Interest rate decisions, employment data, inflation numbers — macroeconomic events move markets more than any single stock. Anyone who ignores the economic calendar trades blind.

The Big Five: Market-Moving Events

1. Interest Rate Decisions (ECB, Fed)

The most important calendar events. Rate changes affect all asset classes simultaneously: stocks, bonds, currencies, real estate. Not just the decision itself, but also the forward guidance (central bank outlook) moves markets.

Trading rule: No new positions 24 hours before a rate decision. Hedge or reduce existing positions.

2. Non-Farm Payrolls (US Employment Data)

Every first Friday of the month. The most important US economic indicator. Deviations from expectations are decisive — not the absolute number. 200,000 new jobs can be bullish (if 150,000 were expected) or bearish (if 250,000 were expected).

3. CPI/Inflation

Consumer Price Index — measures inflation. Higher inflation than expected = bearish for stocks (central bank must tighten). Lower inflation = bullish (rate cuts possible).

4. GDP Growth

Published quarterly. Shows total economic output. Two consecutive quarters of negative growth = technical recession. The word recession alone can move markets 10%+.

5. Earnings Season

Four times per year companies report quarterly results. The most volatile two weeks per quarter. Earnings surprises (deviations from analyst expectations) move individual stocks 5-20% in a single day.

How to Integrate the Calendar Into Your Trading

Weekly Planning on Sunday

Open the economic calendar (Investing.com, ForexFactory, Bloomberg)
Mark all high-impact events of the week (3 stars / red flag)
Plan your trades around these events — not through them

Event Day Strategy

Before the event: Reduce open positions to 50%. Set tighter stop-losses.
During the event: Do not trade. Wait 15-30 minutes after publication for the market to settle.
After the event: Analyze the reaction. Does it match expectations? If the market rises despite bad data, that is extremely bullish.

How AI Processes Macro Events

Our system integrates the economic calendar directly into signal generation:

Reduces signal frequency 2 hours before high-impact events
Increases confidence threshold during elevated volatility
Analyzes historical market reaction to similar data releases
Generates post-event signals based on deviation from expectations

Bottom Line: The economic calendar is not an optional extra — it is the foundation of every trading plan. Anyone who ignores macro events will regularly be surprised by market movements that were predictable.