A bank offers 9.00% on savings accounts. What is the effective annual rate if interest is compounded daily?

1 answer

To calculate the effective annual rate (EAR) when interest is compounded daily, we can use the formula for EAR:

\[ \text{EAR} = \left(1 + \frac{r}{n}\right)^{n \cdot t} - 1 \]

where:

  • \( r \) is the nominal interest rate (as a decimal),
  • \( n \) is the number of compounding periods per year (for daily compounding, \( n = 365 \)),
  • \( t \) is the number of years (for one year, \( t = 1 \)).

Given:

  • \( r = 0.09 \) (9.00% expressed as a decimal)
  • \( n = 365 \)
  • \( t = 1 \)

Substituting these values into the formula, we get:

\[ \text{EAR} = \left(1 + \frac{0.09}{365}\right)^{365 \cdot 1} - 1 \]

Calculating it step by step:

  1. Calculate \( \frac{0.09}{365} \): \[ \frac{0.09}{365} \approx 0.00024657534 \]

  2. Calculate \( 1 + \frac{0.09}{365} \): \[ 1 + 0.00024657534 \approx 1.00024657534 \]

  3. Raise it to the power of 365: \[ \left(1.00024657534\right)^{365} \approx 1.094171 \]

  4. Subtract 1: \[ 1.094171 - 1 \approx 0.094171 \]

  5. Convert to percentage: \[ 0.094171 \times 100 \approx 9.42% \]

So, the effective annual rate (EAR) when interest is compounded daily is approximately 9.42%.