The key reports this week are February Retail sales, Housing Starts and Existing Home Sales. The FOMC meets this week, and no change to policy is expected. For manufacturing, the February Industrial Production report and the March NY and Philly Fed manufacturing surveys will be released.

----- Monday, March 17th -----
8:30 AM: Retail sales for February is scheduled to be released.  The consensus is for a 0.7% increase in retail sales.

This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline). 

8:30 AM: The New York Fed Empire State manufacturing survey for March. The consensus is for a reading of -2.0, down from 5.7.

10:00 AM: The March NAHB homebuilder survey. The consensus is for a reading of 43, up from 42.  Any number below 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as poor than good.

10:00 AM: State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) for January 2025

----- Tuesday, March 18th -----
8:30 AM: Housing Starts for February.

This graph shows single and multi-family housing starts since 1968.

The consensus is for 1.383 million SAAR, up from 1.366 million SAAR.

9:15 AM: The Fed will release Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for February.

This graph shows industrial production since 1967.

The consensus is a 0.3% increase in Industrial Production, and for Capacity Utilization to be unchanged at 77.8%.

----- Wednesday, March 19th -----
7:00 AM ET: The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) will release the results for the mortgage purchase applications index.

During the day: The AIA's Architecture Billings Index for February (a leading indicator for commercial real estate).

2:00 PM: FOMC Meeting Announcement. No change to policy is expected at this meeting.

2:00 PM: FOMC Projections. This will include the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) participants' projections of the appropriate target federal funds rate along with updated economic projections.

2:30 PM: Fed Chair Jerome Powell holds a press briefing following the FOMC announcement.

----- Thursday, March 20th -----
8:30 AM: The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. The consensus is for 224 initial claims up from 220 thousand last week.

8:30 AM: the Philly Fed manufacturing survey for March. The consensus is for a reading of 12.0, down from 18.0.

10:00 AM: Existing Home Sales for February from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The consensus is for 3.92 million SAAR, down from 4.08 million.

The graph shows existing home sales from 1994 through the report last month.

----- Friday, March 21st -----
No major economic releases scheduled.