Federal funds rate

Definition

The interest rate that banks with excess reserves at a Federal Reserve district bank charge other banks that need overnight loans. The Fed funds rate, as it is called, often points to the direction of US interest rates. The most sensitive indicator of the direction of interest rates, since it is set daily by the market, unlike the prime rate and the discount rate.

Investing Essentials

Copyright © 2011 Campbell R. Harvey, Professor of Finance, Fuqua School of Business at Duke University


Term of the Day

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)
A document provided as a supplement to a mutual fund prospectus. It provides more detailed information about fund policies, operations, and risks. Also known as a Part B prospectus.

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