July 31, 2007
US Foreclosures Rise 58% in First Half of 2007
The number of U.S. homes facing foreclosure surged 58 percent in the first six months of the year, the latest sign of mounting problems in the mortgage industry, a data firm said Monday. In all, 573,397 properties across the nation reported some sort...
July 30, 2007
Gypsum Association Reports Wallboard Demand Down 18%
The Gypsum Association (see link on left side of www.GypsumToday.com ) has recently reported that total U.S. wallboard demand is down approximately 18% to just under 16 billion feet during the first half of 2007 as compared to industry shipments in...
July 29, 2007
New Homes Sales Fall Another 6.6% in June
New home sales took their fifth fall in six months during June, while a measure of inventory rose and the median price dropped, the government said Thursday.
Sales of single-family homes decreased by 6.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of...
July 27, 2007
Record High Non-Residential Construction Starts in June
Reed Construction Data (RCD) announced today that the year-to-date value of construction starts through June 2007, excluding residential contracts, totaled $152.2 billion, 19.7% higher than in first-half 2006. A decline in year-to-date residential starts...
July 27, 2007
LEED-EB Revisions Aimed at Boosting Certifications
To breathe new life into its LEED for existing buildings program, the USGBC is making the application process more user-friendly. With existing structures comprising about 99% of the nation's building stock, LEED for existing buildings (LEED-EB)...
July 26, 2007
Construction Employment Could Fall Precipitously
A statistical model based on ADP estimates suggests that construction employment could fall another 246,000 by the fourth quarter of 2008. According to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by June of 2007 employment in the construction industry...
July 25, 2007
June '07 Producer Price Index for Wood Doors Rises From '06
The June Producer Price Index for Wood Doors (flush & panel, interior & exterior) was up 0.5% from 2006 and the Other Wood Doors (Incl. garage, screen, storm, etc.) PPI was up 1.5% compared to a year earlier. Compared to May, the unadjusted June...
July 24, 2007
Architecture Billings Index Jumps to Highest Level of Year
Following an almost three point spike in May, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) zoomed up more than four points in June reaching its highest mark of the year. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI shows an approximate nine...
July 23, 2007
Centex to Exit Areas of Ohio, North Carolina
Centex CEO Tim Eller today (July 25) said during a conference call with analysts that the company will be exiting Columbus, Ohio and the Triad area of North Carolina, each of which did roughly 500 units in 2005, and he indicated that further pullbacks...
July 20, 2007
June Housing Starts
June housing starts increased 2.3 percent to 1.467 million (SAAR), but the growth was due entirely to a 12.5 percent increase in the multi-family sector. Single family starts were flat (off 0.2 percent). The real story is the 7.5 percent drop in permits...
July 19, 2007
Builder Confidence Index Falls Again in July
The National Association of Home Builders reported today (July 17) that its NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell four points to 24 in July, its lowest level since the recession of 1991.
The measure of builder confidence was well below what was...
July 18, 2007
Pulte Warns of Big Loss
Pulte Homes expects to post second-quarter losses of between $2 and $2.10 a share, it said in its preliminary earnings release after market close Tuesday.
Contributing to the loss were closings that fell 40% year-over-year as well as impairment and...
July 17, 2007
Construction Jobs Previously Overstated
The Labor Department's payroll survey has missed up to 139,000 construction layoffs, a new analysis of underlying payroll data has concluded. The new report released Monday by Macroeconomic Advisers LLC, based on data supplied by payroll processor...
July 13, 2007
Dept of Energy Teaming With CertainTeed Gypsum
HydroMax(R), an advanced gasification technology being developed by Diversified Energy Corporation (DEC) and licensed from Alchemix Corporation, was selected by the Department of Energy (DOE) from a pool of 1,318 applicants for research and technology...
July 10, 2007
D.R. Horton Reports 40% Drop In Orders & 38% Cancels
D.R. Horton Inc., the largest U.S. home builder by number of units, said it will report a third-quarter loss as orders plunged 40% for the period. "We expect the housing environment to remain challenging," Chairman Donald R. Horton said. During the...
July 6, 2007
Unemployment Steady at 4.5% - Construction Up 12M Jobs
U.S. employment posted a solid rise last month on strong hiring in health care and government and previous months' gains were revised sharply higher, suggesting labor market conditions remain very supportive of economic activity at midyear. The figures...
July 5, 2007
Number of Homes on Market Increases 2.5% in June
The number of homes on the market in 18 major metropolitan areas continues to grow. Total listings of homes in these metro areas at the end of June was up 2.5% from May, according to figures compiled by ZipRealty Inc., a national real-estate brokerage...
July 2, 2007
CONSTRUCTION SPENDING RISES MORE THAN EXPECTED IN MAY
Washington DC - The Department of Commerce released its report on construction spending in the month of May on Friday, showing that spending increased by much more than economists had been expecting. The report showed that construction spending rose 0.9...