Construction + Economy

Buoyed by rising home prices throughout much of the nation, both single-family and multifamily housing starts are expected to post double-digit gains over last year in 2013. However, headwinds continue to hold back even stronger growth as the housing recovery evolves, according to economists at NAHB’s Spring 2013 Construction Forecast Conference Webinar. “The broadening housing [...]

NEMA’s March Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American business conditions continues to indicate improvement in the business environment despite slipping from 69.6 in February to 65.9 in March 2013. Meanwhile, confidence in future business conditions continues to build, as the EBCI for North American conditions six months hence climbed by nearly 10 [...]

FMI reports after the first quarter it is continuing to forecast an increase of 8% in total put-in-place construction in 2013 over 2012 levels, or $919 billion. The biggest improvement is expected in the residential market with a 23% increase in single-family buildings. Click here to download the report.

With increasing demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is continuing to strengthen. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the February ABI score was 54.9, up slightly [...]

The Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions, based on a survey of senior industry executives from members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), climbed to 69.6 points in February, up six points from 63.6 points in January. The index has topped 60 points in each of the last four months, [...]

As the prognosis for the design and construction industry continues to improve, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is reflecting its strongest growth since November 2007. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The [...]

Growing at a faster rate than the overall U.S. economy, the nonresidential construction industry is expected to see solid, yet measured, increases in activity this year, according to the AIA Consensus Construction Forecast, a survey of the nation’s leading construction forecasters. High demand for hotels and retail projects have the commercial sector pacing what projects [...]

Business conditions at architecture firms continue to improve. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI), produced by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The AIA reported the December ABI score was 52.0, down from the [...]

Billings at architecture firms across the country continue to increase. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the November ABI score was 53.2, up from the mark of [...]