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US Economic Indicators Important for Forex Trading

There are several important economic indicators concerning the US you should pay special attention to. They are as follows:

Employment Report

This report represents one of the most closely watched documents, which importance stems mainly from political reasons rather than economic ones. It shows the increased efforts of the Fed concerning counteraction of unemployment. Since interest rates are the main tool that the Fed uses, employment conditions reflect on interest rates.

The employment report is based on data from:

• The Establishment Survey - data that is studied in this survey typically comes from the aggregate hours index, non-farm payroll employment and the average hourly workweek.
• The Household Survey - this survey includes analysis of such information as unemployment rate, labor force and household employment.

Seasonally adjusted monthly unemployment rates and changes in non-farm payrolls are in the focus of traders that operate on the forex.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

This indicator measures the total amount of goods and services that have been produced and consumed within the US borders. Advance reports on the GDP are issued at the end of each quarter. Additionally, two complementary measures have been developed - the one based on income, whereas the second is based on expenditures. The advanced releases of the GDP are in the focus of attention since they include information on inventories and trade balance.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Inflation levels are typically measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is based on a basket of consumer goods and services. The importance of this index to forex traders stems from the fact that it represents an important factor of many activities.

Producer Price Index (PPI)

An index that measures the average changes in selling prices that local producers receive for their production is the producer price index (PPI). It includes change in selling prices of products from such industries as mining, manufacturing, agriculture and etc. Changes in the index are observed every hour, month, quarter and year. Traders on the forex market focus on seasonally adjusted finished goods PPI.

Employment Cost Index (ECI)

This index is based on data on employer payrolls and information coming from:

• 3,600 private industry employers
• 700 state and local governments
• Public hospitals
• Public schools

The ECI is preferred by the Fed for several reasons, the major one being its inclusion of non-wage costs.

ISM Survey

This survey is usually analyzed in order to make predictions on the expected growth in the manufacturing sector. It is issued by the Institute for Supply Management every month and includes information extracted from a sample of 300 purchasing managers from around the country. If the index has a value greater than 50, then the economy is regarded as growing. On the other hand, if the index is less than 50, then the economy is contracting.

Consumer Confidence Survey

In order to get a view on the confidence households have in the economy you should refer to the consumer confidence survey. This survey includes the responses on 5,000 households. It includes questions on:

• employment opportunities in the area of residence, as well as their availability over the past six months,
• business conditions prevalent in the area, as well as an evaluation of the business conditions for the past six months,
• income of the household for the past six months.

Data is extracted from the received responses and is seasonally adjusted. After this an index is established. If the consumer confidence is high, then this is an indication of increases in the spending of consumers. However, this may lead to higher inflation rates.

Retail Sales Index

This index presents information on the total amount of goods that have been sold. Data is received from retail stores for one month time period. The basic application of the retail sales index concerns the measurement of consumer confidence and the resulting consumption.

International Trade Balance

The difference between exports and imports of goods and services executed through foreign transactions is referred to the balance of trade. Detailed information on the executed trade transactions, as well as the foreign trade partners can be found. Trading on the forex market includes the focus on the seasonally adjusted numbers of trades, which usually span to a three-month time period.

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