Rate-setting committee eyes eight meetings next year, schedule indicates

Chairman sets quarterly briefings for March, June, September, December

The interest-rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) has tentatively scheduled eight meetings next year, skipping meetings in February, August and November and most of May, according to a timetable released Friday by the central bank.

Additionally, the Fed said, the chairman’s quarterly news conferences will follow the March, June, September and December meetings of the FOMC.

The Fed also released the date for the committee’s first meeting in 2020: Jan. 28-29.

The complete schedule released is:

  • January 29-30 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • March 19-20 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • April 30-May 1 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • June 18-19 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • July 30-31 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • September 17-18 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • October 29-30 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • December 10-11 (Tuesday-Wednesday)
  • January 28-29, 2020 (Tuesday-Wednesday)

FOMC announces tentative meeting schedule for 2019