Second-tier data releases that still move pairs
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2026 8:04 pm
Everyone knows about payrolls and CPI. Plenty of smaller releases move specific pairs enough to wreck a scalp.
Examples include purchasing manager indices, retail sales from smaller economies, trade balances, and regional surveys. The Australian jobs report, New Zealand's dairy auction, Swiss CPI and Canadian employment data regularly cause sharp moves on their pairs.
These events are often missed by traders who only check the red-flag items. A calendar filtered to the currencies being traded, with medium impact included, catches most of them.
Scalpers on AUD, NZD, CAD and CHF pairs especially should treat their home calendars seriously. A move of 30 pips on an unexpected figure is common.
Another source is speeches by central bank officials. A comment from a governor can move a currency as much as data.
Preparation is simple: set alerts for events on the currencies in play, and decide in advance whether to trade, reduce size or step aside.
Which smaller releases have bitten you most?
Examples include purchasing manager indices, retail sales from smaller economies, trade balances, and regional surveys. The Australian jobs report, New Zealand's dairy auction, Swiss CPI and Canadian employment data regularly cause sharp moves on their pairs.
These events are often missed by traders who only check the red-flag items. A calendar filtered to the currencies being traded, with medium impact included, catches most of them.
Scalpers on AUD, NZD, CAD and CHF pairs especially should treat their home calendars seriously. A move of 30 pips on an unexpected figure is common.
Another source is speeches by central bank officials. A comment from a governor can move a currency as much as data.
Preparation is simple: set alerts for events on the currencies in play, and decide in advance whether to trade, reduce size or step aside.
Which smaller releases have bitten you most?