Learn About Key Economic Events

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the most important and most talked-about data points in the trading month.

The retail sales number is a crucial data point in the United States, and its release is one of the most market-moving events of the month.

One of the most important monthly economic data points in a trader’s diary is the release of the U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls Report.

There are two inflationary measures in our economy, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PPI).

The U.S. housing market is one of the most talked about sectors of the economy, and for good reason.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank of the Eurozone, a collective of European countries that use the euro as their sole official currency. The ECB is responsible for administering monetary policy and safeguarding the value of the euro. Given the relative size of the Eurosystem economy, actions undertaken by the ECB garner nearly as much attention from U.S. traders as the actions of the Federal Reserve.

The Federal Reserve, also referred to as the Fed, is the central banking system of the United States and is responsible for guiding U.S. monetary policy. Economic policy announcements and public statements by the Federal Reserve are among the most highly anticipated trading events of the year, since implications for financial markets are so widespread.

There is no overestimating the importance of oil prices on the underlying health of the economy. As oil prices move up or down, inflation follows in the same direction.

Consumer confidence surveys are key indicators into the overall health of the economy. When people feel confident about the stability of their incomes, it influences their spending and saving activities.