What to Look Out for in Economic Data This Week (Jan.…

What to Look Out for in Economic Data This Week (Jan. 5-Jan. 9)

The timing of economic data is getting back to normal after the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, and Wall Street will be looking at Friday morning's release of the December jobs report for information about the health of the employment market.

Economic reports we're watching

Thursday, January 8: Weekly jobless claims: It's an even noisier set during the holidays, but reliable data should flow later this month.

Friday, January 9: Nonfarm payrolls report: Data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is incoming on a timely basis again.

Friday, January 9: University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (preliminary): Consumers say they're feeling one way. Their behavior says something else.

Read on to see the entire weekly economic calendar of the most important upcoming economic reports scheduled to be released in the next several days.

Please check back often. This economic calendar is updated regularly. Bolded reports are those considered more noteworthy. All reporting times are in Eastern Time.

Reports that have been delayed due to the government shutdown are marked with an asterisk (*).

Monday (1/5)

Noteworthy economic reports
Time released	Economic report	Period
10 am	Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing PMI	December

Tuesday (1/6)

Noteworthy economic reports
Time released	Economic report	Period
8 am	Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin speaks	N/A
9:45 am	S&P Global Final Services PMI	December

Wednesday (1/7)

Noteworthy economic reports
Time released	Economic report	Period
8:30 am	ADP National Employment Report	December
10 am	ISM Services PMI	December
10 am	Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)	November
10 am	Factory orders	October
4:10 pm	Fed Governor Michelle Bowman speaks	N/A

Thursday (1/8)

Time released	Economic report	Period
8:30 am	Weekly jobless claims	Week ending January 3
8:30 am	U.S. trade balance	October
8:30 am	U.S. productivity	Q3

Friday (1/9)

December nonfarm payrolls report is on time

Investors, traders and speculators will enjoy a timely nonfarm payrolls report for December after the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown delayed release of September, October and November data.

Indeed, it's the "marquee release" on the economic calendar, as BMO Capital Markets economists Michael Gregory and Shelly Kaushik note. Gregory and Kaushik expect "sluggish results," including approximately 50,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate steady at 4.6%.

"Growth remains comfortably above long-run potential," their colleague Sal Guatieri observes, "which begs the question: why is the jobless rate creeping higher?" It's the productivity, as Guatieri explains.

"The direction of the economy and labor market in 2026 will largely depend on productivity and AI's influence on it," he adds. "A faster AI payoff would be good for overall growth and even inflation, but could come at the expense of continued anemic hiring. This mix would at least help keep the Fed in the easing game."

Time released	Economic report	Period
8:30 am	Nonfarm payrolls report	December
8:30 am	Housing starts	October
8:30 am	Building permits	October
10 am	University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (preliminary)	January
1:35 pm	Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin speaks	N/A