Federal Interest Rates: A Case Study

Janet Yellen states, “the possibility that low long-term interest rates are a signal that the economy's long-run growth prospects are dim….depressed long-term growth prospects put sustained downward pressure on interest rates. To the extent that low long-term interest rates tell us that the outlook for economic growth is poor, all of us should be very concerned, for--as we all know--economic growth lies at the heart of our nation's, and the world's, future prosperity.” A high interest rate is usually set when an economy is already well off. An example of an economy that's well off is with the result of inflation. But if inflation is left unchecked it will lead to a loss of purchasing power meaning that your dollar is worth less than what it was before. This is where high interest rates become a great convenience to the economy. Though this may sound proficient, ultimately a high interest rate that lasts lead to struggles within the economy. Borrowing will become more difficult due to rates being to high which will also cause less productivity to

The Federal Funds Rate is the interest rate that Federal Reserve uses to trade funds with banks. Changes in this rate can trigger a chain of events that can be beneficial or devastating to the economy. If a bank is charged a higher interest rate to trade money or take out a loan, then the increase will be passed on to their customers, causing them to pay higher transaction fees or more interest. Each month, the Federal Open Market Committee meets to determine the federal funds rate. This in turn affects other short term interest rates. The determining rate immediately impacts the rates at which banks borrow money and the interest rates the banks use to charge their customers on loans. If the rate raise is too high, then money flow drops

Simply put, the level of interest rates affect economic decisions at every level, whether by the individual consumer, or a major corporation, or entire countries. First, we must look at the residential and commercial real estate market. Homeowners had a golden opportunity to purchase or refinance their homes between 2008 and 2015, when 30-year rates were at unusual lows. (CITE) This was of particular help when many homeowners suffered through “underwater mortgages” on homes worth less than the mortgages owed. Refinancing at a lower interest rate ensured millions of afflicted homeowners would be able to reduce their interest payments during such a troubling economic period. (CITE) But given the Federal Reserve’s likely decision to raise rates, homeowners will be at a disadvantage. The most recent (as of 12/9/2016) average 30-year fixed

If Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve President is planning on raising the interest rates the US Federal Reserve will have to deal with the negative effects on economic growth, unemployment, wages, the prices of goods and services, and government spending. The effect on economical growth will be how much individuals would borrow to increase their spending. Over time the money individuals took and have to payback would increase. Thus, leading to debt by how much money they owe back. By increasing the amount individuals have to borrow it will lead to more unemployment. The need of consumption will decrease and that put more and more people out of jobs. Scarcity is always going to exist but a low demand will cause supply to be low and price be

In this case, Fed is unlikely to tight money supply by increasing federal funds rate, which is currently zero and is a frequently debatable topic. Such policy has a positive impact on a stock market.

When the Federal Reserve Board sets interest rates, it affects the entire economy. When the economy is doing well, the Feds may implement monetary tightening (raising interest rates) in order to “slow down” the economy. The opposite is also true: the Fed’s may implement monetary easing (lowering interest rates) in order to stimulate the economy and help it grow. What happens when the Fed raises interest rates? When the Feds implement monetary policy, the only true direct effect is the fact that it is more expensive for banks to borrow money from the Fed. The increase in the federal funds rate causes a ripple effect. Increased interest rates can have an impact on the stock market as well. Generally speaking, stocks perform poorly when the Feds increase interest rates. This is because a higher interest rate creates a lower demand for stocks, causing stock prices to fall. The reverse is also true; a lower interest rates creates a higher demand for stocks, causing stock prices to rise.

In this article Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen stated that there is “no fixed timetable” for raising the U.S. interest rates. She also confirmed that rate increases will happen since strong labor market gain continue, which will push inflation above the current central back target. The current labor market has continued a growth trend and employers are adding new jobs each month. Additionally the unemployment rate has been held relatively steady. The chairman also warned that if job gains continue and unemployment drops further the inflation rate could rise, which will subsequently raise interest rates at a faster rate than planned.

    The United States creates more opportunity for the economy when the Federal Reserve System (FED) keeps interest rates low and steady. When the FED adjust interest rates, they must take into consideration how our economy will shift due to investors and the employment rate. The FED should maintain low interest rates in order to keep employment levels high, so our economy will flow with cash. Keeping low interest rates will allow the advancement of technology because the availability of borrowing money will be cheaper. The FED should not increase interest rates in the first six months of 2017 because higher interest rates cause the economy to panic; however, lower interest rates preserve a steady economy leaving stockholders, businesses, and consumers happy.

Increase in interest rates makes borrowing an expensive affair and in turn killing the demand for loans and other related products and hence negatively impacting

The Federal Reserve has set the current interest rate a 0.13, this number is unchanged from the previous week (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2015). The current trend for the year 2015 is that the interest rate is beginning to slowly increase (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2015). The inflation rate has remained at 0.1 or less for the year 2015, the latest inflation rate was release on June 2015 and was calculated at 0.1 (Coinnews Media Group, 2015). This was the first time in 2015 that the inflation rate has increased. Previous months were either negative or unchanged (Coinnews Media Group, 2015). However, this is an increase from the previous month. The interest rate and inflation are inversely related,

This resulted in less money for businesses to invest and consumers to spend. Therefore, there was a sharp reduction in consumer spending in the economy “credit rationing”. (6) The reduction in the money spent in the economy meant there was fewer goods needed to be produced as there was less buying. This meant production of goods decreased therefore resulting in less need for workers.

According to the last Federal Reserve press release, the decision to raise the federal funds rate (3/4 to 1 percent) is due to the view of realized and expected labor conditions and inflation. The Federal Open Market Committee’s goal is to foster maximum employment and price stability. Their expectations are that economic activity will expand at a moderate pace, labor market conditions will strengthen a little further, and that inflation will stabilize around 2 percent over the medium term. Near-term risks to the economic outlook seem roughly balanced as well. The FOMC will continue to monitor global economic and financial developments and well as inflation

When the Fed increases the federal funds rate, it is to pursue contractionary monetary policy, which limits the banks’ ability to lead money to consumers and companies (Investopedia, 2015). The goal of the contractionary monetary policy is to reduce the rate of goods and services. Another way to look at it is, if the Fed lowers rates too much, to maintain a healthy economy, it leads to a lower unemployment rate, which can encourage inflation. If the Fed raises rates too much it can lead to a higher unemployment rate and inflation remains inactive (Investopedia,

business the sales will decrease and therefore the profits will fall, the long term impact of this could

As a result, it seems that while financing could make companies more efficient, it also could lead to job loss and wage reduction. In addition, the financial market creates winners and losers, and thus, we could witness an increase in inequality, harm to labor unions, and the creation of laws that harm and restrict labor and workers.