economics
Poor weather puts a damper on builder confidence in February
Unusually severe weather conditions across much of the United States, along with continued concerns over the cost and availability of labor and lots, caused builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes to post a 10-point drop to… Keep Reading
Construction takes a hit in January
The value of new construction starts fell 13 percent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $485.0 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The downturn followed a healthy performance in December, which… Keep Reading
Nonresidential construction index at its highest point ever
FMI, a management consulting and investment-banking firm with an index that measures nonresidential construction growth, released its 2014 First Quarter Nonresidential Construction Index (NRCI) report. The NRCI showed a 7.5-point increase since the last quarter, as well as a 6.8-point… Keep Reading
Multifamily housing demand expected to rise for next few years
Demand for apartments will increase over the next several years, said panelists during a press conference at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. And while multifamily construction continues to be strong, NAHB… Keep Reading
Dodge Momentum Index continues to climb
The Dodge Momentum Index, a monthly measure of the first report for nonresidential building projects in planning, rose 3 percent in January from the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction. The Momentum Index has been on a steady climb… Keep Reading
Vulcan’s James offers insight for year ahead
What's in store for Vulcan Materials Co. over the next 11 months? Don James, Vulcan's chairman and CEO, says he expects aggregates demand in a number of markets to increase over the prior year for the first time in a… Keep Reading
Vulcan’s fourth-quarter revenue exceeds previous year’s mark
Vulcan Materials Co. reported $470 million in fourth-quarter aggregates revenue, as well as $112 million in gross profit – increases of 14 and 37 percent, respectively, versus the company's 2012 fourth quarter. In addition, Vulcan's gross profit per ton of aggregates… Keep Reading
Nye expects additional economic growth for Martin Marietta in 2014
Ward Nye, president and CEO of Martin Marietta Materials Inc., offered a positive industry outlook for 2014 upon the release of his company's fourth quarter results. "We are encouraged by various positive trends in our business and markets, especially in… Keep Reading
Nonresidential market drives Martin Marietta’s fourth quarter
Martin Marietta Materials Inc.'s nonresidential and residential aggregates product line shipments experienced double-digit volume growth in the fourth quarter last year, driving a 67 percent increase in earnings per diluted share over the company's 2012 fourth quarter. In addition, Martin… Keep Reading