Measures: Change in the number of newly constructed homes sold; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health because the sale of a new home triggers a wide-reaching ripple effect. For example, furniture and appliances are purchased for the home, a mortgage is sold by the financing bank, and brokers are paid to execute the transaction; Acro Expand: Housing Industry Association (HIA);
Measures: Change in the number of jobs advertised in the major daily newspapers and websites covering the capital cities; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 7 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 FF Notes: This data tends to have more impact when it's released ahead of the government employment data rather than after; Acro Expand: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ);
Measures: Change in the selling price of homes in the nation's 8 state capitals; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released quarterly, about 35 days after the quarter ends; Next Release: May 3, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of the housing industry's health because rising house prices attract investors and spur industry activity; Acro Expand: House Price Index (HPI);
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. Tends to have more impact when it's released ahead of CLSA Manufacturing PMI because the reports are tightly correlated. Chinese data can have a broad impact on the currency markets due to China's influence on the global economy and investor sentiment. Source first released in Jul 2005; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 700 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP), Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Change in the global price of exported commodities; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 4 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Tends to have a muted impact because the tightly-correlated Australian commodity prices are released a few days earlier; Derived Via: The average price of the nation's main commodity exports are sampled on the global market and then compared to the previous sampling; Also Called: Commodity Price Index; Acro Expand: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ);
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. Tends to have more impact when it's released ahead of the government's Manufacturing PMI because the reports are tightly correlated; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 400 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Change in the selling price of exported commodities; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Commodities account for over half of Australia's export earnings. Source changed series calculation formula as of Nov 2009; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of the nation's trade balance with other countries because rising commodity prices boost export income; Derived Via: The average selling price of the nation's main commodity exports are sampled and then compared to the previous sampling; Also Called: Index of Commodity Prices;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first or second business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Why Traders Care Derived Via: Survey of about 200 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Data is given to Thomson Reuters subscribers 2 minutes before the public release time listed on the calendar - early market reaction is usually a result of trades made by these subscribers. Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. The 'Previous' listed is the 'Actual' from the Flash release and therefore the 'History' data will appear unconnected. There are 2 versions of this report released about a week apart – Flash and Final. The Flash release, which the source first reported in Jun 2007, is the earliest and thus tends to have the most impact. Full reports are only available to journalists registered with Markit; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 600 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Number of new mortgages approved for home purchases during the previous month; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Tends to have a muted impact because about 60% of all mortgages are covered by the BBA Mortgage Approvals data released a few days earlier; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of housing market demand – most home purchases are financed with a mortgage, so it provides an excellent gauge of how many qualified buyers are entering the market; Also Called: Approvals Secured on Dwellings;
Measures: Change in the total value of new credit issued to consumers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's correlated with consumer spending and confidence - rising debt levels are a sign that lenders feel comfortable issuing loans, and that consumers are confident in their financial position and eager to spend money;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Data is given to Thomson Reuters subscribers 2 minutes before the public release time listed on the calendar - early market reaction is usually a result of trades made by these subscribers. Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. Full reports are only available via subscription; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 600 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Change in the price of goods and services purchased by consumers, excluding food and energy; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Differs from Core CPI in that it only measures goods and services targeted towards and consumed by individuals. Prices are weighted according to total expenditure per item which gives important insights into consumer spending behavior. This is rumored to be the Federal Reserve's favorite inflation measure, but CPI is released about 15 days earlier and tends to garner most of the attention; Acro Expand: Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), Consumer Price Index (CPI);
Measures: Change in the total value of inflation-adjusted expenditures by consumers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: This is significant data, though it tends to have a relatively mild impact because Retail Sales, which also covers consumer spending, is released about 2 weeks earlier; Why Traders Care: Consumer spending accounts for a majority of overall economic activity. It's one of the most important gauges of economic health due to the vast ripple effect consumer buying creates in the economy; Also Called: Consumer Spending;
Measures: Change in the total value of income received from all sources by consumers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 Why Traders Care: Income is correlated with spending - the more disposable income consumers have, the more likely they are to increase spending;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 400 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Also Called: Manufacturing ISM Report On Business; Acro Expand: The Institute for Supply Management (ISM), Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Speaker: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Description: Due to testify on the fiscal 2011 budget before the House Senate Finance Committee, in Washington DC; FF Notes: US Treasury Secretary Jan 2009 - Jan 2013. He speaks frequently on a broad range of subjects - only speeches that might have direct market impact are listed on the calendar; Why Traders Care: It's the Treasury Secretary
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's job to communicate the US President's economic policies, and his speeches are often used to signal policy shifts to the public and to foreign governments;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the first business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: This is a component of PMI but reported separately as an inflation gauge. Above 50.0 indicates rising prices, below indicates falling prices; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of consumer inflation - when businesses pay more for goods and services the higher costs are usually passed on to the consumer; Derived Via: Survey of about 400 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of prices paid for goods and services; Also Called: Manufacturing Prices Paid; Acro Expand: The Institute for Supply Management (ISM), Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Change in the total amount builders spent on construction projects; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010
18:00
USD
low
FF Alert : Release time comes as a surprise from source; Frequency: Released quarterly; Next Release: May 6, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's correlated with spending and confidence - rising debt levels are a sign that lenders feel comfortable issuing loans, and that consumers and businesses are confident in their financial position and eager to spend money; Derived Via: Survey of large domestic banks and branches of foreign banks which asks respondents about changes in the standards and terms of the banks' lending and the state of business and household demand for loans;
Measures: Change in the price businesses pay for labor, excluding overtime; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released quarterly, about 30 days after the quarter ends; Next Release: May 4, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of consumer inflation - when businesses pay more for labor the higher costs are usually passed on to the consumer; Also Called: Private Sector Labor Costs;
Measures: Change in the total quantity of domestic currency in circulation and current account deposits held at the BOJ; Frequency: Released monthly, on the second business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 Acro Expand: Bank of Japan (BOJ);
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed businesses, excluding the farming industry; Frequency: Released monthly, about 11 days after the month ends; Next Release: Feb 9, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of econ
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omic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and changes in their sentiment can be an early signal of future economic activity such as spending, hiring, and investment; Derived Via: Survey of about 350 businesses which asks respondents to rate the relative level of current business conditions; Acro Expand: National Australia Bank (NAB);
Measures: Change in the total value of employment income collected by workers; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 2, 2010 Why Traders Care: Income is correlated with spending - the more disposable income consumers have, the more likely they are to increase spending; Also Called: Labor Cash Earnings, Total Cash Earnings;
Measures: Interest rate for overnight money market deposits; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: First Tuesday of the month, excluding January; Next Release: Mar 2, 2010 FF Notes: The rate decision is often priced in the market so it tends to be overshadowed by the RBA Rate Statement which is focused on the future; Why Traders Care: Short term interest rates are the paramount factor in currency valuation - traders look at most other indicators merely to predict how rates will change in the future; Derived Via: Reserve Bank Board members come to a consensus on where to set the rate; Also Called: Interest Rates; Acro Expand: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA);
Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; Frequency: First Tuesday of the month, excluding January; Next Release: Mar 2, 2010 FF Notes: Until Dec 2007 the statement was only issued when the cash rate was changed; Why Traders Care: It's among the primary tools the RBA Reserve Bank Board uses to communicate with investors about monetary policy. It contains the outcome of their decision on interest rates and commentary about the economic conditions that influenced their decision. Most importantly, it discusses the economic outlook and offers clues on the outcome of future decisions; Also Called: Interest Rate Statement; Acro Expand: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA);
Measures: Level of a composite index based on surveyed households; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released every 3 months, about 10 days after the period ends; Next Release: May 11, 2010 FF Notes: Above 0.0 indicates optimism, below indicates pessimism; Why Traders Care: Financial confidence is a leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity; Derived Via: Survey of about 1,100 households which asks respondents to rate the relative level of past and future economic conditions; Acro Expand: State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO);
Measures: Change in the total value of inflation-adjusted sales at the retail level, excluding automobiles and gas stations; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's the primary gauge of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity; Also Called: Real Retail Sales;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the construction industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the second business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 2, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. Full reports are only available via subscription; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 170 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Change in the price of finished goods and services sold by producers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: M
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ar 2, 2010 FF Notes: Tends to have a muted impact because Germany and France, which account for about half of the Eurozone's economy, release their PPI data earlier; Also Called: Industrial Producer Prices; Acro Expand: Producer Price Index (PPI);
Speaker: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Description: Due to testify on the fiscal 2011 budget before the House Senate Finance Committee, in Washington DC; Next Release: Feb 3, 2010 FF Notes: US Treasury Secretary Jan 2009 - Jan 2013. He speaks frequently on a broad range of subjects - only speeches that might have direct market impact are listed on the calendar; Why Traders Care: It's the Treasury Secretary's job to communicate the US President's economic policies, and his speeches are often used to signal policy shifts to the public and to foreign governments;
14:00
USD
average
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Industrial Trends Orders measures the level of new orders placed with manufacturers.
Measures: Change in the number of homes under contract to be sold but still awaiting the closing transaction, excluding new construction; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar
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4, 2010 FF Notes: This data is released about 15 days later than Existing Home Sales, but it's more forward-looking as a contract is signed several weeks before the home is counted as sold. Source first released in Mar 2005; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health because the sale of a home triggers a wide-reaching ripple effect. For
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example, renovations are done by the new owners, a mortgage is sold by the financing bank, and brokers are paid to execute the transaction; Also Called: Pending Resales;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed service-based companies; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the third business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction; Derived Via: Survey of about 200 service-based companies which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Also Called: Performance of Services Index; Acro Expand: Australian Industry Group (AIG);
Measures: Level of a composite index based on surveyed consumers; Usual Effect
Actual > Forecast = Good for currency;
Frequency: Released monthly, about 5 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 10, 2010 FF Notes: This data is usually released 36 hours before the Bank of England interest rate decision. Source first released in Aug 2005 and changed series from non-seasonally adjusted to seasonally adjusted as of Jul 2008; Why Traders Care: Financial confidence is a leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity; Derived Via: Survey of about 1,000 consumers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of current and future economic conditions;
Measures: Change in the price of goods purchased at BRC-member retail stores; Usual Eff
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ect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 5 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 10, 2010 FF Notes: Leads the government-released consumer inflation data by about 10 days, but has a narrower scope as it only includes goods purchased from retailers who belong to the BRC. This data is usually released 1 day before the Bank of England interest rate decision; Acro Expand: British Retail Consortium (BRC);
Measures: Difference in value between imported and exported goods and services during the reported month; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 FF Notes: A positive number indicates that more goods and services were exported than imported; Why Traders Care: Export demand and currency demand are directly linked because foreigners must buy the domestic currency to pay for the nation's exports. Export demand also impacts production and prices at domestic manufacturers; Also Called: International Trade in Goods and Services;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the services industry; U
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sual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the third business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Data is given to Thomson Reuters subscribers 2 minutes before the public release time listed on the calendar - early market reaction is usually a result of trades made by these subscribers. Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. The 'Previous' listed is the 'Actual' from the Flash release and therefore the 'History' data will appear unconnected. There are 2 versions of this report released about a week apart – Flash and Final. The Flash release, which the source first reported in Jun 2007, is the earliest and thus tends to have the most impact. Full reports are only available to journalists registered with Markit; Derived Via: Survey of about 600 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers in the services industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the third business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Data is given to Thomson Reuters subscribers 2 minutes before the public release time listed on the calendar - early market reaction is usually a result of trades made by these subscribers. Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. Full reports are only available via subscription; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
09:00
EUR
average
The Information and Forschung (Ifo) Business Climate Index measures the mood of firms in manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail. The index is derived from a monthly survey of over 7,000 firms where respondents are asked to give their assessments of the current business situation and their expectations for the next six months. The indicator reading is a transformed mean of the balances of the business situations and the expectations, and can fluctuate between extreme values of -100 (i.e., all responding firms appraise their situation as poor or expect business to become worse) and +100 (i.e., all responding firms assessed their situation as good or expect an improvement in their business).
Measures: Change in the total value of inflation-adjusted sales at the retail level; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Tends to have a relatively muted impact because Germany and France, which account for about half of the Eurozone's economy, release earlier consumer spending data; Why Traders Care: It's the primary gauge of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity;
Measures: Change in the number of job cuts announced by employers; Usual Effect: Actual < Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 3 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: It's extremely early data, but historically has limited short-term correlation with overall labor conditions; Also Called: Job Cut Announcements;
Measures: Estimated change in the number of employed people during the previous month, excluding the farming industry and government; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Leads the government-released employment data by 2 days, and has slowly demonstrated its predictive qualities since its May 2006 debut. Source changed the calculation methodology in Feb 2007 and Dec 2008 to better align with the government’s data; Why Traders Care: Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall econom
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ic activity; Derived Via: ADP provides payroll services to many corporations in the US. They use the data collected from their customers to derive the overall employment estimations; Acro Expand: Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (ADP);
14:00
USD
low
Speaker: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Description: Due to testify on the fiscal 2011 budget before the House Ways and Means Committee, in Washington DC; Next Release: Feb 4, 2010 FF Notes: US Treasury Secretary Jan 2009 - Jan 2013. He speaks frequently on a broad range of subjects -
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only speeches that might have direct market impact are listed on the calendar; Why Traders Care: It's the Treasury Secretary's job to communicate the US President's economic policies, and his speeches are often used to signal policy shifts to the public and to foreign governments;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers, excluding the manufacturing industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the third business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 3, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. Source changed series from unadjusted to seasonally adjusted as of January 2001. Source changed series calculation formula as of Feb 2008;
Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 400 purchasing managers which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Also Called: Services PMI, Non-Manufacturing ISM Report On Business; Acro Expand: The Institute for Supply Management (ISM), Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
Measures: Change in the number of barrels of crude oil held in inventory by commercial firms during the past week; Usual Effect: No consistent effect - there are both inflationary and growth implications; Frequency: Released weekly, 4 days after the week ends; Next Release: Feb 10, 2010 FF Notes: While this is a US indicator, it most affects the loonie due to Canada's sizable energy sector; Why Traders Care: It influences the price of petroleum products which affects inflation, but also impacts growth as many industries rely on oil to produce goods; Also Called: Crude Stocks, Crude Levels; Acro Expand: Energy Information Administration (EIA);
16:00
USD
average
Speaker: Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh; Description: Due to speak about regulatory reforms at the Association of Business Economists, in New York; Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; FF Notes: FOMC voting member Feb 2006 - Jan 2018; Why Traders Care: Federal Reserve FOMC members vote on where to set the nation's key interest rates and their public engagements are often used to drop subtle clues regarding future monetary policy; Acro Expand: Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC);
16:00
-
average
Adds data from the primary sector (including fishing, farming, forestry, mining, and manufacturing) to the Tertiary Industry Index.
Measures: Change in the number of employed people; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released quarterly, about 35 days after the quarter ends; Next Release: May 6, 2010 FF Notes: Although this data is released extremely late, it's the earliest indication of the employment situation and tends to create hefty market impacts; Why Traders Care: Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity;
Measures: Percentage of total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment during the previous quarter; Usual Effect: Actual < Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released quarterly, about 35 days after the quarter ends; Next Release: May 6, 2010 Why Traders Care: Although it's generally viewed as a lagging indicator, the number of unemployed people is an important signal of overall economic health because consumer spending is highly correlated with labor conditions; Also Called: Jobless Rate;
Measures: Change in the number of short-term overseas visitors who arrived in the country; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 20 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 Why Traders Care: Tourism plays an important role in the economy - about 10% of the population is employed by the tourism industry, and a sizable portion of the nation's GDP is indirectly related to tourism; Also Called: International Travel;
20:45
NZD
high
-0.8%
-0.1%
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the rate of inflation (i.e., the rate of price changes) experienced by consumers when purchasing goods and services.
A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency. The primary objective of the central bank is to achieve price stability; when inflation rises above an annualized rate of approximately 2%, they will respond by raising interest rates to bring prices down. Higher interest rates attract foreign investment, thus increasing demand for the nation's currency. CPI is one of the most closely watched indicators and will usually have a high impact upon release.
Measures: Change in the number of new building approvals issued; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 2, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's an excellent gauge of future construction activity because obtaining government approval is among the first steps in constructing a new building. Construction is important because it produces a wide-reaching ripple effect - for example, jobs are created for the construction workers, subcontractors and inspectors are hired, and various services are purchased by the builder;
23:30
AUD
high
Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; Frequency: Released quarterly; Next Release: May 7, 2010 Why Traders Care: It provides valuable insight into the bank's view of economic conditions and inflation - the key factors that will shape the future of monetary policy and influence their interest rate decisions;
Also Called: Statement on Monetary Policy; Acro Expand: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA);
Measures: Change in the total value of sales at the retail level; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 30 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 2, 2010 FF Notes: This is the earliest look at vital consumer spending data; Why Traders Care: It's the primary gauge of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity;
Measures: Difference in value between imported and exported goods during the reported month; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 22 days after the month ends; Next Release: Feb 22, 2010 FF Notes: A positive number indicates that more goods were exported than imported; Why Traders Care: Export demand and currency demand are directly linked because foreigners must buy the domestic currency to pay for the nation's exports. Export demand also impacts production and prices at domestic manufacturers;
Measures: Change in the total value of new purchase orders placed with manufacturers; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of production - rising purchase orders signal that manufacturers will increase activity as they work to fill the orders; Also Called: Industrial Orders, Manufacturing Orders;
Measures: Interest rate at which banks lend balances held at the BOE to other banks;
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Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Scheduled monthly; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 FF Notes: When there is a change in rates the MPC will also issue a statement. The rate decision is often priced in the market so it tends to be overshadowed by the MPC Statement which is focused on the future; Why Traders Care: Short term interest rates are the paramount factor in currency valuation - traders look at most other indicators merely to predict how rates will change in the future; Derived Via: MPC members vote on where to set the rate. The individual votes are published 2 weeks later in the MPC Meeting Minutes; Also Called: Interest Rates; Acro Expan
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d: Bank of England (BOE), Monetary Policy Committee (MPC);
11:00
GBP
high
200B
200B
200B
Measures: Total value of money the BOE will create and use to purchase assets in the open market; Frequency: Scheduled monthly; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 FF Notes: Source began this temporary program in Mar 2009, in response to the financial crisis; Why Traders Care: It increases demand for bonds which tends to lower long-term interest rates;
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Derived Via: MPC members vote on the total amount of money to create for the program. The individual votes are published 2 weeks later in the MPC Meeting Minutes; Also Called: Quantitative Easing Programme, Money Printing Programme; Acro Expand: Bank of England (BOE), Mon
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etary Policy Committee (MPC);
Measures: Interest rate on the main refinancing operations that provide the bulk of liquidity to the banking system; Frequency: Scheduled monthly; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 FF Notes: The rate decision is often priced in the market so it tends to be overshadowed by the ECB Press Conference held 45 minutes later; Why Traders Care: Short term interest rates are the paramount factor in currency valuation - traders look at most other indicators merely to predict how rates will change in the future; Derived Via: The 6 members of the ECB Executive Board and the 16 governors of the Euro area central banks vote on where to set the rate. The split of votes is not publicly revealed; Also Called: Interest Rates, Refi Rate, Repo Rate;
Speaker: ECB President and Vice President; Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; Frequency: Scheduled monthly, about 45 minutes after the Minimum Bid Rate is announced; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 FF Notes: The press conference is about an hour long and has 2 parts - first a prepared statement is read, then the conference is open to press questions. The questions often lead to unscripted answers that create heavy market volatility. The press conference is webcasted on the ECB website with a slight delay from real-time; Why Traders Care: It's the primary method the ECB uses to communicate with investors regar
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ding monetary policy. It covers in detail the factors that affected the most recent interest rate and other policy decisions, such as the overall economic outlook and inflation. Most importantly, it provides clues regarding future monetary policy; Also Called: Interest Rate Statement, ECB News Conference; Acro Expand: European Central Bank (ECB);
Measures: Change in the price businesses pay for labor, excluding the farming industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, usually on the first Friday after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 FF Notes: This is the earliest data related to labor inflation; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of consumer inflation - when businesses pay more for labor the higher costs are usually passed on to the consumer;
Measures: The number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time during the past week; Frequency: Released weekly, 5 days after the week ends; Next Release: Feb 11, 2010 FF Notes: This is the nation's earliest economic data. The market impact fluctuates from week to week - there tends to be more focus on the release when traders need to diagnose recent developments, or when the reading is at extremes; Why Traders Care: Although it's generally viewed as a lagging indicator, the number of unemployed people is an important signal of overall economic health be
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cause consumer spending is highly correlated with labor conditions; Also Called: Jobless Claims, Initial Claims;
Measures: Change in the total value of new building permits issued; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's an excellent gauge of future construction activity because obtaining a permit is among the first steps in constructing a new building;
Measures: Annualized change in labor efficiency when producing goods and services, excluding the farming industry; Frequency: Released quarterly, about 35 days after the quarter ends; Next Release: May 6, 2010 FF Notes: While this is q/q data, it's reported in an annualized format (quarterly change x4). Due to the double revision schedule the 'History' data will appear unconnected. There are 2 versions of this report released a month apart – Preliminary and Revised. The Preliminary release is the earliest and thus tends to have the most impact; Why Traders Care: Productivity and labor-
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related inflation are directly linked - a drop in a worker's productivity is equivalent to a rise in their wage. When businesses pay more for labor the higher costs are usually passed on to the consumer;
Measures: Annualized change in the price businesses pay for labor, excluding the farming industry;
Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released quarterly, about 35 days after the quarter ends; Next Release: May 6, 2010 FF Notes: While this is q/q data, it's reported in an annualized format (quarterly change x4). Due to the double revision schedule the 'History' data will appear unconnected. There are 2 versions of this report released a month apart – Preliminary and Revised. The Preliminary release is the earliest and thus tends to have the most impact; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of consumer inflation - when businesses pay more for labor the higher costs are usually passed on to the consumer;
Measures: Change in the total value of new purchase orders placed with manufacturers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 4, 2010 FF Notes: This report contains a revision of the Durable Goods Orders data released about a week earlier, and fresh data regarding non-durable goods; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of production - rising purchase orders signal that manufacturers will increase activity as they work to fill the orders;
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed purchasing managers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 5 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction. This data series is not seasonally adjusted which increases deviations from month to month. Source first released in Dec 2000; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - businesses react quickly to market conditions, and their purchasing managers hold perhaps the most current and relevant insight into the company's view of the economy; Derived Via: Survey of about 175 purchasing managers, selected geographically and by sector of activity to match the economy as a whole, which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Acro Expand: Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI);
14:00
USD
average
Measures the annual change in the value of new orders place for machine tools, which includes capital goods that are used in the production of many such products as motor vehicles and their parts, electrical products, aircrafts and their parts, and dyes and molds.
14:00
USD
low
Speaker: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Description: Due to testify on the fiscal 2011 budget before the House Senate Budget Committee, in Washington DC; Next Release: Feb 6, 2010 FF Notes: US Treasury Secretary Jan 2009 - Jan 2013. He speaks frequently on a broad range of subjects -
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only speeches that might have direct market impact are listed on the calendar; Why Traders Care: It's the Treasury Secretary's job to communicate the US President's economic policies, and his speeches are often used to signal policy shifts to the public and to foreign governments;
Measures: Change in the number of cubic feet of natural gas held in underground storage during the past week; Usual Effect: No consistent effect - there are both inflationary and growth implications; Frequency: Released weekly, 5 days after the week ends; Next Release: Feb 11, 2010 FF Notes: While this is a US indicator, it most affects the loonie due to Canada's sizable energy sector; Also Called: Nat Gas Stocks, Nat Gas Inventories; Acro Expand: Energy Information Administration (EIA);
17:45
CAD
average
FF Alert : Text of the speech due to be released 15 minutes earlier than the speaking time listed. Carney is due to hold a press conference 45 minutes after the speaking time listed; Speaker: BOC Governor Mark Carney; Description: Due to speak at the Chamber of Commerce, in Winnipeg; Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; FF Notes: BOC Governor Feb 2008 - Feb 2015. Volatility is sometimes experienced during his speeches as traders attempt to decipher interest rate clues; Why Traders Care: As head of the central bank, which controls short term interest rates, he has more influence over the nation's currency value than any other person. Traders scrutinize his public engagements as they are often used to drop subtle clues regarding future monetary policy; Acro Expand: Bank of Canada (BOC);
18:00
USD
high
Speaker: ederal Reserve Bank of Kansas President Thomas Hoenig; Description: Due to speak on economic outlook and monetary policy at the Bankers Association Meeting, in Oklahoma City. Audience questions expected; Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; FF Notes: 2010 FOMC voting member; Why Traders Care: Federal Reserve FOMC members vote on where to set the nation's key interest rates and their public engagements are often used to drop subtle clues regarding future monetary policy; Acro Expand: Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC);
Measures: Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed construction companies; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, on the fifth business day after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 FF Notes: Above 50.0 indicates industry expansion, below indicates contraction; Derived Via: Survey of about 120 construction companies which asks respondents to rate the relative level of business conditions including employment, production, new orders, prices, supplier deliveries, and inventories; Also Called: Performance of Construction Index; Acro Expand: Australian Industry Group (AIG);
Measures: Level of a composite index based on 12 economic indicators; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 FF Notes: This index is designed to predict the direction of the economy, but it tends to have a muted impact because most of the indicators used in the calculation are released previously. There's a revised version of this indicator released about 10 days later, but it's not included for lack of significance. Source changed series from a diffusion index to a composite index as of Jun 2008; Derived Via: Combined reading of 12 ec
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onomic indicators related to employment, production, new orders, consumer confidence, housing, stock prices, money supply, and interest rate spreads;
Measures: Difference in value between imported and exported goods during the reported month; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 35 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar
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8, 2010 FF Notes: A positive number indicates that more goods were exported than imported; Why Traders Care: Export demand and currency demand are directly linked because foreigners must buy the domestic currency to pay for the nation's exports. Export demand also impacts production and prices at domestic manufacturers; Also Called: Foreign Trade;
Measures: Difference in value between the central government's income and spending for the year-to-date; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 40 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 8, 2010 FF Notes: A positive number indicates a budget surplus, a negative number indicates a deficit. Due to the year-to-date format, the data released in Feb covers the entire preceding year's budget, while the Mar releases only covers the first month of the current year; Also Called: General Budget Outcome;
Measures: Change in the price of goods and raw materials purchased by manufacturers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 10 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 12, 2010 FF Notes: This data has added importance because it's released ahead of CPI; Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of consumer inflation - when manufacturers pay more for goods the higher costs are usually passed on to the consumer; Acro Expand: Producer Price Index (PPI), Consumer Price Index (CPI);
Measures: Change in the price of goods sold by manufacturers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 10 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 12, 2010 FF Notes: Only includes goods produced domestically; Also Called: Factory Gate Prices; Acro Expand: Producer Price Ind
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ex (PPI);
Measures: Change in the price of goods and services purchased by consumers; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, around the end of the current month; Next Release: Mar 1, 2010 FF Notes: There are 2 versions of CPI released about 25 days apart - Preliminary and Final. The Preliminary release is extremely early but has a muted impact due to Italy's relatively small impact on the Eurozone. The Final is not included for lack of significance; Acro Expand: Consumer Price Index (CPI);
Measures: Change in the total inflation-adjusted value of output produced by manufacturers, mines, and utilities; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 40 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 8, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's a leading indicator of economic health - production reacts quickly to ups and downs in the business cycle and is correlated with consumer conditions such as employment levels and earnings; Also Called: Industrial Output;
Measures: Change in the number of employed people during the previous month; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 8 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 12, 2010 FF Notes: This is vital economic data released shortly after the month ends. The combination of importance and earliness makes for hefty market impacts; Why Traders Care: Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity;
Measures: Percentage of total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment during the previous month; Frequency: Released monthly, about 8 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 12, 2010 Why Traders Care: Although it's generally viewed as a lagging indicator, the number of unemployed people is an important signal of overall economic health because consumer spending is highly correlated with labor conditions; Also Called: Jobless Rate;
Measures: Change in the number of employed people during the previous month, excluding the farming industry; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, usually on the first Friday after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 FF Notes: This is vital economic data released shortly after the month ends. The combination of importance and earliness makes for hefty market impacts; Why Traders Care: Job creation is an important leading indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity; Also Called: Non-Farm Payrolls, NFP, Employment Change;
Measures: Percentage of total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment during the previous month; Usual Effect: Actual < Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, usually on the first Friday after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 Why Traders Care: Although it's generally viewed as a lagging indicator, the number of unemployed people is an important signal of overall economic health because consumer spending is highly correlated with labor conditions; Also Called: Jobless Rate;
Measures: Change in the total value of outstanding consumer credit that requires installment payments; Usual
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Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 7 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 5, 2010 Why Traders Care: It's correlated with consumer spending and confidence - rising debt levels are a sign that lenders feel comfortable issuing loans, and that consumers are confident in their financial position and eager to spend money;
21:15
USD
average
Speaker: Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis President James Bullard; Description: Due to speak at the Conference titled "Monetary Policy amid Economic Turbulence" organized by Washington University, in St Louis; Usual Effect: More hawkish than expected = Good for currency; FF Notes: 2010 FOMC voting member; Why Traders Care: Federal Reserve FOMC members vote on where to set the nation's key interest rates and their public engagements are often used to drop subtle clues regarding future monetary policy; Acro Expand: Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC);
Speaker: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Description: Due to hold a press conference at the conclusion of the G7 meeting, in Iqaluit; FF Notes: US Treasury Secretary Jan 2009 - Jan 2013. He speaks frequently on a broad range of subjects - only speeches that might have direct market impact are listed on the calendar; Why Traders Care: It's the Treasury Secretary's job to communicate
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the US President's economic policies, and his speeches are often used to signal policy shifts to the public and to foreign governments;
Measures: Change in the total quantity of domestic currency in circulation and deposited in banks; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 8 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 8, 2010 FF Notes: Much of this data is released in the Monetary Base report about a week earlier; Why Traders Care: It's positively correlated with interest rates - early in the economic cycle an increasing supply of money leads to additional spending and investment, and later in the cycle expanding money supply leads to inflation;
Measures: Change in the total value of outstanding bank loans issued to consumers and businesses; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 8 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 8, 2010 Why Traders Care: Borrowing and spending are positively correlated - consumers and businesses tend to seek credit when they are confident in their future financial position and feel comfortable spending money;
Measures: Difference in value between imported and exported goods, services, income flows, and unilateral transfers during the reported month; Usual Effect: Actual > Forecast = Good for currency; Frequency: Released monthly, about 40 days after the month ends; Next Release: Mar 9, 2010 FF Notes: The goods portion has no impact because it's a duplicate of the Trade Balance data released about 20 days earlier; Why Traders Care: It's directly linked to currency demand - a rising surplus indicates that foreigners are buying more of the domestic currency to execute transactions in the country; Also Called: Adjusted Current Account;
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