Economy
AGC: Construction spending up for fifth consecutive month in November
Written by Becca Moczygemba
January 3, 2024
An increase in residential construction brought total construction spending up by 0.4% in November, according to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). The uptick offsets a slowdown in public spending.
Construction spending totaled $2.050 trillion in November, a 0.4% increase over October.
“Private construction spending is showing renewed vigor in homebuilding and selected private nonresidential categories, while developer-financed spending languishes,” AGC’s chief economist Ken Simonson said in a statement on Jan. 2.
Private residential construction increased by 1.1% while multifamily builds inched up 0.1%.
Spending on private nonresidential construction increased for the fifth consecutive month by 0.2%, AGC said. However, the largest segment was manufacturing construction, which rose by 0.5%. Overall commercial construction fell by 0.5%.
Decreased funding for public construction on education, transportation, and other infrastructure categories led to a 2.2% drop in November, according to AGC. But highway and road construction increased by 0.1%.
The AGC is set to release its 2024 outlook on Thursday, Jan. 4.
Becca Moczygemba
Read more from Becca MoczygembaLatest in Economy
CRU: Dollar and bond yields rise, metal prices fall as Trump wins election
Donald Trump has won the US presidential election. The Republican party has re-taken control of the Senate. Votes are still being counted in many tight congressional races. But based on results so far, the Republicans seem likely to maintain control of the House of Representatives. If confirmed, this will give Trump considerable scope to pass legislation pursuing his agenda. What this means for US policy is not immediately obvious. Trump will not be inaugurated until Jan. 20. In the coming weeks and months, he will begin to assemble his cabinet, which may give a clearer signal on his policy priorities and approaches. Based on statements he made during the presidential campaign, we have set out the likely direction of his economic policy here and green policy here.
ISM: Manufacturing index fell in Oct to lowest point of ’24
Domestic manufacturing contracted for the seventh straight month in October, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). This marks the 23rd time in the last 24 months that it has been in contraction.
Chicago Business Barometer slips in October
The Chicago Business Barometer fell to a five-month low in October and continues to indicate deteriorating business conditions, according to Market News International (MNI) and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
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.
CRU: What will the US elections mean for economic policy?
In this Insight piece, CRU economists explore the possible economic effects of Trump's and Harris' agendas.