Confidence indexes seem to not always quite fit together neatly

OK. Consumer confidence is down, but builder confidence is up. What does that mean?

By Ron Gallagher • July 30, 2013

Will slower existing-home sales mean slowdown for builders?

The upward trend in sales of existing homes slipped in June, and some economists see rising interest rates clipping that sector's wings after August.

By Ron Gallagher • July 30, 2013

Explore the Trendline➔

Labor

A roundup of articles about issues affecting the workforce.

By Construction Dive staff

Some commercial investors fear multifamily is ripe for a bubble

This survey says commercial real estate executives worry that apartments may be getting inflated.

By Ron Gallagher • July 30, 2013

Remodelers say their business is climbing, too

Remodelers are seeing current business improve along with expected business, according to a confidence index maintained by the National Association of Home Builders.

By Ron Gallagher • July 29, 2013

Contractors offer Congress advice on getting MAP-21 moving to help states

Associated General Contractors told a Senate committee that the huge increase in TIFIA authorization in the law is not turning into a flow of loans to states for transportation projects.

By Ron Gallagher • July 29, 2013

Terrible vision: When the Highway Trust Fund can fund nothing

Information from the Congressional Budget Office says that in Fiscal Year 2015 – a year from this October – the federal Highway Trust Fund will have zero dollars to fund construction.

By Ron Gallagher • July 28, 2013

New SF home sales rate hits five-year high in June

Federal showed  the annual rate of sales for new, single-family homes at 497,000 last month, which was 8.3% above the pace during May.

By Ron Gallagher • July 24, 2013

Architecture Billings Index slides down from May but still points up

The index was at 51.6 in June, and since anything over 50 means business is growing, there were handshakes all around.

By Ron Gallagher • July 24, 2013

Will first-time buyers get a piece of the recovery?

The percentage of new owners who are buying a house for the first time appears to be slowly eroding, which some fear could lead to a high-end recovery without a solid base.

By Ron Gallagher • July 23, 2013

Even with a 1% slip, June construction starts help pull up the Dodge Index

The Dodge Momentum Index, compiled by McGraw Hill Construction, had been running behind 2012 during the first four months of this year, but May and June readings showed promise.

By Ron Gallagher • July 22, 2013

Fannie Mae thinkers see growth in 2013's second half despite interest rate rise

Economists at Fannie Mae say they expect second-half growth to grow this year, pulled by continuing residential recovery and consumer optimism.

By Ron Gallagher • July 22, 2013

Virginia's Pentagon City will get largest apartment building yet

Vornado is betting on sustained demand in the Washington, D.C. area.

By Ron Gallagher • July 22, 2013

Interest rates preventing a housing market recovery? Maybe not

Economists say that rising interest rates and rising home prices will not stall the ascent of the housing market—if they are accompanied by an improving economy, that is.

By Ron Gallagher • July 21, 2013

JLL report sees commercial construction beginning to join the recovery

While everyone has been cheering for the housing industry as it contributes to a national economic recovery, commercial construction is just now getting underway, Jones Lang LaSalle says.

By Ron Gallagher • July 19, 2013

Fed's latest national economic report is good on construction, real estate

The latest Beige Book—the Federal Reserve's eight-time-a-year look at the economy across its regions—has good, if modest, things to say about construction.

By Ron Gallagher • July 18, 2013

Clients will need contractors' help if inflation takes hold in U.S.

Looking at construction from the customers' side, two Leopardo Cos. executives explain what pressures on projects will come if inflation accompanies recovery.

By Ron Gallagher • July 18, 2013

Multifamily drags down June housing starts and permits

Multifamily housing, always more volatile than the single-family market, pulled June housing starts and building permits down 9.9% and 7.5%, respectively.

By Ron Gallagher • July 18, 2013

Green building, green finance to team on efforts in emerging markets

An arm of the World Bank and USGBC's global organization have agreed to work together to encourage green construction in urbanizing countries.

By Ron Gallagher • July 17, 2013

Confidence index shows builders like prospects through year's end

Optimism showed up in all regions of the country with an overall reading that is the best since the start of 2006.

By Ron Gallagher • July 16, 2013

Freddie Mac's chief economist: Rising rates won't kill housing recovery

The market will shrink as it shifts from refinance to purchases, but Frank Nothaft says he thinks high demand and short supply will keep the market strong.

By Ron Gallagher • July 16, 2013

Caught without cash, some small home builders are selling out to large companies

A number of relatively small builders fought their way through the recession only to find themselves unable to borrow.

By Ron Gallagher • July 16, 2013

Materials prices finish second quarter with almost no increase

Construction materials prices as a whole finished June down 0.1% from May and are just about even with the first quarter of the year, federal figures show.

By Ron Gallagher • July 15, 2013

Sequestration effect: Bigger fish are feeding in a smaller pool of gov't work

Contractors who seek smaller federal contracts are finding themselves competing now with big new names.

By Ron Gallagher • July 14, 2013

Prescott, Ariz., code to raise standards, post energy numbers for buyers

As soon as the city council approves, 2012 international codes will be incorporated in municipal building codes, and builders will have to test finished systems.

By Ron Gallagher • July 12, 2013

LEEDv4 and apartments: This week's most read construction news

Head into the weekend better informed with the week's most popular news posts.

By Brian Warmoth • July 12, 2013