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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
Apr 24, 2024
01:30
AUD
Inflation Rate YoY
{previous}
4.1%
{forecast}
3.4%
{actual}
In Australia, the most important categories in the consumer price index are housing (23 percent of the total weight), food and non–alcoholic beverages (17 percent), transport (11 percent), furnishings, household equipment and services (9 percent), alcohol and tobacco (9 percent), recreation and culture (9 percent), health (7 percent) and insurance and financial services (6 percent). Clothing and footwear, education and communication account for remaining 10 percent of total weight.
01:30
AUD
RBA Trimmed Mean CPI YoY
{previous}
4.2%
{forecast}
3.8%
{actual}
In Australia, the Trimmed mean is calculated as the weighted mean of the central 70 percent of the quarterly price change distribution of all CPI components, with the annual rates based on compounded quarterly calculations.
01:30
AUD
CPI
{previous}
136.1
{forecast}
{actual}
In Australia, the Consumer Price Index or CPI measures changes in the prices paid by consumers for a basket of goods and services.
01:30
AUD
Monthly CPI Indicator
{previous}
3.4%
{forecast}
3.4%
{actual}
In Australia, the Monthly CPI Indicator measures monthly changes in the price of a 'basket' of goods and services which account for a high proportion of expenditure by the CPI population group (i.e. metropolitan households).
01:30
AUD
RBA Trimmed Mean CPI QoQ
{previous}
0.8%
{forecast}
0.8%
{actual}
In Australia, the Trimmed mean is calculated as the weighted mean of the central 70 percent of the quarterly price change distribution of all CPI components, with the annual rates based on compounded quarterly calculations.
01:30
AUD
RBA Weighted Median CPI YoY
{previous}
4.4%
{forecast}
4.1%
{actual}
In Australia, the Weighted median is calculated using the quarterly price changes of all CPI components, with the annual rates based on compounded quarterly calculations.
01:30
AUD
RBA Weighted Median CPI QoQ
{previous}
0.9%
{forecast}
0.9%
{actual}
In Australia, the Weighted median is calculated using the quarterly price changes of all CPI components, with the annual rates based on compounded quarterly calculations.
01:30
AUD
Inflation Rate QoQ
{previous}
0.6%
{forecast}
0.8%
{actual}
Inflation Rate MoM measures month over month change in the price of goods and services.
07:00
TRY
Business Confidence
{previous}
104.4
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, the Business Tendency Survey (BTS) compiles the assessments of the senior managers on the recent past, current situation and their expectations regarding the future course of business environment in the manufacturing industry. A score above 100 indicates an optimistic outlook to the economic activities while below 100 points to a pessimistic outlook.
07:00
EUR
Bundesbank Nagel Speech
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
Germany is a member of the European Union which has adopted the euro. Germany's benchmark interest rate is set by the European Central Bank. The official designation for the rate is main refinancing operation.
07:00
TRY
Capacity Utilization
{previous}
76.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, Capacity Utilization is a measure of how much of the economy's potential output is being used.
07:35
EUR
ECB Cipollone Speech
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In the Euro Area, benchmark interest rate is set by the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. The primary objective of the ECB’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability which is to keep inflation below, but close to 2 percent over the medium term. In times of prolonged low inflation and low interest rates, ECB may also adopt non-standard monetary policy measures, such as asset purchase programmes. The official interest rate is the Main refinancing operations rate.
08:00
EUR
Ifo Current Conditions
{previous}
88.1
{forecast}
88.7
{actual}
Assessment of the Business Situation.
08:00
EUR
Ifo Business Climate
{previous}
87.8
{forecast}
88.8
{actual}
In Germany, the IFO Business Climate Index measures entrepreneurs’ sentiment about current business situation and their expectations for the next 6 months. The survey is made by phone and covers 9,000 firms in manufacturing, the service sector, trade and construction. The Business Climate Balance is constructed as the difference between the percentage share of executives that are optimistic and the share that are pessimistic. This balance can take values between -100 (all responding firms assess their situation as poor and expect business to deteriorate) and +100 (all responding firms assessed their situation as good and expect an improvement in their business). For the calculation of the IFO Business Climate Index, the Balance is normalized to the average of a base year (currently 2015).
08:00
CHF
Economic Sentiment Index
{previous}
11.5
{forecast}
{actual}
In Switzerland, the CS-CFA Society 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 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.
08:00
EUR
Ifo Expectations
{previous}
87.5
{forecast}
88.9
{actual}
Expectations With Regard to Business Developments in the Next 6 Months.
08:15
EUR
ECB Tuominen Speech
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In the Euro Area, benchmark interest rate is set by the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. The primary objective of the ECB’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability which is to keep inflation below, but close to 2 percent over the medium term. In times of prolonged low inflation and low interest rates, ECB may also adopt non-standard monetary policy measures, such as asset purchase programmes. The official interest rate is the Main refinancing operations rate.
09:10
EUR
ECB Cipollone Speech
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In the Euro Area, benchmark interest rate is set by the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. The primary objective of the ECB’s monetary policy is to maintain price stability which is to keep inflation below, but close to 2 percent over the medium term. In times of prolonged low inflation and low interest rates, ECB may also adopt non-standard monetary policy measures, such as asset purchase programmes. The official interest rate is the Main refinancing operations rate.
09:30
EUR
10-Year Bund Auction
{previous}
2.38%
{forecast}
{actual}
Generally, a government bond is issued by a national government and is denominated in the country`s own currency. Bonds issued by national governments in foreign currencies are normally referred to as sovereign bonds. The yield required by investors to loan funds to governments reflects inflation expectations and the likelihood that the debt will be repaid.
10:00
GBP
CBI Industrial Trends Orders
{previous}
-18
{forecast}
-16
{actual}
In the United Kingdom, the Confederation of British Industry‘s Industrial Trends Survey of total order book balance tracks changes in the level of factory orders from around 500 companies across 38 sectors of manufacturing industry. The survey covers domestic and export orders, stocks, price, investment intentions and output expectations. For each variable, manufacturers are asked if present situation is above normal, normal or below normal. The results are presented as a weighted percentage balance, that is, the difference between the percentage of respondents replying more or up to each question minus the percentage replying less or down.
