Industry Economics – Rock Products Magazine

Construction Starts Rebound in October; Highways Surge Higher

November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 Rock Products News

Total construction starts rose 12% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $787.9 billon. While sizeable, the increase does not erase September’s substantial pullback in starts. All three major categories moved higher over the month, nonbuilding starts rose 25%, nonresidential buildings increased 19%, while residential activity gained 2%. Four of the five regions saw construction starts move higher in October, with the…

Dodge Data & Analytics Expects Construction Starts to Recover in 2021

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 Rock Products News

Dodge Data & Analytics offered its 2021 Dodge Construction Outlook, a mainstay in construction industry forecasting and business planning. The report predicts that total U.S. construction starts will increase 4% in 2021, to $771 billion.

Dodge Momentum Index Posts Dip in October

November 6, 2020November 6, 2020 Rock Products News

The Dodge Momentum Index fell 1.8% in October to 127.5 (2000=100) from the revised September reading of 129.8. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year.

Construction Spending Ticks Up; Highways Dealt a Setback

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020 Rock Products News

The U.S. Census Bureau announced that construction spending during September 2020 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,414.0 billion, 0.3% (±1.0%) above the revised August estimate of $1,410.4 billion. The September figure is 1.5% (±1.3%) above the September 2019 estimate of $1,393.3 billion.

September New Home Sales Pause Following Strong Summer Surge

October 26, 2020October 27, 2020 Rock Products News

Sales of newly built, single-family homes in September fell 3.5% to 959,000 from a downwardly revised August number, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the monthly decline, the September rate is 32.1% higher than the September 2019 pace, and on a year-to-date basis, new home sales…

PCA Forecasts Cement Consumption Decline Into 2021

October 22, 2020October 27, 2020 Rock Products News

The Portland Cement Association (PCA) released its annual Fall Forecast, which predicts a modest decrease in cement consumption during 2020 and 2021. PCA Market Intelligence expects cement consumption, based on the weighted average of three different economic scenarios, will lessen by 1.5% for the remainder of 2020 and 0.9% in 2021.

Construction Starts Step Back in September

October 15, 2020October 27, 2020 Rock Products News

Total construction starts dipped 18% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $667.7 billion, essentially taking back August’s gain, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. While some of this decline is certainly payback from several large projects entering start in August, the drop in activity brought total construction starts below levels seen in June and July. Nonresidential starts fell…

Dodge Momentum Index Increases in September

October 7, 2020October 27, 2020 Rock Products News

The Dodge Momentum Index rose 3.7% in September to 130.8 (2000=100) from the revised August reading of 126.2. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year.