Indicators are an essential tool for success in any area, from education to finance and the economy. Indicators allow us to measure the current state of something and to predict future trends. In the context of finance, indicators are statistics that measure insider details like economic growth, performance, and profitability.

Economic indicators are a key part of government and central bank policy, as well as a measuring stick for investors. By tracking economic indicators, investors can anticipate public policy changes and indicators of potential volatility, giving them an edge when positioning their portfolios. Common economic indicators include the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP), output, unemployment, household debt levels, housing starts, inflation, and government borrowing.

In the context of technical analysis, indicators are applied to the trading charts to analyze and interpret the patterns, trends, and changes in stocks and the markets. Technical indicators use historical data and track statistics, such as quantity, momentum, and volume. For example, the moving average is a type of technical indicator. It smoothethes the given data, reducing the past volatility and highlighting the most important trends and averages.

Another type of indicator is the Key Performance Indicator (KPI). KPIs measure the success of a company or sector against specific targets or objectives. For example, KPIs can track customer loyalty, operational efficiency, working capital management, supply chain management, and more. The most common KPIs used to measure a company’s profitability include gross margin, operating margin, net margin, and return on equity (ROE).

Indicators are an essential tool for assessing the current state of the economy or any sector within it. Moreover, indicators allow investors to anticipate changes in public policy and to identify potential volatility in the stock markets. Additionally, indicators applied to technical analysis tracking the patterns, trends, and changes in stocks and the markets, and the KPIs used to measure a company’s profitability can all be invaluable to investors.