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Economic Data Guides

Evergreen guides for major economic indicators. Explains what each series measures, how it fits into the macro picture, and what surprises usually mean for FX, rates, equities, and commodities.

US Core Durable Goods Orders m/m — Indicator 1.21

Core durable goods orders m/m tracks the month-to-month percentage change in new orders placed with US manufacturers for long-lasting goods, excluding the most volatile components, typically transportation equipment (large aircraft, autos) and sometimes defense. It sits in the manufacturing and business-investment part of the economy, capturing early-stage demand from firms (capex, equipment, machinery) and, to […]

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US Construction Spending m/m — Indicator 1.22

US Construction Spending m/m tracks the month-over-month percentage change in total dollar outlays on construction projects—public and private, residential and non-residential. It sits on the “real economy” side of the US data grid: bricks, steel, labor and land rather than financial conditions directly. The data is monthly and quite lagging compared with surveys and housing […]

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US Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) — Indicator 1.23

Non-Farm Payrolls measure the monthly change in the number of employed people in the US economy, excluding farm workers, private household staff, and non-profit employees. It comes from the BLS “establishment survey” and captures how many jobs businesses are adding or cutting across most major sectors. This is core labour-market data: it sits in the […]

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US Unemployment Rate — Indicator 1.24

The US unemployment rate measures the share of the labour force that is without a job and actively looking for work. It’s usually the “U-3” rate: unemployed / labour force, reported monthly as a simple percentage (e.g. 4.0%). It sits in the core of the labour-market complex alongside Non-Farm Payrolls (1.23) and Average Hourly Earnings […]

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US Average Hourly Earnings m/m — Indicator 1.25

Average Hourly Earnings m/m measures the month-over-month percentage change in the average wage paid per hour to employees on non-farm payrolls. It’s a price-of-labour indicator: instead of tracking how many people are working (that’s NFP and the unemployment rate), it tracks how expensive labour is becoming. It’s released monthly alongside Non-Farm Payrolls (1.23) and the […]

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US ADP Non-Farm Employment Change — Indicator 1.26

ADP Non-Farm Employment Change is a monthly estimate of private-sector payroll growth in the United States, produced by ADP using its own payroll-processing data and a statistical model. It covers jobs at private businesses (no government) and is designed as an advance signal for the official Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment report, especially Non-Farm […]

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US Employment Cost Index q/q — Indicator 1.27

The US Employment Cost Index (ECI) measures the quarterly change in total compensation per employee—wages, salaries, and benefits—for civilian workers. It sits squarely in the labour-cost part of the macro machine: not about jobs quantity (like NFP) but jobs price (what it costs firms to employ people). It’s compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, […]

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US JOLTS Job Openings — Indicator 1.28

JOLTS Job Openings measures the number of unfilled positions that employers are actively recruiting for across the US economy. It captures labour demand, not employment itself: how many jobs firms would like to fill, rather than how many people are currently employed. It’s a monthly release, published with a relatively long lag (data for month […]

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US Challenger Job Cuts y/y — Indicator 1.29

The US Challenger Job Cuts report tracks announced corporate layoffs, measured as the number of planned job cuts compared with the same month a year earlier (y/y). It’s compiled monthly by Challenger, Gray & Christmas using public company announcements, press releases and filings. This sits upstream of the labor market: it’s about employers’ planned reductions, […]

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US Retail Sales m/m — Indicator 1.30

US Retail Sales m/m measures the month-to-month percentage change in the total value of receipts at retail and food services outlets. It captures nominal consumer spending on goods (and some services) at the cash register — from autos and gasoline to clothing, electronics, restaurants and online sales. It sits directly in the household demand part […]

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