Write An Essay On The Federal Funds Rate

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The federal funds rate is the interest rate that banks charge each other to lend Federal Reserve funds overnight. These funds maintain the federal reserve requirement. The reserve requirement prevents them from lending every dollar they get. Make sure they have enough cash to start each business day. The Federal Reserve uses the federal funds rate as a tool to control US economic growth. Banks use the federal funds rate to base all other short-term interest rates. Banks also base the prime rate on the federal funds rate. Banks charge their best customers the preferential rate. This is how the federal funds rate also affects most other interest rates. These include interest rates on deposits, bank loans, credit cards and adjustable rate mortgages. Prior to …show more content…
The federal funds rate is what banks charge each other for one-day loans to meet these reserve balances. The amount loaned and borrowed is known as federal funds. The Federal Open Market Committee sets an objective for the federal funds rate. You cannot force banks to use your target rate. Instead, it uses open market operations to boost the federal funds rate to its target. If the FOMC wants the rate to be lower, the Fed buys securities from its member banks. Deposit the credit on the balance sheets of the banks, granting them more reserves than they need. That means that banks must reduce the federal funds rate to lend additional funds to each other. This is how the Fed lowers interest rates. When the Fed wants higher rates, it does the opposite. It sells its securities to banks and, as a result, eliminates funds from its balance sheet. This gives banks less reserves that allow them to raise rates. Since 2015, the Fed has raised interest rates. That is a way to control inflation. How the Fed uses it to control the economy. The FOMC changes the rate of federal funds to control inflation and maintain healthy economic

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