2003 was year of low mortgage rates - 2004-01-01
Fixed-rate mortgages ended 2003 below 6 percent, a fitting conclusion to a year that saw the lowest rates in more than a generation. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.85 percent this week.

The sharp difference between fixed rates and ARMs -- the yield curve (which compares interest rates for short-term maturities versus those of longer-term instruments) is at its steepest annual level since 1992 -- is favoring the adjustable-rate market.
Read the full story at MyInKy.com

Economic recovery expected to firm up - 2004-01-01
The same economic factors that energized the southwest suburbs' economy during most of 2003 are being counted on to maintain and improve it during 2004, say housing, mortgage, development and economic experts.

Don't expect any miracles or fast turnarounds, they say. Oregon, after all, is generally considered a secondary market in economic terms.
Read the full story at The Oregonian