An FOMC announcement is more than a single interest rate figure โ it's a statement, an economic projection, and a press conference that need to be read together.
On FOMC decision day, headlines boil down to "rates held" or "a quarter-point cut," but the actual release bundles together a statement, a Summary of Economic Projections, and a press conference. This list walks through the terms you need to make sense of those documents, in the order they matter.
The explanations below describe what each term means and why it's worth checking โ they do not predict where rates or asset prices are headed, and they do not recommend any investment product. Verify actual figures and statements through the Federal Reserve's official website, and remember that any investment decision is your own responsibility.