Course Content
Introduction
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Economics for Life

The federal funds rate is the rate that banks regulated by the Federal Reserve charge each other for overnight loans. The federal funds rate is set by the Fed as its principal tool of Monetary Policy, and it becomes the “wholesale cost of money” for commercial banks. In 2020, due to the Pandemic Recession, the Federal Reserve reduced the funds rate to 0-.25%. This essentially means that commercial banks can borrow in the short-term money markets at 0% to .25%. It therefore causes savings rates offered by the commercial banks to be about the same. Commercial banks then will pay their depositors the same interest that other banks will charge them to borrow money.