Background of the Study
Interest rate and savings are inseparably linked. They are among the economic variables that are of great importance to a large number of people, the government, business firms, entrepreneurs, foreign investors, the financial sector and the household. They are so important that they determine to a large extent the level of investment and the economic growth in an economy (Udude, 2015). Interest rate is an important economic price. This is because whether seen from the point of view of cost of capital or from the perspective of opportunity cost of funds, interest rate has fundamental implications for the economy either impacting on the cost of capital or influencing the availability of credit, by increasing savings (Acha and Acha 2011).
Interest rate is the opportunity cost of borrowing money from a lender to finance investment project. It is the price paid for the use of money. Interest rates play important role in controlling major macroeconomic variables. The primary role of interest rate is to help in the mobilization of financial resources and to ensure efficient utilization of resources for the promotion of economic growth and development (CBN 1970). Savings is defined as that portion of income after tax, which is not spent on consumption goods. Savings can also be seen as that part of income, which is not devoted to the purchase of household items and firm (McKinnon, 1973).
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