How economic events move the currency market

NFP — US employment

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Situation report is usually released on the first Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. New York time. Nonfarm Payrolls, the unemployment rate and wage growth shape expectations for Fed policy.

CPI — inflation

The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) is also published by the BLS. Inflation above expectations raises the odds of tighter policy — the dollar usually strengthens; below expectations, the opposite.

FOMC and ECB — rate decisions

The Fed's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) holds eight scheduled meetings a year; the decision and statement come at 2:00 p.m. Washington time, followed by the Chair's press conference. The ECB Governing Council takes monetary policy decisions on its own schedule (also eight times a year). The market reacts not only to the decision but to the signals about future steps.

What happens at the moment of release

• Liquidity thins for seconds, spreads widen, slippage and gaps are possible.
• The first move often reverses as the market digests the details (revisions of earlier data, the structure of the report).
• What matters is not the release itself but the gap between the actual figure and expectations.

How to prepare

• Know the exact release time and the expectations.
• Do not hold positions into the release that you are not ready to hold through a wide spread.
• For Expert Advisors — pause rules around significant events.

The calendar in FOX Professional

The FOX economic calendar is built from official sources (statistics offices and central banks). If an event's exact time has not yet been officially published, the calendar shows the date with a note rather than an invented time. FOX Trading Windows flag the periods around significant releases for each instrument.