Articles

"Though low mortgage rates and favorable demographics have helped spur demand, a lack of inventory exacerbated by supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to rising home prices," said NAHB chairman Chuck Fowke, a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla. "Surging lumber prices also peaked more than 170 percent above mid-April levels in September, raising building costs. However, lumber prices are now trending lower, which is good news for prospective home buyers."   Read More

"We saw 55+ buyers come out in force in the third quarter of this year, driving strong growth in sales at 55+ communities," said Harry Miller III, chairman of NAHB's 55+ Housing Industry Council and president of Regal Builders LLC in Dover, Del. "However, shortages of key building materials are contributing to affordability concerns and delayed construction schedules, although recent declines in lumber prices offer good news." Read More

At press time, 2020 estimated sales were based on the industry average of a 0.04 percent decrease. Note, however, that 2020 sales projections vary significantly depending on a distributor’s business model, region served, retail accounts and lines carried as well as the mix of domestic versus imported goods. Read More

"With sales up 32 percent from a year ago, the demand for new single-family homes remains strong as interest rates are at historic lows," said NAHB chairman Chuck Fowke, a custom home builder from Tampa, Fla. "However, the recent run-up in lumber and other material costs is leading to an increase in pricing." Read More

Personal income increased 0.9 percent while consumer spending increased 1.4 percent in September. Read More

Builder confidence in the single-family 55+ housing market was at an all-time high in the third quarter, jumping 18 points to 83, according to the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. Read More

Ceramic World Review has updated the figures for the world’s top 25 ceramic tile groups (as for production volumes) in 2019. Respect to the previous year, the positions of the three largest tile producers remain unchanged. Read More

While 2018 saw the first decline in global tile production and consumption, the negative trend continued through 2019. By contrast, import-export flows remained in positive territory but grew by just 1%. Read More

The tile industry hit by Covid-19 October 29, 2020 Article from Ceramic World Review no. 138 Just like other sectors, the global ceramic industry will have to deal… Read More

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 33.1 percent in the third quarter of 2020, as efforts continued to reopen businesses and resume activities that were postponed or restricted due to COVID-19. In the second quarter of 2020, real GDP decreased 31.4 percent. Read More