Here come housing starts ...
Economists forecast that new residential construction fell 3% in March at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.25 million. Winter Storm Stella may have impacted construction. They estimate that building permits rose 2.8% at a rate of 1.25 million.
"We expect single-family housing starts to slow notably after a strong increase in February," Nomura economists said in a preview.
"In addition, based on incoming data, we expect the strong drag from multi-family housing starts to continue. Our forecasts take into account the weather in March, which was colder than usual. As the temporary boost from the two previous months of unusually warm weather dissipates, we expect some downward pressure on housing starts. Moreover, payrolls in the residential construction sector and related specialty trade contractors declined slightly in March, portending to some moderation in residential construction activity."