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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 30, 2024
08:00
EUR
GDP Growth Rate QoQ Flash
{previous}
-0.3%
{forecast}
{actual}
Germany is the fifth largest economy in the world and the largest within the Euro Area. Germany is the second largest exporter in the world and exports account for more than one-third of national output. As such, the export of high added value products has been the main driver of growth in recent years. Composition of the GDP on the expenditure side: household consumption (55 percent), gross capital formation (20 percent, of which 10 percent in construction, 6 percent in machinery and equipment and 4 percent in other products) and government expenditure (19 percent). Exports of goods and services account for 46 percent of GDP while imports for 39 percent, adding 7 percent to total GDP.
08:00
EUR
GDP Growth Rate YoY Flash
{previous}
-0.2%
{forecast}
{actual}
The German economy - the fifth largest economy in the world and Europe's largest - is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force. Composition of the GDP on the expenditure side: household consumption (55 percent), gross capital formation (20 percent, of which 10 percent in construction, 6 percent in machinery and equipment and 4 percent in other products) and government expenditure (19 percent). Exports of goods and services account for 46 percent of GDP while imports account for 39 percent, adding 7 percent to total GDP.
08:00
TRY
Tourist Arrivals YoY
{previous}
22.68%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Turkey, tourist arrivals refer to the number of visiting foreigners.
08:30
GBP
Mortgage Lending
{previous}
£1.51B
{forecast}
{actual}
In the UK, mortgage lending refers to monthly changes of total sterling net secured lending to individuals and housing associations.
08:30
GBP
M4 Money Supply MoM
{previous}
0.5%
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United Kingdom, M4 comprises notes and coin in circulation with the public, together with all sterling deposits (including certificates of deposits) held with UK banks and building societies by the rest of the private sector.
08:30
GBP
Mortgage Approvals
{previous}
60.383K
{forecast}
{actual}
Mortgage approvals for house purchase refers to the firm offers of lenders to advance credit secured on specific dwellings to their customers. It covers approvals that are fully secured on residential property by a first mortgage. It includes existing borrowers transferring their existing mortgage to another property, lending to first-time purchasers and lending for buy-to-let purposes.
08:30
GBP
BoE Consumer Credit
{previous}
£1.378B
{forecast}
{actual}
Consumer credit (excluding student loans) is defined as borrowing by UK individuals to finance current expenditure on goods and/or services excluding loans issued by the Student Loans Company. Consumer credit (excluding student loans) is split into two components; credit card lending and ‘other’ lending (mainly overdrafts and other loans/advances).
08:30
GBP
Net Lending to Individuals MoM
{previous}
£2.888B
{forecast}
{actual}
In the United Kingdom, Net Lending to Individuals MoM refers to monthly changes of total sterling net lending to individuals and housing associations, excluding the Student Loans Company.
09:00
EUR
GDP Growth Rate QoQ Flash
{previous}
0%
{forecast}
{actual}
The Euro Area is an economic and monetary union of 19 European countries that adopted the euro as their currency. It is the second largest economy in the world and if it was a country it would be the third most populous with 341 million inhabitants. Germany, France, Italy and Spain are the most important economies accounting respectively for 29 percent, 20 percent, 15 percent and 10 percent of the bloc’s GDP.
09:00
EUR
Inflation Rate MoM Flash
{previous}
0.8%
{forecast}
{actual}
Inflation Rate MoM measures month over month change in the price of goods and services.
09:00
EUR
CPI Flash
{previous}
125.3
{forecast}
{actual}
09:00
EUR
Inflation Rate YoY Flash
{previous}
2.4%
{forecast}
{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.
09:00
EUR
Core Inflation Rate YoY Flash
{previous}
2.9%
{forecast}
{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
GDP Growth Rate YoY Flash
{previous}
0.1%
{forecast}
{actual}
The Euro Area is the second largest economy in the world. Of the 19 member states it includes, the biggest are: Germany (29 percent of total GDP), France (20 percent), Italy (15 percent) and Spain (10 percent). On the expenditure side, household consumption is the main component of GDP and accounts for 54 percent of its total use, followed by gross fixed capital formation (21 percent) and government expenditure (20 percent). Exports of goods and services account for 47 percent of GDP while imports account for 43 percent, adding 4 percent of total GDP.
09:00
GBP
5-Year Treasury Gilt Auction
{previous}
3.928%
{forecast}
{actual}
09:30
EUR
10-Year Bund/g Auction
{previous}
2.30%
{forecast}
{actual}
12:00
ZAR
Balance of Trade
{previous}
ZAR14.04B
{forecast}
{actual}
In 2021, South Africa recorded a trade surplus for the fifth consecutive year. The top exports of South Africa are mineral products; base metals and articles of base metal; vehicles and aircraft vessels and machinery (6.8 percent), shipped primarily to China, the United States and Germany. The top imports of South Africa are machinery, mineral products, chemicals and vehicles & transport equipment, sourced mainly from China, India and the United States.
12:00
BRL
Unemployment Rate
{previous}
7.8%
{forecast}
{actual}
In Brazil, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
12:00
BRL
PPI YoY
{previous}
-5.16%
{forecast}
{actual}
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.
12:00
ZAR
Budget Balance
{previous}
ZAR20.78B
{forecast}
{actual}
