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bank rate

bank rate

1 4.6
The interest rate that a country's central bank sets for loans to commercial banks
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : tipo de interés
  • Fed bank rate cuts and the ensuing frenzy on Wall St. helped bolster the false notion that their philosophy had resulted in prosperity on Main St.

Examples

  • The types of investments offered by 529 savings plans are limited and tend toward the conservative, but they also offer a much more favorable return than bank rates in most cases.

    Blog text (17)
  • If bank, if bank rates increase, you come out ahead, the deal stays fair or I come out ahead.

  • The bank rate has been adjusted to stimulate economic growth, now set at 1.5%.

  • Many economists predict that the bank rate will rise in response to inflation.

  • A decrease in the bank rate may lead to lower borrowing costs for consumers.

Synonyms

interest rate
vsbank rate
  • Specialized
415 2.3

The extra money you pay when you borrow or receive when you save each year

is the specific central bank lending rate, not general borrowing cost
discount rate
vsbank rate
  • Specialized
6 4.9

Interest rate a central bank charges banks for borrowing money

is the central bank lending rate used to steer monetary policy
rate of interest
vsbank rate
5 3.2

Percent a bank charges for borrowing money each year

is the central bank lending rate used to adjust national monetary conditions
base rate
vsbank rate
  • UK
5.5

A key interest rate set by the Bank of England that other loan rates follow

is the central bank lending rate focused on controlling money supply

How High

high-interest
12 4.2
bank rate
  • Specialized
1 4.6
low-interest
  • Specialized
33 3.4

Surface Forms

bank rate singular
bank rates plural

Morphology

bank + rate

The phrase is compositionally built from 'bank' + 'rate', so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to some kind of rate associated with a bank and will grasp the general idea. However, the specific technical meaning — the central bank's policy lending/interest rate used to influence money supply — is specialized and not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so full understanding requires domain knowledge.

Etymology

Bank rate comes from the idea that a country's main bank sets the rate, the 'price' it charges when it lends money to other banks, like a shop's price tag. That's why bank rate means the official 'interest' level that affects borrowing costs.