How to Use an Economic Calendar

An economic calendar lists scheduled releases with their time, currency, importance, previous figure, forecast and actual. Used daily, it tells you when spreads will widen, when a position should be flat or protected, and what the market has already priced in. It is the fundamental trader's central document and every trader's early warning system.

The columns

Column	What it tells you
Time	When the release lands; convert to your zone
Currency	Which currency it affects; filter to your pairs
Importance	The provider's rating; high impact is the tier that moves prices
Previous	Last period's figure, sometimes revised
Forecast	The consensus the market has priced
Actual	The published figure; the surprise against the forecast drives the reaction

The releases that matter most

Central bank decisions, statements and press conferences.
Inflation: CPI, core CPI, PCE.
Employment: nonfarm payrolls, unemployment, wages.
Growth surveys: PMIs, especially flash estimates.
GDP, retail sales, central bank minutes and speeches.

A daily routine

Before the session, list the high-impact releases for your currencies and decide for each whether to be flat, to hold with a wider stop, or to wait. During the release, do nothing for the first minutes; the first move often reverses. Afterwards, read the actual against the forecast and reassess.

Prop firm news windows

Prop firms define their news trading bans by a specific calendar's high-impact list and their own clock. Use the calendar your firm uses, and check its time zone.

Market hours tool

Trading forex, CFDs and other leveraged products carries a high risk of losing money. This guide is general education, not advice.