• Skip to main content

    Analysis

    September 19, 2017

    Hurricanes Impact Southern Housing Statistics

    Written by Sandy Williams

    New residential building permits surged 5.7 percent month-over-month in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.3 million, according to the latest report from the Commerce Department. Single-family authorizations dipped 1.5 percent, but permits for housing of five units or more jumped 22.8 percent. Gains in August were concentrated in the Midwest and West, along with a 3.7 percent increase in the South. Permit authorizations fell 13.0 percent in the Northeast.

    Housing starts fell for the second month, slipping 0.8 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,180,000. A gain of 1.6 percent for single-family housing was offset by a drop of 5.8 percent for housing of five units or more. Starts were up 22.0 percent in the Midwest compared to July and 4.0 percent in the West. The Northeast and South saw declines of 8.7 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

    Sandy Williams

    Read more from Sandy Williams

    Latest in Analysis

    Price: Blue wave may rock tariff boat, but some ships like Section 232 aren’t sinking

    The midterms are over, and Democrats will control both chambers of Congress in January. In this space last week, Lewis Leibowitz predicted that President Trump's tariffs, including Section 232, may not last much longer. We disagree. To be sure, the new Congress will change trade policy. It will hold hearings, write bills, and almost certainly revisit the trade dispute with Canada. But the foundation of US trade policy is unlikely to be disturbed. Section 232 and Section 301 are established, court-tested authorities that both parties have used. They are also working.

    SMU Survey: Current and Future Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices rise

    SMU’s Current and Future Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices increased this week, according to our latest market survey.   Every two weeks, SMU polls thousands of steel-industry executives, asking them to rate their companies’ chances of success today and also three to six months down the road. We use their responses to calculate our proprietary Current and Future Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices, measures tracked since 2008.

    US heating and cooling shipments fall for third straight month

    US shipments of heating and cooling equipment slipped in September for a third consecutive month, according to the latest data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). Shipments declined 2.6% month on month (m/m) in September, after having fallen 10% m/m in August. The monthly pace marks the third-slowest shipment rate year to date. Historically, shipments are strongest in early summer and weakest around the turn of the year, driven by seasonal air conditioner and heat pump volumes. AHRI's data shows September shipments totaled 1,687,240 units, down 2.6% m/m but up 7.7% year over year (y/y) (Figure 1, left). From August to September, shipments of warm air furnaces, A/C, and heat pumps declined, while water heater shipments rose. Compared with a year earlier, only air conditioners and heat pump shipments were higher.