The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 0.4% decline in mortgage applications in the week ended Aug. 14 after a 3.6% gain in the previous week.
Refinancing activity increased while new home applications declined. The average 30-year fixed mortgage remained at 6.77%
Total crude oil inventories fell by 900,000 barrels in the week ended Aug. 14, with commercial oil inventories up 4.4 million barrels and stocks in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve down 5.3 million barrels. Gasoline inventories increased while distillate inventories decreased last week.