Analyse economic trends

Analyse developments in national or international trade, business relations, banking, and developments in public finance and how these factors interact with one another in a given economic context.

investigate economic trends
investigate economic movements
test economic trends
scrutinise economic trends
assess economic trends
test economic movements
scrutinise economic movements
assess economic movements

skill/competence

cross-sector

Analyse economic trends is an essential skill of the following occupations:

Foreign exchange trader: Foreign exchange traders buy and sell foreign currencies in order to secure a profit on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. They undertake technical analysis of economic information (market liquidity and volatility ) to predict the future rates of currencies on the foreign exchange market. They trade on their own name or for their employers.
Securities analyst: Securities analysts perform research activities to gather and analyse financial, legal and economic information. They interpret data on the price, stability and future investment trends in a certain economic area and make recommendations and forecasts to business clients.
Business economics researcher: Business economics researchers conduct research on topics regarding economy, organisations, and strategy. They analyse macroeconomic and microeconomic trends and use this information to analyse the positions of industries or specific companies in the economy. They provide advice regarding strategic planning, product feasibility, forecast trends, emerging markets, taxing policies, and consumer trends.
Commodity broker:
Commodity brokers act as intermediary between buyers and sellers of movable and immovable property such as raw materials, livestock or real estate. They negotiate prices and receive a commission from the transactions. They research market conditions for specific commodities in order to inform their clients. They make bid offers and calculate the cost of transactions.
Economic policy officer: Economic policy officers develop economic strategies. They monitor aspects of economics such as competitiveness, innovation and trade. Economic policy officers contribute to the development of economic policies, projects and programs. They research, analyse and assess public policy problems and recommend appropriate actions.
Stock trader: Stock traders use their technical expertise of financial markets performance to advise and make recommendations to asset managers or shareholders for a profitable investment strategy, keeping in mind the company’s performance. They use stock market trading operations and deal with a wide array of taxes, commissions and fiscal obligations. Stock traders buy and sell bonds, stocks, futures and shares in hedge funds. They perform detailed micro- and macroeconomic and industry specific technical analysis.
Securities trader: Securities traders purchase and sell securities such as stocks, bonds and shares on their own account or on their employers account based on their expertise in the financial markets. They monitor the performance of the securities traded, assessing their stability or speculative tendancies. Securities brokers calculate the securities price and place orders. They record and file all securities transactions and take care of their financial documents.
Economic adviser: Economic advisers research economic developments and advise on economic problems. They forecast trends and behaviour in economics, and advise on finance, trade, fiscal and other related matters. They advise companies and organisations on techniques to gain economic profit.
Financial trader: Financial traders buy and sell financial products such as assets, shares and bonds for private clients, banks or companies. They monitor the financial markets closely and aim to maximise profit and to minimise risk through their transactions.
Market research analyst: Market research analysts collect the information gathered in the market research and study it to draw conclusions. They define the potential customers of a product, the target group and the way they can be reached. Market research analysts analyse the position of products in the market from different perspectives such as features, prices and competitors. They analyse cross selling and interdependencies between different products and their placement. Market research analysts prepare information helpful for the development of marketing strategies.
Securities underwriter: Securities underwriters administer the distribution activities of new securities from a business company. They work in close connection with the issuing body of the securities in order to establish the price and buys and sells them to other investors. They receive underwriting fees from their issuing clients.
Investment fund management assistant: Investment fund management assistants provide clients with financial planning advice on financial products and serve as the main contact point for new and old clients. They assist and perform preparatory work in the creation and administration of funds and help with the implementation of fund management decisions made by the portfolio or fund manager.
Economist: Economists perform research and develop theories in the field of economics, whether for microeconomic or macroeconomic analysis. They study trends, analyse statistical data, and to some extent work with economic mathematical models in order to advise companies, governments, and related institutions. They advise on product feasibility, trend forecasts, emerging markets, tax policies, and consumer trends.
Economic development coordinator: Economic development coordinators outline and implement policies for the improvement of a community’s, government’s or institution’s economic growth and stability. They research economic trends and coordinate cooperation between institutions working in economic development. They analyse potential economic risks and conflicts and develop plans to resolve them. Economic development coordinators advise on the economic sustainability of institutions and economic growth.
Central bank governor: Central bank governors set the monetary and regulatory policy, determine interest rates, maintain price stability, control the national money supply and issuance and foreign exchange currency rates and gold reserves. They oversee and control the banking industry.
Product manager: Product development managers are responsible for managing the lifecycle of a product. They research and develop new products in addition to managing existing ones through market research and strategic planning. Product managers perform marketing and planning activities to increase profits.
Forecast manager: Forecast managers have a deep understanding of the operations of the company, the inventory levels, production batches, requirements and costs of production per product, and trends in the demand levels. They use all that information in combination with forecasting software in order to define production orders aiming for the most efficient production combinations.
Investment analyst: Investment analysts undertake research to make informed recommendations to fund managers. They research investments globally but depending on the nature and field of their employer they can specialise in fields like retail, infrastructure, energy, banking and financial services. They focus on financial and economical information such as the political and economic developments that can impact financial markets, the financial performance of the target companies and use the interpretation of data from different sources to understand how it affects investment decision making.
Mutual fund broker: Mutual fund brokers handle and raise cash from shareholders in order to invest them in stocks, bonds and money-market securities. They engage with investors by making inquiries about the client’s mutual funds account status and transaction procedures. Mutual fund brokers make use of their expertise in investment theory, market experience, and research to pick the most approapriate investments for their fund portfolio. They ensure that the mutual fund’s operations are in compliance with legal requirements.
Commodity trader: Commodity traders use negotiation techniques to sell and buy physical goods and raw materials such as gold, cattle, oil, cotton and wheat on the trading floor. They receive and implement purchasing and selling instructions and negotiate the terms of sale and delivery of commodities. Commodity traders do research about market conditions of specific commodities, their price trends and demand in order to inform their employers, they make bid offers and calculate the cost of transactions.
Foreign exchange broker: Foreign exchange brokers buy and sell foreign currencies on behalf of their clients in order to secure a profit on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. They undertake technical analysis of economic information such as market liquidity and volatility, to predict the future rates of currencies on the foreign exchange market.
Futures trader: Futures traders undertake daily trading activities in the futures trading market by buying and selling futures contracts. They speculate on the futures contracts’ direction, trying to make a profit by buying futures contracts they foresee to rise in price and sell contracts they foresee to fall in price.

Analyse economic trends is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this skill may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Economics lecturer: Economics lecturers are subject professors, assistant professors, teachers, lectures, assistant lecturers, mentors who instruct students in their own specialised field of study, economics. They develop curriculum, prepare classes (lectures, practical classes, seminars, trainings etc.), monitor learning outcomes, supervise student study path. They conduct academic research in their field of economics and present their findings at the conferences and in publications. They are involved in some university management functions.
Product development manager: Product development managers coordinate the development of new products from beginning to end. They receive briefings and start envisioning the new product considering design, technical and cost criteria. They conduct research on market needs and create prototypes of new products for untapped market opportunities. Product development managers also improve and boost technological quality.
Mergers and acquisitions analyst: Mergers and acquisitions analysts oversee the execution of transactions for the purchase, sale, merger or takeover of companies. They negotiate and complete the deal on the client’s behalf, by working closely with lawyers and accountants. Mergers and acquisitions analysts conduct operational and legal risk assessments of a company, assess comparable companies in the market and help with the post-merger integration.
Energy trader: Energy traders sell or buy shares of energy, sometimes from different sources. They analyse the energy market and investigate trends in prices to decide when to buy or sell shares and ensure the most profit. They make calculations, and write reports on energy trades procedures, and make predictions on the development of the market.
Regional development policy officer: Regional development policy officers research, analyse and develop regional development policies. They implement policies that aim at reducing regional disparities by fostering economic activities in a region and structural changes such as supporting multi-level governance, rural development and improvement of infrastructure. They work closely with partners, external organisations or other stakeholders and provide them with regular updates.
Research and development manager: Research and development managers coordinate the efforts of scientists, academical researchers, product developers, and market researchers towards the creation of new products, the improvement of current ones or other research activities, including scientific research. They manage and plan research and development activities of an organisation, specify goals and budget requirements and manage the staff.
Financial risk analyst: Financial risk analysts correctly identify and review potential risk areas threatening the assets or capital of organisations. They specialise in either credit, market, operational or regulatory risk analysis. They use statistical analysis to evaluate risk, make recommendations to reduce and control risk and review documentation for legal compliance.
Supply chain manager: Supply chain managers plan, manage and coordinate all activities related to the sourcing and procurement of supplies needed to run manufacturing operations from the acquisition of raw materials to the distribution of finished products. The supplies can be raw materials or finished products, and it can be for internal or external use. Moreover, they plan and commission all the activities needed to be performed in manufacturing plants and adjust operations to changing levels of demand for a company’s products.
Policy officer: Policy officers research, analyse and develop policies in various public sectors, and shape and implement these policies to improve the existing regulation around the sector. They evaluate effects of existing policies and report findings to the government and members of the public. Policy officers work closely with partners, external organisations or other stakeholders and provide them with regular updates.
Brokerage firm director:
Brokerage firm directors organise the activities and the people involved in securities trading. They envision strategies aimed at increasing the efficiency of asset trading with a focus on profitability. They may also advise clients on appropriate trades.

References

1. Analyse economic trends – ESCO