FX.co ★ Traders economic calendar. International economic events

Exports of goods and services consist of transactions in goods and services (sales, barter, gifts or grants) from residents to non-residents. A function of international trade whereby goods produced in one country are shipped to another country for future sale or trade. The sale of such goods addsto the producing nation's gross output. If used for trade, exports are exchangedfor other products or services. Exports are one of the oldest forms of economic transfer, and occur on a large scale between nations that have fewer restrictions on trade, such as tariffs or subsidies.

Imports of goods and services consist of transactions in goods and services (purchases, barter, gifts or grants) from non-residents to residents. A good or service brought into one country from another. Along with exports, imports form the backbone of international trade. The higher the value of imports entering a country, compared to the value of exports, the more negative that country's balance of trade becomes.

Trade balance is the net difference between exports and imports collected from the import/export entry forms of the Customs Department, which reveal both volume and value of imports and exports. In order for the trade balance to be consistent with the definition of balance of payments, statistical modifications have been made to exclude some customs items for the transactions carried out among the residents. Such items include: goods granted embassy privilege; goods with no change of ownership, e.g., goods sent for repair, temporary imported goods, sample goods, leased goods. Adjustments are as well made to include goods actually imported and exported but did not undergo customs declaration such as military goods, electrical appliances and commercial aircrafts.

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) press conference looks at the factors that affected the most recent interest rate decision, the overall economic outlook, inflation and offers insights into future monetary policy decisions.

French Consumer Confidence measures the level of consumer confidence in economic activity. It is a leading indicator as it can predict consumer spending, which plays a major role in overall economic activity. Higher readings point to higher consumer optimism.

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.

Retail Sales measure the change in the total value of inflation-adjusted sales at the retail level. It is the foremost indicator of consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of overall economic activity.

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 Unemployment Rate measures the percentage of the total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment.

A higher than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the EUR, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the EUR.

Net Forward Position= Bank of Thailand s forward obligations to buy (+) or sell;(-) foreign currency against Thai Baht A swap that involves the exchange of principal and interest in one currency for the same in another currency. It is considered to be a foreign exchange transaction and is not required by law to be shown on a company's balance sheet.

Total of a country's gold holdings and convertible foreign currencies held in its central bank. Usually includes foreign currencies themselves, other assets denominated in foreign currencies, and particular amount of special drawing rights (SDRs). A foreign exchange reserve is a useful precaution for countries exposed to financial crises. It can be used for the purpose of intervening in the exchange market to influence or peg the exchange rate. International reserves = Gold Foreign exchange Special Drawing Rights Reserve position in the IMF.

The PMI Report on Manufacturing is a monthly publication, researched and published by Markit. It is based on a survey of business executives in the reporting country's private sector manufacturing companies and is designed to provide the most up-to-date picture of business conditions in the private manufacturing sector.The survey covers industrial sectors based on Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) groups; Chemicals, Electrical, Food/Drink, Mechanical Engineering, Metals, Textiles, Timber/Paper, Transport, Other. Each response received is weighted according to the size of the company to which the questionnaire refers and the contribution to total manufacturing output accounted for by the sub-sector to which that company belongs. This therefore ensures that replies from larger companies have a greater impact on the final index numbers than replies from small companies.

M3 Money Supply measures the change in the total quantity of domestic currency in circulation and deposited in banks. An increasing supply of money leads to additional spending, which in turn leads to inflation.

Private Loans measures the change in the total value of new loans issued to non financial corporations. 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.

Swiss National Bank (SNB) Vice Chairman (May 2007 - January 2012) Thomas Jordan is to speak. In January 2010 his title changed from Board Member to Vice Chairman. As a member of the SNB's Governing Board, which sets short term interest rates, he has a major influence over the value of the Swiss franc. Traders watch his speeches closely as they are often used to drop subtle hints regarding future monetary policy and interest rate shifts.

His comments may determine a short-term positive or negative trend.

Private Loans measures the change in the total value of new loans issued to consumers and businesses in the private sector.

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.

Luis de Guindos, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, is set to speak. His speeches often contain indications on the future possible direction of monetary policy.

The Vietnamese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) event, measured in US dollars, represents the inflow of investment from foreign entities into the Vietnamese economy. FDI is an essential factor for the development of infrastructure, technology, and overall economic growth in Vietnam.

A higher FDI amount in the economic calendar symbolizes a positive outlook on the nation's economic prospects and business environment, indicating growing confidence from foreign investors. An increase in FDI often leads to job creation and economic expansion in Vietnam.

On the other hand, a decrease in FDI can be a sign of concern for the country's economic health, as it may be indicative of reduced foreign investor confidence and potential stagnation in the country's development. As a result, tracking changes in Vietnam's FDI is crucial for investors and policymakers to gauge the overall economic performance and investment climate of the nation.

Monetary policy refers to the actions undertaken by a country's monetary authority, central bank or government to achieve certain national economic goals. It is based on the relationship between interest rates at which money can be borrowed and total supply of money. Policy rates are the most important rates within a country's monetary policy. These can be: deposit rates, lombard rates, rediscount rates, reference rates etc. Changing them influences economic growth, inflation, exchange rates and unemployment.

The Bank Rossii 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 RUB, while a lower than expected rate is negative/bearish for the RUB.

Bank Lending measures the change in the total value of outstanding bank loans issued to consumers and businesses. Borrowing and spending are closely correlated with consumer confidence. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the BRL , while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the BRL.

FX Reserves measures the foreign assets held or controlled by the country's central bank. The reserves are made of gold or a specific currency. They can also be special drawing rights and marketable securities denominated in foreign currencies like treasury bills, government bonds, corporate bonds and equities and foreign currency loans.

International reserves are used to settle balance of payments deficits between countries. International reserves are made up of foreign currency assets, gold, holdings of SDRs and reserve position in the IMF. Usually includes foreign currencies themselves, other assets denominated in foreign currencies, and particular amount of special drawing rights (SDRs). A foreign exchange reserve is a useful precaution for countries exposed to financial crises. It can be used for the purpose of intervening in the exchange market to influence or peg the exchange rate. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the INR , while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the INR.

The Trade Balance measures the difference in value between imported and exported goods and services over the reported period. A positive number indicates that more goods and services were exported than imported.

A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the MXN, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the MXN.

Trade balance, called also net export, is the difference between the value of country's exports and imports, over a period of time. A positive balance (trade surplus) means that exports exceed imports, a negativeone means the opposite. Positive trade balance illustrates high competitiveness of country's economy. This strengthens investors' interest in the local currency, appreciating its exchange rate.

The rate is defined as the number of persons unemployed (according to ILO definitions) in the reference week of the survey as a percent of the economically active population (PEA). The PEA itself is defined as the number ofpeople aged 12 or more employed in the reference week or unemployed and available for work and having actively sought work in the two months preceding the reference week. The PEA includes the self-employed and professionals membersof the armed forces but excludes conscripts.

The Unemployment Rate measures the percentage of the total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment.

A higher than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the MXN, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the MXN.

The consumer price index (CPI) is a measure of change in the general level of prices of goods and services bought by households over a specified period of time. It compares a household's cost for a specific basket of finished goods and services with the cost of the same basket during an earlier benchmark period. The consumer price index is used as a measurement of and is a key economic figure. Likely impact: 1) Interest Rates: Larger-than-expected quarterly increase in price inflation or increasing trend is considered inflationary; this will cause bond prices to drop and yields and interest rates to rise. 2) Stock Prices: Higher than expected price inflation is bearish on the stock market as higher inflation will lead to higher interest rates. 3) Exchange Rates: High inflation has an uncertain effect. It would lead to depreciation as higher prices mean lower competitiveness. Conversely, higher inflation causes higher interest rates and a tighter monetary policy that leads to an appreciation.

The consumer price index (CPI) is a measure of change in the general level of prices of goods and services bought by households over a specified period of time. It compares a household's cost for a specific basket of finished goods and services with the cost of the same basket during an earlier benchmark period. The consumer price index is used as a measurement of and is a key economic figure. Likely impact: 1) Interest Rates: Larger-than-expected quarterly increase in price inflation or increasing trend is considered inflationary; this will cause bond prices to drop and yields and interest rates to rise. 2) Stock Prices: Higher than expected price inflation is bearish on the stock market as higher inflation will lead to higher interest rates. 3) Exchange Rates: High inflation has an uncertain effect. It would lead to depreciation as higher prices mean lower competitiveness. Conversely, higher inflation causes higher interest rates and a tighter monetary policy that leads to an appreciation.

Central Bank of Russia (CBR) press conference looks at the factors that affected the most recent interest rate decision, the overall economic outlook, inflation and offers insights into future monetary policy decisions.

The Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) Price Index measures the changes in the price of goods and services purchased by consumers for the purpose of consumption, excluding food and energy. Prices are weighted according to total expenditure per item. It measures price change from the perspective of the consumer. It is a key way to measure changes in purchasing trends and inflation.

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 Core PCE price Index is the less volatile measure of the PCE price index which excludes the more volatile and seasonal food and energy prices. The impact on the currency may go both ways, a rise in inflation may lead to a rise in interest rates and a rise in local currency, on the other hand, during recession, a rise in inflation may lead to a deepened recession and therefore a fall in local currency.

The PCE price index, also referred to as the PCE deflator, is a United States-wide indicator of the average increase in prices for all domestic personal consumption. The impact on the currency may go both ways: a rise in CPI may lead to a rise in interest rates and a rise in local currency; on the other hand, during recession, a rise in CPI may lead to a deepened recession and therefore a fall in local currency.

The PCE price index, also referred to as the PCE deflator, is a United States-wide indicator of the average increase in prices for all domestic personal consumption. The impact on the currency may go both ways, a rise in inflation may lead to a rise in interest rates and a rise in local currency, on the other hand, during recession, a rise in inflation may lead to a deepened recession and therefore a fall in local currency.

Personal Income measures the change in the total value of income received from all sources by consumers. Income is closely correlated with consumer spending, which accounts for a majority of overall economic activity.

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.

Personal Spending measures the change in the inflation-adjusted value of all spending by consumers. Consumer spending accounts for a majority of overall economic activity. However, this report tends to have a mild impact, as government data on retail sales is released about two weeks earlier.

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.

Personal consumption adjusted for inflation, Personal consumption is divided into two key categories: goods and services. The category of "goods" is further broken down into "durable" goods, which are big-ticket items (refrigerators, television sets, cars, mobile phones, etc.) that will last more than three years, and "non-durable" goods that are more transitory (e.g., cosmetics, fuel, clothing, etc.). A higher than expected number should be taken as positive to the USD, while a lower than expected number as negative.

Manufacturing Sales measures the change in the overall value of sales made at the manufacturing level.

A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the CAD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the CAD.

Wholesale Sales measures the change in the total value of sales at the wholesale level. It is a leading indicator of consumer spending.

A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the CAD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the CAD.

In any given month, the rate of inflation in a price index like the Consumer Price Index or Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) can be thought of as a weighted average, or mean, of the rates of change in the prices of all the goods and services that make up the index. Calculating the trimmed-mean PCE inflation rate for a given month involves looking at the price changes for each of the individual components of personal consumption expenditures. The individual price changes are sorted in ascending order from fell the most to rose the most, and a certain fraction of the most extreme observations at both ends of the spectrum are like a skaters best and worst marks thrown out, or trimmed. The inflation rate is then calculated as a weighted average of the remaining components. For the series presented here, 19.4 percent of the weight from the lower tail and 25.4 percent of the weight in the upper tail are trimmed. Those proportions have been chosen, based on historical data, to give the best fit between the trimmed-mean inflation rate and proxies for the true core PCE inflation rate. The resulting inflation measure has been shown to outperform the more conventional excluding food and energy measure as a gauge of core inflation.

Revenue is the amount of money that is brought into a company by its business activities. In the case of government, revenue is the money received from taxation, fees, fines, inter-governmental grants or transfers, securities sales,mineral rights and resource rights, as well as any sales that are made.

A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the BRL, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the BRL.