Spending Decline Indicates What’s to Come

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors  National nonresidential construction spending fell 1.8 percent in February but is up 2.5 percent compared to the same time last year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending totaled $795.1B for the month.  Private nonresidential spending declined 2 percent on a monthly basis and is down […]

Construction Contractors Confident to Start 2020

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors  Confidence among U.S. construction industry leaders generally improved in January, consistent with the burgeoning momentum of the U.S. economy during the early weeks of 2020, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors Construction Confidence Index. While the reading for sales expectations edged lower for the month, confidence pertaining to sales, profit margins and staffing […]

ABC: Input Prices Down Slightly in Feb.

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors Construction input prices fell 0.6 percent in February and are up 0.4 percent year over year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices also decreased by 0.6 percent but are up 0.3 percent compared to […]

ABC: Nonresidential Employment Up in Feb.

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors The construction industry added 42,000 net new jobs in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 223,000 jobs, an increase of 3.0 percent. Nonresidential construction employment increased by 19,800 […]

ABC: Nonresidential Const. Spending Up in Jan.

Source: Associated Builders and Contractors National nonresidential construction spending increased by 1.6 percent in January and is up 5.1 percent on a year-ago basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending totaled a record $806.9B in January. Private nonresidential […]

Infrastructure Spending Drives Strong Q4

Source: Marcum LLP The Marcum Commercial Construction Index for the fourth quarter of 2019 reports healthy levels of construction spending, in large part due to the ongoing strength in infrastructure-related categories. Nonresidential construction spending stood at an annualized rate of $779.6B in December 2019, down 1.2 percent from the previous month but up 4.4 percent year-over-year. The […]

Construction Down, Hiring Up, Experts Puzzled

By Roland Murphy for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Construction industry vicissitudes continue to leave pundits, experts and those who cover them scratching their heads. Last month, we asked for thoughts on some confusing trends and indicators in construction spending, unemployment and material costs. The gist of most responses was, “Good question. I don’t know either.” (AZBEX, […]