The Economic Calendar lists upcoming releases that move markets — central bank decisions, employment data, inflation prints, GDP. Each event has an expected impact (low, medium, high). High-impact events cause sharp price moves and wider spreads in the affected instruments. Most professional traders either trade these events deliberately or avoid them deliberately — never accidentally.
Steps to use it
1. Open the Economic Calendar on our platform platform.
2. Filter by the currencies and impact level relevant to your trading. If you trade EUR/USD, filter for EUR and USD events.
3. Note the times of high-impact events for the week ahead. They are typically marked with a red bar or icon.
4. Plan around them. Either trade the event with a defined strategy or step back during the volatility window.
The events that move markets most
Central bank rate decisions (Fed, ECB, BoE, BoJ): the highest-impact events in Forex. Massive moves, often in seconds.
Non-Farm Payrolls (US, first Friday of each month at 13:30 UTC): one of the most-watched economic releases in the world.
Inflation data (CPI): drives expectations about future rate decisions, which drive currencies.
GDP releases: less reactive than NFP or CPI, but still meaningful at the quarterly print.
Major political events: elections, referenda, central bank speeches outside of scheduled meetings.
How to trade around news
Don't enter a new position 5–15 minutes before a high-impact release. Spreads widen sharply, and you may get filled at far worse prices than expected.
Existing positions through major news: either close them, hedge them, or accept that the stop-loss may be filled with significant slippage.
Don't trade through illiquid windows expecting normal market behaviour. The market is not normal during NFP.
If you do trade news, have a plan written in advance: entry trigger, stop level, take-profit. Decide it before the spike, not during.
Important notes
Stops can fill far past the trigger during news (slippage). For news-sensitive instruments, position size accordingly — or use guaranteed stop-loss orders where available.
The calendar shows expected (forecast) and previous values. The market reaction is driven by the difference between actual and forecast — not by the absolute number.
Holiday calendars also matter. Liquidity drops sharply on US, UK, and Eurozone bank holidays even if the markets technically remain open.