Inaction on ‘Fiscal Cliff’ could stop construction growth, says PCA economist

Source: Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Ill. With the votes counted and the country’s leadership for the next four years determined, construction interests are challenging Congress and the Obama administration to get to work on addressing the “fiscal cliff.” A recent PCA study reports that given the fragile state of the economy, inaction could prompt a recession and have a negative…

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Construction unions chief: Election results place jobs strategy above gridlock

Source: Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), AFL-CIO, Washington, D.C. In a statement congratulating President Obama and Vice President Biden on their re-election, BCTD’s Sean McGarvey offers this take on second-term activity affecting members and the construction industry: “Over the past four years, America’s Building Trades Unions have lamented the toxic nature of our politics that sought to win the…

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Cement Totals—August 2012

Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va. Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico were 8.2 million mt in August 2012, according to the USGS. This was about 3.0 percent higher compared with shipments for August 2011. Shipments for the year through August were 52.6 million mt, up about 12 percent for the same…

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Lead construction economist sees 6 percent growth in 2013

Source: McGraw-Hill Construction, New York According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s report, 2013 Dodge Construction Outlook, total U.S. construction starts for 2013 will rise 6 percent to $483.7 billion, slightly higher than the 5 percent increase to $458 billion estimated for 2012. The forecast was presented at McGraw-Hill Construction’s recent 74th annual Outlook Executive Conference in Washington, D.C.

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Consumer confidence spurs new-home demand to level of pre-mortgage market meltdown

Source: National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C. Nationwide production and permitting of new homes rose sharply in September to their highest levels in more than four years, according to newly released figures from HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau. A 15 percent gain brought the pace of new housing construction to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000 units,…

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