Mortgage rates fell in the week ending Oct. 9 as fewer workers were on the job.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell nine basis points to 6.25% APR in the week ending Oct. 9, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow. A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point.

A fuzzy jobs outlook

When the economy sheds more jobs than it creates, it's a sign that the economy is slowing. Mortgage rates tend to fall. Likewise, when hundreds of thousands of federal workers stop drawing paychecks, they spend less money. The slowdown in spending acts as a drag on the economy, applying downward pressure on mortgage rates.

It's clear that around 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed during the government shutdown. But the rest of the employment picture i

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