The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose for the third week in a row, reaching its highest level in eight weeks. The rate rose to 6.44% from 6.32% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.63%. The last time the average rate was higher was on August 22, when it was 6.46%. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including how the bond market reacts to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions. That can move the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was 4.09% Thursday, up from 3.62% in mid-September, just days before the Fed slashed its benchmark lending rate by a half a point. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has been rising since reaching its lowest level in two years—6.08%—three weeks ago. The rate remains well below the 7.22% it hit in May, its 2024 peak. Mortgage rates have been climbing in recent weeks following a spate of encouraging reports on the U.S. economy, including a hotter-than-expected September jobs report and a snapshot of consumer prices. Read the full story.