Real interest rate

Finance

(noun)

The "real interest rate" is the rate of interest an investor expects to receive after allowing for inflation. It can be described more formally by the Fisher equation, which states that the real interest rate is approximately the nominal interest rate minus the inflation rate.

Related Terms

  • inflationary gap
  • Recessionary gap
Economics

(noun)

The rate of interest an investor expects to receive after allowing for inflation.

Related Terms

  • nominal interest rate

Examples of Real interest rate in the following topics:

  • Bond Prices in an Open Economy

    • Thus, we deduct a country's inflation rate from the nominal interest rate, yielding the real interest rate.
    • Consequently, the real interest rate equals 5% in Figure 10 while the amount of funds in the market is L*.
    • If the world's real interest rate were 9%, then the domestic investors would invest their funds in the international market, earning a higher interest rate in Figure 10.
    • If the world's real interest rate were 1%, then firms and the government would borrow at the cheap rates in Figure 10.
    • However, a large country like the United States, Germany, or Japan would affect the world's real interest rate.
  • The Fisher Effect

    • Investors and savers are concerned about the real interest rate because the real interest rate reflects the true cost of borrowing.
    • The Fisher Effect relates nominal and real interest rates and we define the notation as:
    • It equals a geometric average of the expected inflation rate and real interest rate.
    • We calculated the real interest rate in Equation 3.
    • We calculated the real interest rate in Equation 4.
  • Comparing Interest Rates

    • The Fisher Equation is a simple way of determining the real interest rate, or the interest rate accrued after accounting for inflation.
    • To find the real interest rate, simply subtract the expected inflation rate from the nominal interest rate.
    • By the Fisher Equation, the real interest rates are 1% and 2% for Company 1 and Company 2, respectively.
    • The nominal interest rate is approximately the sum of the real interest rate and inflation.
    • Discuss the differences between effective interest rates, real interest rates, and cost of capital
  • Differences Between Real and Nominal Rates

    • The real rate is the nominal rate minus inflation.
    • In the case of a loan, it is this real interest that the lender receives as income.
    • If the lender is receiving 8% from a loan and inflation is 8%, then the real rate of interest is zero, because nominal interest and inflation are equal.
    • The real rate can be described more formally by the Fisher equation, which states that the real interest rate is approximately the nominal interest rate minus the inflation rate: 1 + i = (1+r) (1+E(r)), where i = nominal interest rate; r = real interest rate; E(r) = expected inflation rate.
    • The relationship between real and nominal interest rates is captured by the formula.
  • Macroeconomic Factors Influencing the Interest Rate

    • Taylor explained the rule of determining interest rates using three variables: inflation rate, GDP growth, and the real interest rate.
    • An interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower for the use of money that they borrow from a lender in the market.
    • The interest rates are influenced by macroeconomic factors.
    • In this equation, it is the target short-term nominal interest rate (e.g., the federal fund rates in the United States), πt is the rate of inflation as measured by the GDP deflator, π*t is the desired rate of inflation, r*t is the assumed equilibrium real interest rate, yt is the logarithm of real GDP, and y*t is the logarithm of potential output, as determined by a linear trend.
    • Taylor explained the rule in simple terms using three variables: inflation rate, GDP growth, and the equilibrium real interest rate.
  • Inflation Premium

    • An inflation premium is the part of prevailing interest rates that results from lenders compensating for expected inflation by pushing nominal interest rates to higher levels.
    • The Fisher equation in financial mathematics and economics estimates the relationship between nominal and real interest rates under inflation.
    • In economics, this equation is used to predict nominal and real interest rate behavior.
    • Letting r denote the real interest rate, i denote the nominal interest rate, and let π denote the inflation rate, the Fisher equation is: i = r + π.
    • For example, if an investor were able to lock in a 5% interest rate for the coming year and anticipates a 2% rise in prices, he would expect to earn a real interest rate of 3%. 2% is the inflation premium.
  • International Fisher Effect

    • The Fisher Effect relates the nominal interest rate to the rate of inflation and real interest rate.
    • As long as the expected inflation and real interest rates are small, then the approximation will be accurate.
    • For example, if the expected inflation, $\pi$, is 10% and nominal interest rate, i, equals 5%, subsequently, the real interest rate is approximately -5%.
    • The International Fisher Effect relates the real interest rate to a nominal interest rate in a foreign country.
    • Thus, both the foreign interest rate and change of currency exchange rate determine an investor's real return.
  • Interest Rate Levels

    • An interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower for the use of money that they borrow from a lender.
    • An interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower for the use of money that they borrow from a lender.
    • Changes in interest rate levels signal the status of the economy.
    • However, lowering interest rates can sometimes lead to the creation of massive economic bubbles, when a large amount of investments are poured into the real estate market and stock market.
    • Because there is an excessive demand for real balances, the interest rate rises.
  • Price Risk

    • Interest rates and bond prices carry an inverse relationship.
    • Fixed-rate bonds are subject to interest rate risk, meaning that their market prices will decrease in value when the generally prevailing interest rates rise.
    • When the market interest rate rises, the market price of bonds will fall, reflecting investors' ability to get a higher interest rate on their money elsewhere — perhaps by purchasing a newly-issued bond that already features the new higher interest rate.
    • On the flip side, if the prevailing interest rate were on the decline, investors would naturally buy bonds that pay lower rates of interest.
    • If there is any chance a holder of individual bonds may need to sell his bonds and "cash out", interest rate risk could become a real problem.
  • Interest Rates and Economic Rationale

    • The interest rate is one of the primary influences on economic rationale.
    • The interest rate is the rate at which interest is paid by a borrower (debtor) for the use of money borrowed from a lender (creditor).
    • Interest rates also influence inflationary expectations.
    • For example, low interest rates can lead to large amounts of investments poured into the real-estate market and stock market.
    • The interest rates reached 14% in 1969 and lowered to 2% by 2003.
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