Articles

In the week ending February 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 232,000, a decrease of 17,000 from the previous week's revised level, according to the Department of Labor.  Read More

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 7.0% in Q4 2021, following an increase of 2.3% in Q3, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Read More

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for January was 51.0 compared to 51.0 in December, according to a new report from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).  Read More

Lowe's reported Q4 2021 sales were $21.3 billion, a 5% increase compared to $20.3 billion in Q4 2020. Comparable sales increased 5.0%. Comparable sales for the U.S. home improvement business increased 5.1% in Q4. Pro customer sales increased 23%. Read More

Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America, announced the top 10 tile trends for 2022. The tile trends were gathered and forecasted by the three leading international tile associations and sponsors of Coverings, Ceramics of Italy/Confindustria Ceramica, Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain (ASCER)/Tile of Spain and Tile Council of North America (TCNA).  Read More

Tile manufacturers did not hold back on style, color, shape and mixed materials in their offerings at Surfaces. From natural hues to bold metallics, asymmetric shapes to oversize formats, tile styles here were bold, colorful and dramatic.  Read More

Home prices made a 18.8% annual gain in December, remaining the same from the previous month, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported.  Read More

The Home Depot announced sales for Q4 2021 were $35.7 billion, an increase of $3.5 billion, or 10.7% from Q4 2020. Comparable sales for Q4 2021 increased 8.1%, and comparable sales in the U.S. increased 7.6%.  Read More

Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America, announced the top ten tile trends for 2022. The tile trends were gathered and forecasted by the three leading international tile associations and sponsors of Coverings, Ceramics of Italy/Confindustria Ceramica, Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association of Spain (ASCER)/Tile of Spain and Tile Council of North America (TCNA).  Read More

The Natural Stone Institute’s Person of the Year award is presented annually to an individual who has provided extensive support to the association’s executive team during the year.  As a dedicated leader and tireless volunteer, Michael Picco of Picco Group was recognized as the 2021 Person of the Year. Read More