Your guide to the upcoming market events that drive volatility across indices, currencies, commodities and shares. See what is scheduled, why it matters, and how to read it.
The basics
A market mover is a scheduled or anticipated event that can shift the price of financial instruments, often sharply. Central bank decisions, inflation and jobs data, company earnings, index rebalances, the expiry of options and futures, and high-profile new listings all qualify. Because most are scheduled in advance, you can prepare for them rather than be caught out.
This hub brings the calendar together in one place: what is coming up, why each event matters, and links to guides on how each one works. For exact timings, consensus forecasts and previous readings, pair it with the live economic calendar.
The calendar
Watch: US dollar, US indices, gold, bond yields
The August payrolls report, alongside the unemployment rate and average hourly earnings. It is the only jobs report before the September Fed meeting, so it carries more weight than usual in shaping expectations for the decision less than two weeks later.
Watch: US dollar, bond yields, US indices
August producer prices, measuring inflation at the wholesale level. This month it lands the day before CPI rather than after, so it sets the tone for how the following day's consumer inflation figure is read rather than confirming it.
Watch: US dollar, US indices, gold, bond yields
August CPI, with core CPI watched most closely as a guide to the underlying trend. Landing less than a week before the Fed decision, it is the last major inflation print the committee sees before voting.
Watch: US dollar, US indices, gold, bond yields
This meeting includes a fresh set of economic projections and an updated "dot plot", which can reset expectations for the rest of the year.
Watch: US dollar, US indices, consumer and retail shares
Advance retail sales for August, released the same day as the Fed's rate decision. A surprise either way gives the market a second data point to weigh alongside the statement and press conference.
Watch: US index CFDs, individual shares, volume and liquidity
The third-quarter expiry and rebalance. Expect heavier volume and the potential for sharper moves around the close, as in March and June.
Watch: US dollar, bond yields, gold, US indices
The full account of the September meeting, published three weeks after the decision. Because this was a projections meeting, the minutes are watched closely for how divided the committee was on the pace of any further moves.
Watch: US bank shares first, then big tech, plus related index CFDs
The third-quarter reporting season opens with the major US banks, followed by the large technology names. As ever, the reaction tends to hinge on results and guidance relative to expectations.
Watch: US dollar, US indices, gold, bond yields
A scheduled decision without updated projections, landing in the middle of Q3 earnings season. The combination can lift volatility across US assets.
Watch: US dollar, US indices, gold, bond yields
The last meeting of 2026 includes updated projections and sets the tone heading into the new year.
Watch: US index CFDs, individual shares, technology names, volume
The December expiry coincides with the most significant index review of the year, when constituents and weights are reset and tracking funds trade large volumes to realign. Changes are typically announced about a week before and take effect the following Monday.
Watch: US dollar, US indices, gold, bond yields
The Committee's first scheduled meeting of 2027, without updated projections. Voting membership also rotates at the year's first meeting, as regional Fed presidents cycle onto the voting seats, which can shift the tone of the statement independent of the data.
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The method
Most scheduled events follow a familiar rhythm. Understanding it helps you make sense of price action rather than be surprised by it. This is general education, not advice on any position.
Markets often move in the days before an event as participants position for the likely outcome. By the time the event arrives, a great deal may already be reflected in the price.
What tends to move prices is the gap between the result and what was expected. A strong figure that was already anticipated can prompt little reaction, while a small surprise can move markets sharply.
Around major events, spreads can widen, prices can gap between levels, and volume can spike. Conditions can change quickly in the minutes around a release.
Because leverage amplifies both gains and losses, position size, the role and limits of stop orders, and your total exposure matter most when volatility is high. Consider seeking independent advice if you are unsure.
ThinkTrader + AI
ChelseaAI connects your live ThinkTrader account to an MCP-compatible AI assistant such as Claude, ChatGPT or Grok. Around the events on this page, you can ask it to analyse current market conditions, review your positions and exposure, and act on your instructions, all in one conversation.
ChelseaAI is an interface, not an adviser: it carries out what you ask and does not provide recommendations or investment advice. Connect a live or demo account, choose read-only or full access, and revoke it at any time.
The categories
Different events move markets for different reasons. Explore each category and read the linked guides to understand them in depth.
Interest rate decisions, inflation and jobs data shape currencies, bond yields and equity valuations worldwide.
Quarterly results and guidance can reprice individual shares and, when the largest companies report, whole indices.
High-profile listings draw attention long before they trade. Understand the timelines, valuations and instruments involved.
Index reshuffles and the simultaneous expiry of options and futures drive mechanical, high-volume trading on set dates.
Crypto has its own calendar of supply and sentiment events that can spill over into related shares and indices.
Elections, policy regimes and long-run themes set the backdrop against which shorter-term events play out.
FAQ
A market event is a scheduled or anticipated occurrence that can affect the price of financial instruments. Examples include central bank interest rate decisions, company earnings reports, index rebalances, the expiry of options and futures, and high-profile new listings. Because many of these are scheduled in advance, traders can prepare for the potential rise in volatility.
Triple witching is the simultaneous expiry of stock options, stock index options and stock index futures. It happens on the third Friday of March, June, September and December. The clustering of expiries, often alongside index rebalancing, tends to produce a sharp increase in trading volume and can lead to larger price swings, particularly in the final hour of trading. When single-stock futures are included, the same event is sometimes called quadruple witching.
Index providers periodically review which companies belong in an index and how much weight each one carries. When a company is added, removed or reweighted, the funds that track that index must adjust their holdings to match. Because those funds manage very large sums, the buying and selling around a rebalance can move the affected shares and the index itself, even without any change in the underlying companies.
Interest rates influence the cost of borrowing, the return on savings and the relative appeal of one currency over another. A decision, or even a change in tone about future decisions, can therefore ripple through currencies, bonds, equities and commodities at once. Markets usually price in an expected outcome ahead of time, so the reaction often depends on how the decision and the accompanying commentary compare with those expectations.
Preparation is about understanding rather than prediction. Know when the event is scheduled and what the market expects, using a tool such as the economic calendar. Be aware that spreads can widen and prices can gap in volatile conditions, and understand how leverage affects your exposure and the role and limitations of risk-management tools such as stop orders. Trading on leverage carries a high risk of loss, so consider seeking independent advice if you are unsure whether it is suitable for you.
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