CNN —Mortgage rates rose this week, their first increase after falling for six consecutive weeks, according to the latest data from Freddie Mac. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.42% in the week ending December 29, up from 6.27% the week before and capping a rollercoaster year for homebuyers that saw mortgage rates more than double in less than 12 months. “The housing market remains in the doldrums with declining sales, inventory and prices,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. Mortgage rates rose throughout most of 2022 amid the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented campaign of harsh interest rate hikes aimed at taming soaring inflation. But mortgage rates have tumbled in the last several weeks, following various data points that showed inflation may have finally reached its peak.

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