Articles

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in May rose five points to 50, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This marks the fifth straight month that builder confidence has increased and is the first time that sentiment levels have reached the midpoint mark of 50 since July 2022. Read More

The Home Depot reported sales of $37.3 billion for Q1 2023, a decrease of 4.2% from Q1 2022’s $38.9 billion. Read More

Outpacing all other flooring categories, ceramic tile grew 14.2% in dollars in 2022 though overall units dipped slightly. Read More

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that hiring in the U.S. unexpectedly picked up last month, with employers adding 253,000 (seasonally adjusted) jobs, up from a revised 165,000 in March, reports the Dodge Data & Analytics. The nation’s unemployment rate edged down to 3.4% in April, from 3.5% a month earlier and 3.6% in February, representing the lowest jobless rate since January. Read More

In the first three months of 2023, total U.S. imports of ceramic tile were 44.8 million square meters, according to Grosser Consulting, a 4.6% decline compared to the same period in 2022. Read More

Executives from Skanska, DPR, Suffolk and others see unique characteristics in an economic slowdown this year. Read More

Floor & Décor reported a net sales increase of 9.1% to $1,122.1 million in Q1 2023, compared to $1,028.7 million in Q1 2022. Read More

LL Flooring reported net sales of $240.7 million for Q1 2023, a 13.7% decline compared to Q1 2022’s $279 million, driven by lower spending by consumers versus last year combined with a decline in Pro sales. Read More

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.1% in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Read More

The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, fell 5.1% in April to 180.9 from the revised March reading of 190.6. In April, the commercial component of the DMI fell 8.0%, and the institutional component improved 0.3%. Read More