Markets face a compressed set of economic releases on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, with the housing market taking center stage. The existing home sales report, scheduled for 9:00 AM ET, carries an expected reading of 3.89M compared with a prior figure of 3.91M. This series measures the annualized number of previously owned residential properties sold in the previous month and is widely used to gauge housing market activity and its implications for overall economic momentum.
Major data and timing
- 9:00 AM ET - Existing Home Sales: Expected at 3.89M (Previous: 3.91M). The release provides an annualized count of existing residential buildings sold during the prior month and serves as a barometer of housing market strength and consumer demand.
Other scheduled releases that could shape intraday positioning
- 5:00 AM ET - NFIB Small Business Optimism: Expected at 99.8 (Previous: 99.3). This composite index offers a view of small-business sentiment, a segment that accounts for roughly half of the private-sector workforce.
- 7:15 AM ET - ADP Employment Change Weekly: (Previous: 12.80K). The ADP series produces a four-week moving average of private-sector employment changes and is valued for its high-frequency read on labor-market trends.
- 7:55 AM ET - Redbook: (Previous: 7.0%). A sales-weighted measure of year-over-year same-store sales growth among large U.S. general merchandise retailers.
- 9:00 AM ET - Existing Home Sales (Month-over-Month): (Previous: -8.4%). The month-over-month percentage change accompanies the level reading and gives a sense of short-term momentum in resale transactions.
- 11:00 AM ET - EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook: The Energy Information Administration will publish its near-term perspective on energy markets, including forecasts for consumption, supply, trade and prices across major fuel types.
- 12:00 PM ET - 3-Year Note Auction: (Previous: 3.518%). Planned Treasury issuance and the corresponding yield at auction are routinely monitored for signs about government debt conditions and investor appetite for duration.
- 3:30 PM ET - API Weekly Crude Stock: (Previous: 5.600M). The American Petroleum Institute report on inventories of crude oil, gasoline and distillates provides a private-sector snapshot of petroleum stock movements and implied demand.
Contextual implications for markets
Taken together, the mix of housing, labor, retail-sales proxies, energy outlooks and Treasury supply constitutes a cross-section of short-term macro forces. The housing report will be watched for signals about consumer willingness to transact in a rate-sensitive segment, while the ADP series and the NFIB reading will offer additional color on the labor market and small-business conditions. Energy forecasts from the EIA and weekly inventory assessments from the API will provide information relevant to commodity prices. The 3-year note auction is a scheduled supply event that can affect yield dynamics and risk sentiment.
What to watch during the day
- Whether existing home sales align with the 3.89M expectation or diverge from the prior 3.91M reading.
- High-frequency labor and retail indicators for incremental information on consumption and hiring trends.
- Energy supply and demand updates from the EIA and API that could influence crude and refined-product pricing.
- Investor reception to the 3-year note auction and any resulting movement in short- and intermediate-term Treasury yields.
Because each item on the calendar offers a different lens on demand, supply and sentiment, market participants are likely to monitor results in aggregate as they form positioning for the remainder of the week.