Mortgage application volume rose modestly during the week as mortgage rates marked time.  The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said its Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 3.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis compared to the previous period, a week in which the data contained an adjustment to account for the MLK holiday.  On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 8.0 percent week-over-week.   The Refinance Index gained 12.0 percent from the previous week and was 1.0 percent higher than the same week in 2023. Refinancing accounted for 35.4 percent of the week’s volume, up from 34.2 percent the previous week. [refiappschart] The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index ticked down 1.0 percent and was 6.0 percent higher before adjustment. Volume was 19 percent below its level during the same week one year ago. [purchaseappschart] “Mortgage rates have stayed close to where they started the year, despite swings in Treasury yields because of slowing inflation offset by stronger than expected readings on the job market. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.8 percent, a slight increase from last week,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist. “Rates at these levels have not prompted much of a reaction in the refinance market, as most homeowners have mortgages with much lower rates. However, purchase activity has been strong to start 2024 compared to the final quarter of 2023. However, activity is still weaker than a year ago because of low housing supply.”