economics
Vulcan Materials releases second-quarter earnings summary
Vulcan Materials Co. shared its second-quarter earnings summary last week, announcing that its aggregates segment gross profit improved 9 percent due to increased productivity and cost-reduction initiatives. Vulcan’s aggregates shipments increased slightly on a same-store basis from the prior year… Keep Reading
Martin Marietta shares second-quarter results
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. released its second-quarter results today, noting that its heritage aggregates business-operating margin expanded 150 basis points and that the company’s specialty products group posted record second-quarter net sales. “Our second-quarter results once again reflect the powerful… Keep Reading
June construction retreats 1 percent
New construction starts in June slipped 1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $446.1 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. After the elevated activity that McGraw-Hill reported during March and April, which reflected the lift coming from two nuclear… Keep Reading
Irving Materials purchases competing operation
Irving Materials Inc. has acquired the assets of Rock Industries Inc., The Indianapolis Business Journal reports. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Rock Industries operates quarries in Peru and Plymouth, Ind., producing more than 500,000 tons of stone, sand and gravel… Keep Reading
Slight gain for construction starts expected through 2012
McGraw-Hill Construction, as part of its 2012 Dodge Construction Outlook Midyear Update, is predicting total construction starts in the United States to increase 2 percent this year. McGraw-Hill Construction revised its forecast from last October, when it predicted total construction… Keep Reading
First-quarter aggregate production up 9.7 percent
An estimated 216 million metric tons (Mt) of crushed stone were produced and shipped for consumption in the United States in the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 9.4 percent compared with that of the same period of 2011.… Keep Reading
Commercial building plans down in May
The Dodge Momentum Index, which measures first-reported nonresidential building projects at the planning stage, slipped 1.2 percent from April to May. The index now sits at 93.6. The decrease is the result of a divergent pattern for the two major… Keep Reading
Martin Marietta’s appeal delayed
Martin Marietta Materials Inc.'s appeal of a lower court ruling that halted its $5 billion offer for Vulcan Materials Co. has been postponed until May 31, according to Reuters. Originally, the appeal was scheduled for May 25, and the new… Keep Reading
Court to hear Martin Marietta appeal May 25
Reuters reports that Martin Marietta Materials Inc. has won an expedited appeal of the May 4 ruling that barred it from pursuing its offer for Vulcan Materials for four months. The Delaware Supreme Court, says Reuters, has agreed to hear… Keep Reading
