The key reports this week are March retail sales on Monday and March housing starts on Wednesday.
For manufacturing, the March Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization report, and the April NY Fed (Empire State) and Philly Fed surveys, will be released this week.
For prices, CPI will be released on Tuesday.
Fed Chair Janet Yellen speaks on Wednesday “Monetary Policy and the Economic Recovery”.
8:30 AM ET: Retail sales for March will be released.
This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline). On a monthly basis, retail sales increased 0.3% from January to February (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up year-over-year 1.5% from February 2013.
The consensus is for retail sales to increase 0.8% in March, and to increase 0.4% ex-autos.
10:00 AM: Manufacturing and Trade: Inventories and Sales (business inventories) report for February. The consensus is for a 0.5% increase in inventories.
11:00 AM: CBO will release its updated 10-year baseline projections of federal spending, revenues, and budget deficits.
8:30 AM ET: Consumer Price Index for March. The consensus is for a 0.1% increase in CPI in February and for core CPI to increase 0.1%.
8:30 AM: NY Fed Empire Manufacturing Survey for April. The consensus is for a reading of 7.5, up from 5.6 in March (above zero is expansion).
8:45 AM: Speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen, Opening Remarks, At the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Conference: 2014 Financial Markets Conference, Stone Mountain, Georgia
10:00 AM: The April NAHB homebuilder survey. The consensus is for a reading of 50, up from 47 in March. Any number above 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good than poor.
7:00 AM: The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) will release the results for the mortgage purchase applications index.
8:30 AM: Housing Starts for March.
Total housing starts were at 907 thousand (SAAR) in February. Single family starts were at 583 thousand SAAR in February.
The consensus is for total housing starts to increase to 965 thousand (SAAR) in March.
9:15 AM: The Fed will release Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for March.
This graph shows industrial production since 1967.
The consensus is for a 0.5% increase in Industrial Production, and for Capacity Utilization to increase to 78.8%.
12:25 PM: Speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen, Monetary Policy and the Economic Recovery, At the Economic Club of New York, New York, New York
2:00 PM: Federal Reserve Beige Book, an informal review by the Federal Reserve Banks of current economic conditions in their Districts.
8:30 AM: The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. The consensus is for claims to increase to 320 thousand from 300 thousand.
10:00 AM: the Philly Fed manufacturing survey for March. The consensus is for a reading of 9.1, up from 9.0 last month (above zero indicates expansion).
All US markets will be closed in observance of Good Friday.
10:00 AM: Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly) for March 2014.