Country:
Importance:High
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Fed Chair Feb 2018 - Feb 2022. Fed Governor May 2012 - Jan 2028. The testimony usually comes in 2 parts: first he reads a prepared statement (a text version is made available on the Fed's website at the start), then the committee will hold a question and answer session. Since the questions are not known beforehand they can make for some unscripted moments that lead to heavy market volatility. As head of the central bank, which controls short term interest rates, he has more influence over the nation's currency value than any other person. Traders scrutinize his public engagements as they are often used to drop subtle clues regarding future monetary policy.

Country:
Importance:Medium
Previous:0.9%; 4.2%
Forecast:1.0%

Measures quarterly changes in Australian wages. Two versions of the Labor Price Index exist: one which includes bonuses, and one which excludes them. The Labor Price Index is similar to the US Employment Cost Index, an early indicator of wages pressure on inflation. An increase in the index suggests rising inflation pressures because firms tend to eventually pass higher labor costs onto consumers in the form of higher prices.

The headline figure is the quarterly percentage change in the Labor Price Index.

Technical note: The index is constructed by combining 8 separate indexes. The 4 wage price indices are:
• ordinary time hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses index
• ordinary time hourly rates of pay including bonuses index
• total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses index
• total hourly rates of pay including bonuses index

The 4 non-wage price indices are:
• annual and public holiday leave
• superannuation
• payroll tax
• workers' compensation

Country:
Importance:Low
Previous:0.5%; 2.2%
Forecast:0.5%; 2.2%

Assesses changes in the cost of living by measuring changes in the prices of consumer items. The CPI is the headline inflation figure that indicates the strength of domestic inflationary pressures. Simply put, inflation reflects a decline in the purchasing power of the Euro in France , where each Euro buys fewer goods and services. CPI is the most popular way to measure changes in purchasing power. The report tracks changes in the price of a basket of goods and services that a typical French household might purchase. An increase in the index indicates that it takes more Euros to purchase the same set of basic consumer items.