H.15 Selected Interest Rates | Title | FRASER (2024)

FAQs

What does H 15 on selected interest rates mean? ›

The United States Federal Reserve Statistical Release H. 15 is a weekly publication (with daily updates) of the Federal Reserve System of selected market interest rates. Many residential mortgage loans are indexed to the one-year treasury rate published in the H. 15 release.

The Federal Reserve announced at its May 2024 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting that it would maintain the overnight federal funds rate at the current range of 5.25% to 5.5%.

A 15% APR is good for credit cards and personal loans, as it's cheaper than average. On the other hand, a 15% APR is not good for mortgages, student loans, or auto loans, as it's far higher than what most borrowers should expect to pay. A 15% APR is good for a credit card. The average APR on a credit card is 22.89%.

Here is an example: $15 is 15% of the $100 borrowed. The APR is the annual percentage rate, so 15% must be multiplied by the number of days in a year: .15(365) = 54.75.

Higher interest rates tend to negatively affect earnings and stock prices (often with the exception of the financial sector). Changes in the interest rate tend to impact the stock market quickly but often have a lagged effect on other key economic sectors such as mortgages and auto loans.

You can capitalize on higher rates by purchasing real estate and selling off unneeded assets. Short-term and floating-rate bonds are also suitable investments during rising rates as they reduce portfolio volatility. Hedge your bets by investing in inflation-proof investments and instruments with credit-based yields.

The good news: With the U.S. Federal Reserve widely expected to begin cutting its benchmark interest rate in 2024, mortgage rates could drop as well—at least slightly. But that doesn't necessarily mean a return to the pre-pandemic era of more affordable mortgages and home prices.

Will mortgage rates come down? ›

The mortgage rate forecast for 2024 is that rates are expected to go down, although it may take longer than had previously been hoped. In May 2024 we have seen rates on fixed-rate mortgages increase for several months following many months of rates falling. However, the picture could soon improve for homeowners.

Driving the news: The median Fed official now expects interest rates to be somewhat higher in 2025 and 2026 than they did in December — anticipating fewer rate cuts will be justified in the coming two years. The median projection for the longer-run rate also ticked up, to 2.6% from 2.5%.

What Is the Current Prime Rate? As of May 20, 2024, the current prime rate is 8.50%, according to The Wall Street Journal's Money Rates table.

The current Fed rate is 5.25% to 5.50%. That's according to the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the monetary policymaking part of the Federal Reserve that holds eight scheduled meetings a year to set the federal funds rate.

As we headed into the 80s, it's important to note that the country was in the middle of a recession, largely caused by the oil crises of 1973 and 1979. The second oil shock caused skyrocketing inflation. The cost of goods and services rose, so fittingly, mortgage rates did too.

At the end of each day, the credit card company multiplies the current balance on your account by the daily rate. That daily interest charge is added to your balance the next day. For example, let's say you have a credit card with an APR of 15%. Your daily rate would be 0.041% (15% divided by 365).

With a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage loan, you repay the principal and interest each month through your monthly payment. Since this is a fixed-rate mortgage, the interest rate stays the same throughout the life of the loan. That means your monthly payment (not including taxes and insurance) will remain the same, too.

Lenders charge a lower interest rate for 15-year loans because it's easier to make predictions about repayment over a 15-year horizon than it is over a 30-year horizon. Another reason for the savings? Home buyers are borrowing the money for half the time, which dramatically reduces the cost of borrowing.

Higher interest rates can make borrowing money more expensive for consumers and businesses, while also potentially making it harder to get approved for loans. On the positive side, higher interest rates can benefit savers as banks increase yields to attract more deposits.