InflationTheGuide
FOMCFederal Reservepolicy ratedot plotDecember 2026

Fed interest rate decision · December 2026

The Federal Open Market Committee concludes its final two-day meeting of 2026, releasing a rate decision, updated Summary of Economic Projections (dot plot), and a press conference from Chair Jerome Powell.

WED 17 DEC 2026 14:00 ET · 19:00 UTC Federal Reserve — FOMC Calendar
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Where things stand going in

Current policy rate
4.50–4.75%
Target range for federal funds rate
Core PCE (Oct 2026)
2.8%
Fed's preferred inflation gauge, above 2% target
Unemployment (Oct 2026)
4.1%
Steady; labour market still resilient
Real GDP growth (Q3)
+2.1%
Annualised; consumption driving expansion

What gets published

How to read it

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On the day

DEC 2026 · times in UTC
14:00
FOMC statement released RELEASE

Rate decision and forward guidance. Markets move immediately on any deviation from expectations.

14:00
SEP dot plot published RELEASE

Updated inflation, growth, and rate path projections for 2026–2028.

14:30
Powell press conference begins RELEASE

Q&A with journalists; tone and language often matter more than the rate itself.

15:30
United States page context updated EXPLORER

Explorer reflects the latest rate context and inflation comparison.

Evening
FOMC reaction story in News NEWS

What the December dot plot tells us about 2027 rate cuts.

Around this event

FRI 19 DEC · 08:30 ET

US PCE · November 2026

Bureau of Economic Analysis
THU 11 DEC · 08:30 ET

US CPI · November 2026

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Frequently asked questions

When is Fed interest rate decision · December 2026 released?
Fed interest rate decision · December 2026 is scheduled for WED 17 DEC 2026 at 14:00 ET · 19:00 UTC. The data covers December 2026. The next release in the series is expected on January 2027 FOMC meeting · late January 2027.
What does Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) publish in this release?
undefined: undefined undefined: undefined undefined: undefined undefined: undefined For detailed definitions of each measure, see the IMF inflation methodology.
How do I read the headline inflation number?
undefined — undefined undefined — undefined undefined — undefined undefined — undefined For a deeper explanation of how consumer price indices are constructed, the IMF's primer on inflation is a reliable starting point.
Where can I follow the release live?
The official source is Federal Reserve — FOMC Calendar. Times shown are in UTC — see the time-zone table on this page for your local equivalent. The Federal Reserve's economic data page and ECB statistics portal also carry same-day updates.
How does this compare to the previous release?
Going into this release: Current policy rate was 4.50–4.75% (Target range for federal funds rate); Core PCE (Oct 2026) was 2.8% (Fed's preferred inflation gauge, above 2% target); Unemployment (Oct 2026) was 4.1% (Steady; labour market still resilient); Real GDP growth (Q3) was +2.1% (Annualised; consumption driving expansion). Historical releases and revisions are archived in the World Bank WDI inflation series.
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