Stay on top of important announcements and meetings by checking the economic, earnings and options calendars.

Earnings Calendar
Scheduled earnings announcement dates, including EPS estimates and time of day day. Stocks tend to be unpredictable in earnings season, often moving in one direction prior to the announcement only to move in the opposite direction after the earnings.

Upgrades/Downgrades/Price Target Calendar
An important aspect of market analysis is the “analysis of the analysts”. The opinions of analysts at major firms can have a big impact on how a stock trades. They aren’t always right; but we are less concerned about whether they are right or wrong…and more concerned about what the market thinks about their opinion. Excessive bullishness, combined with a parabolic move in a stock, often results in a meaningful top. Pervasive bearishness among analysis can typically signal that the end of a downtrend is approaching. One aspect of the analysis of analysts that is often overlooked is the grouping of price targets on stocks. When a preponderance of analysts (or even one prominent analyst) share the same price target, the result is latent (invisible) selling pressure (on upside targets) and buying pressure (on downside targets). This latent pressure won’t show up on price charts but is certainly there. So as a part of your analysis, always check the price targets, as well as the recent actions of analysts.

Economic Calendar
A calendar on Briefing.com of all scheduled dates for release of economic statistics. Once on this page, click on each term for a historical charts, key factors that impact the economic data, an explanation of the implications the data has for future economic conditions, and an “Importance Rating” — that is, how important is data to the economy and the market. (E.g., Auto and Truck Sales rates a C- while Nonfarm Payrolls rates an A.)

Options Expiration Calendar
Options expire on the third Friday of each month. Large options traders typically sell “front month” options to take advantage of time decay. As the options expiration date approaches, they will “roll out” to the next month, closing current options.