Traders continually look for reasons why asset prices are rising or falling. While there are many different factors that can contribute to both rising and falling prices economic factors tend to have the greatest impact on asset performance. That makes it important to know which economic indicators have the greatest impact on prices. In general, the three economic indicators with the greatest influence over market performance are GDP, employment data, and inflation data. These three can tell a trader where we are in an economic cycle, which helps determine which sectors and assets will perform best, and which will perform worst.