Economic calendar

Continuing Jobless Claims measures the number of unemployed individuals who qualify for benefits under unemployment insurance. A higher than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD.

The Current Account index measures the difference in value between exported and imported goods, services and interest payments during the reported month. The goods portion is the same as the monthly Trade Balance figure. Because foreigners must buy the domestic currency to pay for the nation's exports the data can have a sizable affect on the USD. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.

Initial Jobless Claims measures the number of individuals who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time during the past week. As the week to week numbers might be very volatile, the four week moving average smooths the weekly data and used for the initial jobless claims metric A higher than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD.

The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Manufacturing Index rates the relative level of general business conditions in Philadelphia. A level above zero on the index indicates improving conditions; below indicates worsening conditions. The data is compiled from a survey of about 250 manufacturers in the Philadelphia Federal Reserve district. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.

The Philadelphia Fed Index, also known as the Business Outlook Survey, is a survey produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia which questions manufacturers on general business conditions. The index covers the Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Delaware region. Higher survey figures suggest higher production, which contribute to economic growth. Results are calculated as the difference between percentage scores with zero acting as the centerline point. As such, values greater than zero indicate growth, while values less than zero indicate contraction. A higher than expected number should be taken as positive to the USD, while a lower than expected number as negative.

The Philadelphia Fed Regional Index is an indicator that measures the current conditions in the manufacturing sector in the district of Philadelphia, which is the third largest in the United States. Arises from a survey conducted by the Philadelphia Fed on the general health of the economy and businesses. Participants must indicate in the interview, according to its assessment, the changes from the previous month and the forecast for the next six months. The general index indicates growth when it is above zero and contraction when is below zero. Then there are various components, such as the prices paid, prices received, employment, hours worked, new orders and backlog of those, the delivery time and shipment orders.

The Philly Fed Employment number is the employment component out of the Philly fed index, probably the most important component of the Index. A higher than expected number should be taken as positive to the USD, while a lower than expected number as negative.

The Philadelphia Fed Regional Index is an indicator that measures the current conditions in the manufacturing sector in the district of Philadelphia, which is the third largest in the United States. Arises from a survey conducted by the Philadelphia Fed on the general health of the economy and businesses. Participants must indicate in the interview, according to its assessment, the changes from the previous month and the forecast for the next six months. The general index indicates growth when it is above zero and contraction when is below zero. Then there are various components, such as the prices paid, prices received, employment, hours worked, new orders and backlog of those, the delivery time and shipment orders.

The Philadelphia Fed Regional Index is an indicator that measures the current conditions in the manufacturing sector in the district of Philadelphia, which is the third largest in the United States. Arises from a survey conducted by the Philadelphia Fed on the general health of the economy and businesses. Participants must indicate in the interview, according to its assessment, the changes from the previous month and the forecast for the next six months. The general index indicates growth when it is above zero and contraction when is below zero. Then there are various components, such as the prices paid, prices received, employment, hours worked, new orders and backlog of those, the delivery time and shipment orders.

Existing Home Sales measures the change in the annualized number of existing residential buildings that were sold during the previous month. This report helps to gauge the strength of the U.S. housing market and is a key indicator of overall economic strength. A higher than expected reading should be taken as positive/bullish for the USD, while a lower than expected reading should be taken as negative/bearish for the USD.

Existing Home Sales measures the change in the number of existing (not new) residential buildings that were sold during the previous month. This report helps to gauge the strength of the U.S. housing market and is a key indicator of overall economic strength. A higher than expected number should be taken as positive to the USD, while a lower than expected number as negative

The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading, coincident, and lagging economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading, coincident, or lagging indicators. They are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component – primarily because they smooth out some of the volatility of individual components.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) Natural Gas Storage report measures the change in the number of cubic feet of natural gas held in underground storage during the past week. While this is a U.S. indicator it tends to have a greater impact on the Canadian dollar, due to Canada's sizable energy sector. If the increase in natural gas inventories is more than expected, it implies weaker demand and is bearish for natural gas prices. The same can be said if a decline in inventories is less than expected. If the increase in natural gas is less than expected, it implies greater demand and is bullish for natural gas prices. The same can be said if a decline in inventories is more than expected.

The figures displayed in the calendar represent the rate on the Treasury Bill auctioned. U.S. Treasury Bills have maturities of a few days to one year. Governments issue treasuries to borrow money to cover the gap between the amount they receive in taxes and the amount they spend to refinance existing debt and/or to raise capital. The rate on a Treasury Bill represents the return an investor will receive by holding the bill for its entire duration. All bidders receive the same rate at the highest accepted bid. Yield fluctuations should be monitored closely as an indicator of the government debt situation. Investors compare the average rate at auction to the rate at previous auctions of the same security.

The figures displayed in the calendar represent the rate on the Treasury Bill auctioned.U.S. Treasury Bills have maturities of a few days to one year. Governments issue treasuries to borrow money to cover the gap between the amount they receive in taxes and the amount they spend to refinance existing debt and/or to raise capital. The rate on a Treasury Bill represents the return an investor will receive by holding the bill for its entire duration. All bidders receive the same rate at the highest accepted bid. Yield fluctuations should be monitored closely as an indicator of the government debt situation. Investors compare the average rate at auction to the rate at previous auctions of the same security.

The U.S. Treasury has been issuing Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) since 1997. TIPS provide investors with protection against inflation: the principal of the TIPS increases with inflation and decreases with deflation. The Treasury sells these securities at regularly scheduled auctions. Competitive bids at these single-price auctions determine the interest rate paid on each issue, which remains fixed.

The Fed balance sheet is a statement listing the assets and liabilities of the Federal Reserve System. Details of the Fed's balance sheet are disclosed by the Fed in a weekly report called "Factors Affecting Reserve Balances."

Reserve Balances with Federal Reserve Banks is the amount of money that depository institutions maintain in their accounts at their regional Federal Reserve Banks.

The Service PMI release is published monthly by Markit Economics. The data are based on surveys of over 400 executives in private sector service companies. The surveys cover transport and communication, financial intermediaries, business and personal services, computing & IT, hotels and restaurants.  An index level of 50 denotes no change since the previous month, while a level above 50 signals an improvement, and below 50 indicates a deterioration. A reading that is stronger than forecast is generally supportive (bullish) for the USD, while a weaker than forecast reading is generally negative (bearish) for the USD.

The Baker Hughes rig count is an important business barometer for the oil drilling industry. When drilling rigs are active they consume products and services produced by the oil service industry. The active rig count acts as a leading indicator of demand for oil products.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) report provides a breakdown of the net positions for ""non-commercial"" (speculative) traders in U.S. futures markets. All data corresponds to positions held by participants primarily based in Chicago and New York futures markets. The Commitments of Traders report is considered an indicator for analyzing market sentiment and many speculative traders use the data to help them decide whether or not to take a long or short position. Commitments of Traders (COT) data is released each Friday at 3:30pm Eastern Time, pending a holiday in the U.S., to reflect the commitments of traders on the prior Tuesday.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) report provides a breakdown of the net positions for "non-commercial" (speculative) traders in U.S. futures markets. All data corresponds to positions held by participants primarily based in Chicago and New York futures markets. The Commitments of Traders report is considered an indicator for analyzing market sentiment and many speculative traders use the data to help them decide whether or not to take a long or short position. Commitments of Traders (COT) data is released each Friday at 3:30pm Eastern Time, pending a holiday in the U.S., to reflect the commitments of traders on the prior Tuesday.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) report provides a breakdown of the net positions for "non-commercial" (speculative) traders in U.S. futures markets. All data corresponds to positions held by participants primarily based in Chicago and New York futures markets. The Commitments of Traders report is considered an indicator for analyzing market sentiment and many speculative traders use the data to help them decide whether or not to take a long or short position. Commitments of Traders (COT) data is released each Friday at 3:30pm Eastern Time, pending a holiday in the U.S., to reflect the commitments of traders on the prior Tuesday.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) report provides a breakdown of the net positions for ""non-commercial"" (speculative) traders in U.S. futures markets. All data corresponds to positions held by participants primarily based in Chicago and New York futures markets. The Commitments of Traders report is considered an indicator for analyzing market sentiment and many speculative traders use the data to help them decide whether or not to take a long or short position. Commitments of Traders (COT) data is released each Friday at 3:30pm Eastern Time, pending a holiday in the U.S., to reflect the commitments of traders on the prior Tuesday.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) report provides a breakdown of the net positions for "non-commercial" (speculative) traders in U.S. futures markets. All data corresponds to positions held by participants primarily based in Chicago and New York futures markets. The Commitments of Traders report is considered an indicator for analyzing market sentiment and many speculative traders use the data to help them decide whether or not to take a long or short position. Commitments of Traders (COT) data is released each Friday at 3:30pm Eastern Time, pending a holiday in the U.S., to reflect the commitments of traders on the prior Tuesday.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) weekly Commitments of Traders (COT) report provides a breakdown of the net positions for "non-commercial" (speculative) traders in U.S. futures markets. All data corresponds to positions held by participants primarily based in Chicago and New York futures markets. The Commitments of Traders report is considered an indicator for analyzing market sentiment and many speculative traders use the data to help them decide whether or not to take a long or short position. Commitments of Traders (COT) data is released each Friday at 3:30pm Eastern Time, pending a holiday in the U.S., to reflect the commitments of traders on the prior Tuesday.