Market Basics: How the Economic Calendar Works
We believe that informed traders make better decisions. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is our economic calendar – a real-time roadmap of the key events that shape global markets.
What is an economic calendar?
It provides a schedule of upcoming economic releases, central bank decisions, speeches, and geopolitical events that can impact financial markets.
Each listing typically includes:
- Date and time of release
- Country/currency affected
- Event name (e.g., rate decision, NFP, CPI, GDP)
- Impact level (Low / Medium / High)
- Previous level
- Market forecast
- Actual data
We update our economic calendar weekly, so you can never miss an important release.
Why it matters
Economic releases reflect the health of an economy.
Since currencies represent economies, these indicators can significantly influence exchange rates.
- Better-than-expected data → currency often strengthens
- Weaker-than-expected data → currency often weakens
Three numbers that move the market
Each economic event shows:
- Previous → the last published report
- Forecast → market (consensus) expectations
- Actual → the real numbers released.
The latter triggers an immediate market reaction, as the difference between Forecast vs Actual is the driving point of volatility.
High-impact events to watch
- Fed interest rate meeting and press conferences
- Other major central bank interest rate decisions
- US Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP)
- Inflation reports (CPI)
- GDP releases
- Employment data
How to use the economic calendar
- Plan ahead. Know which event may affect your active trades.
- Manage risk. Anticipate wider spreads and higher volatility during major releases.
- Check for trading opportunities. Each major news creates new setups - don’t sit on the sidelines.
With Headway, you have full access to a real-time calendar designated to support proactive trading decisions.
Pro tips from our analysts
- Switch the calendar to your local time zone
- Focus on high-impact events for major currency pairs
- Review both fundamental and technical setups prior to entering the market
