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What did July retail sales show?
Retail and food-services sales fell 0.6% to $763.6 billion after a revised 0.2% June gain. Sales were 5.0% higher than a year earlier.
What rates and APRs were reported at publication?
For the disclosed benchmark scenario: Conventional 6.73% rate and 6.904% APR, FHA 6.12% rate and 6.897% APR, and VA 6.00% rate and 6.309% APR.
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Market context for August 14, 2026. Treasury yields eased after weaker consumer-spending data, although lender repricing is not automatic.
What gets the next vote? Bonds and later activity dataThe market will test whether July was a one-month setback or the start of a broader slowdown.
The morning story in one minute
July retail and food-services sales fell 0.6% to $763.6 billion after June's revised 0.2% gain. Sales were still 5.0% higher than in July 2025.
The 10-year Treasury yield eased about two basis points to 4.62% after the release. Rick Santelli described the rate move as modest, while Steve Liesman cautioned that one monthly report does not establish a trend.
Where mortgage rates sit
For the disclosed representative scenario, Conventional is 6.73% with a 6.904% APR, FHA is 6.12% with a 6.897% APR, and VA is 6.00% with a 6.309% APR.
The Conventional rate is 0.04 percentage points above last Friday's 6.69% national weekly average. The latest broad daily Conventional index is 6.69%, within a one-year range of 5.99% to 6.85%.
Consumers pulled back in July
Sales excluding autos fell 0.3%, while sales excluding autos and gasoline fell 0.2%. Motor-vehicle and parts dealers recorded a 1.8% decline.
The control group that feeds into gross domestic product estimates fell 0.4%. That may lead economists to trim current-quarter growth estimates, but the official report also shows sales remained higher than a year ago.
Three things worth knowing
First, the headline decline reversed June growth. Second, weakness extended beyond autos. Third, the initial Treasury response was helpful for rates but small.
Mortgage rates follow the bond market more directly than any single spending report, and lenders can update pricing at different times.
What this means for buyers and professionals
A softer bond backdrop can justify refreshing a live scenario, but it does not guarantee a lower quote. Buyers and advisors can compare payment choices against last week and identify the threshold that would change the decision.
What did July retail sales show?
Retail and food-services sales fell 0.6% to $763.6 billion after a revised 0.2% June gain. Sales were 5.0% higher than a year earlier.
What rates and APRs were reported at publication?
For the disclosed benchmark scenario: Conventional 6.73% rate and 6.904% APR, FHA 6.12% rate and 6.897% APR, and VA 6.00% rate and 6.309% APR.
What remains unknown
Whether consumer weakness persists, how bonds trade later today, and when individual lenders reprice remain unknown. For today’s context, view the published mortgage rates or plan a comfortable payment.
Sources and timing
- Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey (new tab)
Official July retail-sales release. - Daily Treasury yield curve (new tab)
Official closing-yield context; intraday level attributed in the article. - Daily mortgage-rate index (new tab)
Completed broad Conventional index and longer range.
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