Nonresidential Construction Falls in November, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Jan. 3—National nonresidential construction spending declined 0.3% in November but is up 5.1% year over year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, spending totaled $781.1 billion, 1.8% lower than the cyclical peak in April 2019.

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Construction Input Prices Rebound in July, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9—Construction input prices expanded 0.8% in July but are down 0.6% year-over-year, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.8% for the month but have declined 0.3% on a year-ago basis.

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Nonresidential Spending Expands Again in February, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, April 1—According to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today, national nonresidential construction spending rose 1.2 percent in February. Seasonally adjusted nonresidential spending totaled $773.8 billion, a 4.8 percent increase over the same time last year. Read the rest of entry »

2019 Starts Off with Expansion in Nonresidential Spending, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, March 13—National nonresidential construction spending rose 2.4 percent in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released today. At a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, nonresidential spending totaled $762.5 billion for the month, an increase of 4.8 percent over the previous year. Public nonresidential construction spending expanded 4.9 percent in January and private spending increased 0.8 percent. Both public and private nonresidential spending are up 8.5 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, on a yearly basis. Read the rest of entry »

ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator Steady in Q4 2018

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2019—Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator contracted to 8.9 months during the fourth quarter of 2018, down 1.1 percent from the third quarter and 7.5 percent compared to a year ago. CBI reached a record high of 9.9 months in the second quarter of 2018 and averaged about 9.1 months throughout all four quarters of last year. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Material Prices Inch Down in July, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9—Prices for inputs to construction fell 0.2 percent in July but are 9.5 percent higher than a year ago, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices fell 0.3 percent in July but are up 9.6 percent year over year. Softwood lumber prices are up 19.5 percent from July 2017, while iron and steel prices are up 13.4 percent. Read the rest of entry »

Construction Adds 25,000 Jobs in May, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, June 1—The U.S. construction industry added 25,000 net new jobs in May, according to Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC) analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This follows a 21,000 net job gain in April (revised upward from 17,000). The industry has gained 286,000 jobs on a year-over-year basis, the largest such increase since April 2016.

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Construction Input Prices Inch Down in December, Up YOY Despite Low Inflation, ABC Says

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11—Overall construction input prices declined 0.1 percent in December, yet despite the lack of inflation for the month, prices are up 5 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of  Bureau of Labor Statistics data released today.  Nonresidential construction materials prices also declined 0.1 percent for the month and are up 4.8 percent from the same time one year ago. 
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Nonresidential Construction Employment Ends 2017 on a High Note, Says ABC

WASHINGTON, Jan. 5—The nonresidential construction sector added 11,800 net new jobs in December, representing nearly 10 percent of the nation’s jobs created during the month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) analysis of data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation’s overall construction sector added 30,000 net new jobs in December, a 0.4 percent month-over-month increase.
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ABC Chief Economist Predicts Stable 2018 Construction Economy

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Chief Economist Anirban Basu predicts stability for the construction industry’s economy and expanding nonresidential construction spending in 2018. While construction project backlog and contractor confidence remain high heading into the new year, Basu warns there are risks to the 2018 outlook as a number of potential cost increases could come into play.
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