CD Rates Today put Morgan Stanley at the top of the list on Oct. 29, 2026, with a 4-year CD yielding 5.05% APY. For savers comparing fixed-rate deposits, that is the number that matters most: the highest posted return in a market where every tenth of a point can change the payoff on a $5,000 balance.
The timing matters because CD yields are moving again after a year of policy shifts. Many financial institutions trimmed CD and savings rates after three Federal Reserve cuts in 2025, then some rates turned higher after the central bank raised its benchmark rate in September 2026. The federal funds rate now sits at 3.75%-4.00%, and that backdrop helps explain why deposit rates remain elevated enough to draw attention even now.
Fortune and Curinos built the roundup from CDs ranging from 1 month to 10 years, with the estimates based on a $5,000 deposit and monthly compounding. That makes the 5.05% APY figure easier to compare across terms, but it also shows how uneven the market is. The gap between the top rate and the rest of the field is exactly what turns a routine rate table into a search term: people are not just looking for a CD, they are looking for the best one they can lock in before the next move.
There is also a longer arc behind the numbers. CD yields reached double digits in the 1980s, then slid down over time, with the typical five-year rate dropping to slightly over 3.00% by 2019 and settling more often in the 3.00%-4.00% range several years later. The current list does not return to that old world, but it does show how quickly these products can respond when the Federal Reserve changes course.
That is the part savers should watch now. The FOMC meets eight times each year, and the next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8-9. If policy stays where it is, the best CD offers can hold near current levels; if it changes again, the top of the table can move just as quickly as it did this fall. The names to watch include Wells Fargo, Capital One, Chase, Bank of America, Discover Bank, Northern Bank Direct, Ally Bank, Newtek Bank, Popular Direct, Citibank and Sallie Mae Bank.
