Retail Sales

The Census Bureau releases the Retail Sales data that measure the merchandise sold by companies. The Retailed Sales report is published on monthly basis and is considered as an indicator of the U.S. economy. It includes all retail operations (for cash or credit at retail or wholesale) in the nation, from Wal-Mart to the local bookstore.

The Retail Sales Data measures the amount of goods being sold by establishments primarily engaged in retail trade each month in the United States. It does not include sales at retail by manufacturers, wholesalers, service establishments, and others whose primary activity is other than retail trade.

Existing-Home Sales

The Existing-Home Sales statistics report is published by the United States National Association of Realtors (NAR) and is the premier measurement of the residential real estate market. The existing homes (as defined by the National Association of Realtors) are all previously-owned single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, and co-ops. The Existing-Home Sales report is published on monthly basis on or about the 25th. The report releases statistics on sales and prices of existing single-family homes. The statistics is released for the nation as well as for the four main regions. On February 25, 2005,  in addition to single-family homes, the National Association of Realtors added condos and co-ops to this statistics report. At the same time on quarterly basis the NAR publishes state-by-state existing-home sales and metro area home prices report.

Existing-Home Sales is considered as an economic indicator of both the number and prices of existing single-family homes, condos and co-op sales over a one-month period. It is a lagging indicator as it tends to react after a change in mortgage rates. This indicator is thought to be a good measure of demand in the real-estate sector, yet, it does not look at newly built houses or the sale of new houses.