SECO Consumer Climate compiles a survey of consumer attitudes on present economic conditions and expectations of future conditions. In the months of January, April, July and October, about 1100 households are surveyed on behalf of SECO regarding their subjective evaluation of the economic situation, budget situation, inflation, job security etc.

The pattern in consumer attitudes and spending is often a major influence on stock and bond markets. For stocks, strong economic growth translates to healthy corporate profits and higher stock prices. For bonds, the focus is whether economic growth goes overboard and leads to inflation. Ideally, the economy walks that fine line between strong growth and excessive (inflationary) growth. Consumer spending accounts for a major portion of the Swiss economy, so investors want to know what consumers are up to and how they might behave in the near future. The more confident consumers are about the economy and their own personal finances, the more likely they are to spend.

Level of a diffusion index based on surveyed investors and analysts. Above 0.0 indicates optimism, below indicates pessimism. This is a survey of about 2,800 investors and analysts which asks respondents to rate the relative 6-month economic outlook for the Eurozone.
 

Consumer Sentiment (or Consumer Confidence) measures the level of confidence households have in economic performance. Generally rising consumer confidence acts as a precursor to higher consumer expenditures which drive economic expansion.

A survey of both wage-earning and non-working households, such as those classified as single-member, unemployed, or retired. The headline figure is the percentage change in average spending per household from the previous year. Increases in household spending are favorable for the Japanese economy because high consumer spending generally leads to higher levels of economic growth. Higher spending is also a sign of consumer optimism, as households confident in their future outlook will spend more. At the same time accelerated growth exerts inflationary pressure, which can lead to interest rate increases in the future.

A comprehensive measure of Japan's overall production and consumption of goods and services. GDP is a significant report in FX Market, serving as one of the primary indicators of a country\\\'s overall economic health.

Robust GDP growth signals a heightened level of economic activity and often a higher demand for the domestic currency. At the same time, economic expansion raises concerns about inflationary pressures which may prompt monetary authorities to increase interest rates. Thus positive GDP readings are generally bullish for the Yen, while negative readings are generally bearish.

Most production reports that lead to Japanese GDP are released before the official GDP number. Therefore, actual GDP figures usually confirm expectations. However, an unexpected release can move markets due to the significance of the figure.

Technically, Gross Domestic Product is calculated in the following way:

GDP = C + I + G + (EX - IM)

where
C = private consumption
I = private investment
G = government expenditure
EX = exports of goods and services
IM = imports of goods and services

The headline figures for GDP are the percentage growth rate from the previous quarter and the annualized percentage change in GDP. Prices used are benchmarked to 1997 prices.

Broad gauge of inflationary pressures. The GDP Deflator is different from the Consumer Price Index in that it does not take into account changes in the prices of imports and tends to underestimate price changes. The Gross Domestic Product Deflator is also untimely, released quarterly about two months after the reporting period. Nonetheless, it is highly correlated with the CPI and a key indicator of inflation. Consequently, the deflator provides insight into the future direction of monetary policy as the Bank of Japan is inclined to raise interest rates when faced with higher inflation.

Specifically the deflator measures the magnitude of changes in prices for all domestically produced final goods. It is the ratio of output in current prices (nominal GDP) to inflation-adjusted output (real GDP). The headline value is the percentage change in the GDP Deflator from the previous quarter.

Measure of the money supply used by the Bank of Japan. The figure includes all currency in circulation plus all bank deposits. This indicator tends to be tracked closely with the total money supply. The figure focuses mostly on individual deposit accounts rather than institutional accounts, making it a more attractive money indicator than broad liquidity measures. The headline figure is the percentage change from the previous year.

The BRC  Retail Sales Monitor is an accurate monthly measure of retail sales performance that acts as both a benchmark for participating retailers and as a key economic indicator.

The RSM measures changes in the actual value of retail sales based on figures supplied directly by participating members. Originally set up at the request of BRC members to benchmark their own business performance against the wider sector, the BRC  Retail Sales Monitor is an authoritative measure on the health of the UK retail sector and the wider economy.

A survey of the current state of the business sector in Australia . Based on a survey of hundreds of small and large sized companies, the National Australia Bank delivers monthly comprehensive quarterly reports.

This comprehensive survey primarily provides insight into the state of the Australian economy and puts forth leading indicators that signal its future direction. Thus the survey's findings, if unexpected, have the power to move markets directly.

The National Australia Bank releases both a monthly and quarterly report. The quarterly report is more comprehensive, surveying around 1000 small to large non-farm firms. The quarterly report provides greater detail on the data as well as a short to mid-term outlook of Australia . Because of seasonal volatility and government protections the survey only excludes the farm sector.

This is a report which measures the change in the total value of new orders placed with machine tool manufacturers.

The difference between the value of exports and imports in Germany. Trade Balance is one of the biggest components of Germany 's Balance of Payment. As Germany is Europe's largest economy and given Germany's export oriented economy, trade data can give critical insight into pressures on the value of the Euro.

In order to gauge the effect of German Trade Balance on the Euro, German trade is separated into intra-Eurozone trades and extra-Eurozone trades. Intra-trades between Germany and Eurozone countries have no affect on the overall valuation of Euro. Extra-trades between Germany and other countries outside of Eurozone do impact the overall Eurozone trade balance. Given Germany's large share of Eurozone exports, the figure tends to move the market upon release.

Trade surpluses reflect funds coming into Germany in exchange for goods and services. Such currency inflows may lead to a natural appreciation of a Euro, unless countered by similar capital outflows. At a bare minimum, surpluses will boost up the value of the currency.

The headline figure for trade balance is expressed in billions of Euros.

A country's trade balance reflects the difference between exports and imports of goods and services. The trade balance is one of the biggest components of the Balance of Payment, giving valuable insight into pressures on country's currency.