economics
Bad news for frac sand
Two recent reports paint a negative picture of the frac sand market for the foreseeable future. The first, from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), says the number of man-made earthquakes is on the rise owing to the boom in oil… Keep Reading
CEMA reports increase in North America shipments
The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) reports that shipments in North America were up 9.1 percent in 2014. CEMA estimates that shipments totaled more than $11 billion for 2014, a record level increase of $926 million from 2013 shipments of… Keep Reading
Summit Materials debuts on NYSE
Summit Materials Holdings Inc. made its debut as a public company. Summit Materials, the 16th-largest producer on Pit & Quarry's 2014 MegaProducers list, opened at $19.90 a share on the New York Stock Exchange. According to the Denver Business Journal,… Keep Reading
State taxes
Aggregate producers should be prepared for unexpected audits or additional taxes. The Council on State Taxation (COST), a Washington, D.C., think-tank, recently released the results of a study showing business taxes accounted for 45 percent of all state and local… Keep Reading
Vulcan execs offer positive view on coming years
Vulcan Materials Co. executives offered an optimistic outlook of their business' future in interviews with Barron's, which produced a feature article on one of the top U.S. aggregate producers. According to Vulcan CEO Tom Hill, the company has "multiple years… Keep Reading
Martin Marietta shares expectations for 2015
Nonresidential construction is expected to increase. Residential construction should continue to grow. Energy-related economic activity is anticipated to remain strong. And highway funding should remain stable. Taking these factors into account, Martin Marietta expects its business to increase this year… Keep Reading
Vulcan optimistic about prospects for 2015
Vulcan Materials Co. experienced a very successful fourth quarter of 2014, reporting an 11 percent increase in total revenues, a 15 percent increase in shipments and a 45 percent increase in gross profit compared with the prior year's fourth quarter.… Keep Reading
Economics Pulse: Construction materials update
Last year proved to be a year of mixed results for the construction materials sector. Production volumes increased in 2014, but not at the pace that many expected. Sales increased but profit margins struggled to show improvement. Stock prices for… Keep Reading
Aggregate production up 7.1 percent in 2014
Total aggregates production rose 7.1 percent in 2014, according to new information from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In its just-released Mineral Commodity Summaries 2015 report, USGS says 2.17 billion metric tons of aggregate were shipped last year compared to… Keep Reading
