Major stock indexes ended higher Wednesday in a shortened session ahead of a Christmas closure, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 setting new closing records.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage loan interest rate stands at 5.99% as of December 23, 2025, according to Zillow, while the average 15-year fixed mortgage rate is 5.38% currently. These levels represent a notable improvement from early 2025, when rates hovered well above 6% and the outlook for buyers was markedly less optimistic.

The average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 6% APR, according to rates provided to NerdWallet by Zillow. This is six basis points lower than yesterday and 17 basis points lower than a week ago. (See our chart below for more specifics.) A basis point is one one-hundredth of a percentage point.