Federal Reserve News Today: Latest Rates, Announcements
If you’ve been watching the Federal Reserve lately, you already know the past two years have been a ride — three rate cuts in a row, then back-to-back pauses, with Chair Jerome Powell walking a tightrope between stubborn inflation and a cooling job market. This page pulls together the latest official announcements, the exact rate decisions, and what Powell himself has been saying from the podium.
Current Fed Funds Rate: 3.5–3.75% · Latest Decision: Rates held steady · Signals Ahead: One rate cut expected · Chair: Jerome Powell · FDIC Limit per Account: $250,000
Quick snapshot
- Whether the Federal Reserve Bank of New York experienced any outages today
- Exact time of any live announcement or speech today
- Whether the one-projected-cut scenario survives further inflation data
- Next scheduled FOMC meetings set the pace for any further adjustment (Rev)
- Powell flagged Middle East developments as a source of economic uncertainty (Rev)
- Inflation running above the Fed’s 2% target keeps the pause in place (Rev)
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Chair | Jerome Powell |
| Current Policy Rate | 3.5 to 3.75% |
| Recent Action | Rates held steady |
| Next Signals | One cut projected |
| Last Decision Date | March 18, 2026 |
| 2026 End-of-Year Projection | 3.4% |
What time is the Fed announcement today?
The Federal Reserve typically issues FOMC statements at 2:00 PM ET, with Chair Powell taking questions shortly after in a scheduled press conference. For today’s live coverage, check the official Federal Reserve press releases page or major financial news networks carrying the feed directly.
Announcement schedule
The FOMC meets eight times per year, roughly every six weeks. Each meeting produces a statement at 2:00 PM ET followed by a Powell press conference. Between meetings, the Fed issues minutes about three weeks later that give investors a deeper look at committee deliberations.
Live coverage options
CNBC, Reuters, and Bloomberg maintain live ticker coverage of Fed announcements. For the most direct source, the Federal Reserve website posts statements the moment they go live. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York also streams specific regional economic data events.
The implication: if you’re trying to catch an announcement in real time, set a calendar reminder for 1:45 PM ET and keep the official Fed feed open — statements drop at 2:00 PM sharp.
What is the new Fed rate today?
As of March 18, 2026, the Federal Open Market Committee maintained the target range for the federal funds rate at 3.5 to 3.75% (Rev). This followed two consecutive meetings where the Fed chose to pause rather than cut further.
Current federal funds rate
The federal funds rate sits at 3.5 to 3.75% after a series of cuts that brought it down from 4 to 4.25% in September 2025. The path from there to here involved three successive reductions: one on September 17, 2025 (to 4 to 4.25%), a second in late October 2025 (to 3.9%), and a third on December 10, 2025 (25 basis points further) (Federal Reserve, YouTube, YouTube). Then came two pauses — January 28, 2026 at around 3.6%, and again on March 18, 2026 at 3.5 to 3.75%.
Recent Trading Economics data
Multiple financial data platforms track the Fed funds rate in real time, and the March 18, 2026 figure of 3.5 to 3.75% matches the official FOMC statement on file at Rev. The United States Fed Funds Interest Rate has cycled through five distinct levels since September 2025.
The pattern: five rate levels in seven months — a sign of how actively the Fed has been calibrating policy as inflation and jobs data shifted. Each move of 25 basis points represents a deliberate choice to lean against either cooling demand or persistent price pressure.
Did the Feds cut the interest rate?
No — the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on both January 28, 2026 and March 18, 2026 (Dailymotion, Rev). After cutting three times in a row from September through December 2025, the Fed switched to a wait-and-see posture.
Latest decision details
On March 18, 2026, Powell told reporters the US economy has been expanding at a solid pace while noting that job gains have remained low and unemployment has been little changed in recent months (Rev). Inflation, however, remains somewhat elevated — running above the Fed’s 2% target. That combination of solid growth plus above-target inflation essentially closed the door on a rate cut at this meeting.
Fed holds steady amid inflation
The Fed’s dual mandate is to promote maximum employment and stable prices at 2% inflation over the longer run (Federal Reserve). Right now, employment looks acceptable but inflation is the fly in the ointment. The policy stance as of March 2026 is characterized as modestly restrictive — meaning rates are high enough to restrain spending, but not so high as to trigger a recession.
What this means: the Fed is not panicking, but it’s also not declaring victory. Until inflation gets closer to 2%, expect the pause to hold.
Is a Fed rate cut expected?
Yes — one cut is projected, but not until 2026 at the earliest. The FOMC’s December 2025 dot plot showed the median participant forecasting exactly one 25 basis-point rate cut in 2026 (YouTube). By end of 2027, the median projection drops to 3.1% (Rev).
Forecast updates
Powell stated on January 28, 2026 that the economic outlook has clearly improved since December — a comment that initially sparked hopes for a quicker return to cutting. However, the March 18, 2026 meeting made clear that the committee wants more evidence that inflation is sustainably moving toward 2% before pulling the trigger again.
2026 inflation projections
The Fed’s inflation target is 2% (Federal Reserve), and Powell has described current inflation as running a bit above that level while acknowledging the labor market remains solid with historically low unemployment. Financial conditions are accommodative, Powell noted — meaning credit is loose enough that restrictive policy isn’t visibly holding back the economy.
The catch: if inflation reaccelerates — perhaps due to Middle East developments creating supply shocks — the single cut penciled in for 2026 could vanish entirely.
Is the Federal Reserve having issues today?
There have been isolated reports of users having trouble accessing the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s public-facing services. For live status checks, third-party monitoring platforms track whether federalreserve.gov and associated sites are up or down at any given moment.
Outage reports
Public-facing Federal Reserve websites — including the main federalreserve.gov portal — occasionally experience service disruptions. These typically affect only the public website and not the internal Fed operations responsible for monetary policy decisions.
New York Fed status
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York handles open market operations and publishes some of the most-watched economic data releases. Any confirmed outage at the New York Fed would be notable because of its role in daily repo operations, but policy decisions themselves are not affected by website availability.
The implication: if you can’t load the Fed’s site, check a status monitor before assuming something is wrong with the institution itself.
The Federal Reserve sets the cost of money for the entire US economy. Each quarter-point rate move affects mortgage rates, credit card APRs, business loan costs, and Treasury yields. Knowing where rates stand — and where they’re heading — directly affects any American with a loan, a savings account, or a retirement portfolio.
Federal Reserve rate timeline
The following table maps each FOMC decision since March 2026, showing how the Fed moved from active cutting to its current pause stance.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 17, 2025 | Federal Reserve cuts rates by 25 basis points to 4–4.25%; Stephen Miran dissented, preferring a 50 bp cut | Federal Reserve |
| October 29, 2025 | Federal Reserve cuts rates to 3.9% amid government shutdown and data blackout | YouTube |
| December 10, 2025 | Federal Reserve cuts rates for third consecutive meeting by 25 basis points | YouTube |
| January 28, 2026 | Federal Reserve pauses, maintains benchmark near 3.6%; Powell notes improved economic outlook | Dailymotion |
| March 18, 2026 | Federal Reserve maintains rates at 3.5–3.75%; Powell cites solid economic expansion but elevated inflation | Rev |
What we know — and what we don’t
Confirmed facts
- Rates held steady at 3.5–3.75% on March 18, 2026 per the official FOMC statement
- The Fed lowered rates by three-quarters of a percentage point from September through December 2025
- December 2025 was the third consecutive meeting with a rate cut
- FOMC median forecast projects the federal funds rate at 3.4% by end of 2026 and 3.1% by end of 2027
- Inflation target remains 2%; current inflation running above that level
- Stephen I. Miran dissented on September 17, 2025, voting for a larger 50 basis-point cut
What’s unclear
- Exact time of any live Fed announcement or Powell speech scheduled for today
- Whether the Federal Reserve Bank of New York experienced a confirmed outage today
- Whether inflation data released in coming months changes the single-cut projection
- Specific Middle East developments Powell referenced as a source of economic uncertainty
What Fed officials are saying
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate for the second time this year, lowering it to 3.9% as Chair Jerome Powell faces a tough balancing act between slowing job growth and stubborn inflation.
— Media report, YouTube
On March 18, 2026, Powell stated that the US economy has been expanding at a solid pace while noting that job gains have remained low and the unemployment rate has been little changed in recent months. He added that inflation remains somewhat elevated and that policy should remain restrictive because inflation is above target and maximum employment is at goal.
— Chair Jerome Powell, Rev
Powell also noted on January 28, 2026 that the economic outlook had clearly improved since December — a comment that initially sparked market optimism before the March meeting reinforced a more cautious tone (Dailymotion). The contrast between those two statements illustrates how sensitive the Fed’s forward guidance is to each new batch of economic data.
Powell has made clear that two things need to happen before the next cut: inflation needs to keep moving toward 2%, and the labor market can’t weaken sharply. Right now, one of those two conditions is met (jobs are holding) but the other is not (inflation is still above target). That’s why the Fed is pausing.
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Market participants scrutinize the Federal Reserve interest rates for historical trends and signals on the next FOMC policy shift amid steady current rates.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Fed’s next meeting?
The FOMC meets eight times per year on a roughly six-week schedule. The next scheduled meeting date can be found on the Federal Reserve’s official events calendar. Statements drop at 2:00 PM ET on decision days.
How much is Jerome Powell’s salary?
Federal Reserve Board governors, including the chair, are paid according to a schedule set by Congress. Chair Powell’s annual salary is publicly available in federal disclosure records and has been reported in the range of $200,000–$250,000, though exact figures vary by year and may have been updated.
Is it safe to have $500,000 in one bank?
The FDIC insures up to $250,000 per depositor, per account ownership category, per insured bank. If you hold $500,000 in a single bank in one ownership category, $250,000 is covered and $250,000 is not. Spreading deposits across different banks or ownership categories (individual, joint, IRA) restores full coverage.
What country has 0% interest rates?
Several countries have implemented zero or negative interest rate policies at various points, including Japan, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden. The European Central Bank has also experimented with negative rates. Policy rates change frequently, so current status should be confirmed with up-to-date central bank data.
What was the Reserve Bank interest rate decision today?
The most recent Federal Reserve decision was on March 18, 2026, when the FOMC maintained the target range at 3.5 to 3.75%. No rate cut was made at that meeting.
Is there a Powell speech today?
Powell speaks primarily at scheduled FOMC press conferences, typically held at 2:00 PM ET on decision days, and occasionally at other public events. Check the Federal Reserve’s events calendar or financial news feeds for any unscheduled appearances.
What is FOMC news today?
FOMC news today centers on any live events, scheduled announcements, or the current rate environment. The most recent FOMC action was the March 18, 2026 decision to hold rates steady at 3.5 to 3.75%.
For investors holding adjustable-rate debt, the paused Fed rate means their borrowing costs are unlikely to drop any time soon — one reason to review refinancing options before the next data release could shift expectations again.
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