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Rate hike and rate cut

A central bank raising or lowering its policy interest rate, usually in 25-basis-point steps.

Hikes fight inflation by making borrowing costlier and cash more attractive; cuts stimulate growth by doing the reverse. What moves markets is the decision relative to expectations and the signal about the path ahead.

One basis point is 0.01%, so a 25-basis-point hike raises the federal-funds-rate by a quarter of a percent.

Example: the fomc hikes 75 basis points when the market expected 50. The 2-year yield jumps, the dxy rallies, and growth stocks fall hardest.

Related: fomc, federal-funds-rate, yield-curve, quantitative-tightening

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