Why falling mortgage rates can signal bad news

“Numerology” tries to find reality within various economic and real estate trends measurements.

Buzz: Why do real estate people root for falling mortgage rates?

Source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed stats on home loans, home prices, jobs and inflation dating to 1976. By the way, that was the year Jimmy Carter, the former US president who died Dec. 29 at age 100, was elected to the White House.

Fuzzy math: Cheaper mortgages may increase affordability but frequently occur when economic troubles are brewing.