As of the morning of Dec. 17, Congress has yet to reach a final deal on the next COVID-19 relief package and omnibus government funding bill, but leadership worked through the night and has reportedly made significant progress. All signs point to a deal on Friday or over the weekend, averting a government shutdown and providing some COVID-19 relief...

The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) saw a slight step back in November, the second straight month with a decline. The Momentum Index from Dodge Data & Analytics, which measures nonresidential building projects at their first reporting, fell 2.6%."Uncertainty over the potential for further federal stimulus has significantly complicated the recovery a...

Existing-home sales continue to climb as housing inventory dwindles in the U.S. For the fifth straight month, sales increased in October, according to the National Association of Realtors. The seasonally adjusted rate of 6.85 million is 4.3% ahead of September, 26.6% above October 2019 and at its highest pace in 14 years. "The surge in sales in rec...

The Dodge Momentum Index saw a slight slip in October, falling for the first time since June. The Index declined 1.8%, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The Momentum Index measures the initial report of nonresidential projects in planning, which has been an indicator for nonresidential construction spending."Economic growth has slowed over t...

Construction spending continued to increase in September, but outlays have slowed slightly. Total construction spending increased 0.3% in September compared to August, according to this week's release from the Census Bureau. Spending is also above September 2019 by 1.5%. However, the improvement slowed from August 2020 when spending increased by 0....

Existing-home sales continued surge in September, but the demand is outweighing the supply. Sales jumped 9.4%, according to the National Association of Realtors. Each of the four regions also saw increases month to month and year to year. "Home sales traditionally taper off toward the end of the year, but in September they surged beyond what we nor...

Retail sales are on the rise again, and sales are faring better than expected. According to the Census Bureau, U.S. retail and food services sales in September increased 1.9% from August. Data is also 5.4% higher than September 2019. Sales between July and September 2020 were ahead 3.6% compared to the same period in 2019.Across the board, sales im...

The Dodge Momentum Index is on the rise again after a 3.7% increase in September. The nonresidential construction spending indicator from Dodge Data & Analytics saw both the commercial and institutional components improve as well. The Index measures the initial report of nonresidential building projects in planning. The commercial aspect increa...

Construction spending in the U.S. is near levels seen at the beginning of the year. The Census Bureau announced earlier this week that construction spending in August increased 1.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,412.8 billion. This is also 2.5% above the August 2019 data. "A robust rise in residential more than offset a small decline i...

New single-family homes in the U.S. are flying off the market, soaring to a 14-year high, according to the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.011 million in August, which is 4.8% higher than July and 43.2% above August 2019.Economists predicted sales would decline ...

Housing starts across the U.S. are down further than expected, yet there is a silver lining in the recently released data. Housing starts in August fell to 1.416 million, according to the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is down 5.1% from July but up 2.8% from August 2019. Economists polled by Reuters expected sta...

A construction spending indicator reports a potential increase in outlays as the U.S. economy continues to recover from earlier shutdowns. The Dodge Momentum Index, which measures the initial report of nonresidential building projects in planning, increased 1.8% in August, according to Dodge Data & Analytics."The August increase in the overall ...

Total construction spending remained relatively unchanged for the month of July; however, the slight increase was less than expected. Spending inched forward 0.1% in July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,364.6 billion is also 0.1% below July 2019.Economists predicted spending would increase 1% in July,...

Pending home sales in the U.S. are up three straight months after another strong showing in July. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index increased 5.9%. This is also up 15.5% from July 2019. Economists predicted sales would increase 3% in July, states Reuters. "We are witnessing a true V-shaped sal...

Existing-home sales continue to gain momentum as the U.S. economy builds from the trough seen earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales increased 24.7% in July, according to the National Association of Realtors, and for the second straight month. Sales were up nearly 9% from July 2019."The housing market is well past the recovery phase ...

The U.S. economy is still in the middle of a recovery after a spring drag down caused by government shut downs and other measures to halt the spread of COVID-19. "Defaults are expected to rise in coming quarters as forbearance programs expire and as customers are likely to change their priorities in the wake of COVID-19," according to the second qu...

The Dodge Momentum Index recorded its first increase in 2020. According to Dodge Data & Analytics, the index increased 3.4% in July, but it has declined 18% since December. The commercial building component increased 5.3%, while the institutional building component saw no change. The index measures the initial report of nonresidential projects,...

Pending home sales continued to surprise in June, posting back-to-back months of improvement. According to the Pending Home Sales Index from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales in June increased 16.6%. Pending sales are also up more than 6% from June 2019. "It is quite surprising and remarkable that, in the midst of a global pandemic,...

New home sales are at a new high this year after outperforming expectations in June. The U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday that new single-family sales increased 13.8% from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 776,000 in June. This is also 6.9% above the June 2019 data, making it the best mon...

U.S. housing starts have skyrocketed at their strongest monthly increase in nearly four years. Privately owned housing starts in June jumped 17.3% to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.186 million, according to the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. Reuters states the percentage increase was the largest since October 2016, ...