In the USA, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.72% last week, increasing for the first time in 9 weeks. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released mortgage data for the week ending on March 14. Mortgage applications declined by 6.2% compared to the previous week. While applications for home purchases increased by 0.1% during this period, refinancing applications decreased by 13%. The average interest rate for a 30-year mortgage in the country increased from 6.67% to 6.72% last week. At the same time, the average interest rate for a 15-year mortgage rose from 6.04% to 6.08%. MBA Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni stated that mortgage interest rates increased for the first time in 9 weeks. Fratantoni noted that this rise led to a decrease in the volume of refinancing applications, but the volume of home purchase applications reached its highest level in the past 6 weeks. Fratantoni expressed that the increase in housing inventory and the stable mortgage rates are supporting spring home buying activities.