THE question of when interest rates will rise gets frequent attention. Less energy is spent wondering where they will end up in the long-run. But for companies thinking about long-term investment projects, and savers planning for retirement—who will need to contribute more to their pension pots should rates stay low—the second question is at least as important as the first. Two new papers from the Brookings Institution, presented at a conference on October 30th, seek to answer it.
In the long-term, interest rates are beyond the control of central banks like America’s Federal Reserve. If the Fed sets rates too high or too low, inflation will veer off-course. Where rates must eventually settle to keep inflation stable depends on economic circumstances. In particular, it depends on what “real” interest rate—the return to saving, adjusted for inflation—balances the economy’s demand with what it can supply. This elusive sweet spot is called the “equilibrium real rate”.
A long list of factors should, in theory, affect the equilibrium real rate. Top of the list is economic growth. If the economy is expanding quickly,...Continue reading
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