The volatile stock market is turning serious investors into macroeconomic-data junkies. Yet understanding just what the economic statistics mean, their place in the actual machinations of the economy and financial markets, and how to decipher the market's likely reactions to the latest pronouncements is a daunting challenge. Interpreting and applying effectively the complex cocktail of statistical data to investment decision making can be overwhelming. This book hones in on the dozen most important economic statistics observed on Wall Street today and points out the role that each plays in moving markets. It highlights the key interrelationships that each statistic possesses in and among the other economic indicators, and outlines their practical significance to investors. An extremely readable desk reference written from the combined perspective of a former trader, academic, and current Wall Street economist, "The Trader's Guide to Key Economic Indicatorswill lead readers through the mists of information, revealing what these important measures are and what they really mean.