Economic calendar: live market-moving events
Every scheduled release that can move the markets — jobs, inflation, central banks, GDP, PMIs — with actual, forecast and previous values updated live as they are published. Filter by impact and by country, and see the next FOMC decision and COT report at a glance.
Live economic calendar
Actual, forecast and previous values update on their own the moment each figure is released. Choose a region and switch to high-impact events to focus on the releases that move futures the most.
Times are shown in your own time zone.Live calendar data by TradingView ↗
Key scheduled dates
Two dates every futures trader keeps in mind, from official sources: Federal Reserve rate decisions and the weekly CFTC positioning report.
| Event | Date and time (New York) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| COT report (positions as of Tuesday)Friday 3:30 p.m.; one business day later in weeks with a U.S. federal holiday. | CFTC | |
| COT report (positions as of Tuesday)Friday 3:30 p.m.; one business day later in weeks with a U.S. federal holiday. | CFTC | |
| COT report (positions as of Tuesday)Friday 3:30 p.m.; one business day later in weeks with a U.S. federal holiday. | CFTC | |
| FOMC rate decisionstatement 2:00 p.m., press conference 2:30 p.m. | Federal Reserve | |
| FOMC rate decisionstatement 2:00 p.m., press conference 2:30 p.m. | Federal Reserve | |
| FOMC rate decisionstatement 2:00 p.m., press conference 2:30 p.m. | Federal Reserve |
Market-moving releases and their times
The U.S. releases below move stock index, Treasury, currency, gold and oil futures the most. Times are New York time; check the live calendar above for the exact date of each release.
| Release | Usual time (New York) | When | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Situation (non-farm payrolls, unemployment rate) | 8:30 a.m. | First Friday of the month | The broadest read on the U.S. labor market; often the biggest move of the month in ES, NQ, ZN and 6E. |
| Consumer Price Index (CPI) | 8:30 a.m. | Around mid-month | The headline inflation number that shapes Fed expectations and interest-rate futures. |
| FOMC rate decision | 2:00 p.m. | 8 meetings a year | Sets the federal funds rate; the press conference at 2:30 p.m. often moves markets a second time. |
| Producer Price Index (PPI) | 8:30 a.m. | Around mid-month | Pipeline inflation at the producer level, read alongside CPI. |
| Retail Sales | 8:30 a.m. | Around mid-month | Consumer spending, about two thirds of the U.S. economy. |
| GDP (advance estimate) | 8:30 a.m. | Late in the month after each quarter | The headline measure of economic growth. |
| PCE price index (Personal Income and Outlays) | 8:30 a.m. | End of the month | The Fed's preferred inflation gauge. |
| ISM Manufacturing PMI | 10:00 a.m. | First business day of the month | An early survey of factory activity; above 50 means expansion. |
| Initial jobless claims | 8:30 a.m. | Every Thursday | A weekly, timely signal of layoffs. |
| EIA crude oil inventories | 10:30 a.m. | Every Wednesday | Weekly U.S. oil stocks; a key event for crude oil (CL) futures. |
What is an economic calendar?
An economic calendar lists the scheduled releases of economic data and central bank decisions — employment, inflation, growth, business surveys, interest rates — with the exact date and time of each publication. Traders use it to know when volatility is likely: in the seconds after a major release, futures, currencies and bonds can move more than in the rest of the session.
Each line shows the country, the time, the expected impact and three numbers: the actual value once it is published, the forecast (the consensus of economists) and the previous value. The calendar on this page updates those numbers live, so you never trade a release blind.
How to read the economic calendar
- Actual. The figure just published by the official agency. It appears the moment the data is released.
- Forecast. The consensus estimate of economists. Markets price in the forecast before the release.
- Previous. The prior period's value, sometimes revised. A large revision can matter as much as the new number.
- The surprise. What moves prices is the gap between actual and forecast, not the number itself. A strong figure that was expected may barely move the market; a small miss against the consensus can trigger a sharp move.
- Impact. High-impact events (jobs, CPI, central bank decisions) move markets the most; low-impact releases rarely matter on their own.
How to trade around economic news
News releases bring wider spreads, thinner order books and slippage. A few rules many futures traders follow:
- Know the time in advance. Check the calendar before the session and mark every high-impact release on your chart.
- Flat or protected before the release. Close positions or make sure every open trade has a stop; stops can still fill with slippage in fast markets.
- Let the first move breathe. The first minutes after a release are often noise; many traders wait for the first 5- or 15-minute candle to close.
- Read the order flow. Aggressive buying or selling after the number shows whether the move has real participation. Our free footprint, cumulative delta and big trades indicators for NinjaTrader 8 show it in real time.
- Size down. Volatility is higher, so the same stop distance costs more. Our position size calculator gives the right number of contracts.
Economic news and trading sessions
Most U.S. releases come out at 8:30 a.m. New York time, one hour before the cash open, and a second wave at 10:00 a.m. European data arrives during the London session, and Asian data overnight. The FOMC decision lands at 2:00 p.m., late in the U.S. afternoon.
These times line up with the ICT killzones: the New York open killzone often starts with the 8:30 release. Our free Killzones & Daily Profiles indicator marks the sessions on your NinjaTrader chart.
Combine the calendar with rates and positioning
A release moves markets through what it changes in expectations. Two tools on Trading Evolution give that context: the Fed Rate Monitor shows the market odds of a rate cut, hold or hike at each FOMC meeting, and the COT data page shows how large speculators and commercials are positioned in 44 futures markets. A strong jobs number hits harder when the market is pricing cuts and speculators are crowded on one side.
Good to know
- Release dates and forecasts can change; the official agency is always the final reference.
- The live calendar shows times in your own time zone; the tables on this page use New York time.
- Forecasts are consensus estimates, not guarantees.
- Information only, not investment advice. Trading futures involves a substantial risk of loss.
Sources
The live calendar is provided by TradingView. The key dates come from official sources:
Related concepts and tools
Frequently asked questions
What is an economic calendar?
An economic calendar lists scheduled economic data releases and central bank decisions with their date, time, expected impact and the actual, forecast and previous values. Traders use it to know when market volatility is likely.
What do actual, forecast and previous mean?
Actual is the figure just released, forecast is the consensus estimate of economists, and previous is the prior period's value. Prices react mainly to the surprise: the gap between actual and forecast.
Which economic events move futures the most?
In the United States: non-farm payrolls, CPI inflation, FOMC rate decisions, PCE inflation, GDP, retail sales and the ISM PMIs. For crude oil, the weekly EIA inventory report on Wednesday. For currencies, also the ECB, Bank of England and Bank of Japan decisions.
What time is non-farm payrolls released?
The U.S. Employment Situation report (non-farm payrolls) is usually released on the first Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. New York time by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What time is the FOMC decision?
The FOMC statement is released at 2:00 p.m. New York time on the last day of each of the eight yearly meetings, followed by the Fed Chair's press conference at 2:30 p.m.
Is this economic calendar live?
Yes. Actual values appear automatically as soon as each figure is published, without reloading the page. The key dates and countdowns on this page are also calculated live.
What time zone does the calendar use?
The live calendar shows every event in your own time zone, detected from your device. The reference tables on this page use New York time, the clock of U.S. futures markets.
Should I trade during news releases?
Releases bring fast moves, wider spreads and slippage. Many traders stay flat or protected by stops during high-impact news and wait for the first candles to close before acting. This is information, not investment advice.
Trading Evolution is not affiliated with TradingView, the Federal Reserve or the CFTC. Calendar data is provided for information only and is not investment advice.
Educational content. These indicators are not investment advice and guarantee no result. Futures trading involves a risk of loss that can exceed the initial investment. Terms of use · Disclaimers