Trading Academy
Understand the Data Behind Every Score
Plain-language explanations of the economic releases Macrolens tracks and scores — what each one is, why it moves currencies, and a worked example.
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Inflation
CPI (Consumer Price Index)
The headline inflation number -- how fast prices for everyday goods and services are rising.
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PPI (Producer Price Index)
Inflation one step upstream of the consumer -- what producers and wholesalers are paid for their output.
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Core PCE Price Index
The Fed's own preferred inflation gauge -- arguably weighted above CPI for actual policy decisions.
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Growth
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
The broadest single measure of how fast (or slow) an economy is growing.
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Manufacturing PMI
A monthly survey of factory managers -- one of the fastest, most forward-looking growth signals available.
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Services PMI
The same idea as manufacturing PMI, applied to the sector that dominates most developed economies.
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Durable Goods Orders
New orders for goods built to last three-plus years -- a forward-looking read on business investment.
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3
Employment
Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP)
The single most-watched scheduled release in all of FX -- the US monthly jobs report.
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Initial Jobless Claims
A weekly, high-frequency pulse on layoffs -- the fastest employment signal there is.
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JOLTS Job Openings
How much unmet demand for labor exists -- a read on labor market tightness, not actual hiring.
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Unemployment Rate
The percentage of the labor force looking for work but unable to find it.
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Consumer
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