Federal Reserve October 2026 Meeting: What to Know About the FOMC

The Federal Reserve's policymakers are set to gather for the first time this year on October 27 and 28, 2026, as per the official meeting calendar. The two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting will convene in Washington and tackle the hot-button issue of the U.S. economy and the future of interest rates.

The Federal Reserve's FOMC is scheduled to meet on October 27-28, 2026.

Not yet decided: what, if anything, the Fed will do to rates during the meeting. The outcome of the FOMC's deliberations will be revealed at the conclusion of the meeting on October 28 when the policymakers unveil a policy statement.

Why This Meeting Matters

The FOMC holds eight meetings per year to formulate its federal funds rate policy, which has a ripple effect on all manner of financial products that touch the everyday American consumer. From mortgages to auto loans to credit cards to savings accounts, the central bank's rate decisions touch our lives.

The Fed's policymakers are charged by Congress with giving careful thought to how rate decisions will impact employment and prices in the U.S. That means the FOMC weighs carefully the impacts to the economy and the American people when it makes a decision to change rates.

Because the October meeting comes between two other FOMC meetings--the September meeting and the December meeting--both of which are associated with updated economic projections, the October meeting gives the policymakers a second chance to examine changing economic conditions and respond to them before the year's final FOMC meeting.

What Happens After the Meeting

At the conclusion of the October 28 FOMC meeting, the policymakers will release a policy statement that explains the FOMC's rate decision, if any. A press conference by the Fed Chair will follow, during which he or she will field questions from the press about the Fed's thinking on economic conditions and its outlook for the future.

The minutes from the FOMC meeting are customarily released three weeks after the meeting.

Looking Ahead

Markets, businesses, and consumers across the country await the Fed's every move, as its rate decisions have powerful ramifications for borrowing costs and, by extension, the economy. Whatever the FOMC decides at its October 2026 meeting will reverberate through the economy and affect the daily lives of millions of Americans at the end of 2026.

The Fed's next meeting after October will be held Dec. 8-9, 2026.

This article will be updated once the Federal Reserve reveals its decision.