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US Building Materials Prices Continue Recent Increases: Feb 2018
Prices paid for building materials in the US increased across the board in February, according to the latest US Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the National Association of Home Builders Wednesday. The indices for softwood lumber (+5.6%), gypsum products (+4.2%), OSB (+3.1%), ready-mix concrete (+0.4%), and inputs to…
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Astonished Customers Delay Buying as Softwood Lumber Prices Remain High
Players in the recent overheated lumber market took a pause this week as benchmark WSPF KD 2×4 #2&Btr cash prices stayed flat over the previous week. The lumber futures board on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dropped down-limit at close Thursday and continued it’s slide in active trading Friday. Sawmills were able to respond to reluctant…
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Opinions Vary on Market Conditions as Lumber Prices Rise
FURTHER TO LAST WEEK’S LUMBER MARKET COMMENT “Prices Are Elevated and Might Just Correct Downward” …. Madison’s has received, and is receiving many comments with informed opinions from operators: An astonishing increase in values of lumber futures on the Chicago Merchantile Exchange in the past week did a lot to keep upward pressure on cash…
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US Real Estate Owned (Foreclosure) Inventory: 4Q 2017
Freddie Mac reported Thursday the number of Real Estate Owned (or foreclosure) housing inventory in the US declined to 8,299 units at the end of 4Q 2017, compared to 11,418 at the end of 4Q 2016. For Freddie, this is down -89 per cent from the 74,897 peak number of REOs in 3Q 2010, and…
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Softwood Lumber Prices Are Elevated and Might Just Correct Downward
Transportation problems continued to plague softwood lumber suppliers and customers, providing opportunity for producers to keep prices up as they could legitimately not say when wood ordered two weeks ago would get delivered. In this new reality of the forest industry, it is becoming apparent that demand for uses beyond only US home building is…
