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North America Softwood Lumber Production, Sawmill Capacity Utilization, WWPA: July 2019
The latest issue of the Western Wood Products Association’s monthly Lumber Track, for January-July 2019, shows a -0.1% decrease in US softwood lumber production volume from the same time last year, to 20,687 mmfbm. January – July softwood lumber production in Canada increased drops through most of this year, down by another -10%, to 14,720…
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Madison’s Western SPF Prices This Week: Sneak Preview
Benchmark North America construction framing dimension softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir KD 2×4 #2&btr prices are mostly level into mid-October 2019. Full price list will be released tomorrow, Friday morning, by 8:30am Eastern time! Don’t miss out . . . sign up now to receive this vital and timely information directly to your desktop every…
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US Construction Job Openings: Aug 2019
The US construction sector hiring rate, as measured on a twelve-month moving average basis, held steady at 5.3% in August 2019. The twelve-month moving average for layoffs ticked up to 2.5%, continuing a rising trend in recent months. Data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) indicate that construction job openings increased in August.…
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US Building Materials Prices: Sept 2019
The PPI report shows that softwood lumber prices increased +3.8% in September 2019—the index’s largest percentage increase since prices rose +4.8% in June 2018. Prices have fallen -8.7% over the last 12 months but remain nearly +15% higher than they were in 2016. Prices paid for goods used in residential construction in the US decreased…
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Benchmark Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 Price Matches One-Year-Ago
Most North American construction framing dimension softwood lumber commodities last week achieved price levels seen at this time in 2017, while benchmark item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir KD 2×4 #2&btr price now matches this week last year. After soaring to record-level highs during the 2018 US home building season, softwood lumber prices slid inexorably downward well into…
