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 the bar. I don’t like using lengths with logarithmic scales.

Since 2011, the Fed has published a chart known as the “dot plot,” which map out policymakers’ expectations for where interest rates could be headed in the future.

The Federal Reserve’s latest dot plot, explained – and what it says about interest rate cuts. Sarah Foster . Wed, Jun 18, 2025, ... Officials in March 2020, for example, ...

The dot plot, published every three months since 2012, is a graph depicting where each of the 19 U.S. central bankers expect the Fed's policy rate to be at the end of each of the next few years.