This Week: Home Sales, Costco Earns, Durable Goods Orders

Analysts predict the membership warehouse club will report Thursday that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue increased from a year earlier. Costco has benefited from sharp sales growth, including online sales, this year. The company has already disclosed that sales in the July-August quarter were up by double digits from a year earlier.

MANUFACTURING BELLWETHER

The Commerce Department serves up its August snapshot of U.S. durable goods orders Friday.

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods jumped 11.4% in July, the third consecutive gain after a steep two-month plunge. Julys strong advance was led by the volatile transportation sector. Excluding that category, orders would have risen by a more modest 2.4%. Economists project that durable goods orders rose only 1.5% last month.