Nationwide housing starts rose 20.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.135 million units in April from an upwardly revised March reading, according to newly released data from the U.S. Commerce Department. This is the highest level of housing production since November 2007.
Read MoreDay: May 21, 2015
This Week’s Market Buzz
According to madison.com, 30 workers at U.S. Silica’s Sparta, Wis., plant will be laid off July 15, when the plant cuts back production because of the trickle-down effect of the lagging oil market, a company spokesman said. “We will operate the plant with a smaller workforce because we’ve seen a significant decrease in oil drilling, which has reduced demand for…
Read MoreWestmoreland, Athabasca, Conclude Agreement
Westmoreland Coal Co., through its Coal Valley Resources Inc. subsidiary, has entered into an agreement with Athabasca Minerals Inc. that will result in the production of aggregate from Westmoreland’s Obed Mountain Mine site.
Read MoreGiving Freight Rail Tracks A Boost
In Wisconsin, train tracks are having a ballast problem. Temperature and vibration can destabilize ballast over time, keeping it from safely transferring the weight of a loaded train to the soil below, draining water and preventing vegetation from crowding the tracks. Also, fine grains of frac sand are leaking from rail cars, accumulating in rail bed ballast and, during a…
Read MoreEagle Materials Revenues Climb 19 percent
Eagle Materials reported revenues up 19 percent to $1.1 billion in its financial results for fiscal year 2015 and the fiscal fourth quarter ended March 31, 2015.
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