i Short answer
An impact filter lets you narrow an economic calendar to specific impact levels or currencies, focusing attention on genuinely relevant scheduled events.
📋 ON THIS PAGE
1. What an impact filter typically allows you to configure
Most economic calendar tools, allow filtering the displayed events by specific currency, impact level, or sometimes specific event category, letting you customise the view to show only genuinely relevant information rather than the complete, unfiltered list of every scheduled release globally.
2. Why filtering by currency matters for your specific traded pairs
Filtering your calendar view specifically to currencies relevant to your own focused pair selection, perhaps USD and ZAR , removes irrelevant clutter from currencies you don't actively trade, supporting clearer, more focused preparation.
- FSCA-regulated broker verified at fsca.co.za
- Demo account tested for minimum 60 days
- Trading plan written: entry, exits, position sizing
- Risk per trade defined (1-2% of account)
- Backup internet connection tested for load shedding
- Tax implications understood
3. Filtering by impact level
Filtering specifically for high-impact events, while excluding lower-impact releases less likely to produce meaningful market movement, helps you prioritise attention toward the scheduled events genuinely most relevant to anticipating potential volatility.
4. Avoiding information overload from unfiltered calendars
An unfiltered global economic calendar can display dozens of scheduled events across many countries and impact levels on any given day, creating genuine information overload that makes it harder to identify the specific, genuinely relevant releases amid this broader noise, filtering directly addresses this challenge by removing irrelevant entries entirely.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regulator | FSCA, fsca.co.za |
| Exchange control | SARB, resbank.co.za |
| Tax authority | SARS, sars.gov.za |
| JSE hours | 09:00-17:00 SAST Mon-Fri |
| Best forex session | 15:00-17:00 SAST |
| CGT annual exclusion | R50,000 (individuals) |
5. Setting up a filtered view for your own routine
Setting up your preferred filtered calendar view once, then consistently checking this same customised view as part of your regular routine, supports efficient, repeatable preparation rather than manually filtering through an unfiltered list each time.
6. The trade-off of filtering too aggressively
While filtering genuinely helps focus attention, filtering too aggressively risks missing a relevant development simply because it didn't meet your specific filter criteria, periodically reviewing your filter settings, and occasionally checking a broader, less filtered view, helps ensure you're not inadvertently excluding something important to your trading.
South African traders who maintain a weekly review routine, checking the SARB economic calendar for the coming week, reviewing the Eskom load shedding schedule, assessing the current GNU coalition stability backdrop, and marking key support and resistance levels on the instruments they trade, consistently outperform traders who approach each session without any structured preparation. This weekly routine takes 30 to 45 minutes and produces a clearer analytical framework that reduces impulsive decisions and improves the quality of trade selection throughout the week.
A news impact filter is a predetermined rule to avoid trading during high-impact economic events, typically 30-60 minutes either side of the release, applied consistently rather than decided each time.
★ Why It Matters
Something worth doing deliberately: filter specifically for medium-impact events too, not just high-impact ones, occasionally a medium-rated release surprises the market more than an expected high-impact one, because expectations were already well-priced for the high-impact event but not for the medium one.
✕ Common mistakes
- Setting up a filter once and never adjusting it. Your relevant currencies and impact thresholds may change over time.
- Assuming impact ratings are infallible predictors of actual market reaction. Ratings are a general guide, not a guarantee of the eventual reaction size.
- Not rebuilding a saved filter, leading to inconsistent calendar checking. Friction in resetting filters is often why calendar habits lapse.
Key Takeaways
- An impact filter lets you narrow an economic calendar to specific impact levels or currencies, focusing attention on genuinely relevant scheduled events.
- What an impact filter typically allows you to configure.
- Why filtering by currency matters for your specific traded pairs.
- Filtering by impact level.
- Avoiding information overload from unfiltered calendars.
The economic calendar widget includes a high impact filter and is free to embed.
See also: How Many Currency Pairs Should I Actually Trade? and What Is a Trading Session Clock and How Does It Help?.
Frequently asked follow-up questions
Do all economic calendar tools offer filtering functionality?
Most reputable calendar tools offer at least basic filtering by currency and impact level, though specific filter options vary by tool.
Should I filter out low-impact events entirely?
Many traders do focus primarily on medium and high-impact events, though occasionally checking lower-impact releases can still provide useful broader context.
Can I save multiple different filter configurations?
Some tools support saving different filtered views; checking your specific calendar tool's features clarifies what customisation options are available to you.
