Economic Calendar - Currencies

In Australia, interest rates decisions are taken by the Reserve Bank of Australia's Board. The official interest rate is the cash rate. The cash rate is the rate charged on overnight loans between financial intermediaries, is determined in the money market as a result of the interaction of demand for and supply of overnight funds.

The au Jibun Bank Japan Composite PMI Output Index, which is a weighted average of the Manufacturing Output Index and the Services Business Activity Index, tracks business trends across private sector activity based on data collected from a representative panel of around 800 companies. The index tracks variables such as sales, new orders, employment, inventories and prices. The index varies between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease.

Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of commodities. Metalliferous ores and metal scrap account for 29 percent of total exports; coal, coke and briquettes for 15 percent; and gas for 7 percent. The country also exports: food and live animals (14 percent), mainly meat (5 percent) and cereals (4 percent); manufactured goods (6 percent), mainly non-ferrous metals (4 percent); and machinery and transport equipment (6 percent). Australia's largest export markets are China (32 percent of total exports), Japan (16 percent), South Korea (7 percent), the US (5 percent), India (4 percent), New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan (3 percent each).

The au Jibun Bank Japan Services PMI is compiled by S&P Global from responses to questionnaires sent to a panel of around 400 service sector companies. The sectors covered include consumer (excluding retail), transport, information, communication, finance, insurance, real estate and business services. The headline figure is the Services Business Activity Index. This is a diffusion index calculated from a question that asks for changes in the volume of business activity compared with one month previously. The Services Business Activity Index is comparable to the Manufacturing Output Index. The index varies between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease.

Australia has been recording consistent trade surpluses since 2017 due to rise in a resource exports like natural gas, metal ores and minerals, coal, coke and briquettes, and rural goods such as meat and cereals. The biggest trade surpluses are recorded with China, Hong Kong and Japan, and New Zealand while the biggest trade deficits are with the United States, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Australia imports mainly machinery and transport equipment (40 percent of total imports), of which road vehicles account for 12 percent, industrial machinery for 6 percent, electrical machinery for 5 percent and telecommunications and sound recording for 5 percent.The country also imports: petroleum (11 percent); manufactured goods (12 percent); chemicals and related products (10 percent); and food and live animals (5 percent). Main import partners are China (23 percent of total imports), the US (11 percent), Japan (7 percent), South Korea, Thailand and Germany (5 percent each) and Malaysia (4 percent).

In Switzerland, the most important categories in the consumer price index are: Housing and energy (27 percent of the total weight) and Healthcare (18 percent). Transport accounts for 10 percent; Food and non-alcoholic beverages for 12 percent; Restaurants and hotels for 7 percent; and Recreation and culture for 7 percent. The index also includes: Miscellaneous goods and services (6 percent); Household goods and services (4 percent); and Clothing and footwear (3 percent). Communication, Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and Education account for the remaining 6 percent of total weight.

In Switzerland, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

In Turkey, Foreign Exchange Reserves refer to gross foreign exchange reserves held or controlled by the country's central bank, excluding gold.

The Gross Fixed Investment in Mexico measures the total value of all acquisitions of fixed assets, both tangible and intangible, obtained as a result of a production process. Those are only ones which can be repeatedly used in other production processes in a period longer than one year. The value represents a year over year change of the gross fixed investment, obtained by aggregating the constant values of machinery and equipment of both national and foreign origin and of construction. They are: buildings, machinery, equipment, transport equipment, software, literary originals and other tangible and intangible fixed assets and additions and upgrades meant to prolong the usage or increase capacity. Considering the machinery and equipment of national origin, only new products are counted. Both new and used imported machinery and equipment increase the value of assets available in the country. The construction gross fixed investment index refers to the investment cost valued at the buyers cost.

In Mexico, the Consumer Confidence Index (ICC) measures the current perception and future expectations that people have about their economic situation, their family and the country in general, in respect to the purchase of consumption durables and non-durables, as well as employment, inflation and savings. The index is based on a sample of 2336 households located in the 32 major cities of the country. The ICC has a base of 100 as of January of 2003, levels above 100 indicate optimism, 100 neutrality and below 100 pessimism.

The Gross Fixed Investment in Mexico measures the total value of all acquisitions of fixed assets, both tangible and intangible, obtained as a result of a production process. Those are only ones which can be repeatedly used in other production processes in a period longer than one year. The value represents a year over year change of the gross fixed investment, obtained by aggregating the constant values of machinery and equipment of both national and foreign origin and of construction. They are: buildings, machinery, equipment, transport equipment, software, literary originals and other tangible and intangible fixed assets and additions and upgrades meant to prolong the usage or increase capacity. Considering the machinery and equipment of national origin, only new products are counted. Both new and used imported machinery and equipment increase the value of assets available in the country. The construction gross fixed investment index refers to the investment cost valued at the buyers cost.

In Brazil, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.

In Canada, Productivity is the real value of output produced by a unit of labor during a certain time.

The S&P Global Canada Services PMI is compiled by S&P Global from responses to questionnaires sent to a panel of around 400 service sector companies. The sectors covered include consumer (excluding retail), transport, information, communication, finance, insurance, real estate and business services. The panel is stratified by detailed sector and company workforce size, based on contributions to GDP. Survey responses indicate the direction of change compared to the previous month. The indices vary between 0 and 100, with a reading above 50 indicating an overall increase compared to the previous month, and below 50 an overall decrease. The headline figure is the Services Business Activity Index, which is a diffusion index calculated from a question that asks for changes in the volume of business activity compared with one month previously.