#FOMCMeeting The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is currently underway, scheduled for May 6-7, 2025. The FOMC is responsible for setting monetary policy, specifically open market operations, which influence the availability and cost of money and credit to promote national economic goals.

*Key Details About the FOMC Meeting:*

- *Meeting Frequency*: The FOMC holds eight regularly scheduled meetings per year, with additional meetings as needed.

- *Monetary Policy Tools*: The FOMC uses open market operations, along with the Board of Governors, who set the discount rate and reserve requirements, to influence the federal funds rate.

- *Federal Funds Rate*: The interest rate at which depository institutions lend balances at the Federal Reserve to other depository institutions overnight, affecting short-term interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and long-term interest rates.

*Recent Market Movements:*

In anticipation of the FOMC meeting, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices have shown slight declines ¹ ²:

- *S&P 500*: Down 0.51% to 5,623.80

- *Nasdaq*: Down 0.69% to 19,821.30

The FOMC's decisions on monetary policy can significantly impact the economy and financial markets. We'll have to wait for the meeting's outcome and subsequent statement to understand the committee's stance on interest rates and economic policy ³.