Dive summary:

• Associated General Contractors, which tracks the prices of construction materials in federal data, said overall prices fell a little bit in October, but it does not believe that will last, and it says come contractors could be put out of business by tightening margins.
• In the 12 months ending in October, AGC reported, the broad cost of materials rose 2%, but contractors' prices for jobs rose less than that for all categories except warehouses, which rose 2.6%.
• The organization also said it worries that contractors who priced bids based on recent cost decreases may get squeezed if, as AGC expects, costs go back up in the coming months.

From the article:

Construction contractors face a continuing cost squeeze, even though a key price index for construction materials dipped in October and showed only a moderate increase over the past year, according to an analysis of federal figures released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. ...