Every two weeks, Oldcastle Building Solutions Business Intelligence prepares a report focused on understanding and analyzing construction market data and trends.
This in-depth report is developed primarily for internal distribution, but Oldcastle Building Solutions exists to inform construction professionals like you so we're making this report available for anyone who's interested in reading it.
What's New In This Report?
HighlightsQ1 Homeownership Rate 63.5% LIRA Index shows acceleration in spending for home improvements and repairs through Q 2017 |
Construction UpdateConstruction Put-in-Place value was $1.14B in March 2016, 8% above March 2015 April 2016 Dodge Momentum Index made gains, up to 116.5 |
Economic UpdateU.S. unemployment stable at 5.0% In spite of high of 210K jobs open, the construction unemployment rate dropped to 6.0% in March 2016 |
Key Takeaways
- In Q1 2016, the national homeownership rate was reduced again to 63.5% continuing the long-term downward trend since a peak of 69.1% in 2004
- By Q1 2017 the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) projects remodeling and repair spending to accelerate to 9.7% and reach $323B
- Construction Put-in-Place in March 2016 increased by 8% above March 2015 to $1.14B
- The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) rose 0.6% to 116.5 in April, reflecting increased planning for both commercial and institutional
- In April 2016 unemployment remained unchanged at 5.0%, but non farm job additions dipped to a recent low of 160K
- The unemployment rate for the construction sector in March 2016 was 6.0%, in spite of a high of 210,000 construction job openings