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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
May 17, 2024
00:30
SGD
Non-Oil Exports YoY
{previous}
-20.7%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Singapore, Non-oil Domestic Exports (NODX) can be divided in Electronic Products, such as ICs, Disk Media Products, PCs, Parts of PCs, and Diodes & Transistors; and Non-Electronic Products, particularly chemicals, such as petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.
00:30
SGD
Non-Oil Exports MoM
{previous}
-8.4%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Singapore, Non-oil Domestic Exports (NODX) can be divided in Electronic Products, such as ICs, Disk Media Products, PCs, Parts of PCs, and Diodes & Transistors; and Non-Electronic Products, particularly chemicals, such as petrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.
01:30
CNY
House Price Index YoY
{previous}
-2.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
In China, Housing Index is measured by year-over-year change in the index of newly built residential buildings in 70 medium and large cities. The index is calculated in weighted average method and the weight of each city is based on the population.
01:30
SGD
Balance of Trade
{previous}
$4.657B
{forecast}
{actual}
Singapore economy relies on purchasing of intermediate goods and exporting of high-value added products. Main exports are: machinery and equipment (43 percent of the total exports); petroleum (19 percent) and chemicals (13 percent). Main imports are: machinery and equipment (39 percent of the total imports); petroleum (33 percent); chemical products (7 percent) and miscellaneous manufactured articles (7 percent). In 2017, the biggest trade deficits were recorded with China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and the United States. Singapore did not record surpluses with any country.
02:00
CNY
Industrial Production YoY
{previous}
4.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In China, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities.
02:00
CNY
Retail Sales YoY
{previous}
3.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
In China, 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.
02:00
CNY
Unemployment Rate
{previous}
5.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
In China, Urban Surveyed Unemployment Rate is calculated by a sample survey, which refers to the ratio of urban unemployed population to the sum of the employed population and the unemployed population.
02:00
CNY
NBS Press Conference
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
02:00
CNY
Fixed Asset Investment (YTD) YoY
{previous}
4.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In China, urban investment in fixed assets is one of the main measures of capital spending. It refers to investment in construction projects with a total planned investment of 5 million yuan; machinery and equipment and real estate development in both urban and rural areas. It refers to investment made by state-owned enterprises and private businesses, institutions or individuals.
03:35
JPY
3-Month Bill Auction
{previous}
{forecast}
{actual}
04:30
JPY
Industrial Production YoY Final
{previous}
-3.9%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Japan, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities.
04:30
JPY
Capacity Utilization MoM
{previous}
-0.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Japan, capacity utilization is the quantity of production divided by the quantity of production capacity, expressing the state of operations for various facilities in the manufacturing industry. It does not measure the absolute level of capacity utilization but the relative capacity utilization rate compared with the benchmark year.
04:30
JPY
Industrial Production MoM Final
{previous}
-0.6%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Japan, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities.
05:30
EUR
Unemployment Rate
{previous}
7.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In France, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
06:30
CHF
Industrial Production YoY
{previous}
-0.4%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Switzerland, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities.
07:50
CNY
FDI (YTD) YoY
{previous}
-26.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
In China, Foreign Direct Investment refers to foreign capital actually utilized, which is to the amount which has been actually used according to the agreements and contracts, including cash, materials and invisible capital such as labor service and technology which both parties agree to take as an investment.
09:00
EUR
Core Inflation Rate YoY Final
{previous}
2.9%
{forecast}
2.7%
{actual}
In Euro Area, the core inflation rate is calculated using the weighted average of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Price (HICP) aggregates, excluding energy, food, alcohol & tobacco that face volatile price movements.
09:00
EUR
Inflation Rate MoM Final
{previous}
0.8%
{forecast}
0.6%
{actual}
Inflation Rate MoM measures month over month change in the price of goods and services.
09:00
EUR
CPI Final
{previous}
125.3
{forecast}
126.1
{actual}
09:00
EUR
Inflation Rate YoY Final
{previous}
2.4%
{forecast}
2.4%
{actual}
In Euro Area, the inflation rate is calculated using the weighted average of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Price (HICP) aggregates. The main components of the HICP are: food, alcohol and tobacco (21 percent of the total weight), energy (11 percent), non-energy industrial goods (27 percent) and services (42 percent). The HICP aggregates are computed as the weighted average of each country’s HICP components. The weight of a country is its share of household final monetary consumption expenditure in the total of the country’s group. The local HICPs are supplied to the Eurostat by the National Statistical Institutes.
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