Trading the news with the economic calendar
NFP, CPI, interest-rate decisions: why they move markets and how to stay safe around them.
Scheduled economic releases cause the biggest and fastest moves in forex, gold and indices. The economic calendar on Greenback Terminal lists every important event in your local time, with its expected impact.
The events that matter most
- Interest-rate decisions (Fed, ECB, BoE, BoJ): the single biggest driver of currencies.
- CPI (inflation): moves rate expectations and therefore the dollar and gold.
- Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP): US jobs data, first Friday of each month; sharp moves in USD pairs and gold.
- GDP, retail sales, PMI: medium impact.
Three ways to handle news
- Stay out: close or protect trades 15–30 minutes before high-impact releases. Spreads widen and stops can slip.
- Trade the reaction, not the number: wait 15–30 minutes for the first spike to settle, then trade the direction the market chooses.
- Know your exposure: a USD release affects EURUSD, GBPUSD, USDJPY and gold at the same time.
The Greenback Analyst automatically warns you when high-impact events are coming up for the symbol you are viewing.
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Educational content only, not financial advice. Trading involves risk of loss.