Benchmark Interest Rates

Key benchmark rates are the basis for the Institute’s debt and equity yield research. All pricing metrics are compared in some form to these rates, depending upon the term. In other words, investors profit from premiums in excess of such rates.

Short-term rates, mainly Bank Prime, 30-Day LIBOR and 90-Day LIBOR establish the floors for sizing mortgage and pricing yields for maturities of five years or less. 5-Year Treasury and 10-Year Treasury bonds serve as common denominators for pricing longer-term realty investments.

This section includes the aforementioned rates individually charted since 1990. As a global comparison, these rates are graphed together into a single chart, Combined Rates – 1990 to Present.