Market participants enter Tuesday, September 1, 2026, facing a concentrated set of economic data that could influence trading sentiment and provide fresh readings on the U.S. economy. A trio of headline releases - Manufacturing PMI, ISM Manufacturing PMI and JOLTs Job Openings - are scheduled in the morning and will be observed for direction on industrial activity and labor demand.
These indicators arrive at a time when investors are seeking clearer signals about the pace of economic growth and the potential implications for monetary policy. Collectively they offer timely measures of factory conditions, supplier and input costs, and the level of vacancies firms are trying to fill.
Major economic releases
- 8:45 AM ET - Manufacturing PMI: Forecast 53.2, Previous 53.2. This purchasing managers index gauges activity among manufacturing purchasing managers, with readings above 50 indicating expansion.
- 9:00 AM ET - ISM Manufacturing PMI: Forecast 55.2, Previous 55.6. The ISM report compiles responses from more than 400 industrial firms to measure new orders, production, employment, supplier deliveries and inventories in manufacturing.
- 9:00 AM ET - JOLTs Job Openings: Forecast 7.330M, Previous 7.359M. The Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of job vacancies provides a view of labor demand and the number of open positions across the economy.
Additional scheduled data and events
Alongside the headline releases, markets will also receive a slate of related figures and scheduled remarks that could influence interpretation of the primary reports.
- 8:05 AM ET - Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Barr Speaks - Comments from Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr may offer perspective on regulatory issues and the economic outlook.
- 9:00 AM ET - Construction Spending: Forecast 0.0%, Previous -0.1% - This series measures month-to-month changes in total construction outlays and is noted as being prone to large revisions.
- 9:00 AM ET - ISM Manufacturing Employment: Previous 52.8 - This component of the ISM report tracks employment trends within manufacturing.
- 9:00 AM ET - ISM Manufacturing Prices: Forecast 71.2, Previous 71.1 - This component measures prices paid for inputs by manufacturers and serves as an indicator of inflationary pressure within the sector.
- 10:30 AM ET - Atlanta Fed GDPNow: Forecast 4.6%, Previous 4.6% - The running estimate of real GDP growth for the current quarter based on incoming data.
- 3:30 PM ET - API Weekly Crude Stock: Previous 4.200M - The American Petroleum Institute releases its weekly estimate of U.S. crude, gasoline and distillates stock changes.
There are also several other scheduled releases that could add color to the morning’s assessments:
- 7:55 AM ET - Redbook: Previous 9.1% - A same-store sales growth measure for large U.S. general merchandise retailers.
- 9:00 AM ET - ISM Manufacturing New Orders Index: Previous 56.7 - Tracks the level of incoming orders to manufacturing firms and is considered a leading indicator of production activity.
- 9:00 AM ET - IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism: Forecast 46.2, Previous 45.1 - A sentiment measure that incorporates six-month outlooks, personal financial expectations and confidence in federal policies.
- 9:30 AM ET - Texas Services Sector Outlook: Previous 6.6 - A survey-based gauge of business conditions and sentiment in the Texas services sector.
- 9:30 AM ET - Dallas Fed Services Revenues: Previous 9.5 - Tracks revenue trends among services firms in the Dallas Fed district.
- 10:30 AM ET - 52-Week Bill Auction: Previous 3.880% - The Treasury auction of one-year bills, which reflects investor demand for short-term government debt.
What to watch in the numbers
Investors will be evaluating whether the manufacturing indicators show continued expansion or signs of cooling, and whether labor demand as captured in the JOLTs report remains elevated. The ISM components - including employment, new orders and prices - will be parsed for consistency with the broader picture painted by the headline PMI and the labor vacancy data. Construction spending, although often revised, will provide a snapshot of activity in building and investment, while the Atlanta Fed GDPNow update will offer a concurrent estimate of quarterly growth momentum.
Meanwhile, the API crude inventory release later in the day will be noted by energy market participants tracking supply balances and near-term price dynamics.
Context and limitations
The scheduled items together create a dense information set for a single morning. Some series, such as construction spending, carry large revision risk, and the various indicators can at times send mixed signals. Remarks by a senior Fed official could also influence market perception of regulatory conditions or economic prospects, adding another interpretive layer to the hard data.
Traders and analysts should treat the morning’s flow as a series of complementary datapoints rather than a single definitive read on the economy, and monitor subsequent revisions and related components for a fuller picture.