Local Industry News
A wealth of fair-to-great data on year-end 2011 and early 2012
In the past couple of days, there has been a welter of data released on the U.S. and Canadian economies.
Eroding confidence casts shadow over consumer spending in early 2012
According to the Conference Board in Canada’s most recent survey, the Index of Consumer Confidence dropped by 6.5% in December.
Top 10 and trend graph-December 2011
The accompanying table records the 10 largest construction project starts in Canada in December 2011. Also included is the latest trend graph on starts. This looks at 12-month moving totals of the two major non-residential building categories in Canada − total ICI starts and engineering work.
U.S. employment gain in December confirms tendency towards improvement
In December, 200,000 net new jobs were created in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate declined slightly from 8.6% the month before to 8.5%.
Construction Materials Prices Flat in November
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Producer Price Index (PPI) for materials and components used in construction was unchanged in November after rising 0.3% in October. The index was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis, but stood only a modest 1.9% higher than November 2008. An index that measures inputs used in nonresidential construction (excluding capital equipment) also was flat after falling 0.7% in October.
