Gauge for the overall performance of the country's service sector. The Services PMI interviews executives on the status of sales, employment, and their outlook. Because the performance of the country's service sector is extremely consistent over time, services does not impact final GDP figures as much as the more volatile figure on the manufacturing sector. For this reason Services PMI usually causes little market movement. The survey results are quantified and presented as an index on a 1-100 scale. The headline figure is the percentage change in the index.

House prices index in Great Britain.

A composite of 12 major leading indices for Japan . Movements in these indicators are known to precede larger developments in the rest of the economy.

The Index includes account inventory ratios, machinery orders, stock prices and other leading economic indicators. As the aggregate of many leading indices the Leading Economic Index provides a forecast of the future state of the domestic economy and is thought to predict activity A48that will occur 6-9 months after the reporting period.

The index operates on a 1-100 scale, where a value lower than 50 means that most indictors are negative and a value higher than 50 means most indicators are positive. In both cases a greater distance from the midpoint (50) means that the indicators are more strongly positive or negative.

Measures the current economic activity based on a composite of indicators that track current business conditions in Japan . The headline number is derived by comparing the number of expanding indicators to the total number of indicators used. A headline number reading of 50% means that half of the available indicators are expanding. Included in the index are: the expansion or contraction of industrial production, capacity utilization, retail and wholesale sales, power consumption, non-scheduled work hours, the job-offer rate and operating profits.

Tracks trends in machine tool orders placed by major manufacturers in Japan . Machine Tool Orders is considered a leading indicator of business capital spending, and increases are indicative of stronger business confidence and a better future outlook. Higher capital spending is also positive for the Japanese employment situation, as companies will generally require new employees to run and maintain new machinery.

The Machine Tool Orders figure tracks closely with the Machine Orders figure put out by the Economic and Social Research Institute, but tend to affect the market more since it is released nearly a month earlier.

The headline figure is the percentage change from the previous month or year.

A composite index used to forecast short to mid-term growth in the Australian economy. Changes in the indicators selected are thought to precede developments in the economy as a whole. Therefore, an increase in the index forecasts economic expansion while a decrease in the index projects a future contraction.

The Conference Board of Australia considers eight indicators in the calculation of the index: money supply, share prices, rural goods exports, building approvals, sales to inventories ratio, gross operating surplus, yield spread, and medium-term government bond yields. The index is calculated as a percent change off a base year; headlines report the figure in a percent change from the previous month.

Shows a change in the total expenditure made via credit cards.

Evaluates the monthly change in overall production by all sectors of the Japanese economy. The index comprises a variety of industries: service, manufacturing, construction and public sectors are included. The index closely follows Japanese GDP and overall growth figures, providing insight into current levels of Japanese economic expansion. The All Industry Activity Index is posted monthly as a percentage change from the previous month's figure.

The amount of supermarket sales in Japan.

Measures the change in the prices paid by domestic producers. Producer prices, also known as factory gate prices, are those charged by producers usually before retail, consumer markets. Increases in German Producer Prices act as an early indicator of inflation, as higher producer prices may be passed to consumers in the form of higher retail prices. Rising inflation is significant, especially coming from the largest economy in the Euro-zone. German inflation will contribute to Euro-zone figures, and may be checked by increasing interest rates.

The headline is expressed as percentage change in the Producer Price Index.

Note: German PPI excludes volatile items, such as energy components and seasonal food, in order to provide a more accurate picture of price developments.
 

The broadest measure of money supply in use by Eurozone nations. It includes all currency in circulation, bank deposits, repurchase agreements, debt securities up to 2 years, and the value of money market shares. A larger money supply reduces the purchasing power of the Euro and puts downward pressure on the exchange rate. However, because an increase in M3 leads to price inflation, this figure can also be indicative of the likelihood of future interest rate hikes. The Eurozone M3 is reported in headlines as a percent change from the previous month or as a Three Month Average, which smoothes monthly volatility in the money supply.

The CPI is also reported excluding food and energy; two of its most volatile components. These components are particularly sensitive to temporary economic factors like oil prices, natural disasters and seasonal affects. Consequently, CPI excluding Food and Energy provides a more stable figure, but at the cost of overlooking two significant sectors in the economy (together food and energy comprise nearly a quarter of the goods included in the CPI). The figure is the monthly percent change in the index.

A monthly survey that measures the price changes of goods produced by UK manufacturers. The figure is also known as "Factory Gate Price" because it usually matches the price of goods when they first leave the factory. Increased prices in manufacturing typically lead to higher retail prices for consumers. However, it is also likely that higher output prices are caused by manufacturers charging a higher premium due to higher demand for their goods. Consequently, market trends in consumption should be considered with Output PPI to avoid data misinterpretation.

Core Output PPI excludes volatile items such as food and energy. The Core PPI is generally a better measure of inflation because it excludes those items whose short-term price fluctuations can distort inflationary data.

The headline is the percentage change in the Producer Price Index (Output) from the previous quarter and previous year.

The RPI calculated excluding mortgage interest payments.

In the United Kingdom, the Retail Prices Index or Retail Price Index (RPI) is a measure of inflation published monthly by the Office for National Statistics.

Reflects changes in the volume of exported goods in relation to the previous year. Higher headline figures bode well for exporters.

Reflects changes in the volume of imported goods in comparison to the previous year. Increase in the figures has negative impact on the trade balance, but yet might be suggestive of more vivid business and consumer activity.

The Merchandise Trade Balance is a measure of "visible" trade, which is trade in goods like cars and electronics. Specifically it is the difference between Japan 's imports of goods and exports of goods, excluding services. A positive value indicates a trade surplus (exports exceed imports) while a negative value indicates a trade deficit (imports exceed exports). Movements in the Merchandise Trade Balance reflect altered demand for Japanese Yen, which can move the value of the currency. Positive growth in the trade balance may lead to a future appreciation of the Yen due to steady demand in exchange for Japanese exports.

A measure of "visible" trade, which is trade in goods like cars and electronics with adjustments.

Officially called the Consumer Sentiment Index, this figure measures the level of consumer confidence and is an average of five indices measuring different aspects of consumer fiscal health. This is one of the few indicators that are entirely expectation-based. Households report their views on current buying conditions for household items and where they feel are the "wisest" places to invest savings. Views on future political policy (taxes, politicians, government) and economic conditions (wages, inflation, unemployment) are also surveyed.

Confidence figures are often leading indicators for the consumer spending and the economy as a whole. The headline figure is percentage change in the index value from that of the previous month.