i noticed this too, seems to take longer these days. what's the most immediate free source for economic releases?
They've always been the last horse in the race. At the 830am announcements oftentimes it will take 1-2 minutes to get the news. For 10 bucks a month there's a nice amount of stuff there, but I'd like something a little more timely. Dow Jones has a news service for 25 or 30 a month that's supposed to be fast. Anyone try it?
As far as free sources go, probably the most immediate source for at least the more important economic releases is CNBC. I can't believe I am recommending them for something trading related but I don't know of any free services that would be any quicker. If the economic release is a relatively minor one however, they may take a few minutes before showing the data. The best ones are from the CBOT floor when they are read off by Rick Santelli as they come through on the floor. You really can't get much quicker than that.
CNBC's biggest problem is with releases that come during market hours, especially in the 9:45-10:00 window. They are usually babbling with some guest, analyst, in a commercial, or droning to each other. The sad part is when the market has been moving for the past 10 minutes and Teddy says "Important economic numbers just released"
I completely agree, although 10mins is a bit of an exaggeration. They are much more on the ball with 8:30am news than the 9:45/10:00am news. I think it would be a great idea for CNBC to have a ticker tape with news as it comes in. I think I will email them. Maybe others can do the same thing.