Since July 2015, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis has started publishing preliminary estimate of goods trade balance. This release will be 4-7 earlier than trade balance data. Growth in the reading favors the US dollar.

Generally, a government bond is issued by a national government and is denominated in the country`s own currency. Bonds issued by national governments in foreign currencies are normally referred to as sovereign bonds. The yield required by investors to loan funds to governments reflects inflation expectations and the likelihood that the debt will be repaid.

It is the key gauge for inflation in Switzerland. Simply put, inflation reflects a decline in the purchasing power of the Franc, where each Franc buys fewer goods and services. The CPI calculates the change in the price of a predetermined basket of consumer goods and services. This basket represents the goods and services that an average household will purchase. The figure is compared to those of the previous month as well as the previous year in order to gauge changes to the costs of living on a month to month and year to year basis. The headline number is the percentage change either from the previous month's value or the previous year's value.

As the key indicator of inflation, a rising CPI may prompt the Swiss National Bank to raise interest rates in attempt to manage inflation and slow economic growth. Higher interest rates make holding the Franc more attractive to foreign investors, and this higher level of demand will place upward pressure on the value of the Franc.

In 2015 the Economic Bulletin replaced the Monthly Bulletin. The Economic Bulletin is published two weeks after the monetary policy meeting of the Governing Council of the ECB. Issues published after the monetary policy meetings in March, June, September and December provide a comprehensive analysis of economic and monetary developments, including a discussion of the Eurosystem/ECB staff macroeconomic projections for the euro area. Other issues are shorter and provide an interim update on developments in key monthly indicators.

Gauge for goods sold at retail outlets in the past month. Retail Sales is a leading indicator for the economy. Rising consumer spending fuels economic growth, confirms signals from consumer confidence, and may spark inflationary pressures.

The headline figure is expressed as the percentage change from the same month last year.