How to Use an Economic Calendar
What Is an Economic Calendar?
An economic calendar lists scheduled economic data releases, central bank meetings, and political events that can impact financial markets. Each event includes a date, time, currency, previous value, forecast, and actual result. For Georgian traders, the most important events are US non-farm payrolls, Federal Reserve rate decisions, and European Central Bank meetings because USD and EUR pairs are widely traded. Local events like the National Bank of Georgia interest rate decision affect GEL pairs but are less liquid.
How to Read an Economic Calendar
First, set your time zone to Tbilisi (GET, UTC+4) on platforms like ForexFactory or Investing.com. Events are color-coded by impact: red for high, orange for medium, yellow for low. Focus on high-impact events because they cause the largest price swings. Check the 'previous' and 'forecast' columns to gauge market expectations. If the actual result differs significantly from the forecast, expect high volatility.
Steps to Use an Economic Calendar for Trading
Step 1: Open a free calendar from ForexFactory, Investing.com, or your broker's platform. Step 2: Filter by currency pairs you trade (e.g., USD, EUR, GEL). Step 3: Note the time of each event in Tbilisi time. Step 4: Decide whether to trade the news (high risk) or avoid trading during the release. Step 5: Set stop-loss orders wider than usual because volatility can spike. Step 6: After the release, wait 15–30 minutes for the market to stabilize before entering new trades.
Example for Georgian Traders
Suppose the US non-farm payrolls report is scheduled for Friday at 15:30 Tbilisi time. The forecast is 200,000 jobs added. If the actual result is 300,000, the USD may strengthen sharply. As a Georgian trader, you could short EUR/USD or buy USD/GEL. However, always use a stop-loss and avoid overleveraging. Many Georgian traders use USDT to fund accounts quickly and trade these events.