Tag Archives: federal funds rate

The basic definition of an interest rate is simply the cost of borrowing money. It’s the cost associated with acquiring credit, whether buying a car, getting a mortgage, or taking a vacation. We encounter interest rates every time we make a monthly credit card or student loan payment. Interest and interest rates are a major part of daily life, yet many people don’t have a good understanding of the most critical types of interest or how their rates are set. Broadening our understanding even a little can help empower us to make more informed decisions, whether at the bank or at the ballot box.

While it is unclear what impact the next few interest rate hikes will have on the real economy the long term impact is a different story. A more active Fed may have an enormous impact on how investors build portfolios, a development we contemplate in this article.

Many investors believe that the rise of the federal funds rate is detrimental for gold prices but, although this relationship may often hold, investors should be skeptical about this rule of thumb. This article explains why that is the case.