Who sets interest rates? In America, the Federal Reserve sets the national interest rates. In Canada, the Bank of Canada sets the target for the overnight rate. The Bank of England is the British equivalent to the Federal Reserve or the Bank of Canada. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada set rates 8 times a year, and the Bank of England sets rates 12 times a year.

The target overnight rate which is set is a .5% margin: if it is 4.25-4.75% this means that banks will charge 4.75% interest on money they lend to other banks, and they will pay 4.25% on money deposited by other banks.

Each individual banking institution offers separate rates for different kinds of accounts. The banks choose their rates based on the national rates.

What affects interest rates?

Rates are raised in the short-term during expansions (when the economy is growing) to prevent the rise of inflation. Inflation is when you have too much money circulating, and so it costs more money make purchases. For instance, if there is a lot of money being created with no regulation, and the interest rates were not adjusted to help compensate, hypothetically, money could become essentially worthless. (Picture peasants in Russia with buckets of rubles trying to buy a loaf of bread.)

The government lowers interest rates when the economy is not doing so well. Lowering interest rates stimulates the economy because it encourages people to spend their money. It encourages them to borrow money (to put more money in circulation), and it discourages them from investing because their investments will not make overly large returns.

Canadian interest rates are linked to American interest rates, but they are not the same. Canada might have a different interest rate than the States, but Canadas interest rate will be affected by the change in American interest rate.

How does the interest rate affect me?

When interest rates are high, as a consumer, this is a good time to invest money. It means that you will make more profit on the money that you choose to invest. Unfortunately, however, when interest rates are high, it is not a good time to borrow money. It means that you will have to pay back more in interest, which often means a longer loan period.

Having low interest rates means that it is not a great time to invest money. You will not make a high return on money you invest. Low interest rates, conversely, are what you want when you borrow money, because it means that you will have less money to pay back in the long-term.

What are the current trends in the market?

As of 2006, there seems to be an upward trend in interest rates. In 2004, interest rates hit a forty year low. They have been slowly but steady rising since then. The Bank of Canada has increased interest rates at least nine times since the lowest point in 2004, and the American Federal Reserve has made at least sixteen increases since that point.

Because, in 2006, it seems like the interest rates will rise, this is a good time to get a fixed-rate loan before the cost becomes prohibitive.