Lesson 6 of 103:573 Sources
The economic calendar: how to read it and plan your week
Recorded. Publishing soon
Educational content, not investment advice. Nour explains how markets work. She never tells you what to buy or sell.
The economic calendar lists upcoming data releases and decisions with day, time, country, event and expected impact. Official agencies publish these dates in advance (e.g. the BLS release schedule and the Fed's FOMC calendar).
- Actual = the released figure; forecast = average analyst expectation; previous = last period's figure, which may be revised.
- Impact levels (low/medium/high) are the calendar provider's estimate, not a law.
- Real example, October 2026: jobs report Fri 2 Oct, CPI Wed 14 Oct (both 8:30 a.m. New York), FOMC meeting 27–28 Oct.
- Set the calendar to your time zone (daylight saving shifts) and keep a weekly routine. The calendar tells you when, not where.
Quick check
Three questions. Pick an answer to see why.
1.In a calendar, what does the 'forecast' column show?
2.Why might the 'previous' figure show a second, different number?
3.A US release is at 8:30 a.m. New York time. What should you do first?
Sources
Every fact in this lesson is backed by the sources below.
- 1.U.S. BLS – Release schedule, October 2026BLS publishes its release schedule in advance; October 2026: Employment Situation Fri 2 Oct, CPI Wed 14 Oct, both 8:30 a.m. ET
- 2.Federal Reserve – FOMC meeting calendarsFed publishes FOMC meeting dates in advance; 2026 meeting on 27–28 October
- 3.U.S. BLS – Employment Situation: Frequently Asked QuestionsPayroll estimates are revised twice in the following two months, so 'previous' values change
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