In August 2020, 54 percent of respondents who became homeowners during the COVID-19 pandemic said they took advantage of the low mortgage interest rates. On the other hand, 26 percent of them said that the coronavirus pandemic didn't play any role in them becoming homeowners. The homeownership rate rose to almost 68 percent in the second quarter of 2020.

The U.S. federal funds effective rate underwent a dramatic reduction in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate plummeted from 1.58 percent in February 2020 to 0.65 percent in March, and further decreased to 0.05 percent in April. This sharp reduction, accompanied by the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program, was implemented to stabilize the economy during the global health crisis. After maintaining historically low rates for nearly two years, the Federal Reserve began a series of rate hikes in early 2022, with the rate moving from 0.33 percent in April 2022 to 5.33 percent in August 2023. The rate remained unchanged for over a year, before the Federal Reserve initiated its first rate cut in nearly three years in September 2024, bringing the rate to 5.13 percent. By December 2024, the rate was cut to 4.48 percent, signaling a shift in monetary policy in the second half of 2024. In January 2025, the Federal Reserve implemented another cut, setting the rate at 4.33 percent, which remained unchanged throughout the following months. What is the federal funds effective rate? The U.S. federal funds effective rate determines the interest rate paid by depository institutions, such as banks and credit unions, that lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight. Changing the effective rate in times of crisis is a common way to stimulate the economy, as it has a significant impact on the whole economy, such as economic growth, employment, and inflation. Central bank policy rates The adjustment of interest rates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was a coordinated global effort. In early 2020, central banks worldwide implemented aggressive monetary easing policies to combat the economic crisis. The U.S. Federal Reserve's dramatic reduction of its federal funds rate - from 1.58 percent in February 2020 to 0.05 percent by April - mirrored similar actions taken by central banks globally. While these low rates remained in place throughout 2021, mounting inflationary pressures led to a synchronized tightening cycle beginning in 2022, with central banks pushing rates to multi-year highs. By mid-2024, as inflation moderated across major economies, central banks began implementing their first rate cuts in several years, with the U.S. Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank all easing monetary policy.

United States Interest Rates: 12 Months Expectation: Lower data was reported at 21.400 % in Apr 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 23.300 % for Mar 2025. United States Interest Rates: 12 Months Expectation: Lower data is updated monthly, averaging 12.100 % from Jun 1987 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 455 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 45.800 % in Jan 1991 and a record low of 5.200 % in Jun 2018. United States Interest Rates: 12 Months Expectation: Lower data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Conference Board. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.H051: Consumer Confidence Index: Interest Rate Expectation. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Policy interest rates in the U.S. and Europe are forecasted to decrease gradually between 2024 and 2027, following exceptional increases triggered by soaring inflation between 2021 and 2023. The U.S. federal funds rate stood at **** percent at the end of 2023, the European Central Bank deposit rate at **** percent, and the Swiss National Bank policy rate at **** percent. With inflationary pressures stabilizing, policy interest rates are forecast to decrease in each observed region. The U.S. federal funds rate is expected to decrease to *** percent, the ECB refi rate to **** percent, the Bank of England bank rate to **** percent, and the Swiss National Bank policy rate to **** percent by 2025. An interesting aspect to note is the impact of these interest rate changes on various economic factors such as growth, employment, and inflation. The impact of central bank policy rates The U.S. federal funds effective rate, crucial in determining the interest rate paid by depository institutions, experienced drastic changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsequent slight changes in the effective rate reflected the efforts to stimulate the economy and manage economic factors such as inflation. Such fluctuations in the federal funds rate have had a significant impact on the overall economy. The European Central Bank's decision to cut its fixed interest rate in June 2024 for the first time since 2016 marked a significant shift in attitude towards economic conditions. The reasons behind the fluctuations in the ECB's interest rate reflect its mandate to ensure price stability and manage inflation, shedding light on the complex interplay between interest rates and economic factors. Inflation and real interest rates The relationship between inflation and interest rates is critical in understanding the actions of central banks. Central banks' efforts to manage inflation through interest rate adjustments reveal the intricate balance between economic growth and inflation. Additionally, the concept of real interest rates, adjusted for inflation, provides valuable insights into the impact of inflation on the economy.

United States Interest Rates: 12 Months Expectation: Higher data was reported at 56.100 % in Apr 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 53.400 % for Mar 2025. United States Interest Rates: 12 Months Expectation: Higher data is updated monthly, averaging 55.200 % from Jun 1987 (Median) to Apr 2025, with 455 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 79.900 % in Mar 1989 and a record low of 23.400 % in Oct 2001. United States Interest Rates: 12 Months Expectation: Higher data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Conference Board. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.H051: Consumer Confidence Index: Interest Rate Expectation. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

The benchmark interest rate in China was last recorded at 3 percent. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - China Interest Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

United States Mortgage Debt Outstanding: Effective Interest Rate data was reported at 3.799 % in Mar 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.872 % for Dec 2019. United States Mortgage Debt Outstanding: Effective Interest Rate data is updated quarterly, averaging 7.677 % from Mar 1977 (Median) to Mar 2020, with 173 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.449 % in Mar 1985 and a record low of 3.750 % in Dec 2017. United States Mortgage Debt Outstanding: Effective Interest Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.KB025: Mortgage Interest Paid. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

From 2003 to 2025, the central banks of the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union exhibited remarkably similar interest rate patterns, reflecting shared global economic conditions. In the early 2000s, rates were initially low to stimulate growth, then increased as economies showed signs of overheating prior to 2008. The financial crisis that year prompted sharp rate cuts to near-zero levels, which persisted for an extended period to support economic recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led to further rate reductions to historic lows, aiming to mitigate economic fallout. However, surging inflation in 2022 triggered a dramatic policy shift, with the Federal Reserve, Bank of England, and European Central Bank significantly raising rates to curb price pressures. As inflation stabilized in late 2023 and early 2024, the ECB and Bank of England initiated rate cuts by mid-2024, and the Federal Reserve also implemented its first cut in three years, with forecasts suggesting a gradual decrease in all major interest rates between 2025 and 2026. Divergent approaches within the European Union While the ECB sets a benchmark rate for the Eurozone, individual EU countries have adopted diverse strategies to address their unique economic circumstances. For instance, Hungary set the highest rate in the EU at 13 percent in September 2023, gradually reducing it to 6.5 percent by October 2024. In contrast, Sweden implemented more aggressive cuts, lowering its rate to 2.25 percent by February 2025, the lowest among EU members. These variations highlight the complex economic landscape that European central banks must navigate, balancing inflation control with economic growth support. Global context and future outlook The interest rate changes in major economies have had far-reaching effects on global financial markets. Government bond yields, for example, reflect these policy shifts and investor sentiment. As of December 2024, the United States had the highest 10-year government bond yield among developed economies at 4.59 percent, while Switzerland had the lowest at 0.27 percent. These rates serve as important benchmarks for borrowing costs and economic expectations worldwide.

Key information about Canada Short Term Interest Rate

• Canada Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: Treasury Bills Yield: 3 Months was reported at 2.82 % pa in Feb 2025, compared with 2.85 % pa in the previous month.
• Canada Short Term Interest Rate data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1993 to Feb 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 8.30 % pa in Mar 1995 and a record low of 0.06 % pa in Nov 2021.
• Short Term Interest Rate is reported by reported by Bank of Canada.

• In the latest reports, Canada Government Benchmark Bonds Yield: Month End: 10 Years was reported at 2.90 % pa in Feb 2025.
• The cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Overnight Target Rate) was set at 3.00 % pa in Feb 2025.
• Canada Exchange Rate against USD averaged 1.33 (USD/CAD) in Jun 2023.

The benchmark interest rate in Canada was last recorded at 2.75 percent. This dataset provides - Canada Interest Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Indonesia Banking Survey: Loan Interest Rate: Whole Year Estimation: in USD: Investment data was reported at 6.566 % in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.446 % for Dec 2024. Indonesia Banking Survey: Loan Interest Rate: Whole Year Estimation: in USD: Investment data is updated quarterly, averaging 6.330 % from Mar 2012 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 53 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.961 % in Sep 2023 and a record low of 4.454 % in Mar 2022. Indonesia Banking Survey: Loan Interest Rate: Whole Year Estimation: in USD: Investment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bank Indonesia. The data is categorized under Indonesia Premium Database’s Business and Economic Survey – Table ID.SE003: Banking Survey: Interest Rate. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Key information about India Long Term Interest Rate

• India Government Securities Yield: 10 Years was reported at 6.71 % pa in Jan 2025, compared with 6.78 % pa in the previous month.
• India Long Term Interest Rate data is updated monthly, available from May 1996 to Jan 2025.
• The data reached an all-time high of 13.96 % pa in May 1996 and a record low of 5.11 % pa in Oct 2003.
• Long Term Interest Rate is reported by reported by Reserve Bank of India.

• In the latest reports, India Short Term Interest Rate: Month End: India: MIBOR: 3 Months was reported at 7.19 % pa in Jun 2023.
• The cash rate (Policy Rate: Month End: Repo Rate) was set at 6.50 % pa in Jan 2025.
• India Exchange Rate against USD averaged 82.23 (USD/INR) in Jun 2023.

India Repo Rate data was reported at 6.000 % pa in 18 May 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 6.000 % pa for 17 May 2025. India Repo Rate data is updated daily, averaging 6.250 % pa from Apr 2001 (Median) to 18 May 2025, with 8788 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.500 % pa in 01 Jun 2015 and a record low of 4.000 % pa in 03 May 2022. India Repo Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Reserve Bank of India. The data is categorized under High Frequency Database’s Lending Rates – Table IN.MB001: Bank Interest Rate. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Understanding COVID-19 induced mortality risk is significant for life insurers to better analyze their financial sustainability after the outbreak of COVID-19. To capture the mortality effect caused by COVID-19 among all ages, this study proposes a temporary adverse mortality jump model to describe the dynamics of mortality in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world based on the weekly death numbers from 2015 to 2021 in the United States. As a comparative study, the Lee-Carter model is used as the base case to represent the dynamics of mortality without COVID-19. Then we compare the force of mortality, the survival probability and the liability of a life insurer by considering COVID-19 and those without COVID-19. We show that a life insurer's financial sustainability will deteriorate because of the higher mortality rates than expected in the wake of COVID-19. Our results remain unchanged when we also consider the effect of interest rate risk by adopting the Vasicek and CIR models.

Real interest rates describe the growth in the real value of the interest on a loan or deposit, adjusted for inflation. Nominal interest rates on the other hand show us the raw interest rate, which is unadjusted for inflation. If the inflation rate in a certain country were zero percent, the real and nominal interest rates would be the same number. As inflation reduces the real value of a loan, however, a positive inflation rate will mean that the nominal interest rate is more likely to be greater than the real interest rate. We can see this in the recent inflationary episode which has taken place in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, with nominal interest rates rising over the course of 2022, but still lagging far behind the rate of inflation, meaning these rate rises register as smaller increases in the real interest rate.

As of November 2021, the U.S. goverment dedicated ***** percent of the GDP to soften the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This translates to stimulus packages worth **** trillion U.S. dollars Economic impact of the Coronavirus pandemic The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt throughout the whole world. Lockdowns forced many industries to close completely for many months and restrictions were put on almost all economic activity. In 2020, the worldwide GDP loss due to Covid was *** percent. The global unemployment rate rocketed to **** percent in 2020 and confidence in governments’ ability to deal with the crisis diminished significantly. Governmental response In order to stimulate the economies and bring them out of recession, many countries have decided to release so called stimulus packages. These are fiscal and monetary policies used to support the recovery process. Through application of lower taxes and interest rates, direct financial aid, or facilitated access to funding, the governments aim to boost the employment, investment, and demand. Stimulus packages Until November 2021, Japan has dedicated the largest share of the GDP to stimulus packages among the G20 countries, with ***** percent (*** trillion Yen or **** trillion U.S. dollars). While the first help package aimed at maintaining employment and securing businesses, the second and third ones focused more on structural changes and positive developments in the country in the post-pandemic future.

Google Trends data have been used to investigate various themes on online information seeking. It was unclear if the population from different parts of the world shared the same amount of attention to different mask types during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to reveal which types of masks were frequently searched by the public in different countries, and evaluated if public attention to masks could be related to mandatory policy, stringency of the policy, and transmission rate of COVID-19. By referring to an open dataset hosted at the online database Our World in Data, the 10 countries with the highest total number of COVID-19 cases as of 9th of February 2022 were identified. For each of these countries, the weekly new cases per million population, reproduction rate (of COVID-19), stringency index, and face covering policy score were computed from the raw daily data. Google Trends were queried to extract the relative search volume (RSV) for different types of masks from each of these countries. Results found that Google searches for N95 masks were predominant in India, whereas surgical masks were predominant in Russia, FFP2 masks were predominant in Spain, and cloth masks were predominant in both France and United Kingdom. The United States, Brazil, Germany, and Turkey had two predominant types of mask. The online searching behavior for masks markedly varied across countries. For most of the surveyed countries, the online searching for masks peaked during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic before the government implemented mandatory mask wearing. The search for masks positively correlated with the government response stringency index but not with the COVID-19 reproduction rate or the new cases per million.

Data for the manuscript entitled "Global Financial Crisis, Covid-19, and Russia-Ukraine War: Are the Effects of Macroeconomic Shocks on Global Inflation Different?

European Union central banks navigated a complex economic landscape between 2022 and 2025, with interest rates initially rising across member states. However, a pivotal shift occurred in late 2023 as most countries began lowering their rates, reflecting the delicate balance between controlling inflation and supporting economic growth. In the Euro area, the European Central Bank (ECB) led this trend by cutting interest rates from 4.5 percent to 3.15 percent in 2024, implementing four strategic rate reductions throughout the year. This approach was nearly universally adopted, with Poland being the sole EU country not reducing its rates during this period. The ECB continued the series of reductions in early 2025, setting the rate at 2.4 percent in April 2025. Global context and policy shifts The interest rate changes in the EU mirror similar movements in other major economies. The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union central banks followed remarkably similar patterns from 2003 to 2024, responding to shared global economic conditions. After maintaining near-zero rates following the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, these institutions sharply raised rates in 2022 to combat surging inflation. By mid-2024, the European Central Bank and Bank of England initiated rate cuts, with the Federal Reserve following suit. Varied approaches within the EU Despite the overall trend, individual EU countries have adopted diverse strategies. Hungary, for instance, set the highest rate in the EU at 13 percent in September 2023, gradually reducing it to 6.5 percent by September 2024. In contrast, Sweden implemented the most aggressive cuts, lowering its rate to 2.25 percent by February 2025, the lowest among EU members. These divergent approaches highlight the unique economic challenges faced by each country and the flexibility required in monetary policy to address specific national circumstances.

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet has undergone significant changes since 2007, reflecting its response to major economic crises. From a modest *** trillion U.S. dollars at the end of 2007, it ballooned to approximately **** trillion U.S. dollars by June 2025. This dramatic expansion, particularly during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic - both of which resulted in negative annual GDP growth in the U.S. - showcases the Fed's crucial role in stabilizing the economy through expansionary monetary policies. Impact on inflation and interest rates The Fed's expansionary measures, while aimed at stimulating economic growth, have had notable effects on inflation and interest rates. Following the quantitative easing in 2020, inflation in the United States reached ***** percent in 2022, the highest since 1991. However, by *************, inflation had declined to *** percent. Concurrently, the Federal Reserve implemented a series of interest rate hikes, with the rate peaking at **** percent in ***********, before the first rate cut since ************** occurred in **************. Financial implications for the Federal Reserve The expansion of the Fed's balance sheet and subsequent interest rate hikes have had significant financial implications. In 2023, the Fed reported a negative net income of ***** billion U.S. dollars, a stark contrast to the ***** billion U.S. dollars profit in 2022. This unprecedented shift was primarily due to rapidly rising interest rates, which caused the Fed's interest expenses to soar to over *** billion U.S. dollars in 2023. Despite this, the Fed's net interest income on securities acquired through open market operations reached a record high of ****** billion U.S. dollars in the same year.