United States USD

United States Washington's Birthday

Impact:
Low

Next Release:

Date:
Period:
What Does It Measure?
Washington's Birthday, also known as Presidents' Day, is a public holiday in the United States that does not measure a specific economic performance indicator; however, it can provide insights into consumer behavior and retail activity during the holiday shopping season. The primary focus of this event is on consumer spending, which indirectly assesses employment, production, and overall economic conditions.
Frequency
Washington's Birthday occurs annually on the third Monday of February and does not have a report or data release associated with it.
Why Do Traders Care?
Traders care about Washington's Birthday primarily due to its implications for retail sales and consumer spending, which can impact economic forecasts and market movements. Increases in sales during this holiday may indicate strong consumer confidence, beneficial for markets, particularly for retail stocks as well as for the broader economy.
What Is It Derived From?
While Washington's Birthday itself is a holiday rather than an indicator, economic activity during this time can be tracked through various retail sales reports that estimate consumer spending. These reports often gather data from a wide range of retailers, employing methodologies such as surveys and point-of-sale data to assess sales figures.
Description
Washington's Birthday has no formal economic data release but serves as an informal indicator of consumer sentiment and spending habits during a significant retail holiday. Following this holiday, many economic reports such as retail sales data are released, which reflect spending changes and consumer confidence levels.
Additional Notes
Although Washington's Birthday itself is not an economic measure, it can be seen as a coincident indicator of retail performance and consumer behavior trends leading up to and following the holiday. Comparing retail sales data from this indirect observation with other holidays can yield insights into economic resilience and shifting consumer patterns.
Bullish or Bearish for Currency and Stocks
Since there are no specific forecasts associated with Washington's Birthday, there is no direct numerical expectation to evaluate a bullish or bearish impact for currencies or stocks. However, strong retail sales figures during the weeks surrounding this holiday could signal positive economic momentum, generally viewed as bullish for markets.

Legend

High Potential Impact
This event has a strong potential to move markets significantly. If the 'Actual' value differs enough from the forecast or if the 'Previous' value is significantly revised, it signals new information that markets may rapidly adjust to.

Medium Potential Impact
This event may cause moderate market movement, especially if the 'Actual' deviates from the forecast or there's a notable revision to the 'Previous' value.

Low Potential Impact
This event is unlikely to affect market pricing unless there's an unexpected surprise or a major revision to prior data.

Surprise - Currency May Strengthen
Actual deviated from Forecast on a medium or high impact event and historically could strengthen the currency.

Surprise - Currency May Weaken
Actual deviated from Forcast on a medium or high impact event and historically could weaken the currency.

Big Surprise - Currency More Likely To Strengthen
'Actual' deviated from 'Forecast' more than 75% of historical deviations on a medium or high impact event and may likely strengthen the currency.

Big Surprise - Currency More Likely To Weaken
'Actual' deviated from 'Forecast' more than 75% of historical deviations on a medium or high impact event and may likely weaken the currency

Green Number Better than forecast for the currency (or previous revise better)
Red Number Worse than forecast for the currency (or previous revise better)
Hawkish Supports higher interest rates to fight inflation, strengthening the currency but weighing on stocks.
Dovish Favors lower rates to boost growth, weakening the currency but lifting stocks.
Date Time Actual Forecast Previous Surprise