FOMC 2026: Which Meetings Come With Projections — September Raised Rates, October Has No Asterisk
The 2026 Fed calendar marks March, June, September and December meetings with an asterisk for a Summary of Economic Projections. On September 16 the FOMC raised the target range to 3-3/4 to 4 percent.
The asterisk marks the meetings with projections
The Federal Reserve calendar marks meetings that come with projections with an asterisk. The footnote under the 2026 list says: "* Meeting associated with a Summary of Economic Projections." In 2026 the asterisked meetings are March 17-18, June 16-17, September 15-16 and December 8-9 — four of the eight regularly scheduled meetings.[1]
On the current Fed calendar, the October 27-28 meeting has no asterisk, so no Summary of Economic Projections is scheduled for it; December 8-9 has one. The Fed notes that each meeting date is tentative until confirmed at the meeting immediately preceding it.[1]
The September 2026 decision
At the September 15-16 meeting, "The Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3-3/4 to 4 percent". The statement was approved by a 12 – 0 vote and released on September 16, 2026.[2]
September was an asterisked meeting, and the Fed published its Summary of Economic Projections the same day. Its Figure 2 shows "FOMC participants' assessments of appropriate monetary policy" — the chart commonly called the dot plot.[3]
‘Dot plot’ is not the Fed’s label
The calendar labels the release "Projection Materials", and the footnote calls it a "Summary of Economic Projections". The rate-projection chart is Figure 2 within that document, not the document itself.[1][3]
Statements, projections and minutes
On the calendar, rows for meetings that have already been held and whose materials are posted link to a Statement, an Implementation Note, a Press Conference and, later, Minutes; asterisked meetings also link to Projection Materials. Rows for meetings not yet held, such as October and December 2026, show only the dates.[1]
Minutes follow three weeks after the decision. The Fed says the minutes of regularly scheduled meetings are released three weeks after the date of the policy decision. For example, the calendar shows "(Released February 18, 2026)" for the January 27-28 meeting and "(Released April 08, 2026)" for March 17-18 — 21 days in each case. As of 7 October 2026 the September row shows no Minutes link yet.[1]
About the sources
This page rests on the Federal Reserve's own calendar, statement and projections. These are the issuer's records; no outside institution is cited. Not covered: the release time of day for future materials and the separate schedules of the BLS or BEA.[1][2][3]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
On the Federal Reserve's 2026 FOMC calendar, the meetings marked with an asterisk are March 17-18, June 16-17, September 15-16 and December 8-9; the footnote reads "* Meeting associated with a Summary of Economic Projections."[1] 1 source · authoritative record
On September 16, 2026 the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3-3/4 to 4 percent; the statement was approved by a 12 – 0 vote.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
The October 27-28, 2026 meeting is listed without an asterisk. The Fed notes that each meeting date is tentative until confirmed at the meeting immediately preceding it.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
On the Federal Reserve calendar the October 27-28, 2026 meeting is listed without an asterisk, while December 8-9 carries one.[1] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · FOMC calendar page, 2026 meeting list
The calendar labels the projection release "Projection Materials", not ‘dot plot’.[1] Stated by the issuing body itself (primary source) · not independently verified · Link labels on the FOMC calendar rows
Timeline
- 2026-09-16
September 15-16 meeting concludes: target range raised by 1/4 point to 3-3/4 to 4 percent; Summary of Economic Projections released.[2][3]
- 2026-10-27
FOMC meeting, October 27-28 (scheduled). Listed without an asterisk.[1]
- 2026-12-08
FOMC meeting, December 8-9 (scheduled). Asterisked — Summary of Economic Projections.[1]
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 09/23/2026, 10:50
- Body characters
- 2,233
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/07/2026, 09:30
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (4)
| 09/23/2026, 10:50 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 09/23/2026 | First draft (original English entry) | Updated |
| 10/05/2026 | Removed wording about source access status from the page and its notes. No facts or figures were changed. | Updated |
| 10/07/2026 | Revised after independent review: added the September statement and projections, completed the asterisk list, and narrowed statements about future meetings. | Updated |
Corrections
| 10/07/2026 | The list of asterisked 2026 meetings omitted September 15-16; the calendar marks four meetings (March, June, September, December). The statement that every row links to statements and minutes is now limited to meetings already held. The October answer now says no projections are scheduled on the current calendar, since the Fed treats meeting dates as tentative. The dot-plot chart is now cited to the September Summary of Economic Projections (Figure 2), and the sentences about search matching and press usage were removed. The minutes interval is now stated as three weeks, as the Fed says. The September decision (a 1/4 point rise to 3-3/4 to 4 percent) was added from the Fed's statement. | Applied |
Frequently asked
Will the October 2026 FOMC meeting include a dot plot?
On the current Federal Reserve calendar, no Summary of Economic Projections is scheduled for the October 27-28 meeting: it has no asterisk, while December 8-9 does. The Fed notes meeting dates are tentative until confirmed at the preceding meeting.[1]
How many 2026 FOMC meetings come with projections?
Four: March 17-18, June 16-17, September 15-16 and December 8-9 carry the asterisk on the 2026 calendar.[1]
What did the FOMC decide in September 2026?
On September 16, 2026 it raised the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3-3/4 to 4 percent, by a 12 – 0 vote.[2]
Is ‘dot plot’ the official name?
Not on the Fed's page. The calendar labels the release "Projection Materials" and the footnote calls it a "Summary of Economic Projections". The rate chart is Figure 2 within it.[1][3]
When are the minutes published?
Three weeks after the policy decision, the Fed says. The January and March 2026 minutes were released 21 days after each decision.[1]
Official links
- Official FOMC calendars
- Official FOMC statement, September 16, 2026
Sources
- [1] FOMC Meeting calendars and information primary
- [2] Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement (September 16, 2026) primary
- [3] Summary of Economic Projections, September 16, 2026 primary