Construction + Economy

After three straight months of improving conditions, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) fell nearly three points. 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 reported the May ABI rating was 45.8, down substantially from [...]

NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American business conditions posted a small gain in June, climbing 1.6 points from May to 70.4. Meanwhile, the EBCI for future North American conditions dropped 6.7 points to 70.4, giving back more than twice the 3.2-point gain recorded in May, but remaining well above the 50-point [...]

Join McGraw-Hill Construction for the 72nd annual Outlook Executive Conference, October 28-29, 2010 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. Attendees will get a first-hand view of industry trends and the economic forecast that will impact the construction industry in 2011. For more information, and to register, click here.

Construction spending during April 2010 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $869.1 billion, 2.7%% above the revised March 2010 estimate of $845.9 billion and 10.5% below the April 2009 estimate of $971.4 billion, according to new Commerce Department figures. (Note these are estimates and subject to change over the next several months.) [...]

From The New York Times: The law claims that the number of people in a city is inversely proportional to the city’s rank among all cities. In other words, the biggest city is about twice the size of the second biggest city, three times the size of the third biggest city, and so forth … [...]

North American business conditions continued to improve on balance in May, though positive sentiment was less widespread than in the previous month. NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions slipped 3 points to 68.8. Nonetheless, the index remained well above the 50 point level indicative of an environment conducive to electroindustry [...]

NEMA’s compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) index reversed a negative trend that dated back to the first quarter 2009, registering a 3% year-over-year increase. Conversely, the incandescent lamps index fell to its second lowest level on record showing a year-over-year decline of 2.2% during the first quarter of 2010, which maintains a three and a half [...]

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index (LSI) increased 1.1% on a quarter-to-quarter basis during the first quarter of 2010. On a year-over-year basis the index posted a similar increase of 1.2%, marking the first time since the second quarter of 2006 that the LSI has registered an appreciable gain compared to the same period a year ago. [...]

For the third straight month, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has gone up. 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 April ABI rating was 48.4, up from a reading of [...]