The Corporate Goods Price Index (CGPI) measures the rate of inflation (i.e., the rate of price changes) experienced by corporations when purchasing goods.

Measures the quarterly difference in value between imported and exported goods, services, income flows, and unilateral transfers. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency. The Current Account is a comprehensive accounting of the nation's trade with other countries. It includes the previously reported Trade Balance (which covers trade of goods and services), so traders focus on the income flows and unilateral transfer portions of the report.

Measures the value of goods held by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. A falling trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency because retailers order more goods when they have depleted inventories. This creates more business for the wholesales, which in turn increase their orders to manufacturers.

Derivative of Retail Sales that excludes the Automobile Sales component. Automobile Sales make up roughly 25% of Retail Sales, but they can be very volatile from month to month and can distort the picture. Retail Sales with the exclusion of this volatile component is thought to be a better indicator of the underlying trend in consumer spending.

Measures the value of sales at the retail level. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency because Retail Sales make up a large portion of consumer spending, which is a major driver of the economy and has a sizable impact on GDP. Traders pay close attention to Retail Sales because it is usually the first significant indicator of the month that relates to consumer behavior and is susceptible to surprises.

Measures the monthly rate of inflation for imported goods.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify before the House Financial Services Committee regarding the ongoing subprime mortgage problems. As head of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which is responsible for setting the nation\'s short term interest rate, Ben Bernanke is arguably the most influential figure in the currency markets. Bernanke is known to drop clues during his speeches, as it is the FOMC\'s tenet to keep the public aware of their monetary policy long before interest rates are changes. Heavy market volatility is often experienced during Bernanke\'s speeches as traders attempt to decipher his clues.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the rate of inflation (i.e., the rate of price changes) experienced by consumers when purchasing goods and services. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation\'s currency. The primary objective of the central bank is to achieve price stability; when inflation rises above an annualized rate of approximately 2%, they will respond by raising interest rates to bring prices down. Higher interest rates attract foreign investment, thus increasing demand for the nation\'s currency. CPI is one of the most closely watched indicators and will usually have a high impact upon release.

Description Derivative of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) that excludes the volatile Food, Energy, Alcohol and Tobacco items. CPI with the exclusion of these volatile components is thought to be a better indicator of the underlying inflation trend and the central bank uses it as their primary inflation gauge, aiming to keep it at an annualized rate of 2%.

The Retail Price Index (RPI) measures the rate of inflation experienced by consumers when purchasing goods and services. RPI differs from CPI in that it only measures goods and services bought for the purpose of consumption by the vast majority of households.