When inflation is high and the economy is in overdrive, the Fed tries to pump the brakes by discouraging borrowing. It does this by setting higher interest rates and decreasing the money supply. Since March 2022, the Fed raised the federal funds rate 11 times, which helped slow down record-high price growth.

Mortgage rates, in particular, surged last year to their highest level since 2000 but have since come down alongside inflation. But it's been a bumpy ride back to the bottom in recent weeks. What, then, does this latest Fed rate cut mean for mortgage interest rates? That's what we'll break down below.