Discover how banks set loan interest rates, from Federal Reserve policies to market trends and borrower creditworthiness, for better financial decisions.

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday for the third time since September, bringing its key rate to about 3.6%, the lowest in nearly three years. Before September, it had gone nine months without a cut. Typically ...

Forecasts vary for how many more times the Fed could cut interest rates in 2026. Some say one, two or even three more rate cuts ahead. Mortgage rates already have fallen as markets anticipated a Fed rate cut in December. Cantankerous and increasingly ...

Lower borrowing costs in 2026 may have seemed like a foregone conclusion last month, but a few experts have begun casting doubt on that assumption.

In early December, the Federal Reserve wrapped up the year with another quarter-point rate cut, the third of the year. This rate cut was welcome news for borrowers, as it helped drive down interest rates across a range of borrowing products, from mortgage ...

The Federal Reserve delivered its third rate cut of 2025 by lowering the federal funds rate another 0.25 points, sparking mixed views within the FOMC As was anticipated by many experts in the field, the Federal Reserve, at the conclusion of its December ...

What’s the context? Trump has long sought to exert more control over the Fed’s decision-making and to oust Powell, as well as Fed board member Lisa Cook. But members of the Fed board can only be fired “for cause” — which the Trump administration has previously interpreted to include pretextual allegations of criminal activity.

ChatGPT excels at gathering and synthesizing info into recommendations. Here's what it said when asked about the best investments after the recent rate cut.