Articles

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 50.1 for June indicates that billings at architecture firms remained steady as design activity continues to slowly recover from roiled economic conditions, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Deltek. Read More

Privately‐owned housing starts in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,434,000, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced, 8.0% below the revised May estimate of 1,559,000 and is 8.1% below the June 2022 rate of 1,561,000. Read More

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes in July posted a one-point gain to 56, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This is the seventh straight month that builder confidence has increased and marks the highest level since June of last year. Read More

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for June 2023 were $689.5 billion, up 0.2% from the previous month, and up 1.5% above June 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read More

Floor Focus’ Survey 2023: What the Retailers Think, in the July 2023 issue of Floor Focus, shows flooring category trends among independent retailers over a five-year period. Read More

"Wall Street is more convinced than ever that inflation is subsiding,” reports the Wall Street Journal. Read More

Consumer sentiment rose 12.7% to 72.6 in early July, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. Read More

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released its NAHB/Westlake Royal Remodeling Market Index (RMI) for the second quarter, posting a reading of 68, edging down two points compared to the previous quarter. Read More

Imports of vinyl flooring saw a decrease in May, down 6.7% year over year, but this follows a notable increase of 28.9% year over year last month, reports Truist. Read More

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, after increasing 0.1% in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Read More