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Economic Indicators
GDP, inflation, jobs, PMIs, and how to read the economic calendar like a pro.
Core Indicators
Economic Indicators: The Complete Guide
Economic indicators are official statistics — GDP, inflation, jobs reports, PMI surveys, and more — that measure the health and direction of an… · 8 min read
GDP: How Growth Is Measured
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the total value of all goods and services produced inside a country's borders in a given period. It is reported in… · 6 min read
Interest-Rate Decisions: How Central Banks Move Markets
A central bank interest-rate decision sets the "policy rate" — the baseline cost of borrowing money in an economy — and every financial market, from… · 6 min read
PMI Surveys: The 50 Line
A PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) is a monthly survey that asks company purchasing managers whether business conditions improved, stayed the same… · 6 min read
Trade Balance and Current Account
The trade balance is the difference between what a country exports and what it imports — when exports exceed imports, the country runs a surplus… · 5 min read
Housing Data: Starts, Permits and Prices
Housing data tracks the construction and sale of homes through a chain of reports — building permits, housing starts, completions, and price indexes… · 6 min read
Prices & Jobs
Inflation and CPI: How Prices Are Measured
Inflation is the rate at which prices across an economy rise over time, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the most widely watched way to measure… · 5 min read
Jobs Data: Payrolls, Unemployment and Participation
US jobs data — released every first Friday of the month — measures how many jobs the economy added or lost, what share of people are unemployed, and… · 6 min read
Confidence Surveys and Retail Sales
Retail sales measure how much consumers actually spent at stores and online in a given month, making them one of the most direct reads on economic… · 7 min read
Using the Calendar
How to Read the Economic Calendar
The economic calendar lists scheduled data releases — like jobs reports, inflation figures, and central bank decisions — along with three numbers… · 9 min read