Economy
Dodge Momentum Index Drops in July
Written by Sandy Williams
August 12, 2014
The Dodge Momentum Index, a monthly measure of initial reports for nonresidential building projects in planning, fell 4.4 percent in July after making gains the last three months. On a year-over-year basis the index is still 16.5 percent higher than the same month last year.
“The July decline, therefore, may simply be a return to a more sustainable pace following a spring bump,” according to McGraw Hill Construction.
Commercial building plans declined 6.8 percent while institutional sector planning fell by 0.6 percent. Planning for six projects valued at $100 million or more were initiated in July—two in New York, two in Florida and one each in California and Texas.
The Dodge Momentum Index, published monthly by McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial, leads construction spending by a full year and can be used an indicator for future construction. Any reading above 100, established for year 2000, indicates growth in construction planning.
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{amchart id=”125″ Dodge Momentum Index}
Sandy Williams
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Final Thoughts
We all know the American news cycle moves pretty fast. Viral today, cached tomorrow. So it is with the US presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. People have election fatigue. They've moved on to other things like planning holiday parties, debating Super Bowl hopefuls, or even starting to look forward to our Tampa Steel Conference in February.