VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Sunday, October 5, 2025

View CME FedWatch Tool View FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)Back to Home

Head-to-head

CME FedWatch Tool vs FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

CME FedWatch Tool adds Central Bank Watcher coverage that FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) skips.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) includes Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins categories that CME FedWatch Tool omits.

CME FedWatch Tool highlights: Meeting‑by‑meeting probabilities of FOMC target‑rate outcomes implied by Fed Funds futures., Compare view (current vs 1‑day/1‑week/1‑month ago) and Historical panel., and Fed ‘Dot Plot’ chart plus table view..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) is known for: Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online., Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources., and Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration..

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) offers mobile access, which CME FedWatch Tool skips.

CME FedWatch Tool

cmegroup.com

Official CME probabilities for upcoming FOMC decisions, derived from 30‑Day Fed Funds (ZQ) futures. Web tool provides meeting‑by‑meeting probability matrices, comparisons over time, a historical download, and a Dot Plot view. A paid REST API is available for programmatic access. CME documents the probability‑tree methodology clearly; API snapshots update on business days at ~01:45 UTC. Media usage asks attribution to “CME FedWatch.”

Platforms

Web

API

Pricing

Free

Subscription

Quick highlights

Meeting‑by‑meeting probabilities of FOMC target‑rate outcomes implied by Fed Funds futures.
Compare view (current vs 1‑day/1‑week/1‑month ago) and Historical panel.
Fed ‘Dot Plot’ chart plus table view.
One‑click PDF generation of the current page and Excel downloads for historical probabilities.
Transparent methodology: unconditional probabilities via a binary probability tree built from implied EFFR, assuming 25 bp step sizes.

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FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

fred.stlouisfed.org

One of the most trusted sources of macroeconomic and market data worldwide. FRED offers free access to charts, releases, Excel add-ins, and a public API. An API key (free) is required, with standard rate limits. ALFRED, the companion service, provides vintage datasets so you can see what was known at any point in time.

Platforms

Web

Mobile

API

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online.
Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources.
Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration.
ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.
Maps API delivers regional datasets with GeoJSON shapefiles for states, counties, MSAs, and more.

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Overlap

Shared focus areas

5 overlaps

Mutual strengths include Interest Rates, Data APIs, and APIs & SDKs plus 2 more areas.

Where they differ

CME FedWatch Tool

Distinct strengths include:

Central Bank Watcher

Meeting‑by‑meeting probabilities of FOMC target‑rate outcomes implied by Fed Funds futures.
Compare view (current vs 1‑day/1‑week/1‑month ago) and Historical panel.
Fed ‘Dot Plot’ chart plus table view.
One‑click PDF generation of the current page and Excel downloads for historical probabilities.

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)

Distinct strengths include:

Housing & Construction

Retail Sales

Consumer Sentiment

Yield Curves

Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online.
Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources.
Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration.
ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	CME FedWatch Tool	FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Interest Rates, Data APIs, APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations, Calendar Unique: Central Bank Watcher	Shared: Interest Rates, Data APIs, APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations, Calendar Unique: Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, PMI / ISM, Housing & Construction, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Yield Curves, Real Yields, Sheets / Excel Add-ins
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Futures	Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Stocks, Other
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web, Mobile, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free, Subscription	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique Meeting‑by‑meeting probabilities of FOMC target‑rate outcomes implied by Fed Funds futures. Compare view (current vs 1‑day/1‑week/1‑month ago) and Historical panel. Fed ‘Dot Plot’ chart plus table view. One‑click PDF generation of the current page and Excel downloads for historical probabilities. Transparent methodology: unconditional probabilities via a binary probability tree built from implied EFFR, assuming 25 bp step sizes. FedWatch REST API (OAuth2) with endpoints for /forecasts and /meetings (future/history); extended history available.	Unique Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online. Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources. Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration. ALFRED (the archival database) provides point-in-time vintages, letting you track historical revisions exactly as they were published. Maps API delivers regional datasets with GeoJSON shapefiles for states, counties, MSAs, and more. Free Excel add-in enables direct downloads, refreshes, frequency conversions, and growth-rate calculations.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do CME FedWatch Tool and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) both support?

Both platforms cover Interest Rates, Data APIs, APIs & SDKs, Data Visualizations, and Calendar workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do CME FedWatch Tool and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) require subscriptions?

Both CME FedWatch Tool and FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

Which tool has mobile access?

FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) ships a dedicated mobile experience, while CME FedWatch Tool focuses on web or desktop access.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

CME FedWatch Tool differentiates itself with Meeting‑by‑meeting probabilities of FOMC target‑rate outcomes implied by Fed Funds futures., Compare view (current vs 1‑day/1‑week/1‑month ago) and Historical panel., and Fed ‘Dot Plot’ chart plus table view., whereas FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) stands out for Access to over 840,000 time series from more than 100 official and third-party sources, all browsable and downloadable online., Official REST API covering both FRED and ALFRED, with endpoints for categories, releases, series, and sources., and Flexible output formats including JSON, XML, Excel, and CSV for easy integration..

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