Historical federal interest rates chart
25 Dec 2018 Fed Rate Hike- Jerome Powell has faced some serious heat from Trump on being hawkish about the key interest rates. Recently, Fed raised Highest Fed Funds Rate. The fed funds rate reached a high of 20% in 1979 and 1980 to combat double-digit inflation. The inflation began in 1973 after President Richard Nixon disengaged the dollar from the gold standard. Inflation tripled from 3.9% to 9.6%. The Fed doubled interest rates from 5.75% to a high of 11%. Federal Funds Rate - 62 Year Historical Chart. Shows the daily level of the federal funds rate back to 1954. The fed funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions (banks and credit unions) lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight, on an uncollateralized basis.