Articles

Ceramic tile imports rose 22.2% in square meters in the first nine months of 2021 and 29.8% in dollars, reports Grosser Consulting.  Read More

In the week ending November 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 267,000, a decrease of 4,000 from the previous week's revised level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the lowest level for initial claims since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,000.  Read More

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9% in October on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.4% in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Read More

The Producer Price Index for final demand increased 0.6% in October, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.  Read More

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 531,000 in October, and the unemployment rate edged down by 0.2 percentage point to 4.6%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.  Read More

Personal income decreased $216.2 billion, or 1.0 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $93.4 billion, or 0.6 percent, in September. The decrease in personal income primarily reflected the winding down of pandemic-related assistance programs. Read More

While volatile materials prices are unfortunately a fact of life, they typically are caused by strong demand. At present, that is not the case. We have a very healthy home building and remodeling market, although nothing compared to the housing boom prior to the Great Recession. Nonresidential building activity however is currently below levels it was at a year ago in the middle of the pandemic. Instead, we have a serious supply problem primarily caused by pandemic-induced disruptions to the supply chain. By and large, U.S industries are more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions now for three reasons: the prevalence of just-in-time inventory management at U.S. producers, the high share of products used in the U.S. that are imported and that these imports come from a broader range of countries.  Read More

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.0 percent in the third quarter of 2021, following an increase of 6.7 percent in the second quarter. Read More

Architecture firms continue to report increasing demand for design services in September, according to a new report from The American Institute of Architects (AIA). Read More

Mohawk Industries, Lamosa and SCG lead the rankings. All leading groups are confirming growth forecasts this year, while 2021 rankings will see some changes in positioning due to the major acquisitions completed recently. Read More