Category: Lumber News

  • US Housing Starts March, Softwood Lumber Prices April: 2021 (video)

    Compared to March 2020 total residential starts in the US last month shot up by +37% to a 1.74 million annualized rate, from 1.27 in the same month one year ago. Permits for future homebuilding increased spectacularly compared to one year ago, up by +30% to a rate of 1.77 million units last month compared…

  • US Housing Starts March and Softwood Lumber Prices April: 2021

    US Housing Total and 1-Unit Starts March & Benchmark Softwood Lumber Prices April 2021 This year started off with a very harsh winter, which kept construction and building activity down in January and February. March housing starts across North America show a significant rebound; something Madison’s expected, due to a big jump in permits in…

  • Canada and US Railcar Loadings: March 2021

    Total US carload traffic for the first 3 months of 2021 was 2,911,097 carloads, down -2.6%, or 77,267 carloads, from the same period last year; and 3,619,546 intermodal units, up +13.2%, or 421,513 containers and trailers, from last year. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported April 7 US and Canadian rail traffic volumes for…

  • US New Home Sales Feb, House Prices Jan, and Softwood Lumber Prices March: 2021 (video)

    Home prices across the US surged more than +10% in December, indicating a strong demand in the housing market. According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices, home prices continued the trend of accelerating that began in Summer 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic drove people from urban apartments to buy suburban homes.

  • Lumber Price and Value Against Economic Indicators

    People are asking about lumber prices adjusted for inflation, I did a graph for panel (plywood and OSB), read more here: In terms of lumber price value against economic indicators: “Price of Lumber in BTC, WTI Crude OIL Barrels (gas bills), Gold and Silver ounces and construction coconspirator – Dr Copper. Looks like BTC absorbed…