FEDERAL RESERVE STATISTICAL RELEASE














        H.15 (519)                                                                          For immediate release


                                                                                                  August 31, 1998


         SELECTED INTEREST RATES


        Yields in percent per annum


                                                                                            


                                                    1998    1998    1998    1998    1998     Week Ending    1998


                                                     Aug     Aug     Aug     Aug     Aug     Aug     Aug     Jul


        Instruments                                   24      25      26      27      28      28      21





        Federal funds (effective) 1 2 3             5.51    5.50    5.49    5.55    5.51    5.48    5.59    5.54


        Commercial paper 3 4 5 6


            Nonfinancial                


                1-month                             5.49    5.51    5.51    5.50    5.48    5.50    5.50    5.51


                2-month                             5.49    5.49    5.50    5.49    5.49    5.49    5.50    5.50


                3-month                             5.47    5.48    5.47    5.47    5.48    5.47    5.47    5.48


            Financial


                1-month                             5.51    5.50    5.50    5.50    5.50    5.50    5.51    5.52


                2-month                             5.50    5.50    5.50    5.51    5.50    5.50    5.51    5.51


                3-month                             5.49    5.49    5.49    5.49    5.49    5.49    5.50    5.50


        Bankers acceptances (top rated) 3 4 7   


            3-month                                 5.50    5.50    5.50    5.50    5.46    5.49    5.49    5.50


            6-month                                 5.50    5.46    5.46    5.46    5.38    5.45    5.48    5.46


        CDs (secondary market) 3 8              


            1-month                                 5.55    5.56    5.56    5.56    5.55    5.56    5.56    5.57


            3-month                                 5.57    5.58    5.57    5.57    5.54    5.57    5.58    5.59


            6-month                                 5.59    5.60    5.59    5.58    5.53    5.58    5.61    5.65


        Eurodollar deposits (London) 3 9        


            1-month                                 5.53    5.50    5.50    5.50    5.50    5.51    5.50    5.51


            3-month                                 5.56    5.56    5.56    5.56    5.50    5.55    5.56    5.57


            6-month                                 5.56    5.56    5.56    5.56    5.44    5.54    5.56    5.63


        Bank prime loan 2 3 10                      8.50    8.50    8.50    8.50    8.50    8.50    8.50    8.50


        Discount window borrowing 2 11              5.00    5.00    5.00    5.00    5.00    5.00    5.00    5.00


        U.S. government securities              


            Treasury bills                      


                Auction average 3 4 12          


                    3-month                         4.92                                    4.92    4.91    4.96


                    6-month                         4.94                                    4.94    4.95    5.03


                    1-year                                                                          5.00    5.10


                Secondary market 3 4            


                    3-month                         4.94    4.96    4.93    4.86    4.78    4.89    4.92    4.96


                    6-month                         4.97    4.95    4.93    4.88    4.82    4.91    4.97    5.03


                    1-year                          4.92    4.91    4.90    4.78    4.72    4.85    4.97    5.08


            Treasury constant maturities 13     


                3-month                             5.08    5.09    5.06    4.99    4.91    5.03    5.05    5.09


                6-month                             5.15    5.15    5.13    5.07    5.01    5.10    5.17    5.23


                1-year                              5.18    5.17    5.16    5.02    4.96    5.10    5.24    5.36


                2-year                              5.22    5.18    5.12    4.98    4.93    5.09    5.32    5.46


                3-year                              5.18    5.14    5.09    4.93    4.89    5.05    5.29    5.47


                5-year                              5.19    5.13    5.11    4.97    4.94    5.07    5.32    5.46


                7-year                              5.30    5.24    5.23    5.11    5.09    5.19    5.39    5.52


               10-year                              5.30    5.25    5.26    5.12    5.09    5.20    5.39    5.46


               20-year                              5.62    5.59    5.58    5.53    5.51    5.57    5.68    5.78


               30-year                              5.48    5.44    5.44    5.38    5.37    5.42    5.53    5.68


            Composite                           


                Over 10 years (long-term) 14        5.60    5.56    5.56    5.50    5.48    5.54    5.65    5.76


        Corporate bonds                         


            Moody's seasoned                    


                Aaa                                 6.51    6.50    6.54    6.54    6.52    6.52    6.52    6.55


                Baa                                 7.12    7.15    7.17    7.17    7.16    7.15    7.14    7.15


            A-utility 15                                                            7.08    7.08    6.97    6.93


        State & local bonds 16                                              5.03            5.03    5.09    5.14


        Conventional mortgages 17                                                   6.92    6.92    6.92    6.95


        ---------


        See overleaf for footnotes


                        





















































                                                  FOOTNOTES





         1.  The daily effective federal funds rate is a weighted average of rates on trades through N.Y.


             brokers.


         2.  Weekly figures are averages of 7 calendar days ending on Wednesday of the current week;


             monthly figures include each calendar day in the month.


         3.  Annualized using a 360-day year or bank interest.


         4.  On a discount basis.


         5.  Interest rates interpolated from data on certain commercial paper trades settled by The Depository


             Trust Company.  The trades represent sales of commercial paper by dealers or direct issuers to


             investors (that is, the offer side).  See Board's Commercial Paper Web pages


             (http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/cp) for more information.


         6.  The 1-, 2-, and 3-month rates are equivalent to the 30-, 60-, and 90-day dates reported on the


             Board's Commercial Paper Web page.


         7.  Representative closing yields for acceptances of the highest rated money center banks.


         8.  An average of dealer offering rates on nationally traded certificates of deposit.


         9.  Bid rates for Eurodollar deposits at 11 a.m. London time.


        10.  One of several base rates used by banks to price short-term business loans.


        11.  Rate for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.


        12.  Auction date for daily data; weekly and monthly averages computed on an issue-date basis.


        13.  Yields on actively traded issues adjusted to constant maturities.  Source:  U.S. Treasury.


        14.  Unweighted average of rates on all outstanding bonds neither due nor callable in less than 10 years.


        15.  Estimate of the yield on a recently offered, A-rated utility bond with a maturity of 30 years


             and call protection of 5 years; Friday quotations.


        16.  Bond Buyer Index, general obligation, 20 years to maturity, mixed quality; Thursday quotations.


        17.  Contract interest rates on commitments for fixed-rate first mortgages.  Source:  FHLMC.








        Note:  Weekly and monthly figures are averages of business days unless otherwise noted.





	       Current and historical H.15 data are available on the Federal Reserve Board's web site


	       (http://www.federalreserve.gov/).  For information about individual copies or subscriptions, contact 


	       Publications Services at the Federal Reserve Board (phone 202-452-3244, fax 202-728-5886).  


	       For paid electronic access to current and historical data, call STAT-USA at 1-800-782-8872 or 


	       202-482-1986.  








                                 DESCRIPTION OF THE TREASURY CONSTANT MATURITY SERIES





        Yields on Treasury securities at "constant maturity" are interpolated by the U.S. Treasury from the


        daily yield curve. This curve, which relates the yield on a security to its time to maturity, is based


        on the closing market bid yields on actively traded Treasury securities in the over-the-counter market.


        These market yields are calculated from composites of quotations obtained by the Federal Reserve Bank


        of New York.  The constant maturity yield values are read from the yield curve at fixed maturities,


        currently 3 and 6 months and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, and 30 years. This method provides a yield for a


        10-year maturity, for example, even if no outstanding security has exactly 10 years remaining to


        maturity.  In estimating the 20-year constant maturity, the Treasury incorporates the prevailing


        market yield on an outstanding Treasury bond with approximately 20 years remaining to maturity.