How to Read FOMC Minutes: Fed Speak, Nuance, and Signals
Learn how to read FOMC minutes: decode the three-week lag, calibrated Fed speak quantifiers, and the critical signals that move bond and stock markets.
interest rates
Treasury Yields Spike as Q3 Closes: 10-Year Hits 5.29%
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield closed the third quarter at 5.29% as benchmark borrowing rates logged an 85-basis-point quarterly surge across debt markets.
SOFR vs. Fed Funds Rate: Secured vs. Unsecured Benchmarks
Understand the key differences between SOFR and the Fed Funds Rate, from collateral and calculation methods to how they drive lending and policy.
The Prime Rate Explained: How It Is Set and What It Moves
Learn what the prime rate is, how banks set it 300 basis points above the Fed funds rate, and how it directly affects credit cards, HELOCs, and loans.
Fed Floor System: How IORB and ON RRP Set Interest Rates
Discover how the Federal Reserve’s floor system controls interest rates using administered rates like IORB, the ON RRP facility, and the discount window.
REITs Explained: How Real Estate Investment Trusts Work
What is a REIT, the 90% dividend rule, equity vs mortgage REITs, why FFO matters more than net income, and why rising rates hit REITs first.
Russell 2000 Drops 2.4% as Long Yields Slam Small Caps
Small-cap stocks led Friday’s selloff with the Russell 2000 down 2.4% as rising Treasury yields rekindled fears about leverage, refinancing, and unprofitable balance sheets.
Yield Curve Explained: Shapes, Forces, and Inversion
A plain-English guide to the Treasury yield curve: what it is, the four shapes, why it can invert, and what each shape says about the economy.
How the Fed Sets Interest Rates — and Why It Moves Markets
Inside the FOMC: how the Fed targets the federal funds rate, how QE and QT work, and why each decision ripples through stocks, bonds, and mortgages.
The Yield Curve: What It Is and Why Inversion Matters
Understand the yield curve, what causes inversions, and why they have preceded every U.S. recession since 1955. Includes today’s snapshot.