Economic Release Dates

To help you stay on top of events, the Bowen Asset Management team will be presenting a regular piece noting the dates when important economic releases happen each month.

Economic news matters to the stock market -- because as the economy goes, so too goes company profitability. Factors such as economic growth, interest rates, inflation, and unemployment often move stock markets.

Stock markets are always rooting for more economic growth, since it usually means more profits for companies, and more profits tend to grow the value of stocks.

Declining interest rates often send markets higher because they are seen as a harbinger of economic growth.

High inflation has the opposite effect, because it signals interest rates will be rising in the immediate or near future, thus slowing economic growth.

Rising unemployment foreshadows lower economic growth, and falling unemployment tells stock investors that growth is on the way. When these data are reported they can move stocks, while stocks may remain stable if the numbers are generally what investors expected to see.

Economic Release Dates for April

Apr      1         Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing PMI® for March

Apr      1         ADP National Employment Report

Apr      1         Retail Sales for Feb

Apr      2         International Trade Balance for Feb

Apr      3         ISM Services PMI for March

Apr      3        Employment Situation for March

Apr      3         US Markets Closed for Good Friday

Mar     5         Import and Export Price Index for Jan

Apr      8         FOMC Meeting Minutes from March Fed Meeting

Apr      9         Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 4th Quarter 2025, 3rd Release.

Apr      9         Personal Consumption Expenditures for Feb

Apr     10        CPI Index for March

Apr      13        Existing Home Sales for March

Apr      14        Quarterly Earnings Season Begins with Banks

Apr      14        Small Business Optimism Index for March

Apr      14        Producer Price Index for March

Apr      15        Import and Export Price Index for March

Apr      16        Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization for March

Apr      17        New Residential Construction (Housing Starts & Building Permits) for Feb

Apr      21        Pending Home Sales Index for March

Apr      21        Retail Sales for March

Mar     25        Import and Export Price Index for Feb

Apr      28        Consumer Confidence for March

Apr      30        Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 1st Quarter 2026, 1st Release.

Apr      30        Personal Consumption Expenditures for March

Definitions:

The U.S.-based, not-for-profit educational association ISM, founded in 1915, is the oldest and the world’s largest supply management association serving professionals and organizations in the field. The ISM purchasing managers' indices (PMI®) are monthly indicators of U.S. economic activity based on surveys of purchasing managers at more than 300 manufacturing firms. The reports continue to be consistent and accurate in indicating the direction of the overall economy, in addition to the manufacturing and services sectors. The ISM Manufacturing PMI® report measures new orders, production and employment, supplier deliveries, raw materials inventories, customers’ inventories, and export and import rates.

This ISM Services PMI® report measures business activity, new orders, employment and supplier deliveries in the services sector.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the monthly Employment Situation Summary, which estimates figures related to employment and unemployment in the United States. It estimates the number of people employed and unemployed in the economy and the number of hours they worked in the previous month plus other related figures. The number of jobs created can signify whether an economy is improving, overheating, or waning.

The ADP National Employment Report is an independent measure of the U.S. private sector labor market based on the aggregated payroll data covering more than half a million companies with more than 25 million U.S. employees.  The release, usually ahead of the government data, is a good predictor of the government's non-farm payroll report.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) is conducted by The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The program involves the monthly collection of job openings and labor turnover data. The data, collected from sampled establishments on a voluntary basis, include employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. The number of unfilled jobs—used to calculate the job openings rate—is an important measure of the unmet demand for labor. With that statistic, it is possible to paint a more complete picture of the U.S. labor market than by looking solely at the unemployment rate, a measure of the excess supply of labor. Information on labor turnover is valuable in the proper analysis and interpretation of labor market developments and as a complement to the unemployment rate.

The International Trade Balance provided by the U.S. Census Bureau reflects trade in goods and services between U.S. residents and residents of other countries each month. U.S. sales are exports and U.S. purchases are imports. The difference between the exports and imports is the trade balance. The June 7 report is for April 2022.

The CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI) is built on industry-leading public record, servicing and securities real-estate databases and incorporates more than 40 years of repeat-sales transactions for analyzing home price trends. Generally released on the first Tuesday of each month with an average five-week lag, the CoreLogic HPI is designed to provide an early indication of home price trends by market segment representing the most comprehensive set of properties, including all sales for single-family attached and single-family detached properties.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure that examines the weighted average of prices of a basket of consumer goods and services, such as transportation, food, and medical care. It is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the predetermined basket of goods and averaging them. This basket is used to measure inflation over time and thus the CPI is one of the most frequently used measures of inflation and deflation. It may be compared with the Producer Price Index (PPI), which instead of considering prices paid by consumers, looks at what businesses pay for input.

The Producer Price Index (PPI), instead of considering prices paid by consumers, looks at what businesses pay for input.

Small Business Optimism Indicator is a composite of ten seasonally adjusted components. It provides an indication of the health of small businesses in the U.S., which account of roughly 50% of the nation's private workforce.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets eight times a year to discuss monetary policy changes, review economic and financial conditions and assess price stability and employment output. These meetings take place approximately every six weeks. The June 15 meeting will include a statement from the FOMC and a news conference with Fed chair Jerome Powell.

Import and Export Price Index measures changes in the price of nonmilitary goods and services purchased from abroad by U.S. residents (imports) or sold to foreign buyers by U.S. residents. The indexes provide information as to the strength of the U.S. economy and consumer spending, the demand for U.S. goods abroad, and the pace of rising import prices.

Retail sales track consumer demand for finished goods by measuring the purchases of durable and non-durable goods over a defined period. Retail sales indicate the direction of the economy and act as a key economic barometer. Sales for the report are derived from 13 types of retailers, from food service to retail stores

Industrial Production is an important tool for forecasting future Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and economic performance. Industrial production figures are also used by central banks to measure inflation, as high levels of industrial production can lead to uncontrolled levels of consumption and rapid inflation. The Capacity Utilization Rate is used by companies to assess their current operating efficiency. It also provides insight into the cost structure of the business because it can be used to determine the point at which unit costs will rise as production increases.

Existing Home Sales data measures sales and prices of existing single-family homes as well as condos and co-ops for the nation overall, and gives breakdowns for the West, Midwest, South, and Northeast regions of the country.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a leading indicator of housing activity, measures housing contract activity, and is based on signed real estate contracts for existing single-family homes, condos, and co-ops. Because a home goes under contract a month or two before it is sold, the Pending Home Sales Index generally leads Existing-Home Sales by a month or two.

The Consumer Confidence Survey® reflects prevailing business conditions and likely developments for the months ahead. This monthly report details consumer attitudes, buying intentions, vacation plans, and consumer expectations for inflation, stock prices, and interest rates.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total monetary or market value of all finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific period. As a broad measure of overall domestic production, it functions as a comprehensive scorecard of a given country’s economic health. The calculation of GDP encompasses all private and public consumption, government outlays, investments, additions to private inventories, paid-in construction costs, and the foreign balance of trade. In the U.S., the government releases an annualized GDP estimate for each fiscal quarter, which is revised twice to account for improved data.

Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), or consumer spending, is the value of the goods and services purchased by, or on the behalf of, U.S. residents. The PCE price index is known for capturing inflation (or deflation) across a wide range of consumer expenses and reflecting changes in consumer behavior. In 2012, the PCE Price Index became the primary inflation index used by the Federal Reserve when making monetary policy decisions.