It is 2024, and another new year has us looking ahead at what might be in store for the construction materials and cement industries. If you gauge a year by production volume, you could say 2023 was a bit of a disappointment. A look at the latest cement production numbers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reveals that shipments for…
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This Year Should Provide A Transition To Stronger Growth For Construction And Thus For Cement Production. By Mark S. Kuhar After a year in which the economy and starts slowed considerably, the coming year should provide a transition to stronger growth for construction, according to the Dodge Construction Network’s (DCN) Outlook 2024 economic report. But before we get to that,…
Read MoreTotal construction starts fell 15% in November, dropping to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $927 billion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential building starts fell 29% during the month, residential starts lost 6%, and nonbuilding starts dropped 2%. Highway and bridge starts were down 8%. Year-to-date through November 2023, total construction starts lagged by 4% compared to the previous…
Read MoreTotal construction starts rose 6% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.3 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential starts rose 40% thanks to a large pickup in manufacturing and transportation buildings. Residential and nonbuilding starts fell 1% and 14%, respectively. Highway and bridge starts jumped 19%. Year-to-date through August 2023, total construction starts were 5% below…
Read MoreTotal construction starts fell 4% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.04 trillion, according to Dodge Construction Network. Nonresidential starts led the drop as manufacturing fell 22% following strong performance in March. To balance the decline, nonbuilding starts rose 7%, and residential building stats gained 12%. On a year-to-date basis through April, total construction starts were 7%…
Read MoreThe Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, fell 8.4% in January to 201.5 (2000=100) from the revised December reading of 220.0. In January, the commercial component of the DMI fell 10.0%, and the institutional component receded 4.7%. “The Dodge Momentum Index weakened in January, after 10 consecutive months of gains. While planning activity slowed, the Index remains…
Read MoreThe Dodge Construction Network held its 2023 Dodge Construction Outlook, a mainstay in the construction industry for more than 80 years. The forecast predicts that total U.S. construction starts will be unchanged in 2023 at $1.08 trillion. When adjusted for inflation total construction starts will dip 3%. “As the clouds of uncertainty mount on the fate of the economy in…
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