-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
Sep 28, 2023
00:00
NZD
ANZ Business Confidence
{previous}
-3.7
{forecast}
{actual}
1.5
In New Zealand, the business confidence index is designed to provide a snapshot of business opinions regarding the expected future state of their business and economy overall. The survey covers around 700 respondents. The Net index is calculated by subtracting the percentage number of businesses that expect that the economic situation improves from the number that expect decline.
01:30
AUD
Retail Sales MoM Prel
{previous}
0.5%
{forecast}
0.3%
{actual}
0.2%
In Australia, the Retail sales report provides an aggregated measure of sales of retail goods and services over a specific time period. In Australia, Retail sales are seasonal, volatile and relatively important to the overall economy.
03:35
JPY
2-Year JGB Auction
{previous}
0.011%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.045%
05:30
EUR
North Rhine Westphalia CPI YoY
{previous}
5.9%
{forecast}
{actual}
4.2%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
05:30
EUR
North Rhine Westphalia CPI MoM
{previous}
0.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.2%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
07:00
EUR
ECB Enria 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.
07:00
EUR
ECB General Council Meeting
{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.
07:00
TRY
Economic Confidence Index
{previous}
94.1
{forecast}
{actual}
95.4
In Turkey, economic confidence index is a composite index that encapsulates consumers’ and producers’ evaluations, expectations and tendencies about general economic situation. The index is combined by means of a weighted aggregation of normalized sub-indices of consumer confidence, seasonally adjusted real sector (manufacturing industry), services, retail trade and construction confidence indices. The economic confidence index indicates an optimistic outlook about the general economic situation when the index is above 100, on contrary it indicates a pessimistic outlook when it is below 100.
07:00
SGD
6-Month T-Bill Auction
{previous}
3.73%
{forecast}
{actual}
4.07%
07:45
EUR
ECB McCaul 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
Hesse CPI MoM
{previous}
0.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.3%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Bavaria CPI MoM
{previous}
0.3%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.3%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Baden Wuerttemberg CPI MoM
{previous}
0.3%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.2%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Hesse CPI YoY
{previous}
6%
{forecast}
{actual}
4.7%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Brandenburg CPI MoM
{previous}
0.7%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.3%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Baden Wuerttemberg CPI YoY
{previous}
7%
{forecast}
{actual}
5.1%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Brandenburg CPI YoY
{previous}
7.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
5.6%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
08:00
EUR
Bavaria CPI YoY
{previous}
5.9%
{forecast}
{actual}
4.1%
In Germany, Consumer Price index is the most frequently used indicator of inflation and reflect changes in the cost of acquiring a fixed basket of goods and services by the average consumer.
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.
09:00
EUR
Consumer Confidence Final
{previous}
-16
{forecast}
-17.8
{actual}
-17.8
In Euro Area, the Consumer Economic Sentiment Indicator measures the level of optimism that consumers have about the economy. The survey is made by phone and covers 23 000 households in the Euro Area. The number of households sample varies across the zone. The questions focus on current economic and financial situation, savings intention as well as on expected developments regarding: consumer price indexes, general economic situation and major purchases of durable goods. The Consumer ESI measures consumer confidence on a scale of -100 to 100, where -100 indicate extreme lack of confidence, 0 neutrality and 100 extreme confidence.
