Along with gas and food prices, rates on 30-year mortgages are on the rise. With Fed chief Ben Bernanke voicing concerns about inflation this month, it should come as no surprise that mortgage rates would move north, at least a little bit.

Any thoughts on where mortgage rates will go in the weeks ahead -- down, steady or up?

Here's what the Associated Press reported today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages kept surging this week, rising to the highest level in nearly nine months, reflecting more concerns about what the Federal Reserve will do to combat a growing inflation threat.

Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported Thursday that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.42 percent this week. That was up sharply from 6.32 percent last week.

It was the highest level for 30-year mortgages since they averaged 6.42 percent for the week of Sept. 27 and marked the fourth straight week that they have been above 6 percent.

Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac, said the increased concerns about inflation were fueled by reports in the past week showing that both consumer prices and wholesale prices rose by significant amounts in May. This spurred further increases in the futures market where investors place bets on future Fed actions. That market is pointing to a Fed rate increase in September.