in AI and enterprise cloud services, while continuing to integrate acquisitions to strengthen its technology portfolio. 

The company provides a comprehensive suite of applications and platform services to businesses worldwide. Oracle’s world headquarters is located in Austin, Texas. It has a market capitalization of $365.96 billion. 

Oracle’s stock has been under pressure over the past year, primarily due to concerns about its heavy debt load and aggressive capital spending tied to its artificial-intelligence infrastructure build‑out. After a strong 2025 rally driven by AI enthusiasm and a massive OpenAI cloud deal, investors grew wary of these factors. 



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