Economic Calendar Playbook: Events That Move Markets
A practical guide to using economic calendars to anticipate volatility and trade smarter around high-impact events.
Why the economic calendar matters
Markets move on news, but not all news is equal. Scheduled economic releases like inflation, jobs, and central bank decisions consistently drive volatility across stocks, forex, commodities, and crypto. By tracking these events in advance, you can plan trades instead of reacting late.
Key events to watch
- NFP (US Non-Farm Payrolls): Drives USD, bonds, equities. First Friday of each month.
- CPI (Inflation data): Impacts central bank policy expectations; strong driver of FX and rates.
- Central bank rate decisions: Fed, ECB, RBI, BoE, BoJ set tone for global flows.
- GDP releases: Measure of growth; not always a shocker, but trend shifts matter.
- PMI/ISM surveys: Forward-looking business activity indicators.
- Other events: Trade balance, retail sales, jobless claims, speeches by central bankers.
How to use events in trading
Events can be catalysts for breakout trades, mean reversion, or risk-off hedges. Some traders avoid trading during events due to whipsaws; others wait for the dust to settle before joining confirmed trends.
- Before the event: Reduce size, set alerts, or identify breakout levels.
- During release: Expect spreads and slippage; trade only if you can handle volatility.
- After release: Look for sustained moves if data confirms or shocks expectations.
Using the calendar on finstrument.ai
Open the Economic Calendar page to see all upcoming global events. Each entry shows time, expected vs previous values, and importance level. Use it to prepare daily or weekly watchlists.
Combine the calendar with Markets and Heatmaps to see how assets respond after events.