A precipitous decline in nonbuilding starts led to an overall slowdown in total construction starts from January to February, even as the nonresidential and residential sectors showed marked improvement.
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) pulled back in February, as planning momentum normalized after a strong second half of 2025.
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) decreased 1% from October to November. However, it's up 36% year-to-date from the average reading over the same period in 2024, according to the latest data released by Dodge Construction Network.
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) slid further in November as planning for data centers and warehouses continued to decline.
Slowing growth in data center planning caused the Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) to pull back in September. The decline followed five months of growth after the index hit a two-year low in March.
The latest SMU Community Chat webinar reply is now available on our website to all members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the community tab and look under the “previous webinars” section of the dropdown menu. All past Community Chat webinars are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the webinar replay, or if your company […]
US housing starts crept higher for a second consecutive month in October. Starts were lower, however than the same month last year, according to the most recent data from the US Census Bureau.
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reading from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek showed a decline for the fifth consecutive month in October. The index dropped to 44.3 in October, 0.5 points below 44.8 in September – and marking the lowest score since December 2020. The ABI is a leading economic indicator for […]
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reading from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek showed a decline in September.
August’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reading from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek showed a moderate decrease.
Construction jobs may have increased year over year in July, but many positions remain unfilled.
July was a stable month for business at architectural firms, according to the month's Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reading from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek .
As mortgage rates continue to rise and housing demand slows, builder confidence is waning. A drop in July housing starts was the first in seven months.
Business activity at architectural firms was stable in June vs. May, though billings were still increasing, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA)/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score. May’s rebound of 51.0, the highest reading since February, was slightly than June’s 50.1 index. Both readings are an improvement over April’s index of 48.5, and it’s […]
Housing starts shrank in June and single-family starts hit a two-year low as the construction sector continues to face compounding headwinds. Rising interest rates, ongoing building material supply chain troubles, and ballooning construction costs put a damper on the single-family housing market. For the first time since June 2020, both single-family starts and permits fell […]
Nonresidential construction spending expanded for the first time in seven months, according to a new analysis of January federal construction data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Total construction spending was $1.52 trillion in January, up 1.7% from December and 5.8% from January 2020. Combined private and public nonresidential construction spending climbed 0.9% from […]
Construction activity is returning to pre-coronavirus levels in many parts of the country and some firms are adding workers, report the Associated General Contractors of America and construction technology firm Procore, based on just-completed research. The new economic data, however, also shows some future projects are being canceled and many others are being delayed by […]
The third estimate of U.S. GDP growth in Q2 2019 at 2.01 percent was little changed from the first estimate. U.S. GDP is reported quarterly by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). There are three estimates. The first is released about 25 days after the end of the quarter and the second and third are […]
Key market indicators were strong in February, but trends have been deteriorating for a year. This report summarizes 36 data streams that we believe critically describe the state of and provide forward guidance for the steel market. The government statistics departments are gradually catching up after the shutdown, but their revised schedules indicate that it […]
The government shutdown is over but much of the data that Steel Market Update uses in its regular analyses for Premium members is still not available. This is a brief summary of where we are today in the process of data recovery. The longest government shutdown in U.S. history, lasting 35 days from Dec. 22 […]
Key Market Indicators in January, indicators of the present situation, remained strong, but trends deteriorated to the weakest level in two years. This report summarizes 36 data streams that we believe critically describe the state of and provide forward guidance for the steel market. Due to the government shutdown, 13 of the 36 indicators were […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures market was written by David Feldstein. As the Flack Global Metals Chief Market Risk Officer, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled futures market, and we believe he provides insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing futures articles for Steel […]
Economic growth is expected to continue in 2018 followed by a mild recession in 2019, says ITR Economics. Concern over looming U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel, as well as retaliatory Chinese tariffs, aligns with the HARDI/ITR quarterly forecast of macroeconomic deceleration in the U.S. economy late in 2018. Steel Market Update is a member […]
The recent hurricanes dealt a blow to housing starts and authorizations in September, with construction data showing declines in the South. “We are seeing the hurricanes take a toll on single-family production, but builder confidence is strong and production should bounce back as the recovery process gets under way,” said Granger MacDonald, chairman of the […]
The following article on the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures markets was written by David Feldstein. As Flack Steel’s director of risk management, Dave is an active participant in the hot rolled coil (HRC) futures market and we believe he will provide insightful commentary and trading ideas to our readers. Besides writing Futures articles for […]
The statement of Erica L. Groshe Commissioner Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released on Friday morning reads as though the increase in net non-farm employment of 287,000 in June was a fact as was the downwardly revised May number of 11,000. We at SMU don’t believe the May result has any credibility which is particularly […]
We normally reserve Employment articles for our Premium members but felt this would be a good piece to share with our Executive members as well. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday in their analysis of non-farm employment that 38,000 jobs were added in May, a result so poor and unexpected as to […]
Housing starts in April increased 6.6 percent from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,172,000, according to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. On a year over year basis housing start were down 1.7 percent. Single-family housing starts in April were at a […]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) analysis of non-farm employment reported on Friday that 271,000 jobs were added in October, which was well above economist’s consensus expectations. August’s gains were revised up by 17,000, but September’s were revised down by 5,000. This followed September’s result of 137,000 which was well below consensus expectations of about […]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) analysis of non-farm employment reported on Friday that 142,000 jobs were added in September which was well below consensus expectations of about 200,000. In addition July was revised down from 245,000 to 223,000 and August was revised down from 173,000 to 136,000. An upward revision for August had been […]