base rate

Base rate

British equivalent of the US prime rate.

Discount Rate

The interest rate at which the Federal Reserve makes short-term loans to member banks. The discount rate is an indicator of the direction in which the Federal Reserve is trying to push the broader economy. In general, a low interest rate indicates that it is trying to promote growth by making liquidity easily available, and a high interest rate shows that the Fed is concerned about inflationary pressures on the economy and trying to reduce the amount of money in the economy. Along with the sale of Treasury securities and the determining of the fed funds rate, setting the discount rate is one of the primary ways the Federal Reserve sets the monetary policy of the United States.

base rate

see INTEREST RATE.

base rate

the INTEREST RATE that is used by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to calculate rates of interest to be charged on bank loans and overdrafts to their customers. For example, a large company might be charged, say, an interest rate of base rate plus 2% on a loan, whereas a smaller borrower might be charged, say, base rate plus 4%. Formerly, base rates were linked directly to BANK RATE but are now fixed by reference to the ‘official’ rate of interest set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the Bank of England. See PRIME RATE.