The coming week front-loads its news. A federal antitrust trial and a brokerage merger both land Monday, two major home-price readings arrive Tuesday morning, and the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium convenes Thursday in Wyoming.
Monday, Aug. 24
The Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Zillow Group and Redfin goes to trial in Alexandria, Va. It is a bench trial before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga, with a status conference at 9:30 a.m. and proceedings starting at 10 a.m. The government alleges the two companies struck an illegal agreement to suppress competition in rental advertising. Because there is no jury, expect no verdict moment; post-trial findings are due 21 days after the trial ends.
The same day, Real and RE/MAX are scheduled to close their merger, creating a brokerage valued at roughly $2.3 billion. Watch for the combined agent count and the first signals on branding and integration.
Tuesday, Aug. 25
Two price readings land within an hour. The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller indices publish at 9 a.m. ET, carrying their usual two-month lag. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index typically accompanies them.
At 10 a.m., the Census Bureau releases New Residential Sales for July. This is the one to watch. Last week’s data showed single-family starts falling 9.9% in July while permits rose, and new-home sales will indicate whether builders pulled back because demand softened or because they are managing inventory. Builder incentives have been doing heavy lifting all year, and the sales pace will show how much further they can stretch.
Wednesday, Aug. 26
The Mortgage Bankers Association publishes its weekly applications survey. With the 30-year rate having eased two weeks running, purchase applications are the cleanest near-term read on whether modestly lower borrowing costs are pulling buyers back or simply slowing the bleed.
Thursday, Aug. 27
Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey arrives around noon ET. A third consecutive decline would begin to look like a trend rather than noise.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City also opens its Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, running Thursday through Saturday at Jackson Lake Lodge. This year’s theme is financial innovation and its implications for payments and policy — further from housing than some past programs. Even so, any remarks on the rate path move mortgage markets, and the symposium has repeatedly produced the late-summer signal that sets expectations into September.
Looking just past the week
Census construction spending for July is due Tuesday, Sept. 1, the first business day of the month. It will be the next hard read on the residential-versus-nonresidential split that has defined construction data all year.
What to keep an eye on
Three threads carry into the week. First, whether easing mortgage rates translate into transactions or simply improve sentiment. Second, whether the FTC trial produces disclosures about how listing platforms actually compete — testimony often reveals more than filings. Third, the continuing divergence between a contracting housing sector and a nonresidential construction market driven by data centers, which Tuesday’s new-home sales figure will speak to directly.
This is a preview based on published release calendars and scheduled events. Dates and times can change, and nothing here forecasts what the data will show.
Related coverage: Mortgage Rates Could Move This Week as Wednesday's Inflation Report Tests the Fed's Path · Mortgage Rates Slip to 6.65% in Second Straight Weekly Decline, Freddie Mac Says · Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Retire Condo 'Limited Review' Loan Option, Effective Aug. 3
