The Forex Factory Calendar is a popular economic calendar for tracking scheduled events that can affect currency markets.
Instead of trying to predict every price movement, you can use an economic calendar to see what is coming up, which currency may be affected, how important the event is expected to be, and what the market was previously expecting.
For Money For My Beer readers, that distinction matters. Forex is very different from surveys, microtasks, or other forms of online income covered in our Beermoney category. Those opportunities generally involve completing work or earning rewards. Forex trading involves taking financial risk in a market where losses can happen quickly.
Quick answer: The Forex Factory Calendar is a popular economic calendar for tracking scheduled economic releases and other events that may affect currency markets. It shows information such as the event time, currency, expected impact, Forecast, Previous, and Actual results. It is useful for research and planning, but it is not a trading signal and cannot reliably predict whether a currency pair will rise or fall.
This guide explains how to use the Forex Factory Calendar, how to read its data, and how to use scheduled economic information for research and planning rather than treating the calendar as a guaranteed trading signal.
Last Reviewed: October 8, 2026
What Is the Forex Factory Calendar?
The Forex Factory Calendar is an online economic calendar that lists scheduled economic announcements and other market-related events.
The calendar includes information such as:
- Event date and time
- Currency
- Expected impact
- Event name
- Actual result
- Forecast
- Previous result
- Revisions
- Historical graphs
- Filters
- Calendar timezone
Forex Factory also notes that calendar times are approximate and can change. Its calendar includes high, medium, low, and non-economic impact classifications.
You can check the Forex Factory Calendar directly to see the latest scheduled events.
For readers who are new to Money For My Beer, you can also visit About Money For My Beer to learn more about the site, its author, and how we approach money and side-hustle topics.
Why Is the Forex Factory Calendar Useful?
Economic markets respond to new information.
Interest-rate decisions, inflation data, employment reports, economic growth figures, and other announcements can change expectations about an economy and its currency.
That makes the calendar useful even when you are not planning to place a trade.
For example, imagine you are researching EUR/USD and discover that an important euro-area economic release is scheduled shortly after the time you planned to review the market.
You now know that new information is about to become available.
That does not tell you whether EUR/USD will rise or fall.
It simply tells you that the market environment may change.
That is one of the most useful ways to think about an economic calendar:
It is a planning tool, not a prediction machine.
How to Read the Forex Factory Calendar
If you are opening the calendar for the first time, the number of events can look overwhelming.
The easiest way to understand it is to break each event into a few basic pieces.
1. Date and Time
The first thing to check is when the event is scheduled.
This is especially important when you follow markets across different time zones.
Forex Factory allows users to change the calendar timezone. Its calendar also warns that event times are approximate and subject to change.
Always confirm the timezone before planning around a release.
A timezone mistake can make an economic event appear to happen hours earlier or later than you expected.
2. Currency
The currency column identifies the economy associated with an event.
Common examples include:
- USD. United States dollar
- EUR. Euro
- GBP. British pound
- JPY. Japanese yen
- AUD. Australian dollar
- CAD. Canadian dollar
- NZD. New Zealand dollar
- CHF. Swiss franc
This does not mean only that currency will move.
Financial markets are interconnected, so important economic news can influence other currencies and markets as expectations change.
The currency field is best used as a way to determine whether an event is relevant to what you are researching.
3. Impact
Forex Factory categorizes events according to expected impact.
The current calendar includes high, medium, low, and non-economic classifications.
For a beginner, filtering the calendar can make it easier to focus on events that are expected to receive more attention.
But there is an important distinction:
High impact does not mean guaranteed large movement.
It also does not mean “buy” or “sell.”
It simply means the event is considered important enough to receive a higher expected-impact classification.
4. Forecast
Forecast is the expected figure shown before the release.
For example, an economic report may have a forecast for inflation, employment growth, retail sales, or another measure.
The forecast is useful because markets often react not simply to whether a number is good or bad, but to how the result compares with expectations.
5. Previous
Previous is the prior reported figure.
It gives you historical context and lets you compare the current expectation with what happened during the previous release.
Forex Factory also shows revisions where applicable. That matters because economic data can sometimes be revised after an initial publication.
6. Actual
Actual is the figure reported when the economic release occurs.
A simple way to remember the three key numbers is:
Previous = last reported result
Forecast = expected result
Actual = newly reported result
This is one of the most important concepts for anyone learning how to read an economic calendar.
Actual vs. Forecast vs. Previous. What Is the Difference?
Suppose an economic report shows:
Previous: 2.4%
Forecast: 2.6%
Actual: 3.0%
The Actual result came in above the Forecast.
That is useful information.
But it still does not mean you can automatically conclude that a particular currency pair will rise.
Market reactions can depend on the size of the surprise, what was already expected, revisions to previous figures, other economic information, central-bank expectations, and what investors had already priced into the market.
That is why reading the calendar is more useful than simply looking for a “green” or “red” number and assuming it tells you what to trade.
How to Filter the Forex Factory Calendar
The full calendar contains a large amount of information.
You usually do not need to monitor every event.
A better approach is to narrow the calendar based on what you are researching.
Filter by Currency
If you are following EUR/USD, for example, you may want to focus first on EUR and USD events.
If you are following USD/JPY, you can focus on USD and JPY.
This reduces noise and makes it easier to understand the relationship between scheduled events and the markets you are watching.
Filter by Impact
You can also focus on high-impact events when you are learning.
This is not because low- or medium-impact events never matter.
It simply gives a beginner a manageable starting point.
As you become more familiar with economic indicators, you can expand your research to include other releases.
Check the Date Range
Before an important trading session or research period, check the calendar for the day and week ahead.
This helps you identify clusters of economic releases rather than discovering them one at a time.
What Are High-Impact Forex News Events?
Some types of economic events tend to receive significant attention from financial markets.
Interest Rate Decisions
Central-bank interest-rate decisions can affect expectations about monetary policy.
The Federal Reserve, for example, publishes its own schedule of Federal Open Market Committee meetings. You can view the official FOMC calendar when you want to verify U.S. central-bank meeting dates.
For someone using the Forex Factory Calendar, a central-bank decision is therefore an event worth understanding before simply looking at the headline number.
Inflation Reports
Inflation data can influence expectations about future monetary policy.
For U.S. data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes official release schedules for the Consumer Price Index and other economic indicators. You can check the BLS 2026 release schedule when you want to verify official publication dates.
Using primary sources alongside an economic calendar can be useful when you want to verify the actual announcement rather than relying on a secondary calendar alone.
Employment Reports
Employment data can provide information about labor-market conditions.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the official Employment Situation schedule. You can check the official Employment Situation release schedule for upcoming U.S. employment reports.
Again, the Forex Factory Calendar can help you see that an event is scheduled, while the primary government source provides the underlying official release.
GDP and Economic Growth
GDP and related growth indicators provide information about economic activity.
These reports can be useful for understanding the broader economic picture rather than treating one number as an isolated trading signal.
Purchasing Managers’ Indexes
PMI releases can provide information about business conditions.
They are another example of an economic indicator that can become more useful when considered alongside other data.
How to Use the Forex Factory Calendar Before a Trading Session
You do not need to watch the calendar constantly.
A simple routine is often enough.
Step 1. Check the Upcoming Events
Look at the day’s scheduled releases.
Identify the currencies and events that are relevant to what you are researching.
Step 2. Check the Impact
Pay attention to events classified as high impact.
Then read the event itself instead of relying only on the color classification.
Step 3. Confirm the Time Zone
Make sure the calendar is showing the timezone you expect.
Forex Factory specifically notes that calendar times are approximate and can change.
Step 4. Read Previous and Forecast
Before the release, look at the previous number and the current forecast.
This gives you context for understanding the eventual Actual result.
Step 5. Decide Whether You Need to Act at All
This step is often overlooked.
Your decision does not have to be “trade.”
You might:
- Continue with your existing plan.
- Wait until the announcement has passed.
- Avoid opening a new position.
- Research the event without trading.
- Simply observe what happens.
Sometimes the most useful information an economic calendar provides is that you should pay attention before doing anything else.
Does the Forex Factory Calendar Predict Price Movement?
No.
It provides information about scheduled events and reported economic data.
It does not reliably tell you whether EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, or another pair will move higher or lower.
This distinction is important because some trading websites and social-media accounts present economic calendars as if they were trading signals.
The CFTC warns consumers to be cautious of forex promotions that promise outsized or guaranteed returns. It also notes that technology or trading programs cannot consistently predict the future.
An economic calendar gives you information.
What you do with that information involves uncertainty and risk.
Can the Forex Factory Calendar Help You Make Extra Money?
The calendar itself does not generate income.
It can help you become more aware of scheduled market events, but that is very different from having a reliable way to make money.
That distinction is particularly important on Money For My Beer because the site’s main audience also explores less speculative ways to earn extra income.
For example, you can compare forex with instant payout micro jobs, micro-task apps that pay via PayPal, or other opportunities in our Beermoney category.
Those activities have different risk profiles and are based on completing work or earning rewards.
Forex trading is fundamentally different.
You put capital at risk and the market determines the outcome.
The CFTC states that retail forex customers can lose money rapidly and that leverage can amplify both gains and losses. Its consumer guidance also recommends researching the dealer and checking registration and disciplinary history where applicable.
A Better Way to Think About Forex as a Side Hustle
The phrase “side hustle” can make forex sound similar to completing a survey or taking a freelance job.
It isn’t.
With a survey or microtask, you generally perform an activity in exchange for a stated reward.
With forex trading, you are accepting financial market risk in the hope that the outcome will be favorable.
That difference should influence how you approach it.
If your goal is simply to build extra spending money, Money For My Beer’s Beermoney category contains opportunities that work very differently from speculative trading.
You can also explore our Swagbucks vs. Prolific comparison when looking for research-based earning opportunities rather than market speculation.
These are not risk-free opportunities either, but they do not require you to treat a financial market as your source of income.
Common Forex Factory Calendar Mistakes
Mistake 1. Treating the Impact Color as a Signal
A high-impact classification does not mean that the price will definitely move in one direction.
Mistake 2. Ignoring the Time Zone
An incorrect timezone can cause you to misread when an announcement is scheduled.
Mistake 3. Looking Only at Forecast
Forecast is an expectation.
Once the release occurs, Actual becomes available.
Mistake 4. Assuming a Better Number Always Means a Stronger Currency
Markets are more complicated than that.
The significance of a number depends on context, expectations, other data, and broader market positioning.
Mistake 5. Assuming Volatility Means Easy Profit
Large price movement can create opportunity.
It can also create larger losses, slippage, wider spreads, and difficult execution.
Mistake 6. Ignoring Data Revisions
Previous figures can sometimes be revised.
That means the original number is not necessarily the final version of the data.
Forex Factory includes revision indicators where applicable.
Mistake 7. Trusting Promises of Guaranteed Returns
This is one of the biggest warning signs.
The CFTC advises consumers to be especially cautious about claims of outsized or guaranteed forex returns.
How to Use the Forex Factory Calendar for Research
One of the most useful ways to learn the calendar is to study it without immediately putting money at risk.
Pick an economic event.
Write down:
- Previous
- Forecast
- Actual
- Currency affected
- Time of release
- What happened in the market afterward
Then repeat the process.
You are building a research record rather than assuming that every event represents a trading opportunity.
This can also make the article useful for people searching for how to read a forex economic calendar, not just people searching for the exact phrase “Forex Factory Calendar.”
Forex Factory Calendar vs. Official Economic Sources
Forex Factory is useful because it organizes many scheduled events in one place.
But for important economic releases, you can also check the primary source.
For example:
Federal Reserve: official FOMC meeting information.
Bureau of Labor Statistics: official employment and inflation release schedules.
This approach gives you both convenience and verification.
A practical workflow is:
Calendar: Find the event.
Primary source: Verify the release.
Market data: Observe what happened.
Journal: Record what you learned.
That is more useful than relying on a calendar color as a trading signal.
How to Read a Forex Economic Calendar
If your main goal is learning rather than immediately trading, focus on the relationship between the event, the expectation, and the reported result.
A simple process is:
1. Find the event.
Identify the date, time, currency, and impact.
2. Check the Previous number.
Understand what was reported previously.
3. Check the Forecast.
See what the market was expecting.
4. Wait for the Actual number.
Compare the result with the forecast and previous reading.
5. Observe the market response.
Study what happened rather than assuming what should happen.
This process gives you a practical framework for understanding economic calendars without turning every release into a trading signal.
Forex Factory Calendar Time Zone: Why It Matters
Time-zone mistakes are easy to make when following international markets.
An event scheduled for a certain hour in New York may appear at a very different local time in Manila, London, Singapore, or another location.
Before using the calendar as part of a routine, check the calendar’s timezone setting and make sure it matches the timezone you actually use.
Also remember that scheduled economic release times can change.
For important announcements, checking the official source shortly before the release can provide an additional layer of verification.
What Does High Impact Mean on Forex Factory?
The impact classification is intended to help users understand which events may deserve more attention.
It should not be treated as a directional trading signal.
A high-impact event can result in a large market reaction, a smaller-than-expected reaction, or a reaction that differs from what traders anticipated.
That is why the impact rating should be treated as an attention indicator, not a forecast.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Forex Factory Calendar?
The Forex Factory Calendar is an economic calendar that lists scheduled economic events and related market information, including time, currency, expected impact, Actual, Forecast, and Previous values.
How do I read the Forex Factory Calendar?
Start with the event time, currency, impact rating, Forecast, Previous, and Actual result. The key idea is to understand what was expected and compare that expectation with what was eventually reported.
What do Actual, Forecast, and Previous mean on Forex Factory?
Previous is the prior reported figure. Forecast is the expected figure before the release. Actual is the newly reported figure.
What does high impact mean on Forex Factory?
It indicates an event that Forex Factory classifies as having a high expected impact. It is not a prediction that a currency pair will definitely move by a particular amount or in a particular direction.
Can Forex Factory predict forex prices?
No. It provides economic-event information and reported data. It does not reliably predict future currency prices.
Is the Forex Factory Calendar free?
The Forex Factory Calendar is publicly available online and provides its economic-event calendar and related information without requiring a paid calendar subscription.
What is the best timezone for the Forex Factory Calendar?
There is no universally correct timezone. Set the calendar to the timezone you actually use and double-check it before relying on a scheduled release time.
Should beginners trade during high-impact news?
There is no universal answer. High-impact releases can create rapidly changing market conditions and therefore can increase risk as well as movement. Learning how the calendar works without immediately trading is one way to become familiar with the information.
Can the Forex Factory Calendar guarantee extra income?
No. It is an information tool, not an income-generating system.
Final Thoughts
The biggest mistake you can make with the Forex Factory Calendar is thinking that it tells you when a profitable trade is waiting.
It doesn’t.
What it does is give you a structured view of scheduled economic information.
You can use it to understand:
- What economic events are coming.
- Which currencies are involved.
- How important an event is expected to be.
- What the previous result was.
- What economists expected.
- What was eventually reported.
- When you may want to pay closer attention to the market.
That makes the calendar valuable for research and preparation.
It also gives you a simple way to avoid being surprised by an important economic release.
For Money For My Beer readers, I would treat it as one research tool rather than a shortcut to extra income. Forex carries substantially different risks from the online earning opportunities in our Beermoney category.
And if your primary goal is simply to build extra spending money, it is worth comparing speculative approaches with practical alternatives such as instant payout micro jobs or micro-task apps that pay via PayPal.
You can also compare different types of online earning opportunities in our guides to Swagbucks vs. Prolific and other Beermoney opportunities.
Important Risk Note
This article is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, or trading advice.
Forex trading can involve substantial risk, especially when leverage is used. Rules, protections, and regulatory requirements vary by country.
Before depositing money with a forex dealer or broker, research the provider, understand the fees and risks, and check the relevant regulator for your jurisdiction. The CFTC’s forex consumer guidance provides information about researching forex dealers, leverage, and common risks.
Sources and Further Reading
These primary and regulatory sources were used to fact-check this guide:
- Forex Factory Calendar. Calendar fields, impact classifications, timezone information, filters, and current calendar functionality.
- Federal Reserve FOMC Meeting Calendar. Official Federal Reserve meeting dates and monetary-policy information.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics 2026 Release Schedule. Official U.S. release dates for employment, inflation, and other economic indicators.
- Investor.gov: Foreign Currency Exchange (Forex) Trading for Individual Investors. Forex mechanics, leverage, transaction costs, and risks.
- CFTC: Eight Things You Should Know Before Trading Forex. Retail forex risks, dealer research, leverage, fraud warnings, and regulatory considerations.
Editorial Note: This article is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, legal, tax, or trading advice. Forex trading involves significant risk, and rules and protections vary by country and financial product.
Also Read: NJ Lottery Payouts: Real Money or Hype for Side Hustlers?
Well, what do you think about the article?
Did you enjoy reading “Forex Factory Calendar: Timing Trades for Extra Cash”? We really hope that you have enjoyed.
If you have any thoughts or comments about this post, please feel free to share them in the comment section below. We appreciate your feedback and would be glad to hear from you.
To see more content like this check the Business section of Money For My Beer.
Chief Editor and Website Owner.
Hi, I’m Ryan. I write and edit everything on this site, which means I’m the last set of eyes on every post before it goes live. By day I’m a technical architect. I design and build enterprise systems, apps, websites, and the occasional game.
This site started because I wanted one place where money advice for regular people doesn’t read like it was written by a finance robot. My goal is simple: every article should be genuinely useful, actually tested against what real people are searching for, and written in plain English. No jargon, no “get rich quick,” no advice I wouldn’t follow myself.
You’ll see a lot of topics here that lean on my engineering background: software reviews, tools, and tech-adjacent money stuff. Where a topic needs real financial expertise, I say so plainly and point you to qualified sources rather than pretending.