AGC's Data DIGest: Aug. 5 – Aug. 16, 2013
PPI remains tame; multifamily starts surge; MHC expects mild rise for total starts
Editor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.
Click here to view July PPI tables and here to complete AGC’s Worker Shortage Survey.
The producer price index (PPI) for finished goods was down 0.2%, not seasonally adjusted (and was unchanged, seasonally adjusted), in July but up 2.1% over 12 months, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Wednesday. The PPI for inputs to construction—a weighted average of the cost of all materials used in construction plus items consumed by contractors such as diesel fuel—was flat for the month and rose 2.0% year-over-year. The PPI for residential construction inputs fell 0.1% in July and was up 2.1% from a year earlier; and for nonresidential construction, -0.1 and 1.8%. Major construction inputs that dropped in price in July and for the year included copper and brass mill shapes, -2.2% and -6.2%; aluminum mill shapes, [node:read-more:link]