Ad · Mobile Leaderboard 320×50
← Back

2026 FOMC Meeting Dates — Fed Meeting Schedule

Next Fed meeting

The next Fed meeting is October 27–28, 2026. The FOMC rate decision is released on Oct 28, 2026 at 2:00pm ET (18:00 UK), followed by the Chair's press conference at 2:30pm ET (18:30 UK). This is a statement-only meeting — no new projections.

—
Countdown
Statement release
2:00pm ET · 18:00 UK
Press conference
2:30pm ET · 18:30 UK
Projections (SEP)
No
Minutes released
Nov 18, 2026
What's at stake
Positioning meeting ahead of the December projections.

Track the data feeding this decision on the economic calendar, follow the wire on live news, or read the latest central bank coverage.

The Federal Open Market Committee holds eight regularly scheduled meetings in 2026. Rate decisions are published at 2:00pm ET on the second day of each meeting, followed by the Chair's press conference at 2:30pm ET. Four of the eight meetings are accompanied by a Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), including the dot plot — those tend to be the highest-volatility sessions of the macro calendar.

When is the next Fed meeting?

The next FOMC meeting date, decision time and press conference time are shown in the answer box at the top of this page, updated automatically as each meeting passes. The rate decision always lands at 2:00pm ET (7:00pm UK during British Summer Time, 7:00pm GMT in winter), with the Chair taking questions 30 minutes later.

How many FOMC meetings are there in 2026?

Eight regularly scheduled two-day meetings, roughly every six weeks. The Committee can also hold unscheduled calls between meetings when conditions demand it; those are announced by the Board and confirmed in the minutes.

Which 2026 meetings include the dot plot?

Four of the eight 2026 FOMC dates come with a Summary of Economic Projections and the dot plot — marked “SEP” in the table below. Those meetings carry the widest rate-path revisions and usually the largest moves in front-end Treasuries and the dollar.

When are the FOMC minutes released?

Minutes are published at 2:00pm ET exactly three weeks after each decision day, giving a detailed account of the debate behind the vote and any dissents.

2026 FOMC meeting dates

MonthMeetingDecision dayProjections (SEP)Minutes released
January27–28Jan 28, 2026—Feb 18, 2026
March17–18Mar 18, 2026YesApr 8, 2026
April28–29Apr 29, 2026—May 20, 2026
June16–17Jun 17, 2026YesJul 8, 2026
July28–29Jul 29, 2026—Aug 19, 2026
September15–16Sep 16, 2026YesOct 7, 2026
October27–28Oct 28, 2026—Nov 18, 2026
December8–9Dec 9, 2026YesDec 30, 2026

Source: Federal Reserve FOMC calendar. Minutes are released three weeks after each decision.

The FOMC's 2026 policy outlook

The 2026 FOMC meeting dates split into two very different kinds of session. The four projection meetings — March, June, September and December — republish the Summary of Economic Projections, including the dot plot showing where each participant expects the federal funds rate to sit at the end of 2026, 2027 and over the longer run. The other four are statement-and-minutes meetings, where the wording change between statements and the vote split carry the whole signal.

Three threads run through the year. First, the pace of disinflation in core services and shelter, which decides how quickly the Committee can keep easing rather than holding. Second, the labour market: payroll growth and the unemployment rate now sit on the other side of the Fed's dual mandate, so a weakening jobs print carries more weight on the rate path than it did through the tightening cycle. Third, the balance sheet — runoff pace and reserve levels get revisited in the minutes even when the target range is unchanged.

Practically, that means the March, June, September and December dates on this calendar are the ones where the 2026 rate path can be repriced wholesale, while the January, April/May, July and October/November meetings usually move markets only through the statement language and the Chair's press conference.

How to read the dot plot

The dot plot is the last page of the Summary of Economic Projections. Each dot is one FOMC participant's view of the appropriate federal funds rate at the end of each calendar year and over the longer run — 19 dots when the Board and all Reserve Bank presidents submit, including those who do not vote that year. The dots are anonymous and are not a commitment, which is why the Chair routinely calls them a snapshot of individual views rather than a Committee plan.

Markets trade three things in the chart. The median for the current and following year, because that is the number wire services print. The distribution — how tightly the dots cluster tells you how much conviction sits behind that median, and a single participant moving can shift it. And the longer-run dot, the Committee's estimate of the neutral rate, which anchors the far end of the curve. A median that moves by one 25bp step usually matters more than the decision itself when the decision was fully priced.

Dot plot revisions that moved markets

The historical record explains why projection meetings dominate the FOMC calendar. In each case below the rate decision itself was widely expected; the market reaction came from the revision to the projected path.

SEP meetingRevision to the dotsWhy it mattered
December 20182019 median trimmed from three hikes to two while the Fed still raised rates.Read as too hawkish against slowing growth; equities sold off sharply into year-end and the Committee pivoted to patience in January.
December 20212022 median jumped from roughly half a hike to three full hikes.Formalised the end of the pandemic-era stance and began the repricing of the front end that defined 2022.
March 20222022 median lifted to seven 25bp hikes from three in December.Two-year yields ran far ahead of the actual rate at the time; the curve flattened hard on the projected path, not the 25bp move delivered.
September 20232024 median cuts cut from four to two, holding the rate higher for longer.The 'higher for longer' repricing lifted 10-year yields toward 5% over the following weeks despite an unchanged target range.
December 20232024 median showed three cuts, one more than September.Triggered a broad rally in equities and bonds into year-end on a meeting where the rate itself was unchanged.
June 20242024 median fell from three cuts to one.A dovish CPI print the same morning was largely offset by the dots, showing how the projections can override the data of the day.
December 20242025 median reduced from four cuts to two.The Fed cut 25bp and markets still sold off, the clearest recent example of the path mattering more than the decision.

Source: Federal Reserve Summary of Economic Projections releases for each meeting.

FOMC decision day: hour by hour

EasternUKWhat happens
2:00pm7:00pmStatement, target range and implementation note released; SEP and dot plot published at the same moment on projection meetings.
2:00–2:30pm7:00–7:30pmFirst repricing: front-end Treasuries, the dollar, gold and index futures react to the statement wording and any dissents.
2:30pm7:30pmChair's press conference opens with prepared remarks, then questions.
3:00–3:30pm8:00–8:30pmSecond repricing: the press conference regularly reverses the initial statement move.
4:00pm9:00pmUS cash equity close; the settled level is the market's read on the decision.
+3 weeks+3 weeksMinutes released at 2:00pm ET with the full debate and vote detail.

UK times apply during British Summer Time; in winter the 2:00pm ET decision lands at 7:00pm GMT.

How the FOMC calendar lines up with the other central banks

The Fed rarely moves in isolation. Several 2026 FOMC dates sit within days of the ECB Governing Council, the Bank of England MPC and the Bank of Japan — the October and December clusters in particular, where all four decide inside the same fortnight. That matters for currency crosses more than for rates outright: a Fed hold alongside an ECB cut is a very different outcome for EUR than a synchronised hold. Compare the dates on the ECB, Bank of England and Bank of Japan calendars, or read the combined 2026 interest rate forecast.

How to trade FOMC days

Liquidity thins ahead of the 2:00pm ET statement and rate-sensitive assets — front-end Treasuries, the dollar, gold and index futures — typically repricing twice: once on the statement, again during the press conference. SEP meetings add the dot plot, where the median 2026 and 2027 rate path often moves markets more than the decision itself.

Track it live on the desk

  • Economic calendar — CPI, payrolls and every print that shapes the Fed's path.
  • Newsroom — central bank coverage and post-decision analysis.
  • Live news feed — headlines as the statement crosses the wire.

FOMC decision time in UK, Europe and Asia

The Fed statement is released at 2:00pm New York time, with the Chair's press conference at 2:30pm. For readers outside the US:

  • London (UK): 7:00pm statement, 7:30pm press conference (one hour earlier during the clock-change gaps).
  • Frankfurt / Paris: 8:00pm statement, 8:30pm press conference.
  • Tokyo: 3:00am the next morning in the US summer, 4:00am in the US winter.
  • Sydney: early the next morning local time, between about 4:00am and 6:00am depending on the season.

US and European clocks change on different dates for a few weeks each March and late October/early November; during those gaps the London and Frankfurt times are one hour earlier.

Release-day routine

  1. Before the decision, check what Fed funds futures are pricing for this meeting and the next.
  2. At 2:00pm ET, read the rate decision and compare the statement wording with the previous one.
  3. At quarterly meetings, check the dot plot and the Summary of Economic Projections.
  4. Note any dissents in the vote.
  5. From 2:30pm ET, follow the press conference — the tone often moves markets more than the statement.
  6. Three weeks later, the minutes add detail on the committee's debate.

Related market analysis & tools