Indicators of consumer spending
Retail Sales (Retail). Characterizes the strength of consumer demand. If this indicator increases, therefore, produced more goods, strengthens the economy, the currency becomes more expensive. It is especially important for America, because the focus of its economy is aimed at consumers.
Consumer Confidence (sentiment). Overview of households, designed to assess individual propensity for spending. Not used as a trading signal.
Car Sales (selling cars). Not used as a trading signal.
Business Inventories (Stocks at wholesalers). This figure includes all produced and stored in warehouses of goods. Its increase indicates a weak sales of goods, and no matter what it is caused by a lack of competitiveness of goods or falling incomes. Overstocking warehouses negatively characterizes the state of the economy and leads to a weakening currency.
Published monthly. What this indicator is higher, the worse for the currency. It has seasonal fluctuations.
Balances.
Trade Balance (Balance of trade). This data on exports, which give an idea of the competitiveness of domestic producers and determine the growth of the economy, describing the internal consumption, but significantly behind the other indicators of consumption.
Monthly data on trade balance can play an important role in the forecast of GDP.
Reducing the trade deficit (an increase in the excess of exports over the volume of imports, especially through export growth) leads to an increase in the price of the credit market instruments, the growth rate of currency, as well as an increase in stock prices.
The trade balance are published each month the number of 17-20.
Particular attention is paid to the U.S. trade balance, Japan, UK and the Eurozone. As an example output of the U.S. trade deficit - Japan August 19, 1999 $ 5.26 billion in May and $ 6.28 billion in June. Ian on these data showed a 7-month LOW - 110.74 up to 112.26 yen per dollar.
Current Account (Balance of Payments). Consists of all commercial and financial transactions of residents of the country. The increase in the balance indicates that residents earn more money abroad than take out. Balance of payments strengthens the economy and currency.
