Interest facts & stats

Question 1

What was the peak U.S. federal funds rate reached in 2023-2024, the highest of that hiking cycle?

Accepted Answer

5.25-5.50%. Rates peaked at 5.25-5.50% from mid-2023 through September 2024, the highest level in over two decades.

Question 2

Between 1954 and 2008, the U.S. federal funds rate varied between about 0.25% and what high?

Accepted Answer

19%. Over that 54-year span, the fed funds rate swung from as low as 0.25% to as high as 19% during the inflation-fighting era of the early 1980s.

Question 3

Between 1989 and 2009, the Bank of England's base rate varied between 0.5% and what high?

Accepted Answer

15%. The UK's base rate ranged as high as 15% during that 20-year window, echoing the volatility seen in other major economies.

Question 4

During its hyperinflation crisis, Zimbabwe's central bank raised interest rates to what extreme level in 2007?

Accepted Answer

800%. Zimbabwe's central bank pushed rates to 800% in 2007 in a failed attempt to fight runaway hyperinflation.

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