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Sabrina Karl
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SabrinaKarlBio-fec3f52216e94fc5b9dfea3f4b794140.jpeg "Top CDs Nov. 17, 2023: Another Leading Rate Is Gone—But Best Rate Holds at 5.80% (1)")
Full Bio
Sabrina Karl has over two decades of experience writing about savings, CDs, and other banking topics. She is currently a staff writer at Investopedia and one of the country's top experts on how to earn as much as possible on the money you hold in the bank. She previously wrote for Bankrate.com, CreditCards.com, DepositAccounts.com, and RateSeeker.
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Published November 17, 2023
After a long run of filing report after report on the good news in CD rates, the past two weeks have shifted the other way. All six of the previous CD leaders paying 6% or better are long gone, and today, one of the two co-leaders paying the top rate of 5.80% also evaporated.
That leaves the crown to Seattle Bank, which is paying 5.80% on an 18-month term. After that, we have two runners-up offering 5.76% APY: TotalDirectBank for 6 months and Dow Credit Union for 13 months. If you have at least $50,000 to deposit, however, you can score a jumbo rate of 5.85% for 1 year.
Key Takeaways
- The top nationwide CD rate held steady today at 5.80% APY, although it's now available from just one bank.
- There are 11 additional offers in our daily ranking of the best CDs that pay at least 5.75%.
- Jumbo CDs currently offer the top overall rate, with 5.85% offers on a 1-year certificate from either State Bank of Texas or All In Credit Union.
- Based on encouraging inflation data released Tuesday, markets anticipate that the Fed will maintain current interest rates rather than raise them, suggesting CD rates may not climb any higher—and could even begin declining.
Below you'll find featured rates available from our partners, followed by details from our complete ranking of the best CDs available nationwide.
Open a New Account × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which we receive compensation. For more details, see our full advertiser disclosure. Open a New Account × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Dotdash receives compensation.
If you're looking for a nationwide CD paying a top rate of at least 5.75%, the longest term available is 18 months. But if you want to secure one of today's historically high rates for longer, you can lock in 5.60% APY for 2 years, or 5.50% APY for 3 years. Still not long enough? You can get a 4-year CD with a rate of 5.20% or a 5-year CD that pays 5.25% APY.
If you have enough to make a jumbo deposit of $50,000 or $100,000, you can stretch your rate by at least 5 basis points in the 1-year term—earning 5.85% from two different contenders—and the 2-year term, with a top rate of 5.68% APY.
When asked if they were choosing more or less of certain investments during recent market events in November, 28% of Investopedia readers said they were choosing CDs. This is slightly down from what readerstold us in October,when 29% of investors said they were choosing CDs over stocks.Additionally, 14% of readers said they would open a CD if they had an extra $10,000 to invest, which was just behind the 15% who said they'd put it in individual stocks.
| CD Terms | Yesterday's Top National Rate | Today's Top National Rate | Day's Change (percentage points) | Top Rate Provider |
| 3 months | 5.66% APY | 5.66% APY | No change | TotalDirectBank |
| 6 months | 5.76% APY | 5.76% APY | No change | TotalDirectBank |
| 1 year | 5.80% APY | 5.76% APY | - 0.04 | Dow Credit Union |
| 18 months | 5.80% APY | 5.80% APY | No change | Credit Human and Seattle Bank |
| 2 years | 5.60% APY | 5.60% APY | No change | Newtek Bank |
| 3 years | 5.50% APY | 5.50% APY | No change | Workers Credit Union |
| 4 years | 5.20% APY | 5.20% APY | No change | BMO Alto |
| 5 years | 5.25% APY | 5.25% APY | No change | BMO Alto and Workers Credit Union |
| CD Term | Today's Top National Bank Rate | Today's Top National Credit Union Rate | Today's Top National Jumbo Rate |
| 3 months | 5.66% APY* | 5.65% APY | 5.20% APY |
| 6 months | 5.76% APY* | 5.75% APY | 5.77% APY* |
| 1 year | 5.67% APY | 5.76% APY | 5.85% APY* |
| 18 months | 5.80% APY* | 5.75% APY | 5.75% APY |
| 2 years | 5.60% APY | 5.50% APY | 5.68% APY* |
| 3 years | 5.37% APY | 5.50% APY | 5.52% APY* |
| 4 years | 5.20% APY* | 5.13% APY | 4.86% APY |
| 5 years | 5.25% APY* | 5.25% APY* | 4.92% APY |
Note that jumbo CDs don't always pay a higher return than standard certificates. Sometimes you can do just as well—or better—with a standard CD. That's currently the case in four of the eight terms above, so it's smart to shop both certificate types before making a final decision.
How High Will CD Rates Go This Year?
The Federal Reserve has been aggressively combating decades-high inflation since March of last year, raising the federal funds rate with fast and furious hikes in 2022 and then more moderate increases in 2023. This has created historically favorable conditions for CD shoppers, as well as for anyone holding cash in ahigh-yield savingsormoney market account.
The Fed opted to hold rates steady on Nov. 1, its second such move in a row. That maintains the central bank's benchmark rate at its highest level since 2001. But in his post-announcement press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell made it clear that holding rates in place right now does not necessarily mean the committee is finished with increases.
"Inflation has moderated since the middle of last year and readings over the summer were quite favorable," Powell said. "But a few months of good data are only the beginning of what it will take to build confidence that inflation is moving down sustainably toward our goal."
The Fed chair also reiterated what he has indicated in many past press conferences about the current announcement only representing a decision for today.
"We haven't made any decisions about future meetings," Powell said. "We're going meeting by meeting."
However, monthly inflation data released Tuesday was encouraging, coming in below expectations. As a result, financial markets now overwhelmingly predict that the Fed will not make any further rate increases, with odds pushed to virtually 0% for an increase at the committee's Dec. 13 or Jan. 31 meetings, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
As we always caution, trying to predict the Fed's future rate moves is an unreliable exercise. But for now, it seems CD rates are unlikely to climb, and could ease down from their historic peaks.
Best CD Rates for September 2024: Up to 5.25%
Best High-Yield Savings Accounts for September 2024: Up to 5.50%
Best Money Market Accounts for September 2024—Up to 5.35% APY
Note that the "top rates" quoted here are the highest nationally available rates Investopedia has identified in its daily rate research on hundreds of banks and credit unions. This is much different than the national average, which includes all banks offering a CD with that term, including many large banks that pay a pittance in interest. Thus, the national averages are always quite low, while the top rates you can unearth by shopping around are often five, 10, or even 15 times higher.
Rate Collection Methodology Disclosure
Every business day, Investopedia tracks the rate data of more than 200 banks and credit unions that offer CDs to customers nationwide and determines daily rankings of the top-paying certificates in every major term. To qualify for our lists, the institution must be federally insured (FDIC for banks, NCUA for credit unions), and the CD's minimum initial deposit must not exceed $25,000.
Banks must be available in at least 40 states. And while some credit unions require you to donate to a specific charity or association to become a member if you don't meet other eligibility criteria (e.g., you don't live in a certain area or work in a certain kind of job), we exclude credit unions whose donation requirement is $40 or more. For more about how we choose the best rates, read our full methodology.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Nov17-75e96e35f398451b9df59b4194ee6fc1.jpg "Top CDs Nov. 17, 2023: Another Leading Rate Is Gone—But Best Rate Holds at 5.80% (2)")
Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy.
Federal Reserve Board. "Federal Reserve Issues FOMC Statement, Nov. 1, 2023."
Federal Reserve Board. "Transcript of Chair Powell’s Press Conference Opening Statement: November 1, 2023," Page 2.
C-SPAN. “Federal Reserve Chair News Conference." Nov. 1, 2023. (Video.)
CME Group. "CME FedWatch Tool."
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