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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.

1

Inflation

CPI (Consumer Price Index) The headline inflation number -- how fast prices for everyday goods and services are rising. → PPI (Producer Price Index) Inflation one step upstream of the consumer -- what producers and wholesalers are paid for their output. →

2

Growth

GDP (Gross Domestic Product) The broadest single measure of how fast (or slow) an economy is growing. → Manufacturing PMI A monthly survey of factory managers -- one of the fastest, most forward-looking growth signals available. → Services PMI The same idea as manufacturing PMI, applied to the sector that dominates most developed economies. →

3

Employment

Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) The single most-watched scheduled release in all of FX -- the US monthly jobs report. → Initial Jobless Claims A weekly, high-frequency pulse on layoffs -- the fastest employment signal there is. → JOLTS Job Openings How much unmet demand for labor exists -- a read on labor market tightness, not actual hiring. → Unemployment Rate The percentage of the labor force looking for work but unable to find it. →

4

Consumer

Retail Sales How much consumers are actually spending -- a direct read on the engine of most developed economies. → Consumer Confidence A survey of how households feel about the economy -- a leading signal for future spending. →

5

Central Banks

Interest Rate Decisions The single biggest driver of currency value over the medium term. →

6

Trade

Trade Balance The gap between what a country sells abroad and what it buys in -- a slower-moving, structural currency driver. →