When Is the Next FOMC Meeting?
The Federal Open Market Committee sets the target range for the federal funds rate, the anchor for US short-term interest rates. Eight scheduled meetings a year produce a statement, and every other meeting adds the Summary of Economic Projections with the "dot plot" of members’ rate forecasts.
By Joey van Diest, founder and editorUpdated
Next FOMC release
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The FOMC meets eight times a year, roughly every six weeks; decisions land at 2:00 pm ET with a press conference at 2:30 pm.
Last release
- Actual
- -
- Forecast
- -
- Prior
- -
Unit: % (target range upper bound). Ten years of history.
What this release moves
The rate decision itself is often priced in; the market reaction usually keys off the statement language, the dot plot (at quarterly meetings) and the chair’s press conference. Two distinct volatility windows follow: 2:00 pm ET on the statement, then 2:30 pm as the press conference unfolds, and it is common for the initial move to reverse during the Q&A.
Frequently asked questions
- What time is the FOMC decision?
- The statement is released at 2:00 pm Eastern Time on the second day of the meeting, followed by the chair’s press conference at 2:30 pm.
- What is the dot plot?
- Part of the quarterly Summary of Economic Projections: each committee participant’s projection of the appropriate policy rate at coming year-ends, plotted as anonymous dots. Markets read shifts in the median dot as forward guidance.
- Why do markets move if the decision was expected?
- Because the tradeable information is in the path, not the level: statement wording, dissents, dots and the press conference all update expectations for meetings ahead, and those expectations are what the curve prices.
Method and limitations
Chart series: DFEDTARU, the upper bound of the federal funds target range, plotted as a level (step) series. Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
The countdown reads the same feed as our economic calendar and converts the scheduled time to your timezone; when the feed window does not yet include the next date, the typical schedule is shown instead of a guess. History values are official published figures and can differ from initial prints where agencies revise data.
This product uses the FRED® API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Data sources
- FRED / U.S. government: DFEDTARU — refreshed four times daily via our server cache
- Release timing from the Economicium economic calendar — countdown reflects the calendar feed; times shown in your local timezone
For general information and education only. This is not financial advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell anything. Trading and investing carry risk, including the risk of losing more than your initial outlay. Always verify figures against your broker or the original source before acting on them.
Spotted an error? Email[email protected]and it will be corrected. Maintained byJoey van Diest.