The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will meet on September 15-16, 2026, after August U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs, far exceeding the 55,000-job expectation. Unemployment held at 4.1%, while average hourly earnings rose 3.1% from a year earlier. CME FedWatch data puts the probability of a 25-basis-point rate hike at 58.4%, compared with 41.6% for unchanged rates. The current target range is 3.50%-3.75%; a quarter-point increase would take it to 3.75%-4.00%. Policymakers will also receive August consumer-price data on September 11 before announcing their decision at 2:00 p.m. ET on September 16, followed by a 2:30 p.m. ET press conference and updated economic forecasts. Markets may react sharply across stocks, Treasury yields, the U.S. dollar, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies if the decision differs from expectations.