As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of crucial economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Friday, May 23, 2025. The spotlight will be on the housing sector, with building permits and new home sales figures taking center stage, offering insights into the health of the U.S. real estate market and broader economic trends.

Major Economic Events to Watch

• 8:30 AM ET - Building Permits (Apr): A key indicator of housing demand, forecast at 1.412M, down from 1.467M previously.

• 10:00 AM ET - New Home Sales (Apr): Measuring new single-family home sales, expected at 694K, lower than the previous 724K.

Other Important Economic Events to Watch

• 8:30 AM ET - Building Permits (MoM) (Apr): Percentage change in building permits, forecast at -4.7%, down from 0.5% previously.

• 10:00 AM ET - New Home Sales (MoM) (Apr): Percentage change in new home sales, previous reading was 7.4%.

• 1:00 PM ET - Baker Hughes (NASDAQ: BKR ) U.S. Rig Count: A barometer for oil drilling industry activity, previous count was 473.

• 1:00 PM ET - U.S. Baker Hughes Total Rig Count: Total active drilling rigs, previous count was 576.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC S&P 500 speculative positions: Weekly report on speculative positions, previous was -122.2K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Nasdaq 100 speculative positions: Speculative positions for Nasdaq 100, previous was 19.5K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Gold speculative positions: Weekly report on gold positions, previous was 161.2K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Crude Oil speculative positions: Speculative positions for crude oil , previous was 185.3K.

Other Economic Events to Watch

• 9:35 AM ET - Fed Schmid Speaks: Kansas City Fed President to provide economic insights.

• 12:00 PM ET - Fed Governor Cook Speaks: Federal Reserve Governor to discuss economic outlook.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Aluminium speculative net positions: Weekly report, previous was 0.1K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Copper speculative positions: Copper market sentiment indicator, previous was 21.5K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Silver speculative positions: Weekly silver market positions, previous was 47.8K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Natural Gas speculative positions: Natural gas market sentiment, previous was -112.1K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Wheat speculative positions: Wheat market positions, previous was -118.1K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Corn speculative positions: Corn market sentiment indicator, previous was 18.1K.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Soybeans speculative positions: Soybean market positions, previous was 65.2K.

For further information and the latest updates, please refer to our Economic Calendar, here .

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.