FOMC · Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Fed rate decision due this afternoon
The File desk · Sep 16, 2026, 2:22 PM UTC
Status
Confirmed from the Federal Reserve September 2026 calendar and the FOMC calendars page. A statement URL for Sept. 16 had not posted as of morning lock.
The Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee meets for a second day today. The Board’s September calendar lists the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting for Sept. 15–16, with materials tied to 2:00 p.m. Eastern and a Chair press conference at 2:30 p.m. The FOMC calendars page marks the meeting with a star for a Summary of Economic Projections. That is when the Fed could next change rates. As of this morning’s lock, the Fed had not yet posted a new policy statement or Implementation Note for this meeting. Friday’s Consumer Price Index for August remains the last major Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation print before the decision: the all-items index rose 0.4 percent in August after seasonal adjustment and was up 3.4 percent over 12 months. FRED’s seasonally adjusted CPI series still shows August 2026 as the latest observation, at 334.131, updated Sept. 11, with the next release Oct. 14, 2026. No new Bureau of Labor Statistics print overnight before lock.
The Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee meets for a second day today.
The Board’s September calendar lists the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting for Sept. 15–16, with materials tied to 2:00 p.m. Eastern and a Chair press conference at 2:30 p.m.
The FOMC calendars page marks the meeting with a star for a Summary of Economic Projections. That is when the Fed could next change rates.
As of this morning’s lock, the Fed had not yet posted a new policy statement or Implementation Note for this meeting.
Friday’s Consumer Price Index for August remains the last major Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation print before the decision. The all-items index rose 0.4 percent in August after seasonal adjustment and was up 3.4 percent over 12 months.
FRED’s seasonally adjusted CPI series still shows August 2026 as the latest observation, at 334.131, updated Sept. 11, with the next release Oct. 14, 2026.
No new Bureau of Labor Statistics print overnight before lock.
What is still unknown or disputed
- Whether the committee raises, holds, or cuts rates, and what the new projections show, will not be known until the statement and materials print.
Primary sources
Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.
Source 1
Calendar: September 2026
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · checked 2026-09-16
FOMC Meetings — 2:00 p.m. FOMC Meeting; Two-day meeting, September 15 - 16; 2:30 p.m. FOMC Press Conference.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/2026-september.htm
Source 2
Meeting calendars and information (2026 FOMC Meetings)
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System · checked 2026-09-16
2026 FOMC Meetings … September 15-16* … * Meeting associated with a Summary of Economic Projections.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomccalendars.htm
Source 3
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX — AUGUST 2026 (USDL-26-1496)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · September 11, 2026
CPI-U +0.4% SA Aug.; +3.4% over 12 months; next release Oct. 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET.
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/cpi_09112026.htm
Source 4
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPIAUCSL)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED) · checked 2026-09-16
Observations Aug 2026: 334.131; Updated: Sep 11, 2026; Next Release Date: Oct 14, 2026.
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIAUCSL