This Week: Housing starts, Fed policy update and existing US home sales

A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week

TRACKING HOME CONSTRUCTION

New government data on residential construction should provide insight into the state of the new-home market.

The Commerce Department is expected to report Tuesday that builders broke ground on new apartments and single-family homes last month at a faster annual pace than January’s 1.33 million-units. The starts figure represents the number of housing units that builders would break ground on if development kept the same pace for the next 12 months.

Housing starts, monthly, seasonally adjusted annual rate:

Sept. 1,356,000

Oct. 1,376,000

Nov. 1,512,000

Dec. 1,562,000

Jan. 1,331,000

Feb. (est.) 1,450,000

Source: FactSet

THE FED SPEAKS

The Federal Reserve delivers its latest interest rate policy update Wednesday, following a two-day meeting of its policymakers.

At its last meeting in January, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5.4% — a 22-year high — but signaled that it could begin lowering its rates sometime this year. First, though, Fed officials want to be more confident that inflation has cooled enough. However, since that meeting, government reports have shown that inflation picked up from December to January, and hiring accelerated.

SPOTLIGHT ON HOUSING

The National Association of Realtors reports its monthly snapshot of existing U.S. home sales Thursday.

Economists project that sales of previously occupied homes slowed in February from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.93 million homes. Sales accelerated in January, but in February mortgage rates ticked higher amid stronger-than-expected reports on inflation and the economy.

Existing home sales, in millions, seasonally adjusted annual rate:

Sept. 3.98

Oct. 3.85

Nov. 3.91

Dec. 3.88

Jan. 4.00

Feb. (est.) 3.93

Source: FactSet