Wall Street week ahead: housing market, unemployment updates

Wall Street is set to receive critical updates this week, including the U.S. housing market and the latest unemployment figures. The annual subscription for a one-year housing market report is $205.00 plus GST, with automatic renewal at $233.00 plus GST every 52 weeks. The report will analyze newly-built homes and contracts for under-construction properties, providing insights into housing supply and demand, and the performance of home builders and construction material companies.

Scheduled for Thursday, the U.S. will publish its August report on newly-built homes, which will detail both sales of brand-new homes and sales contracts for homes still under construction. This report differs from the monthly existing home sales report, which focuses on previously occupied homes. Economists anticipate a slight increase in August sales compared to the recent existing home sales report, which indicated a decline.

As the housing market faces pressure from rising mortgage rates and high home prices, mortgage rates have continued to increase throughout 2026 due to global oil supply constraints caused by the U.S. conflict with Iran. Consequently, long-term bond yields, which lenders use as a reference for home loan pricing, have also risen. The U.S. will release its weekly unemployment claims report on the same day, which serves as an indicator of job market trends.

Despite steady unemployment claims figures over the past year, the broader job market has remained robust amid inflationary pressures affecting consumers and businesses.