Articles

More than 600 builders from across the nation trekked to Capitol Hill on June 15, 2022, for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) 2022 Legislative Conference to spotlight the growing housing affordability crisis that threatens to derail the economy and urge their lawmakers to support policies that will ease building material production bottlenecks and increase the production of quality, affordable housing. Read More

Rising interest rates and ongoing building material supply chain disruptions that raise construction costs continue to act as significant headwinds on the housing market. Read More

While the COVID-19 pandemic hit the hospitality market in the U.S. hard, that segment — food and beverages, lodging, recreation, travel and tourism — has begun to recover. Read More

Privately‐owned housing starts in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,549,000, 14.4% below the revised April estimate of 1,810,000 and 3.5% below the May 2021 rate of 1,605,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Read More

Mohawk Industries has announced the acquisition of Vitromex, Mexico’s third largest tile producer, from Grupo Industrial Saltillo for approximately $293 million in cash. Read More

Due to a decrease in non-residential spending, some commercial markets experienced a considerable dip during the pandemic (corporate, for example, as many more people worked from home). But activity is returning, and several markets are doing quite well — particularly, healthcare and education — resulting in new innovations around high-performing hard and soft surface products, or hybrid alternatives, to meet the need for mixed-use spaces and added flexibility. Read More

In the months January to April 2022, U.S. ceramic tile imports were down 7.0% in square meters year over year, from 66.5 million square meter to 61.9 million square meter, according to Grosser Consulting. While imports in quantity were down in this period, values were up. Read More

Consumer sentiment slid 14% to 50.2 in early June, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers. Read More

The World Bank forecasts the economy to grow at a rate of 2.5% in 2022, reports the Wall Street Journal. Read More

New findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) show that the rate of year-over-year single-family construction growth in small and large metro urban, suburban and rural regional submarkets slowed in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same time period as last year, with notable deceleration in large suburban markets. In contrast, multifamily growth in large population centers has rebounded from negative growth rates and posted sharp gains during the same time period. Read More