This Week: Housing starts, Netflix earns, leading indicators
Jan 16, 2022, 10:10 PM | Updated: 10:29 pm
A look at some of the key business events and economic indicators upcoming this week:
HOUSING MARKET BELLWETHER
New government data on residential construction should provide insight into the state of the new-home market.
The Commerce Department is expected to report Wednesday that builders broke ground on new apartments and single-family homes at a slower pace in December than in the previous month. The pace of U.S. home construction accelerated in November amid continued strong demand, though supply chain snarls have led to construction delays.
Housing starts, monthly, seasonally adjusted annual rate:
July 1,562,000
Aug. 1,573,000
Sept. 1,550,000
Oct. 1,502,000
Nov. 1,679,000
Dec. (est.) 1,655,000
Source: FactSet
BINGE THIS
Netflix serves up its latest quarterly report card Thursday.
Wall Street predicts the video streaming giant’s earnings declined and its revenue rose in the October-December quarter versus the same period in 2020. That would be a mixed finish to the year after posting profit and revenue growth the previous three quarters. Investors will be listening for an update on Netflix’s subscriber tally and its foray into video game streaming.
ECONOMIC BAROMETER
A gauge of the U.S. economy’s future health is expected to have improved last month.
Economists expect that the Conference Board will report Friday that its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.8% in December. That would follow an increase of 1.1% the previous month. The index, derived from data that for the most part have already been reported individually, is designed to anticipate economic conditions three to six months out.
Leading indicators, monthly percent change, seasonally adjusted:
July 0.9
Aug. 0.8
Sept. 0.3
Oct. 0.9
Nov. 1.1
Dec. (est.) 0.8
Source: FactSet
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