How to Use the Economic Calendar

What Is an Economic Calendar?

An economic calendar is a tool that shows the dates and times of developments that can affect the markets — interest rate decisions, inflation data, employment reports, growth figures, and central bank statements. It helps investors track important market developments ahead of time.

Tracking the key economic data that drives price movements from a single screen provides a real planning advantage for your trades.

Key Items on the Calendar

The economic calendar lets you monitor market-moving developments in real time, including:

• Interest rate decisions
• Inflation data
• Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP)
• PMI data
• GDP (growth)
• Unemployment rates
• Central bank speeches

Market Behavior During Data Releases

You can trade during economic data releases. However, volatility tends to rise around these events; spreads can widen, slippage can occur, and orders may be executed at levels different from what was expected.

For this reason, open positions and risk levels should be carefully reviewed ahead of major economic developments.

How Should You Use the Economic Calendar?

Investors typically check the calendar for major data releases scheduled on the days and times they plan to trade. Reducing position size or reviewing Stop Loss levels ahead of high-impact data can help prepare for sudden moves.

You can review the current economic calendar on the Artemis Global Economic Calendar page.

Low, Medium, and High Impact Data

Economic calendars typically classify data by expected impact level. Low-impact data tends to produce limited market movement, while high-impact data — such as interest rate decisions, NFP, and GDP — can trigger significant price moves and a rise in volatility.

The market often forms expectations ahead of a high-impact release; whether the actual figure matches or deviates from those expectations is a key factor in determining the direction and intensity of the price reaction.

Building the Calendar into Your Trading Plan

It can be useful to treat the economic calendar as more than a reference tool — as part of your actual trading plan. For example, factoring in the possibility of a volatility spike before opening a new position close to a major data release helps manage risk more deliberately.

Used together with technical and fundamental analysis, the economic calendar gives investors a more complete view of the market.