2013 economics
Firm: Construction starts climbed 6 percent in 2013
New construction starts in December grew 5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $554.5 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. Although both nonresidential building and housing settled back during the final month… Keep Reading
Higher confidence leads to increase in home building
Nationwide housing production rose nearly 23 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. “Builders are increasingly confident that… Keep Reading
Crushed stone, sand and gravel consumption increase
An estimated 367 million metric tons (Mt) of crushed stone was produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the third quarter of 2013, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This is an 8 percent increase compared… Keep Reading
Firm: Political infighting, uncertainty slowing nonresidential construction
FMI, a management consulting and investment-banking firm with an index that measures nonresidential construction growth, released its latest report that shows a 2.9-percent fourth-quarter drop for the category. FMI gave the fourth quarter a score of 57.4 on its Nonresidential… Keep Reading
Ongoing recovery drives Vulcan’s third-quarter growth
Vulcan Materials Co.'s third-quarter net sales increased 13 percent versus the prior year's third quarter, the company announced upon releasing its results for the third quarter. In addition, the company's gross profit increased 25 percent from the prior year as… Keep Reading
August construction rises 2 percent
New construction starts in August advanced 2 percent compared with July, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. According to the firm, nonbuilding construction rebounded after momentum was lost in July. At the same time, McGraw-Hill Construction says nonresidential building retreated from an… Keep Reading
First-quarter crushed-stone production down
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), an estimated 211 million metric tons (Mt) of crushed stone were produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the first quarter of 2013 – a decrease of 4 percent compared with… Keep Reading
Nonresidential Construction Index hits record high
FMI released its second-quarter Nonresidential Construction Index (NRCI) report, giving nonresidential construction its highest score in more than four years after receiving feedback from its panelists. The NRCI score of 60.1 is a two-point improvement over the first quarter of… Keep Reading
Non-residential building segment showing continued progress
The Dodge Momentum Index measuring the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning rose 5.9 percent in March, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. The increase lifted the index to 109.4, marking the fourth gain in a row following the modest… Keep Reading