Each dot represents a vote by one of the 17 members of the Federal Reserve. The dot plot does not set policy, but it gives the public insight into how each member is thinking.

The rate projections give investors and analysts a false sense of precision. Some Fed officials are tired of them.

This quarter's Dot Plot seems more in line with consensus expectations. The market is as well positioned as it has been in years to handle higher rates and I expect we'll see multiple hikes in 2017.

As an example, the dot plot released in December 2023 (below) showed a range of participants expectations from a low of 3.875%, a high of 5.37% and a median of 4.625% for year-end 2024 forecast.

However, the data is anonymized. Investors typically view the median result in the dot plot as the Fed’s overall projection for interest rates, though the opinions of individual members can diverge.

The Federal Reserve is convening for its two-day FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting on Tuesday. While officials are expected to hold interest rates where they are, investors will be ...

Officials can use the dot plot, a quarterly survey of policymakers’ forward expectations, to signal where they think rates will move next. In December, the dots showed that the median Fed ...

Dot plot of data of Figure 2 shown on a log scale with base of 10 A dot plot is judged by its position along an axis; in this case, the horizontal or x axis. A bar chart is judged by the length of ...

After slashing interest rates by a half-percentage point today, the Federal Reserve’s “dot plot” showed that officials project another half-percentage point of cuts this year with further ...