Articles

In the first eleven months of 2023, total U.S. imports of ceramic tile were 170.8 million square meters, a decline of 9.5% from the same period in 2022 when imports were 188.7 million square meters, according to Grosser Consulting. Read More

Signs are pointing to the beginning of a U.S. floor coverings sales recovery. Catalina Research estimates U.S. square foot sales is projected to increase by 2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2024. Read More

Tile is truly a global flooring product. With so many vendors exploring fashion and technology, innovation in both look and composition enables a large scale appetite for the various new products from all around the world. Thanks to this continuing globalization, tile’s market reach is one that extends worldwide and remains robust and diversified. Read More

Tile companies are still reporting growth amidst lower category performance, thanks to strong business plans and product offerings, helping tile steer its way though economic hazards. Read More

Sales of new single‐family houses in November 2023 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 590,000, according to estimates released jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 12.2% below the revised October rate of 672,000 but 1.4% above the November 2022 estimate of 582,000. Read More

Consumer sentiment rose 13.7% in December to 69.7, according to final results from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. This represents a 16.6% increase year over year. Read More

Personal income increased $81.6 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in November. Disposable personal income (DPI)-personal income less personal current taxes-increased $71.9 billion (0.4 percent). Read More

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2023, according to the “third” estimate. In the second quarter, real GDP increased 2.1 percent. The increase in the third quarter primarily reflected increases in consumer spending and inventory investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased. Read More

The U.S. has a serious housing shortage, particularly for affordable homes. Years of underbuilding have caused both house prices and rents to increase dramatically. As a result, recent government data indicates that over half of renters in the country are considered to be rent burdened, meaning that they devote 30 percent or more of their income to monthly rent payments. Even more significantly, over half of these rent burdened households are considered to be severely rent burdened, meaning that over half of their income goes toward rent. Read More

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes rose three points to 37 in December, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Read More