Economic Events - February 25 2010

Private Capital Expenditure

The National Bank of New Zealand Business Confidence

Official Foreign Reserves

Measures the value of all currency and liquid cash assets held by the public.

Measures the number of people employed full or part-time.

Measures the percentage of the total work force that is unemployed and actively seeking employment. A falling trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency. Working people tend to spend more, and consumer spending is a major driver of the economy. However, unemployment usually draws little attention because traders view it as a lagging indicator.

M3 Money Supply (3M)

Measures the value of all currency and liquid cash assets held by the public.

Total Business Investment (Q-o-Q)

Total Business Investment (Y-o-Y)

Consumer Confidence Index

Services Confidence�Index

Industrial Confidence�Index

Business Climate Indicator

Economic Confidence�Index

CBI Distributive Trades Report

Durable Goods Orders (M-o-M)

Durable Goods Orders Ex. Defence (M-o-M)

Durable Goods Orders Ex. Transporation (M-o-M)

Initial Jobless Claims

Continuing Claims

House Price Index (M-o-M)

Energy Information Administration Natural Gas Inventory (Cubic Feet)

Measures the difference in value between imported and exported goods and services. A positive Trade Balance indicates that more goods and services were exported than imported over a given period. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency. When higher levels of exports are sold to the world, demand for the nation's currency is elevated as foreigners convert their native currency to purchase the exports. The Trade Balance also has a sizable impact on GDP because high demand for exports creates increased employment and production, as domestic factories work to fill this demand.

Measures the number of new residential building permits issued during the previous month. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency because obtaining a permit is one of the first steps in the home construction process. Permits therefore act as a leading indicator for the housing market. A high level of housing activity signals that the construction industry is healthy and that consumers have the capital to make large investments. More importantly, new housing activity creates an economic ripple effect as home owners buy goods such as appliances and furniture for their homes, and builders buy raw materials and hire more workers to meet demand.

Exports

Imports

PMI Manufacturing

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.

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%.

Tokyo CPI (Y-o-Y)

Tokyo Core CPI (Y-o-Y)

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 total value of output produced by factories, mines, and utilities. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency because high levels of production are a sign of a strong economy. Industrial Production reacts quickly to the ups and downs of the business cycle and can be a leading indicator of manufacturing employment, average earnings, and personal income.

Measures the total value of output produced by factories, mines, and utilities. A rising trend has a positive effect on the nation's currency because high levels of production are a sign of a strong economy. Industrial Production reacts quickly to the ups and downs of the business cycle and can be a leading indicator of manufacturing employment, average earnings, and personal income. Traders pay special attention to Industrial Production because it's one of the few growth indicators that is produced directly by the Federal Reserve.