Interest rate further down

The Dutch long-term interest rate, based on the return of the most recent ten-year public loan, averaged 3.3 percent in June 2011, i.e. 0.1 of a percentage point down on May. The interest rate dropped for the second month running.

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided to raise various interest rates in July 2011. As from 13 July, the repo rate will be raised by 0.25 of a percentage point to 1.5 percent. The deposit rate will also be raised by 0.25 of a percentage point, to 0.75 percent. The deposit rate is often considered as the bottom rate of the money market.

One of the main guidelines for the ECB’s decision to change or refrain from changing the interest rate is the level of inflation in the eurozone. According to the ECB, prices in the eurozone are stable, if the inflation rate is close to 2 percent. Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, recorded an inflation rate of 2.7 percent in the eurozone in June 2011, the same as in May.

Capital market interest rate (latest ten-year government bond)