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Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point lower to 82 in February, marking the second straight month that confidence levels have declined by a single point, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. Despite these monthly declines, the HMI has posted very solid readings at or above the 80-point mark for the past five months. Read More

Construction input prices rose 3.5% in January compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 3.1% for the month. Read More

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes moved one point lower to 82 in February, marking the second straight month that confidence levels have declined by a single point, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Despite strong buyer demand, builder sentiment continued to slip in February as the industry grapples with ongoing building material production bottlenecks that are raising construction costs and delaying projects. Read More

Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for January 2022 were $649.8 billion, an increase of 3.8% from the previous month and 13.0% above January 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Read More

Home buyer preferences have continued to reverse trends in home building as builders work to respond to new interests in the wake of COVID-19, according to reports from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Read More

“There has been research that shows consumers will purchase an area rug within a very short time after installing hard surface flooring,” reported T.M. Nuckols, president of The Dixie Group (TDG). Read More

Supply-chain bottlenecks that put upward pressure on home prices along with rising interest rates contributed to housing affordability falling to a 10-year low. And ongoing production challenges and the likelihood of higher interest rates in the months ahead as the Federal Reserve moves to tighten interest rates threaten to drive housing affordability even lower in 2022. Read More

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6% in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 7.5% before seasonal adjustment. Read More

FOB ceramic tile pricing in 2021 was up by 22.3% in dollars, reports Grosser Consulting. By meters, ceramic imports rose 14%. This was the best performance for imports in years. Read More

Low existing home inventory and strong buyer demand will keep housing moving forward in 2022 even as builders continue to grapple with ongoing building material production bottlenecks and labor shortages that will limit the pace of construction and keep upward pressure on home prices, according to economists speaking at the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fla. today. Read More