Market insights

Key Trading Events to Watch: December 15 - 17, 2025

ATC Broker 11 December, 2025

The first half of the December 15-21 week brings a wave of potentially high-impact economic releases that could impact financial markets. These key releases include the US Nonfarm Payrolls report, UK Employment Change data, and New Zealand's quarterly GDP, among others.

Whether you're trading the Chinese Yuan, British Pound, Euro, or US Dollar, understanding these events and their potential market implications will be essential for navigating what promises to be a data-intensive week.

Monday, December 15th 2025

Industrial Production (YoY) (Nov)

Mon, Dec 15th, 2025 at 02:00 GMT

Currency: CNY

Released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, Industrial output shows the volume of production of Chinese Industries such as factories and manufacturing facilities. A surge in output is regarded as inflationary which could prompt the People’s Bank of China to tighten monetary policy and fiscal policy risk. If high industrial production growth comes out, this could generate a positive sentiment (or bullish) for the CNY, whereas a low reading could be seen as negative (or Bearish) for the CNY.

Retail Sales (YoY) (Nov)

Mon, Dec 15th, 2025 at 02:00 GMT

Currency: CNY

Released monthly by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the Retail Sales data measures the value of goods sold by retailers in China. Changes in Retail Sales are widely followed as an indicator of consumer spending. Percent changes reflect the rate of changes in such sales, with the YoY reading comparing sales values in the reference month with the same month a year earlier. A high reading could be seen as bullish for the Renminbi (CNY), while a low reading could be seen as bearish.

BoC Consumer Price Index Core (YoY) (Nov)

Mon, Dec 15th, 2025 at 13:30 GMT

Currency: CAD

Released monthly by the Bank of Canada (BoC), the BoC Consumer Price Index Core represents changes in prices for Canadian consumers by comparing the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services. It is considered a measure of underlying inflation as it excludes eight of the most-volatile components: fruits, vegetables, gasoline, fuel oil, natural gas, mortgage interest, intercity transportation and tobacco products. The YoY reading compares prices in the reference month to the same month a year earlier. A high reading could be seen as bullish for the Canadian Dollar (CAD), while a low reading could be seen as bearish.

Consumer Price Index (YoY) (Nov)

Mon, Dec 15th, 2025 at 13:30 GMT

Currency: CAD

Released monthly by Statistics Canada, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) represents changes in prices for Canadian consumers by comparing the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services. The YoY reading compares prices in the reference month to the same month a year earlier. A high reading could be seen as bullish for the Canadian Dollar (CAD), while a low reading could be seen as bearish.

Tuesday, December 16th 2025

Claimant Count Change (Nov)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 07:00 GMT

Currency: GBP

Released by the UK Office for National Statistics, the Claimant Count Change presents the change in the number of unemployed people in the UK claiming benefits. There is a tendency for the metric to influence GBP volatility. A rise in the indicator could have negative implications for consumer spending and economic growth. A high reading could be seen as bearish for the Pound Sterling (GBP), while a low reading could be seen as bullish.

Employment Change (3M) (Oct)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 07:00 GMT

Currency: GBP

Released by the UK Office for National Statistics, Employment Change represents the change in the number of people who were employed in the UK in the three months to the release period. A healthy and consistent increase of this figure could be seen as bullish for the Pound Sterling (GBP), while a decrease could be seen as bearish.

ILO Unemployment Rate (3M) (Oct)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 07:00 GMT

Currency: GBP

The ILO Unemployment Rate released by the UK Office for National Statistics is the number of unemployed workers divided by the total civilian labour force. It is a leading indicator for the UK Economy. If the rate goes up, it could indicate a lack of expansion within the UK labour market. As a result, a rise may lead to a weakening of the UK economy. A decrease of the figure could be seen as bullish for the Pound Sterling (GBP), while an increase could be seen as bearish.

HCOB Composite PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 08:30 GMT

Currency: EUR

Released monthly by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB), the Composite Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a leading indicator of private sector activity in Germany across both manufacturing and services. Based on surveys of senior executives weighted by company size and sectoral contribution. It captures monthly changes in output, helping to anticipate shifts in GDP, industrial production, employment and inflation. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with 50.0 indicating no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the German private economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Euro (EUR). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity is declining, which could be seen as bearish for EUR.

HCOB Manufacturing PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 08:30 GMT

Currency: EUR

Released monthly by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB), the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a leading indicator of business activity in Germany’s manufacturing sector. Based on surveys of senior executives at private-sector firms, it tracks monthly changes in conditions and can signal emerging trends in GDP, industrial production, employment and inflation. As Europe’s main manufacturing hub, Germany’s PMI often serves as a bellwether for the sector’s health across the wider region. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with a reading of 50.0 indicating no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the manufacturing economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Euro (EUR). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity among goods producers is declining, which could be seen as bearish for EUR.

HCOB Services PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 08:30 GMT

Currency: EUR

The Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), released monthly by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB), is a leading indicator of business activity in Germany’s services sector. Based on surveys of senior executives at private-sector services companies, it tracks monthly changes in conditions and can signal emerging trends in GDP, employment and inflation. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with a reading of 50.0 indicating no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the services economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Euro (EUR). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity among service providers is declining, which could be seen as bearish for EUR.

HCOB Composite PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 09:00 GMT

Currency: EUR

Released monthly by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB), the Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is a key indicator of private-sector activity in the Eurozone, covering both manufacturing and services. It is based on surveys of senior executives, with responses weighted by each firm’s size and its share of sector output. The index reflects month-to-month changes in business conditions and can signal turning points in GDP, industrial production, employment and inflation. It ranges from 0 to 100, with a reading of 50.0 indicating no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the private economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Euro (EUR). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity is declining, which could be seen as bearish for EUR.

HCOB Manufacturing PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 09:00 GMT

Currency: EUR

Released monthly by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB), the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a leading indicator gauging business activity in the Eurozone manufacturing sector. The data is derived from surveys of senior executives at private-sector companies from the manufacturing sector. Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month and can anticipate changing trends in official data series such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial production, employment and inflation. The index varies between 0 and 100, with levels of 50.0 signalling no change over the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the manufacturing economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Euro (EUR). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity among goods producers is declining, which could be seen as bearish for EUR.

HCOB Services PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 09:00 GMT

Currency: EUR

The Services Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), released monthly by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB), is a key indicator of business activity in the Eurozone’s services sector. Given the sector’s substantial contribution to the economy, the Services PMI serves as an important gauge of overall economic conditions. The index is based on surveys of senior executives at private-sector services companies, with responses indicating month-to-month changes in activity. As a forward-looking measure, it can anticipate shifts in official data such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment and inflation. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with a reading of 50.0 signalling no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the services economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Euro (EUR). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity among services providers is declining, which could be seen as bearish for EUR.

S&P Global Composite PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 09:30 GMT

Currency: GBP

Released monthly by S&P Global, the Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is a leading indicator measuring private-sector business activity in the UK across both the manufacturing and services sectors. The index is based on surveys of senior executives, with each response weighted according to the size of the company and its contribution to overall sector output. Survey responses indicate whether activity has increased, decreased, or remained unchanged compared with the previous month, allowing the PMI to anticipate shifts in official data such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial production, employment and inflation. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with a reading of 50.0 signalling no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the UK private economy generally expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Pound Sterling (GBP). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity is declining, which could be seen as bearish for GBP.

S&P Global Manufacturing PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 09:30 GMT

Currency: GBP

Released monthly by S&P Global, the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is a key indicator of business conditions in the UK’s manufacturing sector. It is based on surveys of senior executives at private-sector firms, with responses indicating whether activity has risen, fallen or remained unchanged compared with the previous month. As such, the PMI can signal turning points ahead of official data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), industrial production, employment and inflation. The index ranges from 0 to 100, with a reading of 50.0 indicating no change from the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the manufacturing economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Pound Sterling (GBP). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity among goods producers is declining, which could be seen as bearish for GBP.

S&P Global Services PMI (Dec)

Tue, Dec 16th, 2025 at 09:30 GMT

Currency: GBP

The Services Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), released monthly by S&P Global, is a leading indicator gauging business activity in the UK’s services sector. Survey responses reflect the change, if any, in the current month compared to the previous month and can anticipate changing trends in official data series such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment and inflation. The index varies between 0 and 100, with levels of 50.0 signalling no change over the previous month. A reading above 50 could indicate that the services economy is expanding, which could be a bullish sign for the Pound Sterling (GBP). Meanwhile, a reading below 50 could signal that activity among service providers is declining, which could be seen as bearish for GBP.