Dive Brief:

• The Construction Backlog Indicator, a calculation compiled by Associated Builders and Contractors, was at 8.3 months of work as 2013 ended. This is up from the 2012 backlog of 8 months, and the best showing since the recession hammered all construction.
• Energy states are doing well, as are states that have been emerging from extensive bankruptcy problems, ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu said.
• Because much of the U.S. economic recovery is happening in consumer spending, commercial and institutional sectors should expect to benefit, Basu said.

Dive Insight:

The winter weather that has been blamed for reduced home building finally turns out to have a positive side in the backlog report. Construction that was to happen during the bitter-cold snap may have been pushed out instead, Basu said, so it continues as backlog work in the current quarter and will keep the number up.