There are plenty of economic calendars out there on the interwebs, and many are completely free. Most people end up gravitating to a specific site or two for their economic events, and I’m no different. I make no bones about my preference: I love Forex Factory’s Calendar.
The name is easy to remember, the site is laid out very cleanly, and they have an active forum. Much of the site is Forex oriented, but traders post on all topics imaginable related to trading. On top of all those niceties, their calendar is just as slick as can be. It’s super easy to navigate, has all the pertinent info, and is constantly updated. It even has a nifty feature that lets you update a single instead of the whole page. A few minutes before release, a little green icon shows up next to “Actual” field for that report.
A lot of day traders use calendars just to know when to expect announcements. Many traders prefer to be flat at such announcements, as the feel they have no edge in that type of environment. It’s important to recognize when you do have an edge, but it is equally critical to realize when you don’t have an edge.
For those interested in more than just the timing of various announcements, this calendar has you covered there too. First, it covers major global markest, not just the US markets. Second, for those with a penchant for fundamental analysis, with a couple of clicks you can see what the report is, what it is reporting, what the numbers mean, and historically what has been reported. You can also check out news items related to the report or industry. Very cool stuff.
Here’s a quick video hitting on the main navigation points:
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