Last updated: September 20, 2026. Event schedules can change; verify the issuing agency’s calendar on the release day. This is educational market context, not investment advice.
Quick take: The U.S. calendar for September 21–25 includes a Chicago Fed activity reading, new-home-sales data, international-transactions data, workplace reports, and durable-goods data. These releases answer different questions, so the useful approach is to read the actual report first and separate the number from the market reaction.
Week at a glance
| Date | Time (ET) | Scheduled release | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Sep. 21 | 8:30 a.m. | Chicago Fed National Activity Index, August | A broad monthly activity indicator built from many data series. |
| Thu., Sep. 24 | 8:30 a.m. | BEA U.S. International Transactions and Investment Position, Q2 | Tracks cross-border trade, income, and investment flows. |
| Thu., Sep. 24 | 10:00 a.m. | Census New Residential Sales, August | A timely read on demand for newly built homes. |
| Thu., Sep. 24 | 10:00 a.m. | BLS Employee Tenure; Job Flexibilities and Work Schedules | Workplace-structure reports, useful labor-market context rather than payroll data. |
| Fri., Sep. 25 | 10:00 a.m. | BLS Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026 | Shows the benefit mix offered by employers. |
| Fri., Sep. 25 | See Census release page | Durable Goods Orders | Tracks orders for long-lived manufactured goods and revisions. |
Monday: a broad activity cross-check
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET on September 21. It combines a large set of indicators, so its direction and multi-month pattern are often more useful than treating one release as a stand-alone signal. Check the release notes for revisions before comparing it with prior headlines.
Thursday: housing, global flows, and workplace data
The Bureau of Economic Analysis schedules its second-quarter U.S. International Transactions and Investment Position report for September 24. It provides context on trade, income, and cross-border investment—not a real-time stock-market scorecard.
At 10:00 a.m. ET, Census is scheduled to release August new residential sales. The Census construction schedule is the reference point for timing. New-home sales can be volatile and are revised, so compare the level, prior-month revision, prices, and inventory together.
The BLS also lists employee-tenure and work-schedule/flexibility reports for September 24. These are structural labor reports, not substitutes for the monthly employment situation.
Friday: benefits and durable goods
The BLS schedule lists Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026 for 10:00 a.m. ET on September 25. Census lists September 25 as the next durable-goods release on its Economic Indicators calendar; confirm the final release time and any schedule change on that page before relying on it.
A practical way to use the calendar
- Open the agency release, not only a headline or social post.
- Record the release date, period covered, prior revision, and unit of measure.
- Distinguish the published fact from the market’s first reaction.
- Use a single release as context alongside related data, not as a trading instruction.
For policy context, see our Fed dot-plot explainer. For the rate backdrop currently affecting housing and valuations, see the 10-year Treasury yield guide.
FAQ
Which release is most likely to affect housing discussion?
New residential sales is the most directly housing-focused item on this list, but its revisions and the broader rate environment matter too.
Are these releases forecasts of the stock market?
No. They are economic measurements. Market prices can react to expectations, revisions, and other news that is not contained in the release itself.
Why list official sources?
Primary release calendars are the most reliable way to confirm the timing, coverage period, and any schedule updates.