In December, 95 percent of SBAB's new customers chose a variable interest rate for their mortgages. This was fewer than in October when 98 percent chose a variable rate.
"The proportion that has chosen to fix at least part of their loans has more than doubled between October and December, but the development is from a very low level," says Linda Hasselvik, SBAB's private and housing economist, in a press release.
SBAB explains that more people have chosen to fix the interest rate, saying the difference between fixed and variable interest rates has been relatively small, and it forecasts that long-term interest rates are on the rise.
According to SBAB's latest interest rate forecast, there was a difference of approximately 0.2 percentage points between fixing the interest rate for one to three years and a variable interest rate. For four and five years, the difference was 0.3 percentage points.
"The forecast points to further increases in the future, which means that the time window for locking in a low fixed rate is probably about to close," says Hasselvik.
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