By Sarah Chaney 

In the week ahead, the U.S. will see fresh data on housing starts, durable goods, existing-home sales and consumer sentiment.

TUESDAY

The Commerce Department releases data on October housing starts and permits. In September, starts fell 5.3%, while permits also declined. Builders appear to be taking a cautious stance given weak sales of new homes. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal forecast housing starts rose 1.6% in October.

WEDNESDAY

The Commerce Department releases data on October durable goods orders. In September, demand for long-lasting goods produced by U.S. factories surged 0.7% on military-aircraft orders. A key gauge of business investment, new orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, fell 0.1% in September. Economists surveyed by the Journal expect durable-goods orders fell 2.2% in October.

The National Association of Realtors releases October data on existing-home sales. Sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell 3.4% in September from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.15 million, the National Association of Realtors said. Sales were down 4.1% from a year earlier, the seventh straight month of declines -- marking the longest slump since 2014, when the market was still recovering from the housing crash. Economists surveyed by the Journal forecast home sales increased 0.8% to a 5.19 million annual rate.

The University of Michigan releases November consumer-sentiment data. In its preliminary November report, the University of Michigan said its consumer-sentiment index was 98.3, down slightly from 98.6 in October. Economists surveyed by the Journal forecast the consumer-sentiment index clocked in at 98.3 in the final November reading.

Write to Sarah Chaney at sarah.chaney@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 18, 2018 15:14 ET (20:14 GMT)