Guides
Background reading on the releases and market events on this calendar.
- CPI vs PPI vs PCE: The Inflation Reports ComparedHow the three main U.S. inflation reports differ in what they measure, who publishes them, when they come out, and why the Fed targets PCE rather than CPI.
- Economic Indicators Ranked by Market ImpactWhich U.S. economic reports and events tend to move markets most, how this site's 1 to 3 importance levels are assigned, and why impact changes over time.
- Fed Meeting Day Explained, Hour by HourWhat happens on an FOMC decision day: the 2:00 PM statement, the 2:30 PM press conference, the projections released four times a year, and what follows.
- How Release Dates Get MovedWhy scheduled events move (holidays, shutdowns, publisher changes) and what this site's confirmed, computed and tentative date labels mean.
- How to Read an Economic CalendarA plain guide to economic calendar columns: release times, reference periods, consensus forecasts, actual versus prior, revisions and date labels.
- Options Expiration and Quad Witching ExplainedHow monthly options expiration and quarterly quad witching work, why they fall on third Fridays, AM versus PM settlement, and what they do to markets.
- What Is a Market Catalyst?What traders mean by a market catalyst, the difference between scheduled and unscheduled catalysts, and why expectations matter more than the news itself.