Last updated: September 22, 2026. Editorial Team — researched using data from The Right Trader’s economic calendar and Kiplinger. See “Sources & Methodology” for our full source list.
Quick Answer
This week’s economic calendar centers on three market-moving US releases: Housing Starts & Permits and Initial Jobless Claims, both landing Thursday, September 24, and Durable Goods Orders on Friday, September 25. Durable Goods Orders in particular deserves close attention as a genuine leading indicator, since core orders (excluding the volatile transportation category) function as a direct proxy for business investment and future production activity, offering a forward-looking read on corporate spending intentions that lagging indicators like GDP can’t provide.
Why Durable Goods Orders Function Differently From Other Data
The Right Trader’s economic calendar coverage frames the specific analytical value of this release directly: core durable goods orders serve as a proxy for business investment and future production, distinct from consumer-facing releases like retail sales or CPI. That distinction matters for how investors should actually use this data: while most economic releases describe what has already happened in the economy, durable goods orders capture forward commitments businesses are making right now, specifically their willingness to invest in longer-lasting capital equipment, machinery, and other multi-year assets, which tends to lead broader economic activity by several months rather than simply confirming activity that already occurred.
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The Full Week’s Data, in Context
Beyond durable goods specifically, this week’s calendar includes two other closely watched releases landing the same day, Thursday. Housing Starts & Permits data offers a genuinely useful read on interest-rate sensitivity, since construction activity typically responds quickly to changes in borrowing costs, making it a relevant release to watch specifically in the aftermath of this month’s Fed rate hike. Initial Jobless Claims, described by The Right Trader’s calendar as the most timely labor-market indicator available, with a rising trend serving as an early warning sign of broader economic weakening, rounds out the week’s most consequential data points.
Why This Particular Week’s Data Carries Extra Weight
Kiplinger’s coverage of this week’s calendar notes it also features several scheduled Fed speakers alongside a key update on consumer sentiment — meaning market participants will be weighing hard economic data releases (durable goods, housing, jobless claims) alongside real-time commentary from Fed officials interpreting that same data in close to real time. That combination is particularly relevant this specific week, landing just over a week after the Fed’s own rate decision, since any data surprises could meaningfully shape how markets interpret the central bank’s own forward guidance about further tightening.
Reading Durable Goods Orders Correctly: Headline Versus Core
A genuinely important technical distinction for interpreting this specific release correctly involves separating the headline number from the core reading. The headline durable goods figure includes transportation orders, commercial aircraft in particular, which can swing dramatically month to month based on a small number of large Boeing or Airbus orders, producing headline volatility that has little to do with the broader economy’s underlying health. Core durable goods orders, excluding transportation, provide a considerably steadier, more genuinely representative read on broader business investment trends — a distinction worth understanding before reacting strongly to any single month’s headline number in isolation.
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How This Data Connects to the Post-Fed-Hike Environment
This week’s releases arrive at a genuinely relevant moment for interpreting the broader economic trajectory following the Fed’s September rate hike. If durable goods orders show businesses continuing to invest despite higher borrowing costs, that would suggest corporate confidence remains genuinely resilient even in a tighter-rate environment. Conversely, a meaningful pullback in core orders could signal businesses are already pulling back capital spending plans in response to elevated rates, a data point the Fed itself would likely weigh heavily when calibrating any further tightening decisions later this year.
What Investors Should Watch For This Week
- Focus on core durable goods, not the volatile headline figure: Excluding transportation orders provides a considerably more reliable signal of genuine underlying business investment trends.
- Watch how housing starts respond to the recent rate hike: This release offers one of the more immediate, real-time reads on how construction activity is adjusting to the new, higher-rate environment.
- Weigh Fed speaker commentary alongside the hard data itself: With multiple Fed officials scheduled to speak this week, their real-time interpretation of the data may move markets as much as the releases themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What economic data is being released this week?
Housing Starts & Permits and Initial Jobless Claims land Thursday, September 24, with Durable Goods Orders following Friday, September 25, alongside several scheduled Fed speaker appearances.
Why is Durable Goods Orders considered a leading indicator?
Core durable goods orders, excluding volatile transportation orders, serve as a proxy for business investment and future production, capturing forward-looking corporate spending commitments rather than describing activity that has already occurred.
Why should I look at core durable goods rather than the headline number?
The headline figure includes transportation orders like commercial aircraft, which can swing dramatically based on a small number of large individual orders, making the core reading a more reliable indicator of broader business investment trends.
How does this week’s data relate to the Fed’s recent rate hike?
This week’s releases, arriving just over a week after the Fed’s September rate hike, will help indicate whether business investment and housing activity are already responding to higher borrowing costs, information the Fed itself will likely weigh in future policy decisions.
Sources & Methodology
This article draws on data and analysis from: The Right Trader’s US Economic Calendar for the week of September 21-27, 2026; and Kiplinger’s economic calendar preview for the same week. Figures and release schedules reflect the most recently published information as of this article’s last-updated date and are sourced from the BLS, BEA, Census Bureau, and Federal Reserve via FRED.
This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
