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What is the economic calendar?
Economic calendar, also known as Forex economic calendar or FX Calendar, is a tool that allows traders to make the fundamental analysis of financial markets based on economic news. That is – you will be able to see macroeconomic events that move the market and make Forex trading decisions based on the data.
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What data is included in the economic calendar?
The economic calendar includes information about major economic events, as well as political news and the impact they have on the Forex market. All these financial events are used as economic indicators.
The economic events calendar also shows the time and date of when the indicator data was released, the currency that they are expected to affect, and each indicator's impact level. Most indicators have numerical values, which may be expressed as a percentage or as a currency value. They reflect the impact the particular indicator had or is going to have, either positive or negative.
Our forex economic calendar has three columns to show the value of economic indicators: Previous, Forecast, and Actual:
- Previous shows the value the indicator had in the previous period (usually, one month or one year);
- Forecast shows the estimated value of the indicator based on a survey of 20-240 economists;
- Actual is the value published by an official source like a national statistics agency or an analytical center.
We also provide additional information about the specific indicators and the graphs showing changes in value by month or year – click the indicator you're interested in to learn more.
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How to read the economic calendar?
Sometimes the number of current economic events can be overwhelming. So, first of all, make sure to use filters to see the most relevant indicators for your Forex trading. For example, you can choose currencies that you are planning on trading or the indicator impact.
At the top of our Forex trading calendar, choose the most convenient time zone.
Use numeric values of the indicators to navigate market changes. This is why forecasts and actual release figures are essential. Compare the numbers: if the Actual value is bigger than the forecast, this is good for the currency and it is likely to go up in price; if the Actual value is lower than the Forecast, it is likely to drop.
You can apply similar logic to the Previous and Forecast values before the actual data is released, but be careful – forecasts are always preliminary and actual figures might be drastically different.
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What economic indicators are there?
Economic indicators are major economic events that are used to interpret investment opportunities in Forex trading. They usually are macroeconomic events that affect currencies and stock prices.
The indicators can be leading (predict upcoming changes), coincident (show the current economic state of the particular area) and lagging (confirm patterns and trends).
Top economic indicators:
- The US Treasury Yield Curve – shows the ratio between short-term Treasury bills and long-term Treasury bonds. This indicator successfully predicted eight major recessions of the past years.
- GDP (Gross Domestic Product) – one of the most critical metrics of the economy's health. It is a lagging indicator, so it shows what has already happened, but can be a great marker of an upcoming recession.
- Unemployment Rate – this is a percentage of people seeking jobs and will indicate how healthy the labor force and, thus, the economy really is.
- Interest Rates – another lagging indicator that shows economic growth. It can affect GDP and inflation, so be aware of this one.
These are some of the few important indicators. Make sure to follow our daily trading plans from FBS analysts to learn more about the current trading news events and how they will affect your Forex trading.
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How to trade the news?
The financial events are typically scheduled ahead of time. There are usually predictions ahead of the release (Forecast column in our Forex news calendar) of how it will affect the market. Some traders choose to open positions depending on their expectations of economic indicator reports: if they expect a particular indicator to move the currency up, they buy it and vice versa. Other traders dislike rapid price movements that may happen when indicators are released, so they steer clear of using the FX calendar and trading the news.
There are many news trading strategies: you have to use the one you find best suited for your trading style. FBS, apart from providing all the necessary services for trading, also have all the vital information for any trader's needs. Check out our news section to be aware of possible market movements.
Even if you are not one to trade the news, you should still check the trading economic calendar or read about current economic events regularly because they are likely to affect market volatility.
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Is the economic calendar updated in real-time?
Our major economic events calendar is updated automatically as the reports come out. FBS is there to offer timely updates to the economic calendar, but we cannot be held accountable for any delays due to the immoderate flow of trading news events.
Economic Calendar
List of important economic releases
Time
Impact
Currency
Event
Previous
Forecast
Actual
May 14, 2024
09:00
EUR
ZEW Economic Sentiment Index
{previous}
42.9
{forecast}
{actual}
In Germany, the ZEW Economic Sentiment Index measures the level of optimism that analysts have about the expected economic developments over the next 6 months. The survey covers up to 350 financial and economic analysts. The index is constructed as the difference between the percentage share of analysts that are optimistic and the percentage of analysts that are pessimistic about the development of the economy. Therefore, the ZEW indicator measures the confidence on a scale of -100 (all analysts expect the economy to deteriorate) up to 100 (all analysts expect it to improve). A 0 value indicates neutrality.
09:00
GBP
50-Year Index-Linked Treasury Gilt Auction
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
09:30
ZAR
Unemployment Rate
{previous}
32.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
09:30
ZAR
Mining Production YoY
{previous}
9.9%
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, the index of the volume of mining production is a statistical measure of the change in the volume of production. Coal is the most important sector and accounts for 24 percent of total mining production, followed by PGMs (23 percent); gold (16 percent); iron ore (12 percent); other non-metallic minerals (6 percent); diamonds (4 percent); manganese ore and chromium ore (3 percent each); other metallic minerals, building materials and nickel (2 percent each), and copper (1 percent).
09:30
EUR
2-Year Schatz Auction
{previous}
2.91%
{forecast}
{actual}
09:30
ZAR
Gold Production YoY
{previous}
-3.6%
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, gold production accounts for 16 percent of total mining production.
09:30
ZAR
Unemployed Persons
{previous}
7.895M
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, unemployed persons are individuals who are without a job and actively seeking to work.
09:30
ZAR
Mining Production MoM
{previous}
5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, the index of the volume of mining production is a statistical measure of the change in the volume of production. Coal is the most important sector and accounts for 24 percent of total mining production, followed by PGMs (23 percent); gold (16 percent); iron ore (12 percent); other non-metallic minerals (6 percent); diamonds (4 percent); manganese ore and chromium ore (3 percent each); other metallic minerals, building materials and nickel (2 percent each), and copper (1 percent).
10:00
USD
NFIB Business Optimism Index
{previous}
88.5
{forecast}
{actual}
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index is a composite of ten seasonally adjusted components calculated based on the answers of around 620 NFIB members. This questions include: plans to increase employment, plans to make capital outlays, plans to increase inventories, expect economy to improve, expect real sales higher, current inventory, current job openings, expected credit conditions, now a good time to expand, and earnings trend.
11:00
BRL
BCB Copom Meeting Minutes
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In Brazil, interest rate decisions are taken by The Central Bank of Brazil's Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM). The official interest rate is the Special System of Clearance and Custody rate (SELIC) which is the overnight lending rate.
12:30
USD
Core PPI YoY
{previous}
2.4%
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United States, the core Producer Price Index (PPI) measures average changes in prices received by domestic producers for their output excluding volatile items such food and energy.
12:30
USD
PPI MoM
{previous}
0.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United States, the Producer Price Inflation MoM for final demand measures month-over-month changes in the price for commodities sold for personal consumption, capital investment, government, and export. It is composed of six main price indexes: final demand goods (33 percent of the total weight), which includes food and energy; final demand trade services (20 percent); final demand transportation and warehousing services (4 percent); final demand services less trade, transportation, and warehousing (41 percent); final demand construction (2 percent); and overall final demand.
12:30
USD
Core PPI MoM
{previous}
0.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United States, the core Producer Price Index (PPI) measures average changes in prices received by domestic producers for their output excluding volatile items such food and energy.
12:30
USD
PPI YoY
{previous}
2.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United States, the Producer Price Index for final demand measures price change for commodities sold for personal consumption, capital investment, government, and export. It is composed of six main price indexes: final demand goods (33 percent of the total weight), which includes food and energy; final demand trade services (20 percent); final demand transportation and warehousing services (4 percent); final demand services less trade, transportation, and warehousing (41 percent); final demand construction (2 percent); and overall final demand.
12:30
USD
PPI Ex Food, Energy and Trade YoY
{previous}
2.8%
{forecast}
{actual}
12:30
USD
PPI Ex Food, Energy and Trade MoM
{previous}
0.3%
{forecast}
{actual}
12:30
USD
PPI Ex Food, Energy and Trade
{previous}
131.0
{forecast}
{actual}
12:30
CAD
Wholesale Sales MoM Final
{previous}
0%
{forecast}
{actual}
The Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey presents estimates of monthly sales for wholesale merchants in Canada, providing information on the performance of the wholesale trade sector as an important indicator of the health of the Canadian economy. In addition, the business community uses the data to analyse market performance.
12:30
USD
PPI
{previous}
143.7
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United States, the Producer Price Index for final demand measures price change for commodities sold for personal consumption, capital investment, government, and export. It is composed of six main price indexes: final demand goods (33 percent of the total weight), which includes food and energy; final demand trade services (20 percent); final demand transportation and warehousing services (4 percent); final demand services less trade, transportation, and warehousing (41 percent); final demand construction (2 percent); and overall final demand.
12:55
USD
Redbook YoY
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
The Johnson Redbook Index is a sales-weighted of year-over-year same-store sales growth in a sample of large US general merchandise retailers representing about 9,000 stores. Same-store sales are sales in stores continuously open for 12 months or longer. By dollar value, the Index represents over 80% of the equivalent 'official' retail sales series collected and published by the US Department of Commerce. Redbook compiles the Index by collecting and interpreting performance estimates from retailers. The Index and its sub-groups are sales-weighted aggregates of these estimates. Weeks are retail weeks (Sunday to Saturday), and equally weighted within the month.
