The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the broadest measure of economic activity
and is a key indicator for the economy's health.
The quarterly percent changes in GDP shows the growth rate of the economy as a whole. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the CHF,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the CHF.
Nationwide Housing Price Index measures the monthly change in the average price for a house with mortgage, backed by Nationwide, in the UK.
It serves as a leading indicator of the housing market condition.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the GBP,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the GBP.
The Retail Sales measures the change in sales of all goods sold by retailers based on a sampling of retail stores of different types and sizes in Switzerland.
It is an important indicator of consumer spending and also correlated to consumer confidence and considered as a pace indicator of the Swiss economy.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the CHF,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the CHF.
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Construction Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI)
measures the activity level of purchasing managers in the construction industry. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion of the manufacturing in the construction industry,
while a reading below 50 indicates contraction. .
It gives an indication about the health of the construction section in the UK.
Traders watch these surveys closely as purchasing managers usually have early access to data about their company’s performance, which can be a leading indicator of overall economic performance.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the GBP,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the GBP.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) is an inflationary indicator that measures the average change in selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services.
The PPI measures price change from the perspective of the seller.
The PPI looks at three areas of production: industry-based, commodity-based, and stage-of-processing-based companies.
When producers pay more for goods and services, they are likely to pass the higher costs to the consumer, so PPI is thought to be a leading indicator of consumer inflation.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the EUR,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the EUR.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the broadest measure of economic activity
and is a key indicator for the economy's health.
The quarterly percent changes in GDP shows the growth rate of the economy as a whole. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the EUR,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the EUR.
The European Central Bank (ECB) decision on short term interest rate.
The decision on where to set interest rates depends mostly on growth outlook and inflation.
The primary objective of the central bank is to achieve price stability.
High interest rates attract foreigners looking for the best "risk-free" return on their money, which can dramatically increases demand for the nation's currency.
A higher than expected rate is positive/bullish for the EUR,
while a lower than expected rate is negative/bearish for the EUR.
The European Central Bank holds this monthly press conference about 45 minutes after the Minimum Bid Rate is announced. It is about an hour long and has two parts: First, a prepared statement is read; then the conference is opened to press questions. The questions often lead to unscripted answers that trigger market volatility.
The press conference, which is broadcasted on the ECB website, is the ECB's primary method for communicating with investors about 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 often provides clues regarding future monetary policy. If the statement is more hawkish than expected, that is usually good for the euro.
The Initial Jobless Claims is a seasonally adjusted measure of the number of people who file for unemployment benefits for the first time during the given week.
This data is collected by the Department of Labor, and published as a weekly report.
The number of jobless claims is used as a measure of the health of the job market, as a series of increases indicates that there are fewer people being hired.
On a week-to-week basis, claims are quite volatile.
Usually, a move of at least 35K in claims, is required to signal a meaningful change in job growth.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD.
The Nonfarm Productivity measures the annualized change in the average productivity level of US workers when producing goods and services, excluding the farming sector.
The Nonfarm Productivity is calculated by dividing the GDP by the number of hours worked.
Growth in Nonfarm Productivity is usually seen as a sign of a healthy economy.
A drop in Labor Productivity indicates inflation - since it's equivalent to a rise in wages.
It can be quite volatile.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.
The Unit Labor Cost measures the change in the total cost of employing labor.
The Unit Labor Cost figure gives us a good indication of trends in inflation and production costs during the given quarter.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.
NAR's Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) measures change in housing contract activity.
It is designed to be a leading indicator of housing activity.
It is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos and co-ops.
A signed contract is not counted as a sale until the transaction closes.
The index is not including new construction in it's count.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.
The Factory Orders measures the change in dollar level of new factory orders for both durable and non-durable goods.
It consists of the earlier announced durable goods orders plus non durable goods orders.
This is why this report is very predictable.
A revision to the previous durable orders data is usually made with releasing the Factory Orders data.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.
The EIA (Energy Information Administration) Natural Gas Storage measures the change in the number of cubic feet of natural gas held in underground storage during the past week.
The Australian Industry Group - PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PSI®) is a seasonally adjusted national composite index based on the diffusion indices for production, new orders, deliveries, inventories and employment with varying weights. Results are based on the responses of around 200 companies.
If the notes go above 50.0, this indicates industry expansion, below indicates industry contraction.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the AUD,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the AUD.
The Capital Spending measures the change in the capital expenditures made by companies. It's a leading indicator of business conditions and economic health.
The number measures the change from the reported quarter to the same quarter a year earlier.
A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the JPY,
while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the JPY.
