GDP, JOLTs job openings and core PCE among economic data due Friday

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, March 13, 2026. The day’s agenda features key indicators including the Gross Domestic Product report, JOLTs Job Openings data, Core Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index, and Durable Goods Orders. These releases will provide insights into economic growth, labor market conditions, inflation trends, and manufacturing activity, offering market participants valuable information to assess the health of the U.S. economy.

Major Economic Events to Watch

• 7:30 AM ET - GDP (Forecast:1.4%, Previous: 1.4%) - Measures the annualized change in the inflation-adjusted value of all goods and services produced by the economy, serving as the broadest measure of economic health.

• 7:30 AM ET - Core PCE Price Index (Forecast:0.4%, Previous: 0.4%) - Tracks monthly price changes in consumer goods and services excluding food and energy, weighted by expenditure per item, providing a key inflation measure.

• 7:30 AM ET - Durable Goods Orders (Forecast:1.1%, Previous: -1.4%) - Measures the change in total value of new orders for long-lasting manufactured goods, including transportation items, indicating manufacturing sector strength.

• 9:00 AM ET - JOLTs Job Openings (Forecast:6.760M, Previous: 6.542M) - Surveys job vacancies by measuring positions that are open and available on the last business day of the month, providing insight into labor market demand.

Other Important Economic Events to Watch

• 7:30 AM ET - Core Durable Goods Orders (Forecast:0.5%, Previous: 0.9%) - Measures new orders for long-lasting manufactured goods excluding transportation items, offering a less volatile gauge of ordering trends.

• 7:30 AM ET - Core PCE Price Index (Forecast:3.1%, Previous: 3.0%) - Annual measure of core consumer price changes excluding food and energy, a key Federal Reserve inflation indicator.

• 7:30 AM ET - PCE Price Index (Forecast:0.3%, Previous: 0.4%) - Monthly change in prices for all domestic personal consumption, also known as the PCE deflator.

• 7:30 AM ET - PCE Price Index (Forecast:2.9%, Previous: 2.8%) - Annual measure of the average increase in prices for all domestic personal consumption.

• 7:30 AM ET - Personal Spending (Forecast:0.3%, Previous: 0.4%) - Measures the inflation-adjusted change in consumer spending, which accounts for the majority of economic activity.

• 7:30 AM ET - GDP Price Index (Forecast:3.7%, Previous: 3.7%) - Measures the annualized change in prices of all goods and services included in GDP, the broadest inflationary indicator.

• 7:30 AM ET - Core PCE Prices (Forecast:2.70%, Previous: 2.70%) - Annual core personal consumption expenditure price measure excluding food and energy.

• 9:00 AM ET - Michigan Consumer Sentiment (Forecast:55.0, Previous: 56.6) - Final reading of the University of Michigan survey rating relative levels of current and future economic conditions based on approximately 500 consumers.

• 9:00 AM ET - Michigan Consumer Expectations (Previous:56.6) - Final reading of the expectations component of the Michigan sentiment index based on three standard questions about future economic conditions.

• 10:30 AM ET - Atlanta Fed GDPNow (Forecast:2.7%, Previous: 2.7%) - Running estimate of real GDP growth based on available economic data for the current quarter, calculated solely through mathematical modeling.

• 1:00 PM ET - Baker Hughes U.S. Rig Count (Previous:411) - Weekly count of active oil drilling rigs, serving as a leading indicator of demand for oil products and services.

• 1:00 PM ET - U.S. Baker Hughes Total Rig Count (Previous:551) - Total count of active drilling rigs including oil and natural gas operations.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Gold Speculative Positions (Previous:160.1K) - Weekly breakdown of net positions for speculative traders in gold futures markets.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC S&P 500 Speculative Positions (Previous:-168.2K) - Weekly commitments of traders report showing net positions for speculative traders in S&P 500 futures.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Nasdaq 100 Speculative Positions (Previous:2.4K) - Net positions held by speculative traders in Nasdaq 100 futures markets.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Crude Oil Speculative Positions (Previous:172.2K) - Weekly report of net speculative positions in crude oil futures markets.

Other Economic Events to Watch

• 7:30 AM ET - GDP Sales (Forecast:1.2%, Previous: 4.5%) - Measures the change in total sales component of GDP calculations.

• 7:30 AM ET - Durables Excluding Defense (Previous:-2.4%) - Value of new orders for durable goods excluding defense-related items.

• 7:30 AM ET - Goods Orders Non Defense Ex Air (Forecast:0.5%, Previous: 0.8%) - New orders for nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft, including machinery, equipment, and technology products.

• 7:30 AM ET - Real Personal Consumption (Previous:0.1%) - Personal consumption expenditure adjusted for inflation, divided into durable goods, non-durable goods, and services.

• 7:30 AM ET - Personal Income (Forecast:0.5%, Previous: 0.3%) - Change in total value of income received from all sources by consumers.

• 7:30 AM ET - PCE Prices (Forecast:2.9%, Previous: 2.9%) - Annual Personal Consumption Expenditure price measure tracking consumer price changes.

• 7:30 AM ET - Real Consumer Spending (Forecast:2.4%, Previous: 3.5%) - Inflation-adjusted amount spent by households on durables and non-durables.

• 9:00 AM ET - Dallas Fed PCE (Previous:2.20%) - Trimmed-mean PCE inflation rate that excludes extreme price changes to gauge core inflation trends.

• 9:00 AM ET - Michigan Current Conditions (Previous:56.6) - Final reading of the current conditions component of the Michigan sentiment index.

• 9:00 AM ET - Michigan 1-Year Inflation Expectations (Previous:3.4%) - Final reading of consumer expectations for price changes over the next 12 months.

• 9:00 AM ET - Michigan 5-Year Inflation Expectations (Previous:3.3%) - Median expected price changes for the next five years from University of Michigan consumer survey.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Silver Speculative Positions (Previous:23.3K) - Weekly commitments of traders report for silver futures markets.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Copper Speculative Positions (Previous:57.7K) - Net positions held by speculative traders in copper futures markets.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Aluminium Speculative Net Positions (Previous:-2.3K) - Weekly breakdown of speculative positions in aluminum futures.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Natural Gas Speculative Positions (Previous:-206.4K) - Net positions for speculative traders in natural gas futures markets.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Wheat Speculative Positions (Previous:-26.0K) - Weekly commitments of traders data for wheat futures.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Corn Speculative Positions (Previous:90.1K) - Net speculative positions in corn futures markets.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Soybeans Speculative Positions (Previous:221.9K) - Weekly report of net positions for speculative traders in soybean futures.