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Fed rate decision and oil inventories due Wednesday

By Investing.comTuesday, October 27, 2026(1h ago)5 min readInvesting.com

Fed rate decision and oil inventories due Wednesday

As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of crucial decisions and economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The Federal Reserve will announce its latest interest rate decision, followed by the FOMC statement and press conference, which will provide critical insights into the central bank’s monetary policy stance and economic outlook. Additionally, the Energy Information Administration will release its weekly crude oil inventories report, offering important signals about energy demand and supply conditions. These high-profile events will command the attention of market participants seeking direction for their trading strategies.

Major Economic Events to Watch

• 6:00 AM ET - MBA Mortgage Applications: Measures the weekly change in new mortgage applications backed by the Mortgage Bankers Association (Previous:-5.3%)

• 6:00 AM ET - MBA 30-Year Mortgage Rate: Tracks fixed 30-year mortgage lending rates for 80% loan-to-value mortgages (Previous:7.41%)

• 6:00 AM ET - Mortgage Refinance Index: Covers all mortgage applications to refinance an existing mortgage (Previous:503.1)

• 6:00 AM ET - MBA Purchase Index: Includes all mortgage applications for the purchase of a single-family home (Previous:129.2)

• 6:00 AM ET - Mortgage Market Index: Covers all mortgage applications during the week, including conventional and government applications (Previous:188.6)

• 7:30 AM ET - Wholesale Inventories: Measures the change in the total value of goods held in inventory by wholesalers (Forecast:0.5%, Previous: 0.5%)

• 7:30 AM ET - Goods Trade Balance: The difference in value between imported and exported goods during the reported month (Forecast:-$130.40B, Previous: -$132.07B)

• 7:30 AM ET - Retail Inventories Ex Auto: Tracks retail inventory levels excluding automobiles (Previous:0.0%)

• 9:00 AM ET - Atlanta Fed GDPNow: A running estimate of real GDP growth based on available economic data for the current measured quarter

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Crude Oil Inventories: Measures the weekly change in the number of barrels of commercial crude oil held by U.S. firms (Forecast:-0.300M, Previous: -3.060M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Cushing Oil Inventories: Change in the number of barrels of crude oil held in storage at Cushing, Oklahoma (Previous:0.987M)

• 9:30 AM ET - Gasoline Inventories: Measures the change in the number of barrels of commercial gasoline held in inventory (Previous:-2.952M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Distillates Stocks: Reports inventory levels of distillate fuel products (Previous:1.675M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Refinery Crude Runs: Tracks refinery crude oil processing activity (Previous:0.034M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Gasoline Production: Measures weekly gasoline production levels (Previous:0.518M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Heatoil Stock: Reports heating oil inventory levels (Previous:0.652M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Crude Imports: Tracks the volume of crude oil imports (Previous:0.837M)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Refinery Utilization Rates: Measures the percentage of refinery capacity being utilized (Previous:-0.1%)

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Distillate Fuel Production: Reports production levels of distillate fuels (Previous:0.043M)

• 1:00 PM ET - Interest Rate Decision: Federal Open Market Committee members vote on where to set the rate (Forecast:4.00%, Previous: 4.00%)

• 1:00 PM ET - FOMC Statement: The primary tool the FOMC uses to communicate with investors about monetary policy, containing the outcome of the vote on interest rates and the economic outlook

• 1:30 PM ET - FOMC Press Conference: Federal Reserve officials provide detailed commentary on monetary policy decisions and economic conditions

Other Important Economic Events to Watch

• 7:30 AM ET - Goods Trade Balance: The difference in value between imported and exported goods during the reported month (Forecast:-$130.40B, Previous: -$132.07B)

• 7:30 AM ET - Retail Inventories Ex Auto: Tracks retail inventory levels excluding automobiles (Previous:0.0%)

• 9:00 AM ET - Atlanta Fed GDPNow: A running estimate of real GDP growth based on available economic data for the current measured quarter

• 9:30 AM ET - EIA Weekly Cushing Oil Inventories: Change in the number of barrels of crude oil held in storage at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for West Texas Intermediate (Previous:0.987M)

Other Economic Events to Watch

• 6:00 AM ET - MBA Mortgage Applications: Measures the weekly change in new mortgage applications (Previous:-5.3%)

• 6:00 AM ET - MBA 30-Year Mortgage Rate: Fixed 30-year mortgage lending rates for 80% loan-to-value mortgages (Previous:7.41%)

• 6:00 AM ET - Mortgage Refinance Index: Covers all mortgage applications to refinance an existing mortgage (Previous:503.1)

• 6:00 AM ET - MBA Purchase Index: Includes all mortgage applications for the purchase of a single-family home (Previous:129.2)

• 6:00 AM ET - Mortgage Market Index: Covers all mortgage applications during the week (Previous:188.6)