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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 26, 2024
01:30
AUD
Import Prices QoQ
{previous}
1.1%
{forecast}
0.1%
{actual}
In Australia, Import Prices correspond to the rate of change in the prices of goods and services purchased by residents of that country from, and supplied by, foreign sellers. Import Prices are heavily affected by exchange rates.
01:30
AUD
PPI QoQ
{previous}
0.9%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Australia, the Producer Price Inflation QoQ measures a quarter-over-quarter change in the price of goods and services sold by manufacturers and producers in the wholesale market.
01:30
AUD
Export Prices QoQ
{previous}
5.6%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Australia, Export Prices correspond to the rate of change in the prices of goods and services sold by residents of that country to foreign buyers. Export Prices are heavily affected by exchange rates.
01:30
AUD
PPI YoY
{previous}
4.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Australia, Producer Prices Change measures the average change in price of goods and services sold by manufacturers and producers in the wholesale market during a given period.
03:00
JPY
BoJ Interest Rate Decision
{previous}
0%
{forecast}
0%
{actual}
In Japan, interest rates are set by the Bank of Japan's Policy Board in its Monetary Policy Meetings. The BoJ's official interest rate is the discount rate. Monetary Policy Meetings produce a guideline for money market operations in inter-meeting periods and this guideline is written in terms of a target for the uncollateralized overnight call rate.
03:00
JPY
BoJ Quarterly Outlook Report
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In Japan, interest rates are set by the Bank of Japan's Policy Board in its Monetary Policy Meetings. The BoJ's official interest rate is the discount rate. Monetary Policy Meetings produce a guideline for money market operations in inter-meeting periods and this guideline is written in terms of a target for the uncollateralized overnight call rate.
05:00
SGD
Industrial Production YoY
{previous}
3.8%
{forecast}
-1.5%
{actual}
In Singapore, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in the manufacturing sector of the economy.
05:00
SGD
10-Year Bond Auction
{previous}
3.05%
{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.
05:00
SGD
Industrial Production MoM
{previous}
14.2%
{forecast}
-8.8%
{actual}
In Singapore, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in the manufacturing sector of the economy.
06:45
EUR
Consumer Confidence
{previous}
91
{forecast}
92
{actual}
In France, the consumer confidence index is based on a survey of about 2 000 households. The questionnaire focuses on: past and future economic situation in France, past and future personal financial situation, unemployment, intention to make major purchases, current savings capacity and expected savings capacity. 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 1987-2011. A value over 110 indicates unusually high optimism and a value under 90 indicates unusually high pessimism. The value 100 indicates neutrality.
08:00
EUR
Loans to Households YoY
{previous}
0.3%
{forecast}
0.3%
{actual}
In the Euro Area, loan growth refers to year over year change in loans to households adjusted for sales and securitisation.
08:00
EUR
ECB Guindos 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
M3 Money Supply YoY
{previous}
0.4%
{forecast}
0.6%
{actual}
Euro Area Money Supply M3 is the sum of M2, repurchase agreements, money market fund shares/units and debt securities with a maturity of up to two years.
08:00
EUR
Loans to Companies YoY
{previous}
0.4%
{forecast}
{actual}
In the Euro Area, Loans to Private Sector refers to adjusted loans to Euro Area non-financial corporations.
08:00
CHF
SNB Jordan Speech
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In Switzerland, interest rate decisions are taken by the Swiss National Bank. The official interest rate is the SNB policy rate. The SNB seeks to keep the secured short-term Swiss franc money market rates close to the SNB policy rate. SARON is the most representative of these rates today. As of 13 June 2019, the SNB policy rate replaced the target range for the three-month Swiss franc Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) previously used in the SNB's monetary policy strategy. The reason for this adjustment was that the Libor was becoming less relevant as the most important reference rate owing to the absence of the underlying money market transactions. From 6 September 2011 to 15 January 2015, the main focus of implementation was on the minimum exchange rate of CHF 1.20 per euro, which the SNB enforced during this period. On 18 December 2014, the SNB decided to impose an interest rate of -0.25% on sight deposit account balances. With the announcement of a negative interest rate, the Libor target range used then was taken into negative territory for the first time, and extended to its usual width of 1 percentage point. On 15 January 2015, the SNB lowered the interest rate on sight deposits to -0.75% and moved the target range downwards to between -1.25% and -0.25%. Negative interest has applied since 22 January 2015 and currently corresponds to the SNB policy rate.
10:30
RUB
Interest Rate Decision
{previous}
16%
{forecast}
16%
{actual}
In Russia, interest rate decisions are taken by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. From September 16th of 2013, the official interest rate is the one-week auction repo rate. Until September 15th of 2013, the official interest rate was the refinancing rate, which was seen as a ceiling for borrowing money and a benchmark for calculating tax payments.
11:00
TRY
Overnight Lending Rate
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, lending rate refers to central bank overnight lending rate.
11:00
CAD
CFIB Business Barometer
{previous}
52.7
{forecast}
{actual}
CFIB’s Business Barometer tracks small business confidence, expectations and operating conditions in Canada. It was revised as of the May 2009 issue. It is based on the same survey question on 12-month future business performance expectations collected annually 1987-2000, quarterly 2001-2008 and monthly since late 2008. The index is a weighted average of response scores: 100 for stronger performance, 50 for same performance, and 0 for weaker performance. The data are not seasonally adjusted.
11:00
TRY
Overnight Borrowing Rate
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, the Overnight Borrowing Rate refers to the rate under which banks lend or deposit money to the Central Bank.
11:30
TRY
Foreign Exchange Reserves
{previous}
$70.00B
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, Foreign Exchange Reserves refer to gross foreign exchange reserves held or controlled by the country's central bank, excluding gold.
