Business

What We Learned in June: Some Signs of Waning Momentum Construction-specific economic data have started to flash a few signs of potential weakness. Both backlog and nonresidential construction spending declined for the month, and while nonresidential employment continues to grow...

Is construction still a relationship business? According to top executives in the field, absolutely. At ABC’s Regional Construction Summit in March, construction executives from across the DC/Baltimore metropolitan region came together to discuss the ideal partnership between ge...

WASHINGTON, June 12—Construction input prices increased 0.2% in May compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data. Nonresidential construction input prices increased 0.3% ...

WASHINGTON, June 10—Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 8.4 months in May, according to an ABC member survey conducted May 20 to June 3. The reading is up 0.1 months since May 2024. View ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicato...

In both 2023 and 2024, American capitalism shrugged off higher borrowing costs as investors desperately sought higher rates of return. Certain segments, especially those pertaining or adjacent to artificial intelligence were especially strong, often taking the form of data center...

In a typical year, construction law doesn’t change all that much—but so far, 2025 has been anything but a typical year. Before the Trump administration reached its first-100-days mark, attorneys were already combing through the language of nearly 130 executive orders. While execu...

Construction projects are notorious for being unpredictable. One day everything’s humming along, the next day a contractor is delayed, a payment is disputed, and the timeline takes a hit. For an industry built on precision and planning, it’s ironic how often progress is derailed—...

WASHINGTON, June 2—National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.1% in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1....

For years, there’s been a quiet but persistent belief in construction: safety measures slow productivity. But in reality, the safest jobsites are usually the most productive. In 2023, the construction industry saw 1,075 workplace fatalities—the highest among all private industry...

WHAT WE LEARNED IN MAY: TRADE POLICY CONTINUES TO CLOUD OUTLOOK Construction-specific economic data released in May provide mixed signals. Nonresidential construction spending fell sharply in April, and industrywide job openings are down significantly over the past year. At the...