Federal Reserve Analysis

Market-implied Fed rate probability for every FOMC meeting, recalculated daily

Federal Reserve Analysis's next policy meeting is scheduled for 16 September 2026. The current market-implied probability of 25bp hike is 83%.

FOMC Overview

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is the monetary policymaking body of the Federal Reserve System. The FOMC meets eight times a year to discuss monetary policy and make decisions about interest rates.

These probabilities are cumulative relative to today, not independent bets placed fresh at each meeting: a given meeting's hike probability is the chance the rate is higher than today's level by that meeting date, and it already includes any move priced in for earlier meetings. A higher probability at a later meeting therefore reflects the accumulation of moves priced in over time, not a series of separate coin flips — these figures should not be added, multiplied, or compared across meetings as if each one stood alone.

FOMC Meetings - Probability Summary

The Federal Open Market Committee meets eight times a year to set the target range for the federal funds rate. Rate change probabilities are calculated from Fed Funds futures pricing, as far as available. These probabilities are cumulative relative to today, not independent bets placed fresh at each meeting: a given meeting's hike probability is the chance the rate is higher than today's level by that meeting date, and it already includes any move priced in for earlier meetings.

Markets price 54 bp of tightening in total — about 2.1 hikes — across the next 3 meetings.
This is the one figure that is safe to quote on its own. The per-meeting percentages below describe the same single expected path seen from different dates — they are not separate bets, and adding them across meetings double-counts the same move.
Meeting
Move at this meetingThe fresh move priced for this date alone
Rate level by this dateCumulative — already includes every move priced for earlier meetings
September 16, 2026
83.2%+20.8 bp
3.83%higher 83.2%same 16.8%lower 0.0%
October 28, 2026
45.8%+11.4 bp
3.95%higher 90.9%same 9.1%lower 0.0%
December 9, 2026
85.5%+21.4 bp
4.16%higher 98.7%same 1.3%lower 0.0%

Where the market thinks the rate will be

Each column is one meeting; each row is a policy rate level. Darker means the market puts more weight on that level being in force after that meeting. The outlined row is today’s rate. Read down a column for one meeting’s full distribution — each column sums to 100%.

Rate
Sep 26
Oct 26
Dec 26
4.38%
33
4.13%
38
51
3.88%
83
53
15
3.63%
17
9
1

Shading: share of probability on that rate level. Blank cells carry under 0.5%.

September 11, 2026

Federal Reserve Methodology & Economic Indicators

The Federal Reserve uses various economic models to assess appropriate monetary policy. The indicators below show current values, targets, and gaps that inform policy decisions.

Current Federal Funds Rate
3.63%
Actual Fed Policy
Model-Implied Theoretical Rate
4.71%
Taylor Rule Estimate
Rate Gap
-1.08%
Actual - Theoretical
Current Policy Stance: Accommodative
Policy is below the model-implied neutral level.

Key Economic Indicators

IndicatorCurrentTarget/NeutralGap
InflationN/A2.00%N/A
Output Gap-0.04%0.00%-0.04 pp
Unemployment4.10%N/AN/A

Historical Rate Gap

About This Methodology

The theoretical rate is derived from a simplified Taylor Rule that considers current inflation, the output gap, and the neutral interest rate. This provides a benchmark for assessing whether current policy is restrictive or accommodative relative to economic conditions.

Note: Model outputs are estimates based on economic data and should not be considered predictions of Federal Reserve actions.

Federal Reserve News & Announcements

Last updated: September 11, 2026
Waller, The Economic Outlook and Some Comments on My Policy Communication
Federal ReserveSep 3, 2026Speeches

Speech At Reuters NEXT Newsmaker Interview, Washington, D.C.

Jefferson, Navigating Economic Shocks: A Monetary Policymaker’s Perspective
Federal ReserveJul 16, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, Stanford University, Stanford, California

Cook, Economic Outlook
Federal ReserveJul 15, 2026Speeches

Speech At The Exchequer Club of Washington D.C., Washington, D.C.

Waller, Monetary Policy at a Crossroads
Federal ReserveJul 13, 2026Speeches

Speech At the New York Association for Business Economics, New York, New York

Bowman, Opening Remarks on Sound Practices for Artificial Intelligence
Federal ReserveJul 7, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Financial Stability Board Virtual Outreach Event

Waller, Two Thoughts on the Transmission of Monetary Policy
Federal ReserveJul 6, 2026Speeches

Speech At "Challenges for Monetary Policy Transmission in a Changing World," a conference sponsored by the Bank of Italy for the research network initiated by the European System of Central Banks, Rome, Italy

Bowman, A Framework for Practical Monetary Policy Decision Making
Federal ReserveMay 29, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Reykjavík Economic Conference 2026, Central Bank of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland

Waller, Update On Federal Reserve Bank Operations
Federal ReserveMay 8, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Hoover Institution Annual Monetary Policy Conference, Stanford, California

Bowman, When Regulation Reshapes Markets: The Migration of Corporate Lending
Federal ReserveMay 8, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Hoover Institution Annual Monetary Policy Conference, Stanford, California

Bowman, Artificial Intelligence in the Financial System
Federal ReserveMay 1, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Financial Stability Oversight Council Artificial Intelligence Series Roundtable on Cybersecurity and Risk Management, Washington, D.C.

Jefferson, Economic Outlook and the Labor Market
Federal ReserveApr 7, 2026Speeches

Speech At the College of Business Administration, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan

Barr, Brief Remarks on the Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy
Federal ReserveMar 26, 2026Speeches

Speech At the Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.

FOMC Meeting Schedule

Meeting DateTypeStatus

Market Analysis

Current Market Sentiment

Markets are pricing in a high probability of rates remaining unchanged at the July FOMC meeting, reflecting expectations of a "wait and see" approach as policymakers assess economic data.

Key Factors
  • Inflation trends and core PCE data
  • Labor market strength and employment levels
  • Economic growth indicators
  • Financial market conditions
Futures Market Data

Fed funds futures are currently pricing in a limited probability of rate cuts in 2025, with markets expecting policy rates to remain restrictive in the near term.

Risk Factors
  • Unexpected inflation developments
  • Labor market weakening
  • Financial stability concerns
  • External economic shocks

Methodology

My probability calculations are based on federal funds futures pricing data, incorporating my enhanced methodology that achieves 96.3% directional accuracy versus the CME FedWatch Tool. The model uses adaptive volatility parameters and status quo bias adjustments to provide more accurate probability estimates.

Data Sources: CME Group federal funds futures, Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), Google News API

Update Frequency: Daily at 6:00 AM EST

Frequently Asked Questions

The Fed rate probability — the market-implied likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate hike, cut, or hold at the next FOMC meeting — is shown live on this page, broken out by meeting date. It is calculated from Fed Funds futures pricing using an expanding tree methodology validated at 97% alignment with the CME FedWatch Tool, and recalculated daily rather than pulled from a cached snapshot.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets eight times per year at roughly six-week intervals. The next meeting date is displayed on the Federal Reserve Analysis page with a live countdown timer. You can also check the official Federal Reserve calendar for the complete schedule.

Central Bank Watch calculates market-implied probabilities for Federal Reserve rate decisions using an expanding tree methodology applied to Fed Funds futures data. These probabilities show the market's collective expectation for rate hikes, cuts, or holds at each upcoming FOMC meeting. Our methodology achieves 97% alignment with the CME FedWatch Tool.

The current federal funds target rate is displayed in real-time on the Federal Reserve Analysis page. The FOMC sets a target range (e.g., 4.25-4.50%) and the effective federal funds rate trades within this range in overnight interbank lending markets.

FRB/US is the Federal Reserve Board's primary macroeconomic model, a large-scale DSGE (Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium) model used for policy analysis and forecasting. It models household consumption, firm investment, financial markets, government fiscal policy, and international trade. Central Bank Watch provides detailed documentation and analysis of this model.

Compare Central Banks

Explore market-implied rate expectations for other major central banks:

European Central Bank Bank of England Reserve Bank of Australia Bank of Canada Bank of Japan Reserve Bank of India Swiss National Bank People's Bank of China Reserve Bank of New Zealand