Intermediate course
Fundamental Analysis
Central banks, interest rates, inflation, jobs data, the economic calendar and market mood. Learn what moves currencies and how to follow it without a degree in economics.
9 lessons · 70 minutes · Free
Free. Enrol to open the lessons; your progress and certificate are saved to your account.
Free certificate
Mark every lesson complete and pass the final quiz with 70% or more to get a certificate of completion. You can download it as a PDF or share it on LinkedIn.
Get your certificateCharts tell you what price is doing. Fundamentals tell you why. You do not need to forecast the economy to trade well, but you do need to know what is scheduled, what the market expects, and which way a surprise pushes.
This course keeps the economics to what matters for a trader: rates, inflation, jobs, growth, mood. Everything else is detail.
Lessons
- 1What moves currenciesFive forces explain most of what a currency does. Learn them, and the news starts to make sense.
- 2Central banks and interest ratesHow a rate decision becomes a move in the exchange rate, and why the market often moves before the decision rather than after it.
- 3Inflation and CPIWhy a monthly price index moves the currency market more than almost anything else, and how to read a release.
- 4Jobs data and NFPThe first Friday of every month, one report sets the tone for the dollar. Learn what it contains and how to survive it.
- 5GDP and the growth cycleEconomies move in cycles, central banks respond to them, and currencies follow. Learn where in the cycle to look.
- 6Using the economic calendarThe one page every trader should open before the session. Learn to read it, rank it and plan around it.
- 7Risk-on and risk-offSome days every chart moves together. Learn to read the market's mood and which currencies it favours.
- 8Commodities and currency correlationsWhy the Canadian dollar follows oil, the Australian dollar follows iron ore, and what that means for the pairs you trade.
- 9Course check: test yourselfFlashcards for the fundamentals vocabulary, and ten questions across rates, inflation, jobs, growth, the calendar and market mood.