What is indicated by economic calendars in finance?

Economic calendars are essential tools in finance as they provide important dates for various market-related events. These calendars help investors, traders, and analysts to keep track of key economic indicators, such as unemployment rates, interest rate announcements, GDP releases, and other significant events that can impact financial markets. By being aware of these dates, market participants can make more informed decisions, strategize their investments, and prepare for potential market volatility tied to economic reports or geopolitical developments.

Regarding the context of the other options, routes of trade for commodities refers to logistics in supply chains rather than specific market events; comparative analysis of global markets is more about evaluating performance across countries, which does not directly relate to the scheduling of events; and historical stock performance data focuses on past performance metrics rather than upcoming events that might influence the markets. Thus, the accurate understanding of economic calendars highlights their role in informing participants about future events critical to market movements.