The “woodie” automobile, popular in the 1940s and ’50s, may be on its way back, but in a seriously different mode. Japanese researchers are developing the latest challenge to automotive steel, a super-strength, lightweight product that uses wood as a raw material. Cellulose nanofiber, made from wood pulp, is mixed into plastics forming a product […]
Below is the latest data released by the the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) regarding residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment shipments through June 2017. You may read the press release on their website here. Residential Storage Water Heaters U.S. shipments of residential gas storage water heaters for June 2017 increased 0.3 percent […]
Total construction expenditures are expanding slowly, but the contraction of infrastructure expenditures is accelerating, according to June data for construction put in place (CPIP) released by the U.S. Department of Commerce on Aug. 1. Total construction still shows positive growth, but slowed to 1.3 percent year/year in the latest three months of data. Privately funded […]
Automotive sales dropped sharply for most manufacturers in July. Edmunds and WardsAuto estimate total sales for the month to be 1.42 million units. The seasonally adjusted annual rate for July is expected to be 16.9 million, according to WardsAuto. “July is historically a strong month, but with disappointing sales and inventories still building, something needs […]
Low supply muted sales of existing homes in June, said the National Association of Realtors. Sales slipped 1.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.52 million, the second lowest level this year. Sales were 0.7 percent above the June 2016 rate. “Closings were down in most of the country last month […]
Light vehicle sales are slowing and Mexico continues to take production share from the U.S. Vehicle sales in the U.S. averaged 17.0 million units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) in the first six months of 2017, down from 18.1 million in Q4 2016. March through June monthly sales were each below 17.0 million […]
Housing starts in June jumped 8.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,215,000 and were 2.1 percent higher than in June 2016, said the Department of Commerce on Wednesday. The increase follows three months of decline and was driven by new construction in the Northeast and Midwest. Starts soared 83.7 percent in the […]
Below is the latest data released by the the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) regarding residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment shipments through May 2017. You may read the press release on their website here. Residential Storage Water Heaters U.S. shipments of residential gas storage water heaters for May 2017 increased 5.5 percent […]
The Dodge Momentum Index continued to exhibit strength in June, climbing 1.1 percent to 141.1. The monthly measure of nonresidential construction projects in planning was driven by a 4.8 percent jump in planning for institutional construction. The commercial component of the index dipped 1.3 percent, but was 11.8 percent higher than in June 2016. Institutional […]
Auto sales took a dive in June with the top three American automakers reporting sliding sales and foreign automakers reporting mixed results. Ford Motor Co. sales fell 5.1 percent year-over-year, while GM sales slipped 4.7 percent. FCA USA sales plunged 7 percent, in part due to a planned reduction in sales to its rental operation. […]
Low housing inventory continues to drive up home prices for U.S. consumers. The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index reported an annual gain of 5.5 percent in April, down from 5.6 percent in March. The 20-City Index increased 5.7 percent year-over-year compared to the previous month. The gains in April were slightly lower […]
New home sales in May rebounded after an April decline to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000, an increase of 2.9 percent. Median sales price increased to $345,800 and the average sales price was $406,400. Median sales price reached a record high, up 16.6 percent from a year ago. Inventory at the end of […]
Existing home sales climbed 1.1 percent in May, reports the National Association of Realtors. Sales rebounded to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.62 million from a downwardly revised 5.56 million in April. May sales are 2.7 percent higher than a year ago and at the third highest level for the past year. Low inventory […]
Vehicle sales in the U.S. averaged 17.1 million units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) per month in the first five months of 2017, down from 18.1 million in Q4 2016. March, April and May sales were each below 17.0 million units SAAR for the first time since June last year. In May, light […]
Housing starts dipped 5.5 percent in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,092,000, from April’s revised estimate of 1,156,000, according to data from the U.S. Commerce Department. Single family starts dropped 3.9 percent, while starts for buildings with five or more units fell 9.8 percent. Regionally, total starts were flat in the Northeast and […]
Below is the latest data release issued by the the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) regarding residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment shipments through April 2017. You may read the press release on their website here. Residential Storage Water Heaters U.S. shipments of residential gas storage water heaters for April 2017 decreased 3.9 […]
April data for Construction Put in Place (CPIP) was released by the Department of Commerce on Thursday June 1st 2017. Total construction still has positive growth but slowed to 2.5 percent year/year in the latest three months of data. Privately funded projects are the growth engine as state and local and infrastructure both had negative […]
U.S. automotive sales in May are in reach of the 1.52 million units forecast by Edmunds and WardsAuto. WardsAuto is reporting a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.6 million for the month, just shy of its forecast for 16.8 million. Flat sales for the month would be welcomed by auto manufacturers that have seen sales […]
Home prices continued to rise in March, setting a 33-month high, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index. The Index gained 5.8 percent in March, up from a 5.7 percent annual gain in February. The 10- and 20-City Composite year-over-year indices were unchanged from the previous month with 5.2 […]
Existing home sales dipped 2.3 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were 1.6 percent higher than in April 2016. Existing home inventory increased by 7.2 percent to 1.93 million in April, representing a 4.2 month supply at the current sales pace. […]
Sales of new single-family homes in April fell 11.4 percent from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 569,000, according to the Commerce Department. Sales were up 0.5 percent from the same month in 2016. The steep slide was unexpected following the ten year high of revised March sales of 642,000. Ian Shepherdson, chief […]
Vehicle sales improved slightly from the previous month, but they were slower compared with the first quarter average and year-ago numbers. According to J.D. Power, incentive spending in April averaged about $3,500 per new vehicle—or approximately 10 percent of the average transaction price—which surpasses the previous peak for the month of April in 2009. Furthermore, inventories […]
U.S. auto manufacturers are tightening their belts as automotive sales fall from their two year highs. Ford Motor Co. said it will cut 1,400 salaried jobs in North America and Asia through voluntary retirement as shares of stock dropped 2.5 percent on Wednesday. Ford will offer financial incentives and generous retirement packages to encourage managers […]
Housing starts surprised economists by moving lower in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,172,000. April’s tally is 2.6 percent below the March estimate of 1,203,000 but 0.7 percent higher than a year ago. Projections were for starts to reach 1.26 million in April. Starts increased 41.1 percent in the Midwest and 5.4 […]
Below is the latest data release issued by the the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) regarding residential and commercial heating and cooling equipment shipments through March 2017. You may read the press release on their website here. Residential Storage Water Heaters U.S. shipments of residential gas storage water heaters for March 2017 increased 12.5 […]
Construction has expanded in the U.S. for over 30 quarters, and it still has legs, said Alex Carrick, Chief Economist at ConstructConnect. ConstructConnect presented a webinar May 11, entitled “Bump or Slump? 2017 Prospects for Design & Construction. AIA chief economist Kermit Baker and AGC of America Chief Economist Ken Simonson joined Carrick in discussing […]
Steel Market Update (SMU) spoke with many trading companies over the past few days about concerns their companies might have with the status of the industry and efforts to stop foreign steel from entering the country. “The trading companies are not the bad guy here,” is what one trading executive said to us late this […]
The Dodge Momentum Index slipped 5.1 percentage points in April to a reading of 133.8. Institutional planning fell 12 percent while commercial construction planning gained only 0.1 percent. Dodge Data & Analytics sees April’s decline as part of a sawtooth pattern that has been prevalent since early 2016. Said Dodge regarding the April findings, “Despite […]
In summary, the March CPIP data released on May 1st, yielded mixed results. Private expenditures recorded overall growth with the exception of manufacturing, transportation and religious structures. However, State & Local and Infrastructure spending continued to contract. Data in this report is not seasonally adjusted or corrected for inflation. At SMU we analyze the CPIP […]
Despite incentives, U.S. automotive sales dipped in April with almost all brands showing declines year-ove- year. Of the Big Three Detroit manufacturers, Ford had the worst results, down 7.2 percent to 214,695 for the month. FCA USA posted sales of 177,441, down 6.6 percent and GM had sales of 244,406, down 5.8 percent. Slower sales […]