Economic Calendar - Currencies

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).

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 Australia, the Retail sales report provides an aggregated measure of sales of retail goods and services over a specific time period. In Australia, Retail sales are seasonal, volatile and relatively important to the overall economy.

In Australia, Home Loans record the value of new loans granted for owner-occupied homes. A housing unit is said to be owner-occupied if the owner or co-owner lives in the unit. It is a leading indicator of demand in the housing market.

In 2017 and 2018 Australia recorded trade surpluses mostly 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 and the biggest trade deficits with the United States, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. .

In Singapore, the Retail sales report provides an aggregated measure of sales of retail goods and services over a specific time period. In Singapore, Retail sales are seasonal, volatile and relatively important to the overall economy.

In Singapore, the year-over-year change in Retail sales compares the aggregated sales of retail goods and services during a certain month to the same month a year ago.

In Japan, the Monthly Consumer Confidence survey data is collected by direct visit and covers about 4,700 households consisting of more than two persons. The questionnaire covers four subjects: consumer perceptions of overall livelihood, income growth, employment and willingness to buy durable goods. For each subject an index based on the respondents’ evaluation of what they consider the prospects to be over the next six months is created. The Consumer Confidence Index is the simple average of the four consumer perception indexes. A score above 50 indicates optimism, below 50 shows lack of confidence and 50 indicates neutrality.

Germany runs regular trade surpluses since 1952, primarily due to strong exports of vehicles and other machinery. In 2021, the largest trade surpluses were recorded with the US, France, the UK, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Poland and Spain; while the biggest trade deficits were recorded with China, Ireland, Norway, Vietnam, Russia, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia and South Africa.

In Turkey, the most important categories in the consumer price index are food and non-alcoholic beverages (23.7 percent of total weight); housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (15.9 percent of total weight) and transportation (14.3 percent). Others include: furnishings, household equipment and routine maintenance (8 percent); hotels, cafes and restaurants (7.5 percent); clothing and footwear (7.4 percent); alcoholic beverages and tobacco (5 percent). The index also includes miscellaneous goods and services (4.7 percent); communication (4.4 percent); recreation and culture (3.8 percent); health (2.7 percent) and education (2.6 percent).

Producer prices change refers to year over year change in price of goods and services sold by manufacturers and producers in the wholesale market during a given period.

In Turkey, the Producer Price Inflation MoM measures a month-over-month change in the price of goods and services sold by manufacturers and producers in the wholesale market.

Inflation Rate MoM measures month over month change in the price of goods and services.

In France, industrial production measures the output of businesses integrated in industrial sector of the economy. Manufacturing is the most important sector and accounts for 86 percent of total production. The biggest segments within Manufacturing are: Food products and beverages (13 percent of total production); machinery and equipment goods (13 percent), of which computer, electronic and optical products (5 percent); basic metals and fabricated metal products (12 percent); other manufacturing, repair and installation of machinery and equipment (12 percent); transport equipment (10 percent); rubber and plastics products, and other non-metallic mineral products (8 percent); and chemicals and chemical products (6 percent). Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning account for 11 percent of total output, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation account for 1 percent and Mining and quarrying account also for 1 percent.

In Brazil, the IPC-Fipe Inflation MoM measures month-on-month inflation within the boundaries of the city of Sao Paulo and does not include prices in the wider metropolitan area. Economists see the FIPE index as an early gauge of Brazil's benchmark IPCA inflation index, which the central bank targets when setting interest rates. The Consumer Prices Index for the City of São Paulo is the most traditional indicator of the evolution of the cost of living of families in São Paulo city and one of the oldest indicators in Brazil. It was first calculated on January 1939 by the Statistics and Documentation Division of the São Paulo City Government. In 1968, the duty of calculating the index was transferred to the Institute of Economic Research linked to the Economics Department of USP and later on to Fipe, after its creation in 1973.

In Germany, the Germany Composite Output Index tracks business trends across both the manufacturing and service sectors, based on data collected from a representative panel of over 1,000 companies (50 percent from the manufacturing sector and 50 percent from the services sector). The index tracks variables such as sales, new orders, employment, inventories and prices. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in business activity and below 50 indicates that it is generally declining.