With a fresh week just around the corner, a new set of economic data reports are on their way. Since these reports have a large effect on Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) and the other major indexes, it can be helpful for investors to know what's being released in the coming week. So let's look at what's on the way.
Economic reports
On Monday the only major economic report will be the Institute for Supply Management Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index. Economists expect the index reading for March to be a 59.2, down from last month's reading of 59.8. The PMI reading is seen as a good indicator of overall U.S. economic health, even though the survey covers only the Chicago area.
Tuesday's PMI report, which covers the full U.S. market and different regions of the world, will overshadow Monday's report. After coming in at a reading of 55.5 in February and the market flash PMI reading for March hitting 57.1, economists are expecting the final March reading to be 56.8.
Also on Tuesday will be the motor vehicle sales numbers for March, and economists are looking for 15.8 million vehicles sold during the month, after February's reading of 15.3 million. The construction spending figure for February will also come out, and it's expected that spending will not have changed from January. Lastly, we'll get the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing report. This reading tells investors about overall factory trends and whether they're experiencing increased or decreased demand. Economists believe the manufacturing report will come in at a 54, after a 53.2 reading in February.
Wednesday will bring the ADP employment figure and factory orders. The ADP figure is the first of three job reports investors will get this week, and economists believe the number will come in at 193,000, after hitting 139,000 in February. As for factory orders, it's believed that industry picked up in February and that we'll see a 0.5% increase over January, which itself fell 0.7% from December.
On Thursday, we'll see the weekly jobless claims figure, and economists believe the figure will come in at 320,000 after hitting 311,000 this past week. While the weekly figure typically jumps a lot, the more stable four-week moving average is what investors should be watching and hoping it moves lower. The other important report coming out Thursday is the trade deficit number, which was at $39.1 billion in January and is believed to have risen to $39.4 billion in February.
On Friday we'll get more employment data, but this time from the Labor Department. The non-farm payroll report will indicate how many jobs were created in March and will tell investors what the national unemployment rate is. Economists expect the payroll number to be 192,000 and the unemployment rate to fall to 6.6%, after February saw it rise to 6.7%, with 175,000 new jobs being created.
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