The Federal Open Market Committee. This is the Fed’s monetary policy committee; it brings together members of the board of governors of the central banks of the federal states of the United States. This committee meets at least 8 times a year to define the U.S.’s monetary policy. In particular, it determines the evolution of the Fed’s key interest rate, a key determinant of the American stock market’s direction. See our central bank rates to see where the rate is at today.