S&P 500 FOMC Cycles: How Fed Decisions Move the Index in 2026
FOMC days produce average S&P 500 intraday moves of ~1.5–2.0%, roughly double the ~0.8% average on non-FOMC days, making them the highest-volatility scheduled events in the equity calendar. The S&P 500's narrow mega-cap tech leadership makes the index unusually sensitive to Fed-driven discount-rate shocks, since high-duration growth stocks are repriced most violently by real yield shifts. Sector rotation around FOMC meetings follows a repeatable pattern: growth/tech outperforms into dovish expectations; financials and cyclicals outperform when the curve steepens on hawkish surprises. CoinUnited.io's 24/7 S&P 500 index CFDs allow traders to position before, during, and after FOMC decisions without waiting for NYSE cash-session opens, critical when Powell's press conference ends at 3:30 PM ET and the reaction continues overnight.