Economic indicators

February durable goods orders data were in line with expectations for an aircraft-led decline, with the headline number falling by 1.6%.

The value of business inventories in January rose 0.8%, above the 0.4% gain expected by MNI and the 0.5% gain expected by the Bloomberg consensus.

Construction spending was up 1.0% in February, well above the 0.1% gain expected.

The overall economy grew for the 119th straight time.

U.S. retail sales unexpectedly eased in February on declines in grocery stores and building materials, which could potentially reflect cooler weather.

The University of Michigan's final sentiment index climbed to 98.4 from the prior month’s 93.8, according to a report Friday.

Sales of new U.S. homes rebounded to the best pace in almost a year and exceeded estimates in February.

he MNI Chicago Business Barometer softened in March to 58.7, bringingthe Q1 average to 60.0, its lowest quarterly reading in two years.

Personal income rose 0.2% in February while consumer spending inched up 0.1% in January.

Respondents to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's monthly manufacturing survey reported moderate acceleration of growth in March.

Pending home sales declined 1.0% to an index reading of 101.9 in February, after a revised 4.3% gain to 102.9 in January, according to a report released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors.

The level of initial claims fell by 5,000 to 211,000 in the March 23 week.

U.S. economic growth cooled by more than initially reported last quarter on revisions to consumer and government spending, signaling mounting challenges to the expansion as it nears a record duration.

The U.S. current account deficit widened to $134.4 billion in the fourth quarter, larger than the -$132.3 billion expected.

The U.S. international trade gap narrowed to $51.1 billion in January from a slightly revised $59.9 billion in December.

Texas service sector activity “growth softened in March."

Manufacturing and services growth in the central Atlantic region in March was weaker than in February.

The consumer confidence index decreased to 124.1 in March from an unrevised 131.4 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

U.S. new-home groundbreakings fell in February by the most in eight months on a drop in single-family homes, suggesting buyers and builders remain wary despite higher wages and a drop in mortgage rates.

The region's services sector accelerated, as the general business conditions index grew to 21.7 in March.