It has been another awful week for bonds. As the stock market seeks new hights (although, I’m not really sure why?), Bond prices have gone down and yields risen (bond prices and yields have an inverse relationship). This happend in June as well. Last month, some CD rates moved up, but that hasn’t really materialized here in July.
The top online 1-year certificate of deposit rates are in the 2.50% range. Competitive rates are in the 2.00% to 2.25% range. The curve is fairly flat on terms of 1-year to 3-year. There is usually a small uptick for purchasing a 2-years CD. Most 2-year CD rates are about 0.25% above than the 1-year, and the 3-year is usually another 0.25% higher that, around 2.75%. Good 5-year rates are close to 3.40 to 3.60% APY.
One interesting way to search for interest rates is to enter in the rate and the year. This usually brings up a list of web pages with current online rates. And if, for instance, you are trying to find the hard to find 3%, you’ll probably find it within the highest twenty or so positions. Try a search by state, too. For example, you could type New Jersey cd rates for yields in New Jersey (NJ)
Over the next few months, the stock market and bond market will likely continue this current give and take. Since the banks also understand it is a back and forth, give and take, they probably won’t respond with increased online CD rates. I think it will take the Fed to raise Fed Funds to drastically change CD rates. That may not happen for another 9-months. Keep in mind that short-term interest rates will probably move up speedier than longer-term rates, at some point leaving us with a flat or almost flat yield curve. If at some point the curve inverts again (as it did in 2006/2007), I would lengthen your terms on the CDs. An inverted curve usally means lower rates are around the corner. However, I think we are in for a continued time of awful rates. The economy isn’t improving. Everytime people discuss a greenshoot, news comes out that it actually was a brownout.
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