There’s been a lot of talk from the Bank of England recently about introducing “negative interest rates”. So what on earth are they, and what would they mean for your money?
Usually, if you lend money to someone, you expect them to pay you the money back, plus interest. This is why your bank pays you interest on your savings – technically, you are lending your money to the bank. Interest rates are usually positive with good reason. After all, why would you pay someone else for the privilege of lending them money?
Nevertheless, several countries now have negative interest rates. For example, the European Central Bank’s main interest rate is currently minus 0.5%. Negative rates turn the financial world on its head. If a borrower borrows at a negative interest rate, they end up paying back less than they originally borrowed. In other words, savers are charged to save, and borrowers are paid to borrow.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
So why would a central bank impose negative rates? The theory is that if savers are charged to save money, they will spend rather than save. In turn, that will encourage more economic activity and growth. In practice, it’s not at all clear that this is what happens. Indeed, some argue that negative rates have the opposite effect.
For example, rather than spend money, savers might just save even harder to compensate. And rather than invest in new capacity, companies might view negative rates as a sign that the economy is in dire trouble, and focus on using cheap borrowed money to buy back their own shares instead. On top of that, any companies with pension liabilities will find that those liabilities balloon as interest rates fall ever lower, which also discourages investment. Of course, none of this will necessarily prevent central banks in the UK and perhaps even the US from following their European counterparts into negative territory.
So far at least, negative rates only affect big institutional savers. Banks are not yet passing negative rates onto small depositors like you or I – although more might start charging for current accounts, which amounts to the same thing. Sadly though, you’re unlikely to get a negative interest rate mortgage.
For more on how all of this might affect your investments, subscribe to MoneyWeek magazine.
-
8 of the best houses for sale for around £500,000Some of the best houses for sale for around £500,000 – from a 19th-century stone farm cottage in North Yorkshire and a two-bedroom apartment in Edinburgh’s New Town to a converted Methodist chapel in Norfolk
-
What will the unravelling of US-China trade mean for the economy?What will a US-China decoupling mean for the global economy?
-
What is a dividend yield?Videos Learn what a dividend yield is and what it can tell investors about a company's plans to return profits to its investors.
-
Fiscal drag could cost millions of earners thousands – what is it, and how can I protect my money?Videos The government froze tax thresholds, which will drag employees into higher tax bands as wages rise with inflation. We explain what fiscal drag is, and how to avoid it.
-
What is a deficit?Videos When we talk about government spending and the public finances, we often hear the word ‘deficit’ being used. But what is a deficit, and why does it matter?
-
Too embarrassed to ask: what is moral hazard?Videos The term “moral hazard” comes from the insurance industry in the 18th century. But what does it mean today?
-
Too embarrassed to ask: what is contagion?Videos Most of us probably know what “contagion” is in a biological sense. But it also crops up in financial markets. Here's what it means.
-
Too embarrassed to ask: what is a marginal tax rate?Videos Your marginal tax rate is simply the tax rate you pay on each extra pound of income you earn. Here's how that works.
-
Too embarrassed to ask: what is stagflation?Videos Traditionally, economists and central bankers worry about inflation or recession. But there is one thing worse than both: stagflation. Here's what it is
-
Too embarrassed to ask: what is the metaverse?Videos The term “metaverse” sounds like something out of a science fiction novel (and it is). But what does it actually mean?
