

On the contrary, when the Fed wants to cut interest rates, it does so by selling these government securities. Treasury-issued instruments, namely short-term bills, that mature in under 12 months.

The government securities are nothing much the U.S. When the Fed wants to hike the Fed funds rate, it does so by selling the government securities to these banks. The open market operations are done via buying and selling of government securities with the various investment and commercial banks. On the contrary, the Fed funds rates are set up via something called the open market operations. The fed funds rate is not as simple as the Fed mentioning a few numbers depicting the threshold. The Fed funds rate or the effective fed funds rate is the median rate between these two thresholds. Typically, the Fed sets a lower and upper range of the fed funds rate. The Fed funds rate is simply the interest rate that the Fed charges for banks that have their deposits held at the central bank. Traders across the spectrum, from fixed income to equities and forex and even commodities pay attention to the Fed funds rate. Since the Federal Reserve is the central bank for the world’s reserve currency, it shouldn’t be surprising why these rates are so important for the markets.

The Fed funds rate has an impact to influence the interest rates in everyday life, ranging from mortgage rates to personal or car loans in the U.S., as well as impacting global forex markets as well. In doing so, it can influence the interest rates across all the different markets and horizons. The Fed funds rate, as the name suggests is the interest rate that the Federal Reserve Bank controls. You will also be able to learn about why the Fed funds rate is so important and why you as a trader should pay attention to this. By the end of this article, you will learn what the Fed funds rate is all about and why it matters so much for traders. If you are new to the trading scene or do not have much grasp on the economics, this article will walk you through the Fed funds rate. Commonly referred to as the Fed, the Fed meeting is one of those few fundamental events that can move the markets. Anyone who has ever traded forex would know the importance of the Federal Reserve Bank’s monetary policy meeting.
