Sometimes, the data is as direct as reporting monthly sales from a particular segment of the economy. Others may not come from hard data, instead being based on opinions recorded within surveys. Still, others may derive their findings from extrapolating existing data. Some indicators will inform you about the current state of economy; while others may confirm what the economy previously did; and others may predict what is yet to come.

This final set — known as leading economic indicators — are of particular interest to traders, as they offer the best insight into the likely trajectory of future economic activity. The indicators that tell us about the current state of economy are called 'coincident'. Those that confirm what has already occurred are known as lagging indicators. The main difficulty for traders who are just starting out is knowing which are the important ones — those that are most likely to affect prices — and which ones are low-impact.

This knowledge is useful as there may be many economic indicators released in a single day, and it's not really realistically possible to keep an eye on them all. To try and help in this area, we have put together an explanatory list of Forex economic indicators. In our economic indicators list we've included those that are considered to be the most important.

All of these have the potential to exert a strong effect on the financial markets. As the US economy is the largest economy in the world, and wields some influence on the performance of financial markets globally, our list focuses on US reports, in an effort to provide you the best economic indicators. GDP is the widest measure of the overall health of an economy. It takes such a long time to compile that its direct effect on Forex and CFD prices is frequently muted — and by the time the data is published, many of the components are already known, and, therefore, expectations are often fairly accurate.

That being said, should the number come out markedly different to expectations, it still has the potential to move the market.

Despite its lack of timeliness, it is still a very important indicator to understand because it is the single best measure used to confirm where we stand in the business cycle. The business cycle is a key concept in modern economics. It consists of an expansionary phase, whereby many areas of the economy grow at the same time, and a recessionary phase, when economic activity contracts.

Because the broadest gauge of economic activity is GDP, economists tend to determine where we are in the business cycle by looking at alternations of growth and contraction in GDP. The technical definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of contraction in GDP. A recession ends as soon as we see a quarter of growth. Politicians, policymakers, and economic analysts all focus heavily on this indicator, precisely because it is such a comprehensive measure. Investment banks adopting a top-down approach to Forex analysis will start by making projections for the general economic climate.

GDP is a key part of this kind of analysis of foreign exchange market macroeconomics. As professional traders, we need to be aware of it is as well, but you should also be cognisant of the fact that because GDP is a lagging indicator, its main use is to confirm what we already expect.

1. What Economic Indicators Are There?.
2. 11 Important Forex Economic Indicators - Admiral Markets - Admirals.
3. 11 Important Forex Economic Indicators - Admiral Markets - Admirals.

Its lack of timeliness means that its utility as a trading tool for short and medium-term trading is limited. US GDP only comes out once a quarter, and even the earliest estimate reports back many months into the past.

• Economic Indicators Calendar - FEDERAL RESERVE BANK of NEW YORK.
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• The List Of 11 Economic Indicators That Impact the Forex Market?

Very useful, therefore, would be something that can be used as a close proxy for GDP, but which reports more frequently — which brings us onto our next indicator. The blue vertical line marks the release of the Employment Situation report that was released on 1 November Notice how sharply the price moved in just one minute? Also, notice how much larger the average range of each bar becomes after the release of the report, compared to before. Part of the answer lies in the timeliness of the report. The employment cycle and the business cycle are closely related and, historically, changes in nonfarm payrolls NFPs have moved along a very similar path to quarterly GDP changes.

This close correlation means that payroll data can be used as a proxy for GDP. The crucial difference between the two is that nonfarm payrolls come out monthly, reporting on the month that ended just a few days before. In contrast, GDP is reported quarterly, and with a big delay. Another part of the answer is the impact the report has on monetary policy. It follows then that employment data can have a serious effect on market perceptions of the future direction of monetary policy.

The unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of the labour force actively looking for work.

The importance of key macroeconomic indicators

In periods of recovery, unemployment acts as a lagging indicator. We tend to see unemployment continuing to rise even after GDP has bottomed out. Unemployment is also closely tied to consumer sentiment see number five on our list. Extended periods of unemployment are extremely damaging to consumer sentiment, and consequently also affect consumer spending and impact on economic growth.

Major Economic Indicators That Drive the Forex Market - Forex Training Group

Just as with nonfarm payrolls above, unemployment data offers CFD traders insights into one of the key metrics followed by the FED. This means that any strong divergence from expectations are likely to have a big impact on Forex and stock markets. All things being equal, US labour market weakness would conventionally be considered to be bearish for stock prices and for the US Dollar.

If you want to make the most of economic announcements, like the US unemployment rate, getting an Admiral Markets trading account is the perfect way to do that! Trade the right way, open your live account now by clicking the banner below!

11 Economic Indicators That Impact the Forex Market

The outcome of an FOMC meeting can markedly affect the Forex market, should there be any disparity from the expected course. A key fundamental that drives Forex rates is the level of interest rates in the two countries involved, and the expectations regarding those interest rates.

If the FED makes a change to the federal funds rate, or simply alters perceptions about the future course of monetary policy, it makes a difference to the US Dollar, the most important currency in the world. As part of the statement released after each FOMC meeting, the FED provides forward guidance about the expected path of monetary policy.

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This is a reasonably recent measure, aimed at providing greater transparency as part of an effort to reduce volatility in financial markets. As a consequence, changes in monetary policy are usually communicated to some degree in advance. This means that the forward guidance itself has the potential to move markets, just as much as an actual change in policy.

At number five in our list we have two reports. These reports are important because nothing drives the US economy quite like consumer spending. Consumer confidence lets us know how consumers are feeling. If they're feeling secure in their jobs and are optimistic about their future economic prospects, what can we infer? It is logical to presume that they may be more inclined to go out and spend. This will drive economic growth. Because consumer optimism or pessimism has such strong implications for the prospects of the economy, these two reports should be featured in any leading economic indicators list.

The Consumer Confidence Index comes out toward the end of the month, while the University of Michigan publishes its survey twice a month. This comprises a preliminary reading on the second to last Friday of the month. A final estimate follows two weeks later. Notice how sharply the price moved in just one minute? Also, notice how much larger the average range of each bar becomes after the release of the report, compared to before.

Part of the answer lies in the timeliness of the report. The employment cycle and the business cycle are closely related and, historically, changes in nonfarm payrolls NFPs have moved along a very similar path to quarterly GDP changes. This close correlation means that payroll data can be used as a proxy for GDP. The crucial difference between the two is that nonfarm payrolls come out monthly, reporting on the month that ended just a few days before. In contrast, GDP is reported quarterly, and with a big delay.

Another part of the answer is the impact the report has on monetary policy. It follows then that employment data can have a serious effect on market perceptions of the future direction of monetary policy. The unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of the labour force actively looking for work. In periods of recovery, unemployment acts as a lagging indicator.

We tend to see unemployment continuing to rise even after GDP has bottomed out. Unemployment is also closely tied to consumer sentiment see number five on our list. Extended periods of unemployment are extremely damaging to consumer sentiment, and consequently also affect consumer spending and impact on economic growth. Just as with nonfarm payrolls above, unemployment data offers CFD traders insights into one of the key metrics followed by the FED. This means that any strong divergence from expectations are likely to have a big impact on Forex and stock markets.

All things being equal, US labour market weakness would conventionally be considered to be bearish for stock prices and for the US Dollar. If you want to make the most of economic announcements, like the US unemployment rate, getting an Admiral Markets trading account is the perfect way to do that!