US Federal Reserve meeting date and time today: Where to watch FOMC interest rate decision and Fed chair Jerome Powell's speech
The first repo rate decision of the US Federal Reserve in 2025 will be announced shortly today, Wednesday, January 29 with the meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) coming just days after Donald Trump’s inauguration as office as the 47th President on January 20, 2025.
President Trump has called for an immediate cut in interest rates, but reports suggest that the Jerome Powell-led FOMC likely will keep it unchanged amid persisting inflation concerns. The Fed Chair Powell’s press conference later will shed more light on the rationale for tonight’s decision. The Street will also closely track what he says about the repo rate cut, inflation, the US jobs report situation and the ongoing geopolitical risks.
Here are the key dates for the January FOMC Meet
The decision on interest rates along with the FOMC projections will be shared on January 29 at around 2 PM Eastern Time (ET) or 12.30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST). Thereafter, US Fed Chair Jerome Powell will brief the media at 2.30 PM ET or 1 AM IST.
Where to track January FOMC meet updates?
The readers and viewers of CNBC-TV18 can track all the latest updates, insights and commentaries on the website through our live blog.
The official social media handles of the FOMC will also share updates:
US Federal Reserve official website
What are the expectations from the FOMC meet?
The US Federal Reserve is anticipated to maintain benchmark interest rates after its two-day meeting on December 18, following a 25 basis point reduction in lending rates. This marked the third consecutive rate cut, lowering the federal funds rate to a target range of 4.25%-4.5% from the previous 4.5%-4.75%.
Two key issues will be on Fed watchers’ minds: how much further the Fed will cut rates and how the central bank will navigate a new fiscal environment given President Trump’s tax and tariff plans.
In December, the central bank indicated that 2025 would see half the number of rate cuts previously expected in late summer—two 25 basis point moves instead of four. Regarding Trump’s policies, Fed officials have already raised their inflation and growth forecasts for this year and next.