📅 Economic Calendar
Track major economic events that move the forex market. Filter by currency and impact level.
Understanding Impact Levels
- 🔴 High Impact — Major market movers (NFP, CPI, FOMC, ECB rate decisions)
- 🟡 Medium Impact — Significant but less volatile (GDP, Retail Sales, PMI)
- 🟢 Low Impact — Minor events with limited market reaction
Tips for Trading Around Economic Events
- Always check the calendar before placing trades
- Be cautious with open positions during high-impact events
- Wider spreads are common around major announcements
- Consider reducing position size before high-impact news
📅 Economic Calendar
Track major economic events that move the forex market. Filter by currency and impact level.
Understanding Impact Levels
- 🔴 High Impact — Major market movers (NFP, CPI, FOMC, ECB rate decisions)
- 🟡 Medium Impact — Significant but less volatile (GDP, Retail Sales, PMI)
- 🟢 Low Impact — Minor events with limited market reaction
Tips for Trading Around Economic Events
- Always check the calendar before placing trades
- Be cautious with open positions during high-impact events
- Wider spreads are common around major announcements
- Consider reducing position size before high-impact news
How to Use the Economic Calendar
Our economic calendar helps you stay on top of market-moving events. Follow these steps to get the most out of it:
- Select your currency — Use the “Filter by Currency” dropdown to focus on the currencies you trade (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP).
- Set the impact level — Choose between High, Medium, or Low impact events depending on your trading strategy.
- Pick a month — Select the month you want to plan for. The calendar auto-initializes to the current month.
- Review the events table — Each event shows the date, time (UTC), event name, associated currency, and impact level.
- Plan your trades — Use the calendar to avoid placing trades during high-volatility windows or to capitalize on news-driven moves.
- Check regularly — Revisit the calendar at the start of each week to stay ahead of upcoming announcements.
💡 Pro Tip: Always check the economic calendar before opening any position. A single high-impact release can reverse a trend within seconds.
Understanding Economic Events
The economic calendar highlights the most important data releases and policy decisions from major central banks and statistical agencies. Here’s what the key events mean:
NFP — Non-Farm Payrolls
Released on the first Friday of every month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, NFP measures the change in the number of employed people during the previous month, excluding the farming industry. It is considered the single most market-moving indicator for the U.S. dollar and often triggers significant volatility across all major pairs.
CPI — Consumer Price Index
CPI measures the change in the price of a basket of goods and services purchased by households. It is the primary gauge of inflation. Central banks closely monitor CPI to decide whether to raise, lower, or hold interest rates. A higher-than-expected CPI reading typically strengthens the local currency as markets price in tighter monetary policy.
FOMC — Federal Open Market Committee
The FOMC is the monetary policy arm of the U.S. Federal Reserve. It meets roughly eight times a year to set the federal funds rate. The accompanying rate decision, policy statement, and press conference by the Fed Chair can cause major swings in the U.S. dollar, equity markets, and bond yields.
ECB — European Central Bank
The ECB governs monetary policy for the Eurozone. Its interest rate decisions and press conferences have a direct impact on EUR pairs. Traders watch ECB meetings closely for hints about future rate changes and quantitative easing programs.
BOJ — Bank of Japan
The BOJ sets monetary policy for Japan. Known for its ultra-loose policy stance in recent years, any shift in BOJ policy can trigger dramatic moves in USD/JPY and other JPY pairs. The BOJ’s yield curve control (YCC) decisions are particularly influential.
Why These Events Matter for Forex Traders
- Interest rate expectations drive currency valuations — higher rates attract foreign capital, strengthening the currency.
- Inflation data (CPI, PPI) directly influences central bank decisions.
- Employment data (NFP, employment change) signals economic health and consumer spending power.
- Central bank meetings set the tone for monetary policy over the following weeks.
Impact Levels Explained
Each event on the calendar is tagged with an impact level to help you gauge how much market volatility to expect:
🔴 High Impact
High-impact events are the major market movers. They include central bank rate decisions (FOMC, ECB, BOJ, BOE, RBA, BOC, SNB, RBNZ), Non-Farm Payrolls, CPI releases, and GDP reports. These events can cause price swings of 50–200+ pips within minutes. Spreads typically widen, and slippage is common. If you have open positions, consider reducing your exposure or setting protective stops before these releases.
🟡 Medium Impact
Medium-impact events include reports like GDP, Retail Sales, PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index), unemployment data, and consumer confidence. While they don’t usually move markets as dramatically as high-impact events, they can still cause 20–60 pip moves and contribute to the broader narrative around a currency. These are especially important when they deviate significantly from forecasts.
🟢 Low Impact
Low-impact events are minor data releases with limited immediate market reaction, such as initial jobless claims, consumer sentiment surveys, and secondary housing data. While they rarely cause significant volatility on their own, a series of consistent surprises in one direction can still influence medium-term trends.
⚠️ Remember: Even low-impact events can become significant if the market is positioned heavily in one direction or if the actual reading is far from the consensus forecast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often is the calendar updated? A: The economic calendar is updated continuously. Event dates and times are reviewed and adjusted as central banks and statistical agencies publish their official schedules. We recommend checking the calendar weekly to stay current.
Q: What timezone are the events shown in? A: All event times are displayed in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). This provides a consistent reference regardless of your local timezone. You can convert UTC to your local time using any standard timezone converter.
Q: Which events should I watch most closely? A: If you trade major pairs, prioritize these high-impact events:
- USD traders: NFP, CPI, FOMC rate decisions, and GDP
- EUR traders: ECB rate decisions, Eurozone CPI, and German economic data
- GBP traders: BOE rate decisions, UK CPI, and GDP
- JPY traders: BOJ rate decisions, Japan CPI, and Tankan survey
- AUD traders: RBA rate decisions, employment change, and CPI
As a general rule, central bank rate decisions and inflation data are the most impactful across all currencies. If you can only watch a few events each month, start with these.