Economic Collapse

[basserdan]

10:00a Business Inventories
Month over Month 1.1% actual vs 2.4% (rev) prior
Consensus Outlook
Business inventories in January are expected to rise 1.1 percent on top of December's very strong 2.1 percent build.
Definition
Business inventories are the dollar amount of inventories held by manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. The level of inventories in relation to sales is an important indicator of the near-term direction of production activity.


10:00a NAHB Housing Market Index
Index 79 actual vs 81 (rev) prior
Consensus Outlook
With mortgage rates jumping, the housing market index is expected to ease from February's 82 but only slightly to 81 in March.
Definition
The National Association of Home Builders produces a housing market index based on a survey in which respondents from this organization are asked to rate the general economy and housing market conditions. The housing market index is a weighted average of separate diffusion indexes: present sales of new homes, sales of new homes expected in the next six months, and traffic of prospective buyers in new homes.


10:00a Atlanta Fed's Business Inflation Expectations
Year over Year 3.8% actual vs 3.6% (rev) prior
Definition
The Atlanta Fed's Business Inflation Expectations survey provides a monthly measure of year-ahead inflation expectations and inflation uncertainty from the perspective of firms. The survey also provides a monthly gauge of firms' current sales, profit margins, and unit cost changes.


10:30a EIA Petroleum Inventories
Crude Oil Inventories - W/W 4.3M barrels actual vs -1.9M barrels prior
Gasoline Inventories - W/W -3.6M barrels actual vs -1.4M barrels prior
Distillate Inventories - W/W 0.3M barrels actual vs -5.2M barrels prior
Definition
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) provides weekly information on petroleum inventories in the U.S., whether produced here or abroad. The level of inventories helps determine prices for petroleum products.