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US Existing Home Sales: April 2019
Read more: US Existing Home Sales: April 2019Total US existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, declined -0.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.19 million in April, said the US Â National Association of Realtors (NAR) Tuesday. On a year-over-year basis, sales were -4.4% lower than a year ago. Sales have declined on an annualized basis for more…
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US Built-for-Rent and Townhouse Construction: 1Q 2019
Read more: US Built-for-Rent and Townhouse Construction: 1Q 2019The number of single-family homes built-for-rent declined at the start of 2019. This is a very small segment of total US new home building but is the type of construction which uses the most wood, so is an excellent indicator of recent softwood lumber demand. According to data from the US Census Bureau’s Quarterly Starts…
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Softwood Lumber Sales Slow to a Trickle as Prices Flounder
Read more: Softwood Lumber Sales Slow to a Trickle as Prices FlounderNorth America construction framing softwood dimension lumber prices were essentially flat this week compared to last, as sellers had a difficult time dealing with the sheer lack of demand. Supplies are robust to bursting and field inventories are resplendent with wood. The latest US home building, sales, and price data has been beyond glowing; so…
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US Rental Rates, House Values: 1Q 2019
Read more: US Rental Rates, House Values: 1Q 2019Rental rates in the US have been rising steadily for more than 10 years. The latest data, released April 30, shows that rents for an average US apartment have risen +1.5% in the past year and more than +4% since 2010. That’s a pretty high rate-of-return, even when compared to recent stock market gains. Seemingly…
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US Housing Starts Rise: April 2019
Read more: US Housing Starts Rise: April 2019According to estimates from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department released Thursday, single-family and multifamily starts in the US improved in April, consistent with the recent stabilization of the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Single-family starts increased +6.2% to an 854,000 seasonally adjusted annual pace in April. Total multifamily starts increased +4.7%…
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US Spending on Residential Improvements: Feb 2019
Read more: US Spending on Residential Improvements: Feb 2019The most recent data, released Tuesday, from Construction Spending showed that spending on US residential improvements fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of US$173 billion in March 2019, -14.1% lower than a year ago. RA very important segment to sawmills and lumber manufacturers, residential Improvement Spending in the US has experienced weakness after reaching the peak of…
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North America Softwood Lumber Production, Sawmill Capacity Utilization, WWPA: February 2019
Read more: North America Softwood Lumber Production, Sawmill Capacity Utilization, WWPA: February 2019The latest issue of the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track, for January-February 2019, shows a +2.1% increase in US softwood lumber production volume, to 5,780 mmfbm, compared to 5,659 million board feet (mmfbm) for the first two months of last year. There was a +3.3% increase for full-year 2018. January – February softwood…
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Softwood Lumber Prices Slowly Recover from Recent Lows: May 2019
Read more: Softwood Lumber Prices Slowly Recover from Recent Lows: May 2019Some wholesaler (net FOB sawmill) standard construction framing dimension softwood lumber prices rebounded slightly last week from recent lows, while most prices remained flat from the end of April. While reasonable amounts of wood are being traded, demand could hardly be regarded as lush. Sellers, whether producers or secondary suppliers, had plenty of lumber commodity…
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US Construction Employment & Construction Spending: March 2019
Read more: US Construction Employment & Construction Spending: March 2019Total nonfarm payroll employment in the US increased by 263,000 in April, while the unemployment rate declined to 3.6%. Residential construction employment increased by 600 in April, after the increase of 11,200 jobs in March. The total construction industry (both residential and nonresidential) gained 33,000 jobs in April. Additionally, the latest monthly employment data released…
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US House Prices, Home Sales: Feb & Mar 2019
Read more: US House Prices, Home Sales: Feb & Mar 2019The Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, rose at a seasonally adjusted annual growth rate of 3.8% in February, following the increase of 3.2% in January. On a year-over-year basis, the Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index rose by 4% in February, down from 4.2% in January. It was the…
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US Construction Employment Rebounds: March 2019
Read more: US Construction Employment Rebounds: March 2019Data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released Tuesday indicate that construction job openings increased in March, consistent with the ongoing challenge of the availability of labor for builders, said the US National Association of Home Builders. The estimated number of job openings in the construction sector increased to 360,000, a post-Great Recession…
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Softwood Lumber Hearings, Washington, DC: Update
Read more: Softwood Lumber Hearings, Washington, DC: UpdateAt a hearing on Tuesday by a trade panel under Chapter 19 of the North American free-trade agreement, lawyers for the Canadian industry and federal government said U.S. lumber producers were doing just fine before the tariffs came down – and certainly did not need any protection from Canadian competition, according to Globe and Mail…
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Softwood Lumber Prices Bounce Somewhat, US Construction Spending and Employment Jump: May 2019
Read more: Softwood Lumber Prices Bounce Somewhat, US Construction Spending and Employment Jump: May 2019Wholesaler (net FOB sawmill) prices of green Douglas fir 2x10s #2&Btr skyrocketed last week, up +$55 or +16%, to US$355 mfbm as other — more standard — North American construction framing softwood lumber prices either stayed flat or bounced moderately as buyers and sellers came to some agreement on the supply-demand balance. The very latest…
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Canada at NAFTA to challenge U.S. International Trade Commission ruling
Read more: Canada at NAFTA to challenge U.S. International Trade Commission rulinghttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canada-to-seek-relief-from-us-duties-on-softwood-at-nafta-panel-amid/ Softwood Lumber Prices vs. US House Sales Price: 2019 Lawyers for the Canadian government will Tuesday present their oral arguments at the one-day hearing in Washington, DC,more than two years after the United States imposed new duties on Canadian softwood producers, said Globe and Mail Monday. The lawyers will be summarizing their arguments, condensing…
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Madison’s Lumber Prices Online Tool, Demo Video
Read more: Madison’s Lumber Prices Online Tool, Demo VideoLumber Prices vs US House Sales Price: 2019 Since 1952, Madison’s has been publishing quality news and price information about North American softwood lumber and panel products, building a reputation as an independent source of market news. Madison’s Lumber Reporter started as a weekly newsletter detailing current US and Canadian softwood lumber and panel prices.…
