Macro Education

Macro Dashboard: How to Read the Economy

Macro analysis is the study of how broad economic conditions influence policy, yields, currencies and asset valuations.

Four core pillars

InflationCPI, PCE, PPI and wage pressure.
EmploymentPayrolls, unemployment, job openings and wages.
GrowthGDP, PMIs, retail activity and industrial production.
PolicyCentral-bank rates, guidance, liquidity and balance sheets.

A simple transmission chain

Economic data influences policy expectations. Policy expectations influence yields and currency values. Those changes can then affect gold, equities, credit and crypto. This chain is not mechanical, but it is a useful framework.

Why surprises matter

Markets react to the difference between actual data and what was expected. The same absolute number can produce different reactions on different days depending on positioning and consensus.

Current U.S. context snapshot

As of July 2026, official U.S. data showed CPI rising 0.1% in July, unemployment at 4.1%, and payroll employment declining by 23,000 on a preliminary basis. These values are provided only as a dated educational snapshot; always verify the latest releases.

Sources & further reading

ZigWave AI summarizes concepts in original educational language. External sources remain the property of their publishers.