Economic Reports are important for all markets but they are a way of life for the currency traders as well as the futures and options traders. Each individual market has its own set of reports which the traders pay special attention. But there are some economic reports that are prime catalysts for almost all markets especially the currency, bonds and the stock markets that stand at the center of the financial universe.

The most market moving reports are the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, The Consumer and the Producer Price Index, The Gross Domestic Product (GDP). the monthly Employment Reports or what you call the NFP Report, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Now as said before if these reports have no surprise for the markets, nothing will happen. But in case if there is a surprise, markets can turn upside down in matter of minutes! Now when these economic reports are released, market compares the expected with the unexpected. The more these reports have the element of the unexpected, the more the markets become nervous. So, if you are a news trader or an economic report trader, you need to watch CNBC and Bloomberg constantly to know what the market is expecting.

As a trader, your world is highly dependent on the economic calendar. Economic calendar is the listing of dates when these important reports are released each month. Each month, these reports are released by different government agencies and the private sector. These reports are a major influence on how the financial markets move in general plus a source of the repetitiveness in the markets.

Not all reports are created equal. Some economic reports have more influence on the market than others. The most important reports that tend to move the markets a lot are the employment report, the Producer Price Index (PPI), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Federal Open Market Committee Meeting Minutes.

Now, Non Farm Payroll Report or what you call the NFP Report is the most market moving report in the recent times. This report is released by the US DOL (Department of Labor) and it gives the state of employment in the economy during the last month period. It is released on the first Friday of each month exactly at 8:30 AM EST. There are NFP Report Traders who easily make 150-200 pips at this time within minutes.

The release of employment figures is usually followed by frenzied trading that can last from a few minutes to the entire day depending on what the data shows and what the market was expecting.

NFP Report has become important in the last few years keeping in view the slow economic growth. Now, as the economy shifts gear from slow growth to high growth the state of employment figures can become highly important for the economy. This report is used by the traders, investors and Wall Street Analyst to anticipate any interest rate changes in the economy. In the end, it is the interest rates that stand at the center of the financial universe!

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