9. The big picture: macro, markets and news

The big picture: macro, markets and news

The economy, the whole market and the news that moves it.

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  • 3 sections
  • 12 lessons
  • 47 min
About this chapter

This chapter zooms out from one company to the whole market: the economic calendar and statistics, inflation, currencies, world indices, sectors and themes, the heatmap, movers and halts, IPOs, sentiment and valuation, and the news and social feeds that move all of it.

What you will be able to do

  • Read the economic calendar: actual vs forecast vs prior, and why the surprise matters.
  • Read an economic statistic against its own history, and an inflation report by component.
  • Read a currency cross-rate matrix.
  • See which regions, sectors and themes lead or lag, and spot rotation.
  • Find the day's movers, new highs and lows, trading halts and IPOs.
  • Read a sentiment gauge and whole-market valuation ratios, with their limits.
  • Use the news feeds and social, newsletter and TV panes without drowning.

How the chapter is built

  1. The economy: ECO, ECST, CPI, FXC
  2. Markets: WEI, BI, THEM, RRG, HM, MAP, MOST, HILO, HALT, IPO, FNG, VAL
  3. News: TOP, N, CN, NI, FIRST, TWIT, SUB, TV, HN

Five words to know before starting

release
an official publication of an economic number, on a set date and time
consensus
the median forecast for a release
index
a measuring rule for a group of stocks
sector
a group of companies in the same kind of business
sentiment
how optimistic or fearful investors feel
  1. Section 14 lessons · 14 minThe economyReleases, statistics, inflation and currencies.
    1. 1.1The economic calendar (ECO)4 min
    2. 1.2Economic statistics (ECST)3 min
    3. 1.3Inflation by component (CPI)3 min
    4. 1.4Currencies and cross rates (FXC)3 min
  2. Section 26 lessons · 23 minMarketsIndices, sectors, the heatmap, movers, IPOs and sentiment.
    1. 2.1World indices and trading hours (WEI, MAP)4 min
    2. 2.2Sectors, themes and rotation (BI, THEM, RRG)4 min
    3. 2.3The market heatmap (HM)3 min
    4. 2.4Movers, new highs and lows, halts (MOST, HILO, HALT)4 min
    5. 2.5IPOs (IPO)3 min
    6. 2.6Sentiment and market valuation (FNG, VAL)4 min
  3. Section 32 lessons · 8 minNews and mediaTop stories, feeds, alerts, social, newsletters and TV.
    1. 3.1The news feeds (TOP, N, CN, NI, FIRST)4 min
    2. 3.2Social posts, newsletters, TV and tech news (TWIT, SUB, TV, HN)3 min

Educational material about reading market data, not investment advice.