U.S. Stocks Set to Open Higher, Housing Market Data and Inflation Measure in Focus

U.S. stocks are expected to start the week on a positive note, with investors eagerly awaiting fresh updates on the housing market and the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure.

At 6:15 p.m. ET on Sunday night, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up by 0.1%, S&P 500 futures were up by 0.1%, and Nasdaq Composite futures saw a slight uptick of less than 0.1%.

This week will see notable earnings reports from companies such as Heico, Accenture, FactSet Research Systems, FedEx, and Worthington Enterprises.

General Mills, Micron Technology, and Winnebago Industries will announce their earnings on Wednesday, while CarMax, Carnival, Cintas, Nike, and Paychex will do so on Thursday.

The National Association of Home Builders' Housing Market Index for December will be released on Monday, providing valuable insight into the state of the housing market.

On Tuesday, the Census Bureau will unveil new residential construction statistics for November, and the Bank of Japan will announce its latest monetary policy decision.

Wednesday will bring the release of existing-home sales for November by the National Association of Realtors, along with the Consumer Confidence Index for December by the Conference Board.

Thursday will be a busy day, with the Bureau of Economic Analysis revealing its final estimate of third-quarter gross domestic product growth, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia unveiling its December Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey, and the Labor Department releasing initial unemployment benefit claims for the week ended Dec. 16. Additionally, the Conference Board will make public its Leading Economic Index for November.

Finally, on Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will report on the November personal income and expenditures price index, including the Fed's preferred inflation gauge - the core personal-consumption expenditures price index. The Census Bureau will also publish new-home sales data for November, and the durable goods report for November will be released.