• Economic Report Descriptions
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Week 2

Note: All times are noted Eastern Time. These times are subject to change. Please check current listings for exact announcement times.

Retail Sales

• When it’s released: 8:30 a.m.
• Why it’s important: This indicator reflects consumer spending by reporting the total from sales receipts at stores selling durable and nondurable merchandise. Since consumer spending amounts to two-thirds the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), it is considered as a vital component of economic expansion.

PPI (Producer Price Index)

• When it’s released: 8:30 a.m.
• Why it’s important: The PPI measures prices of goods at the wholesale, or manufacturing, level. When inflation is low, this report looses some significance.

CPI (Consumer Price Index)

• When it’s released: 8:30 a.m.
• Why it’s important: The CPI is a measure of the average price level of a fixed basket of goods and services purchased by consumers. This report is regarded as key, because changes in the CPI indicate changes in the rate of inflation. (Inflation = the rise in cost of goods and services).

Philadelphia Fed Survey

• When it’s released: 12 p.m.
• Why it’s important: The “Philly Fed” is a regional manufacturing survey within the Philadelphia Federal Reserve district. This survey is widely followed, because it is held as an indicator of manufacturing trends and is correlated with the ISM. Traders use it to determine economic conditions in key markets.

Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization

• When it’s released: 9:15 a.m.
• Why it’s important: This report reflects the physical output of U.S. factories, mines and utilities. Capacity utilization rate measures the usage of resources among these companies.
• If the operating rate rises above 85%, it signals that factories and plants are approaching full capacity. While this report shows which sectors of the economy are strengthening, and which are not, Mother Market sometimes translates rising capacity utilization into a warning sign of impending inflation.

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