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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 16, 2024
07:00
TRY
Retail Sales MoM
{previous}
2.7%
{forecast}
{actual}
3.5%
In Turkey, the Retail sales report provides an aggregated measure of sales of retail goods and services over a specific time period. In Turkey, Retail sales are seasonal, volatile and relatively important to the overall economy.
07:00
TRY
Retail Sales YoY
{previous}
13.7%
{forecast}
{actual}
25.1%
In Turkey, the year-over-year change in Retail sales compares the aggregated sales of retail goods and services during a certain month to the same month a year ago.
09:00
EUR
Balance of Trade
{previous}
€11.6B
{forecast}
{actual}
€23.6B
The Euro Area is one of the world’s biggest players in global trade. The bloc runs regular trade surpluses primarily due to the high export of manufactured goods such as machinery and vehicles. However, it is a net importer of energy and raw materials. Germany by far contributes the most to surplus followed by Netherlands, Ireland, and Italy. On the other hand, the deficits are constantly recorded in France and Spain. Still, in 2022, the block run the biggest trade deficit on record as the energy imports surged after the war in Ukraine forced the members to reduce energy imports from Russia and destabilized the energy markets.
.
09:00
EUR
ZEW Economic Sentiment Index
{previous}
31.7
{forecast}
35.9
{actual}
42.9
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
EUR
ZEW Economic Sentiment Index
{previous}
33.5
{forecast}
37.2
{actual}
43.9
In the Euro Area, 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
EUR
ZEW Current Conditions
{previous}
-80.5
{forecast}
{actual}
-79.2
In Germany, the ZEW Current Conditions Index measures the level of optimism that analysts have about the current economic situation. 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 economy. Therefore, the ZEW indicator measures the confidence on a scale of -100 (all analysts see deteriorating economic conditions) up to 100 (all analysts see improving economic conditions). A 0 value indicates neutrality.
09:00
GBP
10-Year Index-Linked Treasury Gilt Auction
{previous}
0.634%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.440%
12:15
CAD
Housing Starts
{previous}
260K
{forecast}
244K
{actual}
242.2K
In Canada, a housing start is defined as the beginning of construction work on the building where the dwelling unit will be located. This can be described in 2 ways: usually, the stage when the concrete has been poured for the whole of the footing around the structure; or an equivalent stage where a basement will not be part of the structure.
12:30
CAD
Core Inflation Rate MoM
{previous}
0.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
0.5%
12:30
CAD
Inflation Rate YoY
{previous}
2.8%
{forecast}
{actual}
2.9%
In Canada, the most important categories in the CPI basket are Shelter (30 percent of the total weight) and Transportation (17 percent). Food accounts for 16 percent; Household Operations, Furnishings and Equipment for 15 percent; Recreation, Education and Reading for 9 percent; Health and Personal Care for 5 percent; Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Products for 5 percent and Clothing and Footwear for the remaining 4 percent. The CPI basket is reviewed every four years on the basis of household surveys. The current weights are based on spending patterns in 2002.
12:30
USD
Building Permits MoM Prel
{previous}
2.3%
{forecast}
{actual}
-4.3%
Building Permits refer to the approvals given by a local jurisdictions before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur. Not all areas of the United States require a permit for construction.
12:30
CAD
CPI Trimmed-Mean YoY
{previous}
3.2%
{forecast}
3.2%
{actual}
3.1%
CPI Trimmed is a measure of core inflation that excludes CPI components whose rates of change in a given month are located in the tails of the distribution of price changes. This measure helps filter out extreme price movements that might be caused by factors specific to certain components. In particular, CPI-trim excludes 20 percent of the weighted monthly price variations at both the bottom and top of the distribution of price changes, and thus it always removes 40 percent of the total CPI basket.
12:30
USD
Housing Starts MoM
{previous}
12.7%
{forecast}
{actual}
-14.7%
Housing Starts refer to the number of new residential construction projects that have begun during any particular month. Estimates of housing starts include units in structures being totally rebuilt on an existing foundation.
12:30
CAD
Inflation Rate MoM
{previous}
0.3%
{forecast}
0.7%
{actual}
0.6%
Inflation Rate MoM measures month over month change in the price of goods and services.
12:30
USD
Building Permits Prel
{previous}
1.523M
{forecast}
1.514M
{actual}
1.458M
Building Permits refer to the approvals given by a local jurisdictions before the construction of a new or existing building can legally occur. Not all areas of the United States require a permit for construction.
12:30
CAD
CPI Median YoY
{previous}
3%
{forecast}
3%
{actual}
2.8%
CPI median is a measure of core inflation corresponding to the price change located at the 50th percentile (in terms of the CPI basket weights) of the distribution of price changes in a given month. This measure helps filter out extreme price movements specific to certain components. This approach is similar to CPI-trim as it eliminates all the weighted monthly price variations at both the bottom and top of the distribution of price changes in any given month, except the price change for the component that is the midpoint of that distribution.
12:30
CAD
Core Inflation Rate YoY
{previous}
2.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
2%
In Canada, the core inflation rate tracks changes in prices that consumers pay for a basket of goods which excludes eight of the most volatile components identified by the Bank of Canada including: fruit, fruit preparations and nuts; vegetables and vegetable preparations; mortgage interest cost; natural gas; fuel oil and other fuels; gasoline; inter-city transportation; and tobacco products and smokers' supplies. It also excludes the effect of changes in indirect taxes.
12:30
USD
Housing Starts
{previous}
1.549M
{forecast}
1.48M
{actual}
1.321M
Housing Starts refer to the number of new residential construction projects that have begun during any particular month. Estimates of housing starts include units in structures being totally rebuilt on an existing foundation.
12:55
USD
Redbook YoY
{previous}
5.4%
{forecast}
{actual}
4.9%
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.
13:00
USD
Fed Jefferson Speech
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United States, the authority to set interest rates is divided between the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (Board) and the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The Board decides on changes in discount rates after recommendations submitted by one or more of the regional Federal Reserve Banks. The FOMC decides on open market operations, including the desired levels of central bank money or the desired federal funds market rate.
