April's Trading Events

April 2
13.30
Nonfarm Payrolls
US
This number measures the change in the total amount of people on the payroll in the U.S. A statistic researched, recorded and reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics intended to represent the total number of paid U.S. workers of any business, excluding the Farm industry. The figure is often eagerly anticipated by the market and can provide huge jumps in the market’s direction.
13.30
Unemployment
US
The percentage of the total labour force that is unemployed but actively seeking employment and willing to work. The unemployment rate is considered a lagging indicator, confirming but not foreshadowing long-term market trends. High unemployment is of detrimental to any economy therefore this will have a negative effect on the markets.
April 7
10.00
GDP
EC
Gross Domestic Product is commonly used as an indicator of the economic health of a country, as well as to gauge a country's standard of living. It is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year. You can work out the GDP by following this formula;

GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exportsimports)
10.00
PPI
EC
Producer price index (PPI) Measures the average change in selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services over time. The index is made up of a group of indices that consist of industry-based, commodity-based, and stage-of-processing-based companies.
April 8
09.30
Manufacturing Production
UK
10.00
Retail Sales
EC
A measure of the sales of retail goods over a period. The retail sales reports captures in-store sales as well as catalogue and other out-of-store sales. The report also breaks down sales figures into groups such as food and beverages, clothing and autos. Comparisons are made against historical data; year-over-year comparisons are the most-reported metric because they account for the seasonality of consumer-based retail.

Retail sales figures are vital to stock investors as a whole, and especially to those who invest in retail companies directly. They are also are a big component of total gross domestic product (GDP).

As far as broad economic indicators go, the retail sales report is one of the most timely, providing data that is only a few weeks old.
12.00
BoE Rate Decision
UK
This is the decision of the UK’s Bank of England to change or maintain its interest rate. This is based on a number of economic factors which are discussed further in the BOE minutes normally release two weeks after the rate announcement. The announcement is one of the markets big movers none more so than the FX markets.
12.45
ECB Rate Anouncement
EC
April 9
15.00
Wholesale Inventories
US
April 13
09.30
Trade Balance
UK
The difference in the value of imported and exported goods and service of output in an economy over a given month. A favourable balance of trade is known as a trade surplus and consists of exporting more than is imported; an unfavourable balance of trade is known as a trade deficit or, informally, a trade gap. The balance of trade is sometimes divided into a goods and a services balance.
13.30
Trade Balance
US
The difference in the value of imported and exported goods and service of output in an economy over a given month. A favourable balance of trade is known as a trade surplus and consists of exporting more than is imported; an unfavourable balance of trade is known as a trade deficit or, informally, a trade gap. The balance of trade is sometimes divided into a goods and a services balance.
April 14
13.30
CPI
US
A consumer price index (CPI) is a measure estimating the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households in a particular country or region. The price changes are used as a measure for looking at inflation of a particular region. Higher inflation levels usually support interest rate hikes, while lower levels support rate cuts.
13.30
Retail Sales
US
A measure of the sales of retail goods over a period. The retail sales reports captures in-store sales as well as catalogue and other out-of-store sales. The report also breaks down sales figures into groups such as food and beverages, clothing and autos. Comparisons are made against historical data; year-over-year comparisons are the most-reported metric because they account for the seasonality of consumer-based retail.

Retail sales figures are vital to stock investors as a whole, and especially to those who invest in retail companies directly. They are also are a big component of total gross domestic product (GDP).

As far as broad economic indicators go, the retail sales report is one of the most timely, providing data that is only a few weeks old.
15.00
Business Inventories
US
An index that gathers the prices of several retail goods in outlets across the country in order to give an indication of the rate of inflation. This is similar to the CPI and PPI reports that are released each month.
April 15
10.00
Trade Balance
EC
The difference in the value of imported and exported goods and service of output in an economy over a given month. A favourable balance of trade is known as a trade surplus and consists of exporting more than is imported; an unfavourable balance of trade is known as a trade deficit or, informally, a trade gap. The balance of trade is sometimes divided into a goods and a services balance.
April 16
10.00
CPI
EC
A consumer price index (CPI) is a measure estimating the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households in a particular country or region. The price changes are used as a measure for looking at inflation of a particular region. Higher inflation levels usually support interest rate hikes, while lower levels support rate cuts.
15.00
U. of Michigan Confidence
US
A survey of consumer confidence conducted by the University of Michigan. The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (MCSI) uses telephone surveys to gather information on consumer expectations regarding the overall economy.The index is becoming more and more useful for investors because it gives a snapshot of whether consumers feel like spending money.
April 20
09.30
CPI
UK
A consumer price index (CPI) is a measure estimating the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households in a particular country or region. The price changes are used as a measure for looking at inflation of a particular region. Higher inflation levels usually support interest rate hikes, while lower levels support rate cuts.
9.30
RPI
UK
An index that gathers the prices of several retail goods in outlets across the country in order to give an indication of the rate of inflation. This is similar to the CPI and PPI reports that are released each month.
10.00
ZEW Survey
EC
This survey is released monthly, from Germany at the Centre for European Research (ZEW), it helps in forecasting Germany's economic situation and performance in the future, since Germany is the strongest economy in the Union. This index is the output of expert analysis on the economy's current situation. Measures the institutional investor sentiment and reflecting the difference between the share of investors that are optimistic and the share of analysts that are pessimistic. An optimistic view is considered as positive (or bullish) for the EUR, whereas a pessimistic view is considered as negative (or bearish).
April 21
09.30
BoE Minutes
UK
The Bank of England Minutes are the minutes from the last meeting where interests was decided and explain the reason for the action taken against interests rate earlier in the month. Although the report doesn’t tell the market what it doesn’t already know, the meeting notes shed a little color behind the actual decision. Aside from revealing if the vote was unanimous or split, the report explains the how and why not of the board governors’ meeting .

The minutes are likely to spark increased volatility in the markets as investors weigh the outlook for future policy, and speculation for further easing could drag on the currency as the central bank maintains a dovish outlook for inflation. (Dovish refers to an economic outlook which generally supports lower interest rates.)
09.30
Unemployment
UK
The percentage of the total labour force that is unemployed but actively seeking employment and willing to work. The unemployment rate is considered a lagging indicator, confirming but not foreshadowing long-term market trends. High unemployment is of detrimental to any economy therefore this will have a negative effect on the markets.
April 22
13.30
PPI
US
Producer price index (PPI) Measures the average change in selling prices received by domestic producers of goods and services over time. The index is made up of a group of indices that consist of industry-based, commodity-based, and stage-of-processing-based companies.
April 23
09.30
GDP
UK
Gross Domestic Product is commonly used as an indicator of the economic health of a country, as well as to gauge a country's standard of living. It is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year. You can work out the GDP by following this formula;

GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exportsimports)
13.30
Durable Goods
US
15.00
New Home Sales
US
April 28
19.15
FOMC Rate Decision
US
April 29
10.00
Consumer Confidence
EC
The consumer confidence survey shows the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation. The levels of confidence reported in the survey are used to forecast changes in levels of consumer spending which greatly affect the GDP. A positive reading show customers are happier to spend therefore boosting the economy. A negative reading suggests consumer tend to save more then they spend causing the economy to shrink.
April 30
00.01
GfK Consumer Confidence
UK
Consumer Confidence measures the level of confidence households have in economic performance. Generally rising consumer confidence acts as a precursor to higher consumer expenditures which drive economic expansion. The report also breaks down results into parts of the economy, giving a detailed picture of the consumer climate in Germany. GfK Consumer Confidence is one of the most closely watched surveys.
10.00
Unemployment
EC
The percentage of the total labour force that is unemployed but actively seeking employment and willing to work. The unemployment rate is considered a lagging indicator, confirming but not foreshadowing long-term market trends. High unemployment is of detrimental to any economy therefore this will have a negative effect on the markets.
10.00
CPI
EC
A consumer price index (CPI) is a measure estimating the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households in a particular country or region. The price changes are used as a measure for looking at inflation of a particular region. Higher inflation levels usually support interest rate hikes, while lower levels support rate cuts.
13.30
GDP
US
Gross Domestic Product is commonly used as an indicator of the economic health of a country, as well as to gauge a country's standard of living. It is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year. You can work out the GDP by following this formula;

GDP = private consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exportsimports)

April

April