The Week Ahead...

Expectations are not looking for a strong week. Existing home sales start things off on Monday and are expected to post a sizable decline followed, however, by FHFA house prices on Tuesday which are expected to bounce higher. Thursday is the heaviest day on the calendar when a drop is expected for durable goods orders, one tied however to a monthly downswing for aircraft and not to broad-based weakness. New home sales are also out on Thursday and only a small gain is expected. And the week ends with a second look at consumer sentiment where only modest improvement from a dismal flash reading is forecast.