Interest Rates

Certificate of Deposit (CD): Understanding A Secure Investment
A comprehensive guide to Certificates of Deposit (CDs), a secure investment option issued by banks, with detailed information on types, terms, interest rates, and benefits.
Conforming Loan: Eligible Mortgage for FNMA or FHLMC Purchase
A Conforming Loan is a residential mortgage loan eligible for purchase by FNMA or FHLMC, offering lower interest rates and more favorable terms than nonconforming loans, with dollar limits adjusted annually.
Cost of Funds: Interest Cost Paid by a Financial Institution for the Use of Money
An in-depth look at the cost of funds, which represents the interest cost a financial institution must pay for the use of money. Analyzing its implications in the banking and savings and loan industries.
Countercyclical Policy: An Overview of Government Economic Responses to Business Cycles
Countercyclical policy refers to government economic policies designed to dampen the effects of business cycles, like the actions taken by the Federal Reserve Board in the early 1980s to combat inflation by raising interest rates.
Credit Rationing: Managing Loan Allocation Beyond Market Means
Credit rationing involves the allocation of loans to creditworthy borrowers by methods other than purely market-driven mechanisms, often caused by keeping interest rates below the market equilibrium, resulting in an excess demand for loans.
Crowding Out: Economic Impact of Heavy Federal Borrowing
Crowding out refers to heavy federal borrowing at a time when businesses and consumers also want to borrow money, leading to higher interest rates and reduced private sector borrowing.
Deficit Financing: Borrowing by a Government Agency to Make Up for a Revenue Shortfall
Deficit financing involves borrowing by a government agency to cover a revenue shortfall. It can stimulate the economy temporarily but may lead to higher interest rates and other economic implications.
Discount Points: An In-Depth Explanation
Comprehensive overview of discount points, their purpose, and impact on loans including types, historical context, examples, and applicability in various scenarios.
Disintermediation: Movement of Savings from Banks to Direct Investments
Disintermediation refers to the process where savings are moved from traditional financial intermediaries such as banks to money market instruments like U.S. Treasury bills and notes.
Fed Funds: Understanding Federal Funds and Federal Funds Rate
An in-depth explanation of Federal Funds and the Federal Funds Rate, including definitions, mechanisms, examples, historical context, and related terms.
Federal Funds Rate: Key Determinant of Short-Term Interest Rates
Understanding the Federal Funds Rate: an essential interest rate in the banking system, set daily by the market, crucial for meeting reserve requirements.
Federal Reserve Open Market Committee: Central Bank Policy-Making Body
An overview of the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC), its role, structure, operations, and significance in formulating U.S. monetary policy.
Fisher Effect: Economic Relation Between Interest Rates and Inflation Rates
The Fisher Effect explains the relationship between nominal interest rates and expected inflation rates, suggesting that interest rates adjust to reflect anticipated inflation.
Fixed-Income Investment: Understanding Fixed Returns in Financial Markets
A comprehensive overview of fixed-income investments, including government, corporate, and municipal bonds, and preferred stock, focusing on their fixed rate of return.
Fluctuation: Variations in Prices and Rates
Fluctuation refers to the change in prices or interest rates, either upward or downward, that can apply to the prices of stocks, bonds, commodities, or economic conditions.
Global Fisher Effect: Economic Equilibrium Concept
An economic equilibrium that exhibits an equality of expected real interest rates among countries when there are no restrictions on international trade, credit, and currency exchanges.
Half-Life: Mortgage-Backed Securities
The point in time at which half the principal of a mortgage-backed security has been repaid, accounting for amortization and retirements. The half-life typically assumed is 12 years, but it varies based on interest rate trends and specifics of the mortgage pool.
Interbank Rate: Interest Rate Between Banks
The Interbank Rate, commonly referred to as LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate), is the rate at which banks lend to one another in the international interbank market.
Laddering: A Bond Investment Strategy
Laddering is an investment strategy involving the purchase of bonds that mature at different intervals, providing regular income and mitigating interest rate risk.
LIBOR: London Interbank Offered Rate
A comprehensive explanation of LIBOR, including its definition, calculation, historical context, and significance in the global financial system.
Liquidity Preference: Investor Behavior in Keynesian Economics
An examination of the Liquidity Preference concept in Keynesian Economics, detailing why investors prefer holding liquid money over bonds or other investments, its impact on economic activity, and its relation to interest rates and ROI.
Nominal Loan Rate: Understanding the Basics
An in-depth explanation of the nominal loan rate, its significance, and how it compares to other interest rate types.
Nominal Yield: Understanding Interest from Fixed-Income Securities
Explore the concept of nominal yield, its calculation, types, historical context, real-world examples, comparisons with real interest rate, and FAQs.
Open-Market Rates: Interest Rates in the Open Market
Open-market rates are interest rates on various debt instruments bought and sold in the open market, directly responsive to supply and demand, and distinct from rates set by central banking authorities.
Per Annum: Once Each Year, Annual, Annually
'Per Annum' is a Latin phrase meaning 'once each year' or 'annually.' It is commonly used in financial contexts to describe interest rates, growth rates, and other annual measures.
Perpetuity: Never Ending Financial Concept
A perpetuity is a financial instrument that pays a never-ending series of periodic payments. It is commonly used in the contexts of finance, economics, and legal frameworks such as the rule against perpetuities.
Positive Carry: A Financial Concept
Comprehensive coverage of the concept of Positive Carry in financial contexts, including definitions, examples, implications, and related terms.
Positive Yield Curve: Usual Situation in Long-Term Debt Securities
The Positive Yield Curve describes a common scenario where long-term debt securities have higher interest rates compared to short-term debt securities of the same quality.
Rate Cap: Limits on Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Adjustments
Comprehensive explanation of Rate Caps and their role in Adjustable-Rate Mortgages. Detailed insights into different types of rate caps, historical context, applicability, and related terms.
Refinance: Refund Existing Debt
Refinance refers to the process of replacing an existing debt obligation with a new one, typically with different terms. This often involves selling a new bond issue to provide funds for redemption of a maturing issue, or placing a new mortgage on a house that retires an old mortgage. Refinancing is generally used to raise cash, reduce interest rates, or both.
Reinvestment Rate: Understanding the Concept and Implications
This entry covers the concept of the reinvestment rate - the rate of return from reinvesting the interest earned from bonds or other investments. It details how reinvestment rates differ between zero coupon funds and regular interest-paying bonds.
Revolving Charge Account: Flexible Credit with Continuous Borrowing
A Revolving Charge Account is a credit account that allows for continuous borrowing up to a credit limit, without requiring the balance to be paid in full each month.
Rich: Financial Security and Wealth
An analysis of the term 'rich' in financial contexts, including its application to securities, interest rates, and its broader meaning as a synonym for wealth.
Rollover Loan: Special Mortgage Type with Adjustable Interest Rates
A detailed explanation of Rollover Loans, a type of mortgage loan commonly used in Canada, that blends long-term amortization with short-term adjustable interest rates.
Term Certificate: A Detailed Explanation
A comprehensive overview of Term Certificates, also known as Certificates of Deposit (CDs), focusing on those with a long maturity date ranging from one to ten years.
Usury: Charging Excessive Interest Rates
An in-depth analysis of Usury, its implications, historical context, regulations, and contemporary relevance.
Yield Curve: Graph Showing the Term Structure of Interest Rates
A comprehensive explanation of the Yield Curve, which illustrates the relationship between interest rates and the maturities of bonds. It includes types, special considerations, examples, historical context, and its applicability in finance.
11th District Cost of Funds Index: Understanding Its Mechanism and Impact
A comprehensive guide to the 11th District Cost of Funds Index (COFI), including its definition, calculation, historical context, applicability, and impact on financial markets in Arizona, California, and Nevada.
2/28 Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM): Detailed Overview and Mechanics
A comprehensive guide to understanding the 2/28 adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), covering its structure, benefits, drawbacks, and practical applications in real estate finance.
3-2-1 Buydown Mortgage: Meaning, Benefits, Drawbacks, FAQs
A comprehensive guide to understanding a 3-2-1 buydown mortgage, including its meaning, benefits, drawbacks, examples, and frequently asked questions.
Annual Percentage Rate (APR): Understanding Its Meaning and Mechanism
Comprehensive overview of the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), exploring its significance, calculation, components, examples, and differences from other interest rates.
Applicable Federal Rate (AFR): Definition, Uses, and Importance
A detailed explanation of the Applicable Federal Rate (AFR), its significance in private loans, its calculation, and how it impacts financial transactions and tax implications.
Annual Percentage Yield (APY): Understanding and Calculation
Explore the concept of Annual Percentage Yield (APY), its significance, how it's calculated, and its applications in the fields of finance and banking.
Basis Points (BPS): Understanding Interest Rates and Investments
A comprehensive guide on Basis Points (BPS), their use in interest rates, investments, and other financial metrics. Learn the significance, calculation, and application in the finance world.
Covered Interest Rate Parity: Comprehensive Definition, Calculation Methods, and Illustrative Examples
Explore the theoretical condition of Covered Interest Rate Parity, where the relationship between interest rates and the spot and forward currency values of two countries are in equilibrium. Learn about its calculation methods, special considerations, and illustrated examples.
Deferred Interest Loans: Definition, Mechanism, and Practical Examples
An in-depth exploration of deferred interest loans, including their definition, how they work, practical examples, and implications for borrowers.
Effective Annual Interest Rate: Comprehensive Definition, Formula, Calculation, and Examples
Explore the Effective Annual Interest Rate (EAR) with a detailed definition, essential formulas, calculation methods, real-world examples, historical context, and practical applications.
Effective Duration: Definition, Calculation, Examples, and Applications
Explore the comprehensive guide to Effective Duration, including its definition, calculation method, practical examples, and applications in the context of bonds with embedded options.
Expectations Theory: Predicting Future Short-Term Interest Rates from Long-Term Rates
Expectations Theory attempts to forecast future short-term interest rates based on current long-term interest rates, positing that the yield from consecutive short-term investments is equivalent to that from a single long-term investment over the same period.
Expectations Theory: Predicting Future Short-Term Interest Rates
An in-depth analysis of Expectations Theory, a financial concept used to forecast future short-term interest rates based on current long-term interest rates.
Floating-Rate Note (FRN): Variable Interest Rate Bonds Explained
A Floating-Rate Note (FRN) is a type of bond with a variable interest rate that adjusts periodically. Learn about how FRNs work, their benefits, and their place in investment portfolios.
Foreign Currency Swap: Definition, Mechanism, and Types
An in-depth exploration of Foreign Currency Swaps, including their definition, how they work, their various types, historical context, and relevance in the financial market.
Forward Rate: Comprehensive Guide on Definition, Uses, and Calculations
An in-depth exploration of Forward Rates, their definition, calculation methods, and applications in financial transactions. Understand the importance of forward rates in finance, their historical context, and how they are derived from spot rates adjusted for the cost of carry.
Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act: Comprehensive Overview
A detailed examination of the 1982 U.S. law aimed at easing interest rate pressures on banks and savings and loan institutions, exploring its history, implications, and lasting impact on the financial sector.
Gross Interest: Definition, Calculation, and Implications
A comprehensive guide to understanding gross interest, including its definition, calculation methods, implications, historical context, and related terms.
Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) Model: Understanding the Valuation of Interest-Rate-Sensitive Securities
A comprehensive guide on the Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) Model, detailing its application in modeling forward interest rates and valuing interest-rate-sensitive securities, alongside historical context, examples, and unique considerations.
Humped Yield Curve: Understanding its Meaning, Mechanism, and Types
A comprehensive guide to the humped yield curve, explaining its definition, functioning, different types, and implications in financial markets.
Interest Rate Differential (IRD): Definition, Types, Examples, and Applications
Comprehensive exploration of Interest Rate Differential (IRD), including its definition, different types, examples, historical context, applicability in finance, and related terms.
Interest Rates: Types, Implications for Borrowers, and Financial Impacts
A comprehensive guide to understanding interest rates, including their various types, how they affect borrowers, and their broader financial impacts.
International Fisher Effect (IFE): Definition, Examples, and Formula
An in-depth exploration of the International Fisher Effect (IFE), including its definition, practical examples, and mathematical formula, to understand the relationship between interest rates and exchange rates.
IS-LM Model: Understanding the Intersection of Real Economy and Financial Markets
An in-depth exploration of the IS-LM Model, detailing the IS and LM curves, their characteristics, and limitations, as well as historical context and applications in macroeconomic analysis.
Jarrow Turnbull Model: Understanding Credit Risk Pricing
An in-depth exploration of the Jarrow Turnbull Model, a reduced-form credit risk pricing method that uses dynamic interest rate analysis to determine default probability.
John B. Taylor: Architect of the Taylor Rule in Monetary Policy
Explore the contributions of John B. Taylor, the renowned economics professor known for formulating the Taylor Rule, a pivotal guideline for central banks in setting interest rates.
Jumbo Certificate of Deposit (CD): Comprehensive Guide, Benefits, and Drawbacks
Explore what a Jumbo Certificate of Deposit (CD) is, its various features, benefits, drawbacks, and how it compares to traditional CDs and other savings options.
Key Rate: Definition, Types, Significance, and Applications
An in-depth exploration of the key rate, covering its definition, various types, significance in the financial world, and practical applications.
Legal Rate of Interest: Definition, Types, and Special Considerations
An in-depth exploration of the legal rate of interest, including its definition, types, historical context, special considerations, and practical applications.
Liquidity Trap: Definition, Causes, and Real-World Examples
A comprehensive exploration of liquidity traps, covering their definition, underlying causes, historical instances, and economic implications.
Market Segmentation Theory: Definition and How It Works
Comprehensive guide to Market Segmentation Theory, exploring its definition, how it works, types, examples, historical context, and application in finance.

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