Markets Positive Ahead of Housing Data

All major indices were in the green Tuesday morning as markets prepare for housing and consumer data. Nasdaq futures are up 43 points, or 0.33%, followed by S&P and Dow futures up 0.29%, and 0.27%, respectively.

• At 9:00 AM, economists believe the Case-Shiller index will show home price growth, for the 20-city index, slowing to 6.0% to close out 2023. At 10:00 AM, consumer confidence is expected to rise to 108.5 in February.

EUROPE: The annual inflation rate in France rose for a second straight month to 6.2% in February, up from 6% in January and above market forecasts of 6.1%.

• European markets weren’t too upset about this as the Stoxx Europe 600 was up 0.10% with about 4 hours left in the trading day.

ASIA: The New York Times reports that Hong Kong’s leader said on Tuesday that the city would lift its mask mandate, one of the last such policies in the world, effectively ending what had been one of the pandemic’s strictest Covid regimes.

• Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.8% to close out the trading day while Shanghai Composite gained 0.7% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.1%.