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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 25, 2024
00:00
NZD
ANZAC Day
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
00:00
AUD
ANZAC Day
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
05:00
JPY
Leading Economic Index Final
{previous}
109.5
{forecast}
111.8
{actual}
In Japan, the Leading Composite Index consists of 12 indexes such as account inventory ratios, machinery orders, stock prices and other leading economic indicators. The index anticipates changes in the direction of the Japanese economy in the coming months. In general, increase in the index reflects that the economy is in an expansion phase, and decreasing coincident index reflects that the economy is in a contraction phase. The index is used to make official judgement on when the business cycle begins and ends.
05:00
SGD
6-Month T-Bill Auction
{previous}
3.75%
{forecast}
{actual}
05:00
JPY
Coincident Index Final
{previous}
112.1
{forecast}
{actual}
Coincident Index correlates with the business cycle, and is used to identify the current state of the economy. In general, increasing coincident index shows that the economy is in an expansion phase, and decreasing coincident index reflects that the economy is in a contraction phase. The index is calculated using month-over-month percentage changes in 11 leading indicators, 11 coincident indicators, and 6 lagging indicators.
06:00
EUR
GfK Consumer Confidence
{previous}
-27.4
{forecast}
-26
{actual}
The GfK Consumer Climate Indicator is based on a survey of 2000 individuals age 14 and above. The questionnaire focuses on income expectations, buying propensity and savings. The components of the indicator are calculated as the difference between positive and negative answers to the questions asked. Their value can vary between minus 100 and plus 100 points with 0 representing the long term average.
06:45
EUR
Business Climate Indicator
{previous}
100
{forecast}
{actual}
In France, the Business Climate Composite Indicator summarizes the information provided by the surveys in manufacturing, services, trade (retail and wholesale), and construction. The business climate is built from 26 balances of opinion from these surveys.
06:45
EUR
Business Confidence
{previous}
102
{forecast}
102
{actual}
In France, Business Climate measures industrial entrepreneurs’ sentiment about current business situation and expectation about business conditions. The survey sample comprises about 4,000 enterprises in the manufacturing and mining industries. The indicator is calculated using factor analysis technique. The index is then calculated in a way to measure the current sentiment in relation to the historic index values of the period 1993-2011. A value over 110 indicates unusually high optimism and a value under 90 indicates unusually high pessimism. The value 100 indicates neutrality.
07:00
EUR
ECB Schnabel 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
ECB Economic Bulletin
{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
ZAR
PPI YoY
{previous}
4.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, Producer prices change refers to year over year change in price of goods and services sold by manufacturers and producers in the wholesale market during a given period.
09:30
ZAR
PPI MoM
{previous}
0.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In South Africa, the Producer Price Inflation MoM measures a month-over-month change in the price of goods and services sold by manufacturers and producers in the wholesale market.
10:00
GBP
CBI Distributive Trades
{previous}
2
{forecast}
5
{actual}
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Distributive Trades Survey (DTS) measures the health of the retail sector. The reading is compiled from a survey of about 150 retail and wholesale companies. It includes measures of sales activity across the distributive trades. It is a leading indicator of consumer spending. The figure is the difference between the percentage of retailers reporting an increase in sales and those reporting a decrease.
10:00
EUR
Unemployment Benefit Claims
{previous}
-15.8K
{forecast}
{actual}
In France, unemployment benefit claims refer to the change in number of people claiming unemployment benefits in mainland France.
10:00
EUR
Jobseekers Total
{previous}
2811.9K
{forecast}
{actual}
The jobseekers total in France refers to the registered number of unemployed at the end of the month at employment center which are obliged to actively seek a job.
11:00
TRY
Overnight Borrowing Rate
{previous}
48.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, the Overnight Borrowing Rate refers to the rate under which banks lend or deposit money to the Central Bank.
11:00
TRY
Overnight Lending Rate
{previous}
51.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, lending rate refers to central bank overnight lending rate.
11:00
TRY
TCMB Interest Rate Decision
{previous}
50%
{forecast}
50%
{actual}
In Turkey, benchmark interest rates are set by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Monetary Policy Committee (Türkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankasi - TCMB). From June 1st 2018, the main interest rate is the one-week repo rate and the overnight borrowing and lending rates will be determined at 150 bps below/above the one-week repo rate. The central bank simplified its monetary policy framework on May 28th 2018 from a different system with four main key rates, with the late liquidity window lending rate being one of the most followed.
12:30
USD
GDP Growth Rate QoQ Adv
{previous}
3.4%
{forecast}
2.5%
{actual}
On the expenditure side, personal consumption expenditures accounts for 68 percent of total GDP out of which purchases of goods constitute 23 percent and services 45 percent. Private investment accounts for 16 percent of GDP and government consumption and investment for 18 percent. As the value of goods exported (13.5 percent) is lower than the value of goods imported (16.5 percent), net exports subtracts 3 percent from the total GDP value.
12:30
USD
Continuing Jobless Claims
{previous}
1812K
{forecast}
1810K
{actual}
Continuing Jobless Claims refer to actual number of unemployed and currently receiving unemployment benefits who filed for unemployment benefits at least two weeks ago.
