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Explain How Interest Rates Can Affect Supply and Demand
Explain How Interest Rates Can Affect Supply and Demand
country effect the demand supply and equilibrium value of the currency of
country relative to other country's currency
The laws of demand and supply continue to apply in the financial markets. According to the law of
demand, a higher rate of return (that is, a higher price) will decrease the quantity demanded. As the
interest rate rises, consumers will reduce the quantity that they borrow. According to the law of supply,
a higher price increases the quantity supplied. Consequently, as the interest rate paid on credit card
borrowing rises, more firms will be eager to issue credit cards and to encourage customers to use them.
Conversely, if the interest rate on credit cards falls, the quantity of financial capital supplied in the credit
card market will decrease and the quantity demanded will fall.
Generally, higher interest rates increase the value of a country's currency. Higher interest rates
tend to attract foreign investment, increasing the demand for and value of the home country's
currency. Conversely, lower interest rates tend to be unattractive for foreign investment and
decrease the currency's relative value. This simple occurrence is complicated by a host of other
factors that impact currency value and exchange rates. One of the primary complicating factors is
the relationship that exists between higher interest rates and inflation. If a country can achieve a
successful balance of increased interest rates without an accompanying increase in inflation, its
currency's value and exchange rate are more likely to rise.
Inflation is more likely to have a significant negative effect, rather than a significant positive
effect, on a currency's value and foreign exchange rate. A very low rate of inflation does not
guarantee a favorable exchange rate for a country, but an extremely high inflation rate is very
likely to impact the country's exchange rates with other nations negatively.