REAL INTEREST RATE: The market, or nominal interest rate, after adjusting for inflation. This is the interest rate lenders receive and borrowers pay expressed in real dollars. There two ways to think about the real interest rate, (1) the historical, after-the-fact, interest rate and (2) the desired interest rate lenders and borrowers have in mind when entering into a loan. The first one tells us the purchasing power of any interest payments received or paid. The second way of looking at the real interest rate is based on expectations of the future. See also | real | interest rate | price level | inflation | real production | GDP price deflator | purchasing power | real gross domestic product | real wage |
