The U.S. Federal Reserve is waiting for more signs of economic health before prescribing a higher interest rate dose to settle the nation's growth rate.
Bankers, however, aren't waiting, moving to boost rates to consumers even as they benefit from continuing low borrowing rates themselves.
Chase, for example, is raising credit card rates for consumers seeking cash advances by about 5 percentage points, to a bit over 24 percent annually.
The prime rate, the level for major borrowers that serves as a benchmark for credit card rates, has been steady at 3.5 percent.
The Federal Reserve, meanwhile, is holding its key lending rate at near zero, where it has been for months.
One reason for the Fed's caution is international. While America's economy is doing OK, that's not really enough, since conditions in other major nations are not signaling good economic health.
Europe, for example, is wary about the economic fallout of Brexit, the proposal that the United Kingdom leave the European Union. And within the British Isles, there is an attempt to cancel the vote that would have the UK leave the EU. If that happens, the peace agreement between Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, could also collapse.
In turn, the uncertainty over Brexit is rattling through the financial and economic system that had been holding the European market together.
In all, the U.S. Fed is keeping a wary eye on international developments, because any move to raise interest rates here could be the first domino in a worldwide reaction.
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