Bank of Canada

Target for the overnight rate

The Bank carries out monetary policy by influencing short-term interest rates. It does this by raising and lowering the target for the overnight rate.

The overnight rate is the interest rate at which major financial institutions borrow and lend one-day (or "overnight") funds among themselves; the Bank sets a target level for that rate. This target for the overnight rate is often referred to as the Bank's key interest rate or key policy rate.

Changes in the target for the overnight rate influence other interest rates, such as those for consumer loans and mortgages. They can also affect the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar.

More Info at www.bankofcanada.ca »
DateTarget (%)Change (%)
19 July 20111.00---
31 May 20111.00---
12 April 20111.00---
1 March 20111.00---
18 January 20111.00---
7 December 20101.00---
19 October 20101.00---
8 September 20101.00+ 0.25
20 July 20100.75+ 0.25

Schedule of key interest rate announcements and Monetary Policy Report

Schedule for 2011
Interest rate announcementMonetary Policy Report
18 January19 January
1 March---
12 April13 April
31 May---
19 July20 July
7 September---
25 October26 October
6 December---
Schedule for 2012
Interest rate announcementMonetary Policy Report
17 January18 January
8 March---
17 April18 April
5 June---
17 July18 July
5 September---
23 October24 October
4 December---

More Info at www.bankofcanada.ca »



Current Rates

Term Rate (%)
Updated