"While
credit scarcity and economic uncertainty continue to weigh down remodeling,
signs of increasing consumer interest are promising," says NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe.
Construction employment
rose by 33,000, the largest gain in nearly four years, but much
of the increase may have represented catch-up from a weather-exacerbated drop
of 22,000 jobs in January.
HARDI announced North American HVACR average
distributor sales for December closed out 2010 in line with the association’s
forecast; but failed short of most manufacturer and analyst projections going
into the year.
Overall
nonresidential construction spending is expected to decrease by two percent in
2011, with 2012 seeing an increase of five percent in inflation adjusted terms.
A year-end business
conditions survey by the North Central Wholesalers Association (NCWA) reveals that
positive sales continued for the year for distributors in the region.
According to the Fourth Quarter U.S.
Construction Briefing by IHS Global Insight’s Construction Service, U.S. construction spending will be
flat in 2011, pushed higher by positive second half gains in the residential
and commercial sectors.