Major Economic Indicators

Industrial Production

The Industrial Production Report indicates the increase or decrease in production by factories, mines, and utilities. It also reports the degree of capacity utilization for each factory.

The Industrial Production report is released by the U.S Federal Reserve at 9:15 ET around the 15th of each month for the prior month.

Unemployment Report (Non-Farm Payrolls)

The Unemployment Report is one of the most important fundamental indicators affecting Forex. The report almost always moves markets.

The report is released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics at 8:30 ET the first Friday of each month with the prior month's data. The information in the report is very timely and it portrays a current depiction of the health of the economy.

The Unemployment Report can sometimes set the tone for other indicators. For example, after a poor employment number, traders may expect other indicators, like Retail Sales, to under perform.

The report helps drive interest rates; as unemployment decreases, interest rates rise, so does dollar value.

Retail Sales

The Retail Sales Report sums up the total receipts of all retail stores in a particular country (derived from a diverse sampling of stores).

The Retails Sales report is released by The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce at 8:30 ET around the 13th of each month with the prior month's data. The report serves as an indicator of broad consumer spending patterns and can be used to assess the immediate direction of an economy. The report can affect both interest rates and growth trading.

A striking difference between actual numbers and estimates can result in significant volatility.