Construction + Economy

FMI’s latest forecast for construction put in place calls for 2% growth in 2011 and 6% for 2012 to $886.2 billion in total construction. In today’s economy that sounds like ambitious growth, but in constant 2006 dollars, that is only 3% growth for 2012 and a 1% drop in construction for 2011. To put it [...]

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) indicated that conditions facing the North American electroindustry stabilized in September, after signaling deterioration in each of the three previous months. Just as many survey panelists–20%–reported conditions improved from August to September as reported conditions worsened. The rest of the panel–60%–reported conditions were unchanged. A month ago nearly 21% [...]

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index for current North American conditions gained ground in August, but remained below levels suggestive of industry-wide expansion for a third straight month. The index climbed to 41.4, up 9.4 points from its July reading. The survey’s measure of the degree of change in current North American conditions was in negative [...]

The Wall Street Journal is today reporting that prices for rare earths, commonly used in fluorescent lamps and LEDs, have moderated in recent weeks after two years of large gains. Check it out here.

Following a drop of almost a full point in June, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell again by more than a point in July. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported [...]

A multitude of factors are preventing a recovery for the beleaguered design and construction industry. Lenders that have been extremely reticent to finance construction projects, budget shortfalls at all levels of government, the ripple effect of overbuilding, a depressed housing market and rising costs of key construction commodities are all contributing to what projects to [...]

The broad economic slowdown of recent months continued to affect the electrical manufacturing sector in July, with the Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions dropping to 32 from 45.5 a month ago, remaining below the growth threshold of 50 points for a second straight month. Forty-four percent (44%) of respondents to [...]

June marked the third consecutive decline in revenue at U.S. architecture firms as measured by the Architecture Billings Index (ABI). As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the June ABI score [...]

“In our Construction Outlook for the second quarter 2011, there are signs that the economy is recovering, even for contractors, but you have to look hard to see them. The stock market has taken on a more bullish trend since the bottom of the recession, but that bull has yet to visit Main Street, which [...]