Step 6 - Economic Factors
There are many economic factors that can affect the stock market. The following are some key figures that investors typically monitor very closely:
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Here are some sites that provide current statistics of key economic indicators:
Wachovia Corporation - Economic Indicator Analysis, Weekly Economic Report, Monthly Economic Report, and much more!
Bureau of Economic Analysis - Provides an overview of the U.S. economy
You can view upcoming economic events using the following financial calendars:
Bloomberg - The site provides an economic calendar that allows you to click on "consensus" and obtain information about the expected outcome of the event and why it is important to investors.
The Street - This calendar provides the previous and expected values for various economic reports.
Yahoo Finance - Similar to "The Street" calendar.