Housing Probably Lagged Behind Factories: U.S. Economy Preview

Sales and construction of U.S. homes probably hovered in April around the lows reached during the recession, while factories kept churning out more goods, a reminder that manufacturing remains the engine of the recovery, economists said before reports this week.

Sales of existing homes rose 2 percent to a 5.2 million annual pace, according to the median forecast of 55 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before a May 19 report from the National Association of Realtors. Industrial production grew for a sixth month, figures from the Federal Reserve may show.