Forex Factory Economic Calendar — In Your Timezone
This week’s key economic events with impact level, forecast and previous values. Times convert automatically to your local timezone.
How to Read the Forex Factory Economic Calendar
An economic calendar lists scheduled news releases that move currency prices. For each event, four things matter: the currency affected, the impact level (high, medium or low), and three numbers — previous, forecast and actual. When the actual figure surprises the forecast, the related currency usually moves the most. High-impact (red) events are the ones worth planning around; low-impact ones rarely shift the market.
The Highest-Impact Events to Watch
- Central-bank rate decisions (FOMC, ECB, BoE) — the single biggest driver of currency trends.
- Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) — US jobs data, released the first Friday of each month; famous for sharp USD volatility.
- Inflation (CPI) — shapes expectations for future rate moves.
- GDP, PMI and unemployment — gauge the health of an economy and its currency.
How Traders Actually Use It
There are two disciplined approaches. Some traders trade the news, but spreads widen and price can whip both ways, so this is advanced and risky. Most consistent traders do the opposite: they check the calendar to know when to stand aside — avoiding new positions just before a high-impact release and tightening risk around it. Either way, the calendar is a risk-management tool first, not a signal. If you want a clear, repeatable method for reading the market instead of guessing around news, our Trading Marathon course teaches exactly that, and our Forex education guide covers the foundations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as high-impact news? Red-flagged events — central-bank decisions, NFP and CPI — that reliably cause large, fast moves.
What time are NFP and FOMC released? NFP is at 8:30 AM US Eastern on the first Friday of the month; FOMC rate decisions are typically 2:00 PM Eastern. The calendar above converts these to your local timezone automatically.
Is this economic calendar free? Yes — it updates live from Forex Factory data and needs no signup.
Which events should a beginner start with? Follow central-bank rate decisions and NFP first; they teach you how sentiment and volatility work before you touch the rest.
Educational content only — not investment advice. Trading forex carries a high risk of losing capital.