Definition
A unit of measurement equal to 0.01% (1/100th of a percentage point) used in finance to describe small changes in interest rates, yields, or other percentages. One hundred basis points equal one percentage point.
Etymology
'Basis' from Greek 'basis' meaning foundation or step, 'point' from Latin 'punctum' meaning small mark. The term emerged in bond trading in the mid-20th century when traders needed precise language for small rate changes that could mean millions in profit or loss.
Kelly Says
Basis points prevent costly confusion - saying 'rates increased from 5% to 6%' could mean either a 1 percentage point increase OR a 20% relative increase! By saying '100 basis points,' traders eliminate ambiguity in markets where precision literally means millions of dollars.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
መሠረት ቦታ
me.se.ret bo.ta
ARالعربية
نقطة أساس
naqṭatu ʾasās
BNবাংলা
মূল বিন্দু
mool bindu
CACatalà
punt de base
punt de ba.se
CSČeština
bod základny
bod za.klad.ny
DADansk
basispunkt
ba.sis.punkt
DEDeutsch
Basispunkt
baˈziːˌpʊŋkt
ESEspañol
punto base
punto base
FAفارسی
نقطه پایه
naq.ta-ye pa.ye
FISuomi
perusyksikkö
pe.rus.juk.si.kko
FRFrançais
point de base
pwa.n də baz
GUGU
આધારબિन्दु
a.dha.ar.bin.du
HAHA
matsayin farko
ma.tsa.yin farko
HEעברית
נקודת בסיס
ne.kuda.t ba.sis
HIहिन्दी
मूल बिंदु
mool bindu
HUMagyar
alappont
a.lap.pont
IDBahasa Indonesia
titik dasar
titik da.sar
IGIG
akụkụ nche
a.ku.ku n.che
ITItaliano
punto di base
punto di ba.se
KKKK
жаны нүкте
ja.ny n.y.kte
KMKM
ចំណុចដើម
cham.nun da.um
MRMR
आधारबिंदु
a.dha.ar.bin.du
MSBahasa Melayu
titik asas
ti.tik a.sas
MYမြန်မာ
အစချုပ်
a.sa.hju.p
NLNederlands
basispunt
ba.sis.punt
NONorsk
basispunkt
ba.sis.punkt
PLPolski
punkt bazowy
punkt ba.zo.vy
PTPortuguês
ponto base
pon.tu ba.se
RORomână
punct de bază
punct de ba.ză
RUРусский
базовая точка
bazovaya tochka
SVSvenska
baspunkt
bas.punkt
SWKiswahili
kipimo cha msingi
ki.pi.mo cha msin.gi
TAதமிழ்
அடிப்படை புள்ளி
a.di.pa.dai pu.lli
TEతెలుగు
స్థావర బిందు
sthāvara bindu
TLTL
base point
beis point
TRTürkçe
temel nokta
te.mel no.kta
UKУкраїнська
базова точка
ba.zo.va to.chka
URاردو
مूल نکتہ
mool na.ktah
VITiếng Việt
điểm cơ sở
điểm cơ sở
YOYO
àwọn ẹ̀kà
awon e.ka
ZUZU
isigaba esibayeni
i.si.ga.ba e.si.ba.ye.ni