When Is the Next Fed Rate Decision in 2026? FOMC Schedule

By Ken Chigbo, Founder, KenMacro. Published 2026-05-13.

The Federal Open Market Committee meets eight times in 2026, and each of those meetings carries a scheduled interest rate decision that the global rates complex prices around. The desk treats these eight dates as the central nervous system of the macro calendar, because every other risk event in dollars, in equities, in gold, and in emerging-market currencies references the Fed’s policy stance on the day of the announcement.

For 2026 the FOMC has scheduled the following meetings: 27 to 28 January, 17 to 18 March, 28 to 29 April, 16 to 17 June, 28 to 29 July, 15 to 16 September, 27 to 28 October, and 8 to 9 December. Each is a two-day meeting with the rate decision and policy statement released on day two at 19:00 GMT, which is 14:00 Eastern time. The Chair’s press conference follows at 19:30 GMT.

Four of these meetings carry an updated Summary of Economic Projections, commonly referred to as the dot plot. The desk flags March, June, September, and December as the SEP meetings, where the committee publishes refreshed projections for growth, unemployment, inflation, and the policy rate path. Volatility around these four sessions is structurally higher because the dot plot reprices the medium-term curve, not just the front end.

Traders should treat the dates above as approximate until the Fed publishes its final confirmed schedule, which typically lands in the second half of the prior year. Once confirmed, the desk maintains the live dates on the KenMacro economic calendar at https://kenmacro.com/economic-calendar/, and any shifts (rare, but they happen) are reflected there rather than in static commentary.

What actually moves on a Fed decision day is not just the policy rate itself. The statement language, the dot plot when applicable, and the press conference tone collectively reprice the entire dollar complex within the first sixty minutes after release. The desk watches three things in sequence: the rate itself versus consensus, the statement diff against the prior version, and the Chair’s framing of risks during Q and A.

Liquidity around the 19:00 GMT release is, paradoxically, thinner than the rest of the New York session because market makers widen spreads ahead of the print. The desk routinely sees spreads in EUR/USD, gold, and US treasuries gap two to five times normal width in the seconds surrounding the release, before tightening back as the algorithmic flow digests the statement.

Inter-meeting moves are technically possible but rare. The committee retains the option to act between scheduled meetings in genuine emergencies, as it did in March 2020. Outside such cases, the eight scheduled dates above represent the full set of expected 2026 rate decisions, and the desk plans risk around them as fixed pillars in the calendar.

Positioning into Fed decisions deserves its own discipline. The desk does not publish trade prescriptions on rate decision days, because the asymmetric outcome distribution (hawkish surprise, dovish surprise, in-line with hawkish press conference, in-line with dovish press conference) means standard setups break down. What the desk does publish is the framework for reading the statement diff and the SEP, which is the analytical edge worth carrying into the print.

For traders running carry positions, the SEP meetings (March, June, September, December) matter more than the non-SEP meetings (January, April, July, October), because shifts in the projected terminal rate change the fair value of forward curves directly. The desk treats non-SEP meetings as primarily about the statement and the press conference, where forward guidance is the variable to track.

Cross-asset reactions to a Fed decision tend to follow a predictable hierarchy in the first hour: two-year treasury yields move first, then the dollar index, then gold and equities. The desk uses this sequencing as a sanity check on the initial read, because a hawkish statement that fails to lift the two-year is usually being faded by the market for reasons worth investigating.

Finally, traders new to Fed-day mechanics should rehearse the timing in their own time zone before the first meeting of the year. London-based traders see the decision at 19:00 GMT during winter and 18:00 BST during summer. Sydney traders see it just after 06:00 the following morning. Singapore and Hong Kong see it at 03:00 GMT plus eight. The desk maintains time zone conversions on the economic calendar.

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Mark the four SEP meetings separately

The desk separates the March, June, September, and December meetings from the other four because the Summary of Economic Projections is released alongside the statement. The updated dot plot reprices the medium-term curve, not just the front end, and historically generates wider intraday ranges across dollar pairs, gold, and treasury futures than non-SEP meetings.

Build the press conference into your timing

The rate decision lands at 19:00 GMT, but the Chair’s press conference begins at 19:30 GMT and frequently moves markets more than the statement itself. The desk treats the full window from 18:55 GMT to roughly 20:30 GMT as the risk event, not just the headline release minute. Liquidity remains uneven across that ninety-minute window.

Verify dates against the official Fed schedule

Dates above reflect the Fed’s published 2026 schedule but remain subject to revision until the committee’s final confirmation. The KenMacro economic calendar at https://kenmacro.com/economic-calendar/ reflects any updates. Traders building algorithmic event blackouts or news-trading flags should pull dates from a live source rather than hardcoding the static list above.

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Frequently asked

How many Fed rate decisions are there in 2026?

The Federal Reserve has eight scheduled FOMC rate decisions in 2026, falling in January, March, April, June, July, September, October, and December. Each decision is published on day two of a two-day meeting at 19:00 GMT, followed by a press conference at 19:30 GMT.

What time does the Fed release its rate decision?

The FOMC publishes its rate decision and policy statement at 19:00 GMT, which is 14:00 Eastern Standard Time during the US winter and 14:00 Eastern Daylight Time during the US summer. The Chair’s press conference begins thirty minutes later at 19:30 GMT for all eight scheduled 2026 meetings.

Which Fed meetings in 2026 include a dot plot?

Four of the eight 2026 FOMC meetings include an updated Summary of Economic Projections, commonly called the dot plot. These are the March, June, September, and December meetings. The other four meetings (January, April, July, October) release only the policy statement and feature a press conference without refreshed projections.

Can the Fed change interest rates between scheduled meetings?

Yes, the FOMC retains authority to act between scheduled meetings in genuine emergencies, as occurred in March 2020 during the pandemic onset. Inter-meeting moves are historically rare. For 2026, the desk plans around the eight scheduled meeting dates as the expected policy decision points.

When is the first Fed meeting of 2026?

The first FOMC meeting of 2026 is scheduled for 27 to 28 January, with the rate decision released on 28 January at 19:00 GMT and the Chair’s press conference following at 19:30 GMT. This is a non-SEP meeting, meaning no updated dot plot accompanies the policy statement.

When is the last Fed meeting of 2026?

The final FOMC meeting of 2026 is scheduled for 8 to 9 December, with the rate decision released on 9 December at 19:00 GMT. This meeting is an SEP meeting and includes an updated Summary of Economic Projections covering growth, unemployment, inflation, and the projected policy rate path.

Where can I see the confirmed 2026 Fed meeting dates?

The Federal Reserve publishes its official meeting schedule on federalreserve.gov, typically confirming the following year in mid to late prior year. The KenMacro economic calendar at https://kenmacro.com/economic-calendar/ tracks confirmed dates alongside other major central bank decisions and macro data releases for trading-desk reference.

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