Understanding the Impact of Rising Interest Rates on Your Finances: Insights for Enterprise Products Partners Employees

Healthcare Provider Update: Enterprise Products Partners provides a flexible benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage. Employees can access FSAs, life and disability insurance, and a 401(k) plan with matching contributions and profit sharing. Additional perks include educational assistance and paid time off 9. Healthcare costs in the United States are projected to continue rising through 2026, with insurers proposing significant premium increases for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans. A recent analysis found that ACA insurers are seeking a median premium increase of 15% for 2026, marking the largest hike since 2018. This surge is attributed to factors such as the anticipated expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, rising medical costsincluding expensive medications and increased hospital staysand a shift in the risk pool towards higher-cost enrollees. Without the renewal of enhanced subsidies, out-of-pocket premiums for ACA marketplace enrollees could increase by more than 75% on average. Click here to learn more

As Enterprise Products Partners shares trade at elevated levels driven by the Q1 2026 oil price shock, investment planning has taken on new urgency — particularly around decisions to hold, sell, or diversify appreciated company stock positions within tax-advantaged and taxable accounts.

Brent crude is trading near ~$107/barrel and WTI near ~$94/barrel as of March 2026, driven by the largest supply disruption in the history of global oil markets — the near-halt of tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz.

Natural gas markets have followed suit, with European TTF near ~$16.90/MMBtu and U.S. Henry Hub prices at approximately ~$2.94/MMBtu, as Iran's strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG terminal further disrupted global LNG supply chains.

As Enterprise Products Partners shares trade at elevated levels, investment planning requires careful attention to both the opportunities created by elevated valuations and the long-term risks of remaining heavily concentrated in a sector prone to sharp cyclical reversals.

On March 16, 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark federal funds rate by 0.25% to a target range of 0.25% to 0.50%. This marked the beginning of a series of increases that the FOMC carried out over the following two years to combat high inflation. ¹

Along with announcing that increase, the FOMC released economic projections that suggested the equivalent of six additional 0.25% increases in 2022, followed by three or four more increases in 2023 -- a path the Fed largely followed as it worked to bring inflation under control. ²  Looking back, those projections proved largely accurate as the Fed followed through on aggressive rate increases. The episode offers a helpful historical picture of how U.S. interest rates for those living in areas like Austin, Texas.

What is the federal funds rate?
The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which banks lend funds to each other overnight to maintain legally required reserves within the Federal Reserve System. The FOMC sets a target range, usually a 0.25% spread, and then sets two specific rates that act as a floor and a ceiling to push the fund's rate into that target range. The rate may vary slightly from day to day, but it generally stays within the target range.

Although the federal funds rate is an internal rate within the Federal Reserve System, it serves as a benchmark for many short-term rates set by banks and can influence longer-term rates as well.

Why does the Fed adjust the federal funds rate?
The Federal Reserve and the FOMC operate under a dual mandate to conduct monetary policies that foster maximum employment and price stability. Adjusting the federal funds rate is the Fed's primary tool to influence economic growth and inflation.

The FOMC lowers the federal funds rate to stimulate the economy by making it easier for businesses and consumers to borrow and raises the rate to combat inflation by making borrowing more expensive. In March 2020, when the U.S. economy was devastated by the pandemic, the Committee quickly dropped the rate to its rock-bottom level of 0.00%–0.25% and has kept it there for two years as the economy recovered.

The FOMC has set a 2% annual inflation goal as being consistent with healthy economic growth. The Committee considered it appropriate for inflation to run above 2% for some time in order to balance the extended period when it ran below 2% and give the economy more time to grow in a low-rate environment. However, the steadily increasing inflation levels over the last year — with no sign of easing — have forced the Fed to change course and tighten monetary policy.

How will consumer interest rates be affected?
This is a question we've been receiving from Enterprise Products Partners employees and retirees. The prime rate, which commercial banks charge their best customers, is tied directly to the federal funds rate and generally runs about 3% above it. Though actual rates can vary widely, small-business loans, adjustable-rate mortgages, home-equity lines of credit, auto loans, credit cards, and other forms of consumer credit are often linked to the prime rate, so the rates on these types of loans typically increase with the federal funds rate. Fed rate hikes might also put upward pressure on interest rates for new fixed-rate home mortgages, but these rates are not tied directly to the federal funds rate or the prime rate.

Although rising interest rates make it more expensive for consumers and businesses in areas like Austin, Texas to borrow, Enterprise Products Partners employees, retirees, and others who seek income could eventually benefit from higher yields on savings accounts and certificates of deposit (CDs). Banks typically raise rates charged on loans more quickly than they raise rates paid on deposits, but an extended series of rate increases should filter down to savers over time.

What about bond investments?
Interest-rate changes can have a broad effect on investments, but the impact tends to be more pronounced in the short term as markets adjust to the new level.

When interest rates rise, the value of existing bonds typically falls. Put simply, investors would prefer a newer bond paying a higher interest rate than an existing bond paying a lower rate. Longer-term bonds tend to fluctuate more than those with shorter maturities because investors may be reluctant to tie up their money for an extended period if they anticipate higher yields in the future.

Bonds redeemed prior to maturity may be worth more or less than their original value, but when a bond is held to maturity, the bond owner would receive the face value and interest, unless the issuer defaults. Thus, rising interest rates should not affect the return on a bond you hold to maturity, but may affect the price of a bond you want to sell on the secondary market before it reaches maturity.

Although the rising-rate environment may have a negative impact on bonds you currently hold and want to sell, it might also offer more appealing rates for future bond purchases.

Bond funds are subject to the same inflation, interest rate, and credit risks associated with their underlying bonds. Thus, falling bond values due to rising rates can adversely affect a bond fund's performance. However, as underlying bonds mature and are replaced by higher-yielding bonds within a rising interest-rate environment, the fund's yield and/or share value could potentially increase over the long term.

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How will the stock market react?
Equities may also be affected by rising rates, though not as directly as bonds. Stock prices are closely tied to earnings growth, so many corporations could stand to benefit from a more robust economy, even with higher interest rates. On the other hand, companies that rely on heavy borrowing will likely face higher costs going forward, which could affect their bottom lines.

The stock market reacted positively to the initial rate hike and the projected path forward. The Fed's subsequent rate-hiking cycle ultimately succeeded in taming inflation without triggering a recession -- the soft landing many had hoped for. ³

The market may continue to react, positively or negatively, to the government's inflation reports or the Fed's interest-rate decisions, but any reaction is typically temporary. As always, it's important that Enterprise Products Partners employees and retirees maintain a long-term perspective and make sound investment decisions based on their own financial goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.

The FDIC insures CDs and bank savings accounts, which generally provide a fixed rate of return, up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured institution. The return and principal value of stocks and investment funds fluctuate with market conditions. Shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Investments offering the potential for higher rates of return also involve higher risk.

Investment funds are sold by prospectus. It's important that Enterprise Products Partners employees and retirees consider the fund's objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from your financial professional. We'd like to, once again, remind Enterprise Products Partners employees and retirees to be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest.

1–2) Federal Reserve, March 16, 2022
3) The Wall Street Journal, March 17, 2022