Economic Trends?

Q I hear a lot about economic trends in the newsletter. Which specific economic items should watch closely?

A Government and private entities release data on everything from hiring to inflation to industrial activity to home sales, often on a monthly basis. Most of these releases provide insight on a slice of the economy, but few of them have the potential to move the stock market.

Here are five economic releases we always track because of their potential impact on both general economic conditions and financial markets:

 The employment report, which presents changes in U.S. nonfarm payrolls.

  Retail sales.

  Inflation, particularly changes in the Consumer Price Index.

  Gross domestic product, which tracks quarterly economic activity but updates every month.

  New-home sales.