---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Real short- and long-term rates were…"
description: "\"Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in the late-1990s, so financial excess can also arise without a low-rate environment.\" — Jerome Po..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg"
---

#  Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in…

![“Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in the late-1990s, so financial excess can also arise without a low-rate environment.” quote by Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg)

> “Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in the late-1990s, so financial excess can also arise without a low-rate environment.”

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

High rates can coexist with financial excess, showing risk isn’t only low‑rate driven.

**In simple terms:** High rates don’t prevent financial bubbles.

Key Takeaway

Watch for excess even when rates are high.

Themes

economics finance risk monetary policy

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

policy economic

When to use this quote

- banking sector
- investment decisions
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

interest rates financial excess macro risk

Questions to Reflect On

- How can policymakers detect excess in a high‑rate environment?
- What indicators reveal hidden risk?

A Different Perspective

High rates may mask underlying vulnerabilities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[1990S Financial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/1990s-financial-4583834/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excess/) [Financial Excess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-excess-4583835/) [High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high/) [Late 1990S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late-1990s-269134/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) [Rate Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate-environment-4583836/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short/)

## Related quotes

> [When I left Toronto and entered journalism in the late 1990s, I had many notions about the news business, nearly all of them wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/when-i-left-toronto-and-entered-journalism-in-the-late-1990s-i-had/)

[Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/)

> [The late 1990s were really a moment of still tremendous hope and optimism about the relationship between Russia and the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/the-late-1990s-were-really-a-moment-of-still-tremendous-hope-and/)

[Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/)

> [The 'looking forward' so prevalent in the late 1990s was bound to end once the new millennium began. Like some others of that era,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-looking-forward-so-prevalent-in-the-late-1990s-was-bound-to-end/)

[Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/)

> [In the late 1990s, I left the teaching field to write biographies and histories for young adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/in-the-late-1990s-i-left-the-teaching-field-to-write-biographies-and/)

[Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/)

> [When Japan was on the rise, American governors would come to inspect Toyota City and study 'just in time' manufacturing to increase efficiency; when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/when-japan-was-on-the-rise-american-governors-would-come-to-inspect/)

[David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/)

> [All excess is ill; but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/all-excess-is-ill-but-drunkenness-is-of-the-worst-sort-it-spoils/)

[William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/)

> [I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-government-should-confine-itself-to-the-public-realm/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/)

[Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/)

> [Most of us try to do too much because we are secretly afraid we will not be able to do anything at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-aster/most-of-us-try-to-do-too-much-because-we-are-secretly-afraid-we-will/)

[Rick Aster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-aster/)

> [Enjoy the necessities of life but eschew the excesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-gardner/enjoy-the-necessities-of-life-but-eschew-the-excesses/)

[Ian Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-gardner/)

> [This isn't a picture filled with wonder and a sense of fun; it's so jaded and crass that I almost wonder if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/this-isn-t-a-picture-filled-with-wonder-and-a-sense-of-fun-it-s-so/)

[Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/)

> [A too closely watched flower/blossoms the wrong color./Excess attention to the jonquil/turns it gentian. Flowers/need it tranquil to get/their hues right. Some/only open at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/a-too-closely-watched-flower-blossoms-the-wrong-color-excess/)

[Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/)

> [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/)

[Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

## More by Jerome Powell

> [Alignment of business strategy and risk appetite should minimize the firm's exposure to large and unexpected losses. In addition, the firm's risk management capabilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/alignment-of-business-strategy-and-risk-appetite-should-minimize-the/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [The too-big-to-fail reform project is massive in scope. In my view, it holds real promise. But the project will take years to complete. Success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/the-too-big-to-fail-reform-project-is-massive-in-scope-in-my-view-it/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [The financial crisis and the Great Recession left firms with excess capacity, reducing incentives to invest. If businesses expect slower growth to continue, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/the-financial-crisis-and-the-great-recession-left-firms-with-excess/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [All economic forecasts are subject to considerable uncertainty. There is always a wide range of plausible outcomes for important economic variables, including the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/all-economic-forecasts-are-subject-to-considerable-uncertainty-there/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [Emerging market economies have long grappled with the challenges posed by large and volatile cross-border capital flows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/emerging-market-economies-have-long-grappled-with-the-challenges/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [A risk-insensitive leverage ratio can be a useful backstop to risk-based capital requirements. But such a ratio can have perverse incentives if it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/a-risk-insensitive-leverage-ratio-can-be-a-useful-backstop-to-risk/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [The Federal Reserve is not charged with designing or evaluating proposals for housing finance reform. But we are responsible for regulating and supervising banking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/the-federal-reserve-is-not-charged-with-designing-or-evaluating/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [Although I have never worked in a community bank, I have been a customer, and I know from personal experience the special skills that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/although-i-have-never-worked-in-a-community-bank-i-have-been-a/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [Perhaps the greatest challenge for the resolution of a systemic global bank is the possibility that public or private actors in different countries might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/perhaps-the-greatest-challenge-for-the-resolution-of-a-systemic/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [An efficient payments system provides the infrastructure needed to transfer money in low-cost and convenient ways. Efficient systems are innovative in improving the quality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/an-efficient-payments-system-provides-the-infrastructure-needed-to/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [Higher capital requirements increase bank costs, and at least some of those costs will be passed along to bank customers and shareholders. But in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/higher-capital-requirements-increase-bank-costs-and-at-least-some-of/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [More regulation is not the best answer to every problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/more-regulation-is-not-the-best-answer-to-every-problem/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [Loss-absorbing capacity among banks is substantially higher as a result of both regulatory requirements and stress testing exercises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/loss-absorbing-capacity-among-banks-is-substantially-higher-as-a/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [The Federal Reserve is committed to fulfilling our statutory mandate of stable prices and maximum employment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/the-federal-reserve-is-committed-to-fulfilling-our-statutory-mandate/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

> [We live in a world defined by the rapid pace of technological change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/we-live-in-a-world-defined-by-the-rapid-pace-of-technological-change/)

[Jerome Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

[Explore all 92 Jerome Powell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/)

## More Customer quotes

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

[Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/)

[Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/)

> [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/)

[Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/)

> [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/)

[Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/)

> [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/)

[Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/)

> [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/)

[Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/)

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

[Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in the late-1990s, so financial excess can also arise without a low-rate environment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jerome Powell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-relatively-high-in-the-late-1990s/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Customer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-relatively-high-in-the-late-1990s/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/426/jerome-powell-7353_environment_real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-rela_1349478.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Real short- and long-term rates were relatively high in the late-1990s, so financial excess can also arise…” — Jerome Powell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jerome Powell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-powell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Real short- and long-term rates were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-relatively-high-in-the-late-1990s/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-powell/real-short-and-long-term-rates-were-relatively-high-in-the-late-1990s/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
