Non-U.S. (Foreign) Prime Interest Rates

Prime Rate News from Around
the Industrialized World

Thursday, December 8, 2011: The European Central Bank (ECB), has cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 1.25% to 1.00%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.00%.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has lowered the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 4.50% to 4.25%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.25%.

Thursday, November 3, 2011: The European Central Bank (ECB), under the new leadership of president Mario Draghi, has lowered its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 1.50% to 1.25%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.25%.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has lowered the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 4.75% to 4.50%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.50%.

Thursday, July 7, 2011: The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 1.25% to 1.50%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.50%.

Thursday, April 7, 2011: The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 1.00% to 1.25%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.25%.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 4.50% to 4.75%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.75%.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010: The Bank of Canada, Canada's central bank, has raised its benchmark target overnight interest rate from 0.75% to 1.00%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Canada is now 3.00%.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010: The Bank of Canada, Canada's central bank, has raised its benchmark target overnight interest rate from 0.50% to 0.75%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Canada is now 2.75%.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010: The Bank of Canada, Canada's central bank, has raised its benchmark target overnight interest rate from 0.25% to 0.50%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Canada is now 2.50%.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 4.25% to 4.50%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.50%.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 4.00% to 4.25%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.25%.

Wednesday, March 2, 2010: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 3.75% to 4.00%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.00%.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 3.50% to 3.75%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 3.75%.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 3.25% to 3.50%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 3.50%.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has raised the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 3.00% to 3.25%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 3.25%.

Thursday, May 7, 2009: The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 1.25% to 1.00%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.00%, a brand new record low.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009: The Bank of Canada, Canada's central bank, has cut its benchmark target overnight interest rate from 0.5% to 0.25%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Canada is now 2.25%, a new record low. Canada's benchmark rate can't go any lower than 0.25%.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has cut the target for its cash rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 3.25% to 3.00%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 3.00%.

Thursday, April 2, 2009: The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage point), from 1.50% to 1.25%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.25%, which is the lowest it's been since the ECB was founded in 1998.

Thursday, March 5, 2009: The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its benchmark interest rate from 2.0% to 1.50%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 1.50%, which is the lowest it's been since the ECB was founded in 1998.

Thursday, March 5, 2009: The Bank of England (BoE), the central bank for the UK, has cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (0.50 percentage point), from 1.0% to 0.50%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in the UK is now 0.50%. This is a record low for the BoE, which came into existence in 1694.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009: The Bank of Canada, Canada's central bank, has cut its benchmark overnight interest rate from 1.0% to 0.5%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Canada is now 2.50%, a new record low.

Thursday, February 5, 2009: The Bank of England (BoE), which serves as the central bank for the United Kingdom, cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (0.50 percentage point) to 1.00%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in the UK is now 1.00%.

Wednesday, February 3, 2009: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has cut the target for its cash rate by 100 basis points (1.00 percentage point), from 4.25% to 3.25%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 3.25%.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009: The Bank of Canada, which serves as Canada's central bank, cut its benchmark interest rate to 1.00%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Canada is now 3.00%.

Thursday, January 15, 2009: The European Central Bank (ECB) has cut its benchmark interest rate to 2.00%. Therefore, the eurozone Prime Rate is now 2.00%.

Thursday, January 8, 2009: The Bank of England (BoE), which serves as the central bank for the United Kingdom, cut its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (0.50 percentage point) to 1.50%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in the UK is now 1.50%.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008: The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark interest rate, the target fed funds rate, to a range of 0% - 0.25%. Therefore, the Fed Prime Rate (WSJ Prime Rate) is now 3.25%. The Federal Reserve's network of 12 regional banks and the system's headquarters at the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., act together as the central bank of the United States.

Wednesday, December 2, 2008: The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia's central bank, has cut the target for its cash rate by 100 basis points (1.00 percentage point), from 5.25% to 4.25%. Therefore, the Prime Rate in Australia is now 4.25%.