Economic Calendar - Currencies

In New Zealand, the business confidence index is designed to provide a snapshot of business opinions regarding the expected future state of their business and economy overall. The survey covers around 700 respondents. The Net index is calculated by subtracting the percentage number of businesses that expect that the economic situation improves from the number that expect decline.

Building Capital Expenditure in Australia is measured as the quarter-on-quarter change. The Survey of New Capital Expenditure includes the following industries classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification, ANZSIC, 2006: Mining, Manufacturing & Other selected industries such as Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services, Construction, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Transport, Postal and Warehousing, Information Media and Telecommunications Finance and, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

Private investment in Australia refers to quarter on quarter change in Private Capital Expenditure. The Capital Expenditure Survey in Australia includes the following industries: Mining, Manufacturing & Other selected industries such as Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services, Construction, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Transport, Postal and Warehousing, Information Media and Telecommunications Finance and Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

Plant Machinery Capital Expenditure is measured as the quarter-on-quarter change. The Survey of New Capital Expenditure includes the following industries classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification, ANZSIC, 2006: Mining, Manufacturing & Other selected industries such as Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services, Construction, Wholesale Trade, Retail Trade, Transport, Postal and Warehousing, Information Media and Telecommunications Finance and, Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

In Japan, interest rates are set by the Bank of Japan's Policy Board in its Monetary Policy Meetings. The BoJ's official interest rate is the discount rate. Monetary Policy Meetings produce a guideline for money market operations in inter-meeting periods and this guideline is written in terms of a target for the uncollateralized overnight call rate.

In Japan, interest rates are set by the Bank of Japan's Policy Board in its Monetary Policy Meetings. The BoJ's official interest rate is the discount rate. Monetary Policy Meetings produce a guideline for money market operations in inter-meeting periods and this guideline is written in terms of a target for the uncollateralized overnight call rate.

In Japan, construction orders data refer to the value of new orders for construction work received during the month by 50 major constructors. Figures refer to the value of original contracts and construction for own use but not the value of subcontracted orders. .

Coincident Index correlates with the business cycle, and is used to identify the current state of the economy. In general, increasing coincident index shows that the economy is in an expansion phase, and decreasing coincident index reflects that the economy is in a contraction phase. The index is calculated using month-over-month percentage changes in 11 leading indicators, 11 coincident indicators, and 6 lagging indicators.

In Japan, housing starts refers to the year-on-year change in volume of new housing construction started.

In Japan, the Leading Composite Index consists of 12 indexes such as account inventory ratios, machinery orders, stock prices and other leading economic indicators. The index anticipates changes in the direction of the Japanese economy in the coming months. In general, increase in the index reflects that the economy is in an expansion phase, and decreasing coincident index reflects that the economy is in a contraction phase. The index is used to make official judgement on when the business cycle begins and ends.

The Turkish trade balance has been in deficit since 1947. Turkey major exports are road vehicles, textiles, iron and steel, clothing and food, while imports were machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, mineral fuels and lubricants and chemicals. The biggest trade deficits were recorded with China, Russia, Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, India, Iran and Japan; and the largest surpluses were recorded with Iraq, the UAE, the UK, Israel, Syria, Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan.

Turkey's major exports are: machinery and transport equipment (31 percent of total exports), of which road vehicles (15 percent) and electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances (6 percent); manufactured goods (25 percent), of which textile yarn, fabrics, made-up articles (7 percent), iron and steel (6 percent) and manufactures of metals (4 percent); miscellaneous manufactured articles (18 percent), of which articles of apparel and clothing accessories (10 percent); food and live animals (9 percent), of which fruits and vegetables (4 percent); chemicals and related products (6 percent); and gold,non-monetary (4 percent). Turkey's main export partners were: Germany (10 percent of total exports); the UK, the UAE, Iraq and the US (6 percent each); Italy (5 percent); France and Spain (4 percent each).

Turkey's main imports are machinery and transport equipment (31 percent of total imports), of which road vehicles (7 percent) and electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances (6 percent); manufactured goods (16 percent), of which iron and steel (5 percent); mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (16 percent), of which petroleum and petroleum products (4 percent); chemicals and related products (13 percent), of which plastics (4 percent); gold, non-monetary (7 percent); crude materials, inedible, except fuels (7 percent); miscellaneous manufactured articles (6 percent); and food and live animals (4 percent). The country's main imports' sources were: China (10 percent of total imports); Germany (9 percent); Russia (8 percent); the US and Italy (5 percent each); France, Iran, Switzerland, South Korea, the UK, Spain and India (3 percent each).

In Switzerland, Non Farm Payrolls include employee jobs in secondary and tertiary sectors, self-employed jobs, apprentices and business owners.

In Switzerland, the CS-CFA Society Economic Sentiment Index measures the level of optimism that analysts have about the expected economic developments over the next 6 months. The survey covers up to 350 financial and economic analysts. The index is constructed as the difference between the percentage share of analysts that are optimistic and the percentage of analysts that are pessimistic about the development of the economy. Therefore, the indicator measures the confidence on a scale of -100 (all analysts expect the economy to deteriorate) up to 100 (all analysts expect it to improve). A 0 value indicates neutrality.

In China, Foreign Direct Investment refers to foreign capital actually utilized, which is to the amount which has been actually used according to the agreements and contracts, including cash, materials and invisible capital such as labor service and technology which both parties agree to take as an investment.

The IGP-M Inflation Index in Brazil is an index that measures and tracks the changes in price of goods in the stages before the retail level. Wholesale price indexes (WPIs) report monthly to show the average price changes of goods sold in bulk, and they are a group of the indicators that follow growth in the economy.

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

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