Interest Rates In Free-Fall: What It Means For Mortgages, Credit Cards And Your Wallet As The Federal Reserve Springs Into Action For First Time In 4 Years

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time in more than four years on Wednesday, opting to lower the rates by 50 basis points to a range of 4.75% to 5%.

Here's a look at what the rate cuts could mean for consumers.

What Happened: The Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates could have a trickle-down effect on several items that are important to consumers (i.e., mortgage rates, credit card interest rates, auto loan rates and more).

While the main priority with cutting rates or raising rates is to keep inflation in check at a goal of 2%, consumers will see the effects of the rate cut in the short and long term.

On Wednesday, mortgage rates were already hitting their lowest rate in two years. Thirty-year mortgages were at 6.15%, leading to an increase in refinance applications.

And they will likely go lower in the future, which could lead to an increase in home purchases. Higher rates have likely kept some consumers from being able to afford a purchase.

The big question will be how low mortgage rates can go. They previously stood under 4% before the Fed began raising interest rates to fight off inflation. Mortgage rates have gotten over 8% in recent years and the continued decline will be a welcome sight for future homebuyers and for those looking to sell their home into growing demand.

Credit card interest rates will also decline due to the Fed's decision. That could mean consumers feel better about making big purchases or increasing their monthly spend.

Auto loans will also see interest rates go down, which could mean an influx of consumers looking to buy new or used cars.

On the flip side, the decision to cut rates could see the value of the US Dollar decline. Consumers could also see their interest rates on savings accounts decline and investments like treasuries offer less return.

What's Next: The Federal Reserve also suggested that more rate cuts are on the horizon before 2024 ends.

A total of 100 basis points in cuts is now forecasted for the year. This could mean a 25 basis-point cut for the November and December meetings.

Additional rate cuts are expected in 2025 and 2026. Future forecasts show that the Fed Funds Rate could drop to 2.9% by the end of 2026.

The Fed's decision will also lead to potential rotation changes for investors with gold gaining on the announcement and Bitcoin BTC/USD initially trading higher before dropping slightly.

Small-cap stocks are also likely to be a winner for investors. Lower interest rates means smaller companies can more easily borrow money to help fund their growth.

The iShares Russell 2000 ETF IWM is outperforming the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY on Wednesday.

The fund, which tracks the Russell 2000 index of 2,000 small cap stocks, increased sharply on the announcement. Investors and analysts see the ETF, which has underperformed other index funds, outpacing the market after the interest rate cut.