real interest rate

real interest rate definition - business

real interest rate

The nominal current interest rate minus the rate of inflation. For example, an investor holding a 10% certificate of deposit during a period of 6% annual inflation would be earning a real interest rate of 4%. The real interest rate is a more valid measure of the desirability of an investment than the nominal rate is.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Business Terms Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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