How does EUR/USD react to the FOMC rate decision?
In the first 30 minutes after the FOMC rate decision, EUR/USD has typically moved 23 pips either way (the median of the last 16 releases, 7 Nov 2024 to 16 Sep 2026), and 42 pips after 4 hours. The first move held to the close on 13 of 16 releases. 16 of the 16 prints matched the forecast, so the reaction came from the detail and the outlook more than the headline figure. The largest first-30-minute move was −89 pips on 18 Dec 2024.
What the numbers say
The move has usually kept going after the first half hour: the typical 4-hour move (42 pips) is 1.8 times the first 30 minutes. The first reaction has been a fair guide here: it held to the close 81% of the time.
The last 12 releases
Each row is one FOMC release: the figure against the forecast, then EUR/USD over the first 30 minutes and the first 4 hours, then the whole release day (the close the day before to the close of the release day).
| Release | Actual vs forecast | First 30 min | First 4 hours | Release-day close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep 2026 | 4% vs 4% as expected | −33 pips | −66 pips | −69 pips |
| 29 Jul 2026 | 3.75% vs 3.75% as expected | +10 pips | +51 pips | +84 pips |
| 17 Jun 2026 | 3.75% vs 3.75% as expected | −9.3 pips | −47 pips | −98 pips |
| 29 Apr 2026 | 3.75% vs 3.75% as expected | −2.7 pips | −2.7 pips | −32 pips |
| 18 Mar 2026 | 3.75% vs 3.75% as expected | −46 pips | −61 pips | −76 pips |
| 28 Jan 2026 | 3.75% vs 3.75% as expected | +10 pips | +21 pips | −46 pips |
| 10 Dec 2025 | 3.75% vs 3.75% as expected | +26 pips | +42 pips | +74 pips |
| 29 Oct 2025 | 4% vs 4% as expected | −38 pips | −31 pips | −55 pips |
| 17 Sep 2025 | 4.25% vs 4.25% as expected | −46 pips | −62 pips | −45 pips |
| 30 Jul 2025 | 4.5% vs 4.5% as expected | −62 pips | −83 pips | −122 pips |
| 18 Jun 2025 | 4.5% vs 4.5% as expected | −50 pips | −42 pips | −5.1 pips |
| 7 May 2025 | 4.5% vs 4.5% as expected | −7.7 pips | −32 pips | −37 pips |
Sources: Yahoo Finance 5-minute and hourly bars, the TradingView economic calendar (actual and forecast), Yahoo Finance daily bars for the release day. Gold is COMEX futures, US indices are CME futures.
How traders prepare for FOMC
- FOMC has landed at 14:00 New York on most of these releases. Every window on this page is measured from that minute.
- The 4 hours before the print drifted the same way as the move after it on 9 of 16 releases, so the drift in has said little about the move after.
- The typical first-hour range, high to low, has been 42 pips. A stop or a limit order closer than that to the price at the print has usually been reached by the release noise alone.
- The prices are mid quotes from intraday bars, not a broker's fill: spreads widen around a release, so a real order can fill worse than these numbers.
The next release
The next scheduled FOMC release is 28 Oct 2026 at 14:00 New York (18:00 UTC), on the public economic calendar. This page refreshes on its own once that release has been measured.
See this before every release, free
The free section's calendar Playbook shows this same history on every release before it prints: what EUR/USD and the other main markets did on hotter and cooler figures, and the first hours after.
Open the free section →FAQ
How much does EUR/USD move after FOMC?
Over the last 16 releases the median first-30-minute move was 23 pips and the median 4-hour move was 42 pips. It rose in the first 30 minutes on 4 and fell on 12.
Does the first move after FOMC hold?
On 13 of 16 releases the first 30 minutes and the close moved the same way.
When is the next FOMC release?
28 Oct 2026 at 14:00 New York (18:00 UTC), on the public economic calendar.