The United States Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will announce its decision on key interest rate on Wednesday, January 28. Despite pressure from the Donald Trump administration to lower interest rates, the market projects the FOMC to keep rates steady.
The two-day US Fed meeting will conclude with the release of a policy statement from the US Fed and a press conference by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
What Time Will The US Fed Announce Interest Rate Decision?
The US Fed is scheduled to release its policy statement on the outcome of the two-day meeting at 2 p.m. ET. Once the statement is out, Jerome Powell's press conference will air live from the US Fed office in Washington DC.
Here's when to watch across different US time zones:
Central Time (CT): 1:00 p.m.
Mountain Time (MT): 12:00 p.m. (noon)
Pacific Time (PT): 11:00 a.m.
Alaska Time (AKT): 10:00 a.m.
Hawaii–Aleutian Time (HAT): 9:00 a.m.
Also read: Jerome Powell vs Donald Trump as Justice Department opens probe on Fed
What To Expect From US Fed Presser Today
{{/usCountry}}Also read: Jerome Powell vs Donald Trump as Justice Department opens probe on Fed
What To Expect From US Fed Presser Today
{{/usCountry}}The US Fed's last rate cut came last month (December 2025) when the FOMC cut interest rates by 25 basis points (0.25%) to a target range of 3.50%–3.75%. It was the third consecutive rate cut, after September and October in 2025. Now, markets do not expect further rate cuts in today's announcement- the first of 2026.
The US indices, however, reacted positively to the US Fed presser amid a host of positive earnings reports from Big Tech companies. The S&P 500 opened at 7000 - for the first time ever. The NASDAQ and Dow Jones both opened higher, gaining 0.62% 23,965.03 points) and 0.29% (49,143.74 points), respectively.