VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Sunday, October 5, 2025
Best Free Central Bank Watcher Tools for Investors
Every product on this page includes a genuinely free tier, so you can plug trusted central bank watcher software into your workflow without swiping a card.
We filtered our full directory to focus on the 9 free central bank watcher platforms investors lean on today. Community voting keeps the rankings honest, while editorial picks highlight standout experiences for research, screening, and execution. Use this shortlist to compare pricing limits, supported platforms, and capabilities before graduating to paid upgrades.
More ways to explore
Want the full picture? The main category page covers 9 total central bank watcher tools, and the broader Find My Moat directory spans more than 205 investing platforms.
Top 9 picks
9 picks- 1
Free central bank data portal covering UK interest rates, yield curves, macroeconomic indicators, and daily reference series. The Statistical Database supports programmatic downloads in CSV, Excel, and XML via documented query parameters, while yield-curve data are published daily but not accessible by API. GBP daily spot rates are provided on an indicative basis, typically updated by 09:30 within two working days.
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web, API - 2
Japan’s central bank portal for monetary policy releases and official statistics. The BOJ-STAT database provides searchable time series, and bulk 'Flat File' downloads make it easy to access major datasets. Release calendars include exact posting times, with many key updates appearing around 08:50 JST.
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web - 3
Official BIS portal for global monetary/financial statistics with an SDMX REST API and bulk downloads. Covers international banking (locational/consolidated), debt securities, credit to the non‑financial sector, global liquidity, exchange‑traded & OTC derivatives, Triennial FX/IR derivatives turnover, property prices, consumer prices, effective/bilateral exchange rates, and central bank statistics (policy rates, total assets). Features include a release calendar (with RSS), shareable query links, bookmarks, custom charts/tables, and export to Excel/CSV/PDF. API adheres to the SDMX REST v2.1 spec; formats include JSON, XML, and CSV.
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web, API - 4
Official CME probabilities for upcoming FOMC decisions, derived from 30‑Day Fed Funds (ZQ) futures. Web tool provides meeting‑by‑meeting probability matrices, comparisons over time, a historical download, and a Dot Plot view. A paid REST API is available for programmatic access. CME documents the probability‑tree methodology clearly; API snapshots update on business days at ~01:45 UTC. Media usage asks attribution to “CME FedWatch.”
Category votes onlyPricing: Free, SubscriptionPlatforms: Web, API - 5
Official ECB gateway for euro‑area statistics with an open SDMX 2.1 REST API. The new endpoint is https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/ (replacing the legacy SDW path). Content negotiation supports SDMX‑JSON, CSV, and SDMX‑ML. Charts and tables can be downloaded as CSV/XLS (long & wide), and charts as PNG/PDF/PPT. Typical update cadence is daily to monthly (e.g., reference FX rates around 16:00 CET on working days). ECB advises migrating from the old SDW URL as automatic redirects are planned to end on 1 Oct 2025.
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web, API - 6
The official portal of the European Central Bank, including its Data Portal. Provides free access to monetary policy information, publications, and structured datasets. Data is available through a public SDMX 2.1 REST API with CSV and SDMX-JSON formats, bulk downloads, and chart-level exports. Key scheduled releases include €STR at 08:00 CET, FX reference rates around 16:00 CET, and daily euro area yield curves at 12:00 CET.
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web, API - 7
Official New York Fed hub for rates, markets operations data, and research indicators. Highlights: reference rates (EFFR, OBFR, SOFR & SOFR Averages/Index), Markets Data Dashboard, SOMA holdings & operations results, Primary Dealer Statistics, GSCPI, SCE microdata, and regional surveys (e.g., Empire State Manufacturing). Markets Data APIs and page-level export tools provide JSON/CSV/XML/Excel programmatic access. Publication times for key rates are stated (e.g., SOFR ~8:00 a.m. ET; EFFR ~9:00 a.m. ET).
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web, API - 8
The official website of the U.S. central bank. Through its Data Download Program (DDP), the Fed offers public access to many of its most important statistical releases in Excel, CSV, or XML formats. Key datasets include interest rates, the Fed balance sheet, commercial bank assets, foreign exchange rates, industrial production, and financial accounts. The site also hosts FOMC calendars, meeting minutes, press releases, speeches, and other policy materials.
Category votes onlyPricing: FreePlatforms: Web, API - 9
Trading Economics provides economic indicators, financial market data, forecasts, and news for over 150 countries. Its web and mobile Analytics plans bundle site features, alerts, and research dashboards, while API access is offered separately with usage-based pricing. Streaming feeds for calendars, markets, and earnings require API credentials. Plans range from free website access to professional subscriptions for institutional workflows.
Category votes onlyPricing: Free, SubscriptionPlatforms: Web, Mobile, API
Information
About Me
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I'm an independent investor with a soft spot for coding and the stock market - especially value investing (as you can probably tell from the tools I've collected here, haha). Hopefully you'll find something useful or interesting along the way.
Find me here:
- Twitter / X: @Jera_Value
- Substack: Jera Value
Got questions or suggestions? I'm all ears!
Missing a Tool?
Discovered a gem I don't have here yet? Drop the link below and I'll check it out ASAP. Tagging me on X works too! Can't wait to see what you've found!
Starred Tools
These are my top picks. Tools I've tested thoroughly and found to be excellent. They do their job really well, and I use them a lot. If you're not already familiar with them, I highly recommend checking them out.
Tested Tools
These are tools I've tried and found to be solid, but not standout. Think of them as passing an initial quality screen: worth exploring, though not all will be exceptional.
Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.