Building permits, pending home sales among economic data due Tuesday

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, a series of important economic data releases are scheduled to influence financial markets. The focus will be on housing market indicators, with building permits and pending home sales taking precedence as essential measures of the residential sector's health. In the early hours, at 7:30 AM ET, the Building Permits report is anticipated to show a value of 1.390M, slightly lower than the previous figure of 1.403M.

This metric gauges the number of new building permits issued by the government, serving as a critical housing market demand indicator. Later, at 9:00 AM ET, the Pending Home Sales report is expected to indicate a decline of 0.4% compared to the prior 0.3%. This figure tracks the change in the number of homes under contract to be sold, but not yet finalized, with new construction excluded.

Additional data points due Tuesday include the ADP Employment Change Weekly at 7:15 AM ET, and Housing Starts, both of which will provide further insights into the labor market and housing sector. Throughout the day, traders will also monitor the Atlanta Fed GDPNow at 7:30 AM ET, the API Weekly Crude Stock at 9:00 AM ET, and the Redbook at 9:00 AM ET, offering a comprehensive view of economic activity.