A–Z of economic indicators

A Government of Canada sale of 10-year nominal bonds that reveals the yield and demand achieved in the auction.

Canada Average Hourly Wages YoY tracks annual wage growth for employees in the Labour Force Survey and helps traders assess labour-market tightness and inflation pressure.

Monthly change in seasonally adjusted Canadian retail sales excluding motor vehicle and parts dealers and gasoline stations and fuel vendors.

Canada CPI-median YoY is a Bank of Canada preferred core inflation measure showing the year-over-year change in the weighted median price movement within the CPI basket.

Canada CPI-trim Year-over-Year is a Bank of Canada preferred core inflation measure that excludes the most extreme CPI component price changes and tracks the annual pace of underlying inflation.

Canada's annual CPI change excluding eight volatile components and indirect-tax effects.

A monthly Statistics Canada measure of net foreign investment in Canadian securities, used to gauge overseas demand for Canadian financial assets and potential CAD-relevant capital flows.

Canada Full-Time Employment Change tracks the monthly change in full-time employment in Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey.

A quarterly, annualized measure of growth in Canada’s real expenditure-based gross domestic product.

An early monthly estimate of the change in the value of goods sold by Canadian manufacturers.

A monthly measure of changes in Canadian builders' selling prices for comparable newly built homes.

Canada new motor vehicle sales (Statistics Canada) — number of vehicles

Canada Part-Time Employment Change tracks the monthly change in the number of Canadians working part-time, using Labour Force Survey data.

A quarterly measure of how much real business-sector output Canada produces per hour worked.

A monthly, inflation-adjusted measure of output across Canadian industries.

A single bar on a candlestick chart showing the open, high, low and close for one period.

The price at which a candle finishes its period — the standard evidence that a move is genuine, not a spike.

A monthly measure of how prices paid by households in Cabo Verde have changed since the previous month.

The year-on-year change in Cabo Verde's Consumer Price Index, measuring how consumer prices compare with the same month a year earlier.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index measures how U.S. consumers feel about current and future economic conditions. It is based on survey questions about business conditions, jobs and household income expectations.

A CBI survey of UK retail, wholesale and motor-trade businesses that offers an early view of sales and wider distribution-sector conditions.

A monthly CBI survey indicator showing whether UK manufacturers' total order books are above or below normal.

A central bank manages monetary policy and supports the stability of a country or currency area’s financial system.

A monthly survey of Canadian small-business confidence and operating conditions.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the COMEX Aluminum MWP (U.S. Midwest premium) contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME Australian Dollar contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME Brazilian Real contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME Canadian Dollar contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME Swiss Franc contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly measure of net speculative positioning in U.S. copper futures.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CBOT Corn contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly measure of reported speculative net exposure in crude oil futures, derived from the CFTC's Commitments of Traders reports.

A weekly measure of net non-commercial positioning in CME Euro FX futures, derived from the CFTC Commitments of Traders report.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME British Pound contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly measure of reported speculative net positioning in U.S. gold futures.

A weekly CFTC positioning measure showing the net futures exposure of non-commercial traders in Japanese yen contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME E-mini Nasdaq-100 contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the NYMEX Natural Gas (NYMEX Henry Hub) contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME New Zealand Dollar contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CME E-mini S&P 500 contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the COMEX Silver contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CBOT Soybeans contract, in thousands of contracts.

A weekly CFTC measure of speculative (non-commercial) net futures positioning in the CBOT Soft Red Winter Wheat contract, in thousands of contracts.

A monthly U.S. private-sector report tracking employers’ announced job cuts, used as an early signal of labor-market stress.

How speeches by the UK Chancellor can matter for sterling, gilts, and expectations for fiscal policy.

Entering a trade late, after the move has already run, because you do not want to miss it.

A monthly composite indicator of broad U.S. economic activity and related inflation pressure.

A monthly survey-based gauge of business conditions in the Chicago area, also known as the Chicago Business Barometer.

This is the Central Bank of Chile’s decision on its main interest rate. The rate influences borrowing costs across the Chilean economy and is used to help keep inflation near the bank’s target.

China’s monthly benchmark reference rate for one-year bank lending.

A qualitative Chinese policy event watched for signals on growth, fiscal support, monetary conditions and reform priorities.

China FDI (YTD) YoY tracks the year-on-year change in cumulative foreign direct investment actually used in mainland China, as reported by the Ministry of Commerce.

China Fixed Asset Investment YTD YoY tracks the cumulative annual growth rate of spending on fixed assets such as infrastructure, manufacturing capacity and real estate development projects.

A monthly measure of the foreign-currency reserve assets held by China's monetary authorities, expressed in U.S. dollars.

A quarterly measure of how China’s economy changed from the preceding quarter.

China industrial value added, year to date (NBS) — cumulative annual change

China's longer-term Loan Prime Rate is a monthly benchmark for bank lending, with particular relevance to mortgages and other loans extending beyond five years.

Annual growth in China's M2 broad money, published by the PBOC.

China NBS General PMI is a broad survey indicator of overall business output across manufacturing and non-manufacturing activity. Readings above 50 generally suggest overall expansion, while readings below 50 suggest contraction.

China NBS Manufacturing PMI is an official survey measure of conditions in China’s manufacturing sector. A reading above 50 generally indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

China NBS Non-Manufacturing PMI is a survey-based measure of activity in China’s services and construction sectors. Readings above 50 generally signal expansion, while readings below 50 signal contraction.

China New Yuan Loans tracks new renminbi-denominated lending and is used as a gauge of credit creation and financing conditions in China.

Annual growth in China's outstanding RMB loan balance, published by the PBOC.

Canada's Civic Holiday is an early-August holiday that can reduce local participation and affect Canadian market operations.

The trades with the clearest conditions: an obvious level, a readable market and no imminent event about to change everything.

When one side is plainly in control: price makes progress one way and pullbacks are shallow.

The Czech National Bank Interest Rate Decision is the CNB Bank Board’s monetary-policy announcement for the Czech koruna economy, focused on key policy rates such as the two-week repo rate.

The RBA Index of Commodity Prices YoY tracks annual changes in prices for major Australian export commodities, a key input for terms-of-trade and AUD analysis.

A monthly composite indicator that tracks underlying momentum in US employment conditions.

Observable evidence, defined in advance, that a setup is doing what you expected before you commit.

Several independent reasons pointing at the same level or direction at once.

A pause in which price moves tightly sideways, often after a strong move, while the market absorbs it.

A Slovak state holiday observed on 1 September to mark the country’s constitution.

U.S. Construction Spending tracks the monthly value of construction work put in place and is used as a signal of building activity and investment momentum.

CPIF is Sweden's consumer-price measure that holds the direct effect of mortgage-interest-rate changes constant.

Price resuming its existing direction after a pause or pullback.

How strongly the evidence supports a trade — and, separately, how committed the market itself looks.

A U.S. measure of underlying consumer inflation based on personal consumption expenditures, excluding food and energy.

A monthly U.S. measure of underlying consumer-price inflation based on personal consumption expenditures, excluding food and energy.

A U.S. measure of underlying consumer inflation that excludes food and energy prices.

A quarterly measure of underlying US consumer-price inflation that excludes food and energy.

Correlation describes how closely two markets or currency pairs tend to move in relation to each other.

Costa Rica's main monthly measure of changes in household consumer prices.

Costa Rica’s annual headline consumer-inflation rate, based on the change in the Consumer Price Index from the same month a year earlier.

Canada CPI-common YoY is a core inflation measure that estimates the common, broad-based component of annual price growth across the Canadian CPI basket.

A monthly measure of how Croatian industrial output compares with the same month a year earlier.

An early monthly estimate of changes in consumer prices in Croatia.

Croatia’s Consumer Price Index measures changes in the prices private households pay for goods and services. The year-on-year rate compares the latest month with the same month a year earlier.

A Croatian public holiday on 5 August commemorating the 1995 Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders.

A weekly measure of commercial crude oil held at the Cushing, Oklahoma storage hub.

Annual growth in Czech Republic's M3 money supply, published by the Czech National Bank (CNB).