Economy

Update as of April 10, 10:00am: Even with yesterday's pause, Basu says the effective tariff rate on U.S. imports is lower than it was Wednesday morning, but is still higher than what was originally announced on April 2, "because America imports so much from China." However, tha...

What We Learned in March: Construction Industry Momentum Wavers Nonresidential construction spending continues to inch higher while the industry keeps adding jobs at a healthy pace, but trade tensions, tariffs, rising material prices and higher-for-longer interest rates could we...

Step back in time, and there’s a good chance that most of the names in the construction business no longer exist. Of the more than 43,000 construction companies that started in the spring of 2011, less than 38% managed to stick around a decade later, according to data from the U....

Competition is a constant in the ever-evolving world of construction. It’s fundamental to the bottom line, creates a quality product, invites the best talent and—to be frank—it’s exciting to compete. And it’s even more exciting to be the winner. So, how are winners in the contra...

WASHINGTON, March 13—Construction input prices increased 0.6% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released recently. Nonresidential construction input prices also increased 0.6% fo...

WASHINGTON, March 11—The construction industry had 236,000 job openings on the last day of January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. JOLTS defines a job op...

“The most salient aspect of life for consumers, contractors and the average American is the elevated rate of inflation.” Anirban Basu began his address to the crowd at ABC Convention 2025 with the one thing that’s been top of mind for Americans for the last half-decade. While inf...

WHAT WE LEARNED IN JANUARY: CONTRACTORS OPTIMISTIC DESPITE COOLING MOMENTUM The construction industry’s momentum faded somewhat over the past few months. Nonresidential spending growth has stalled, employment growth has slowed to a crawl and materials prices jumped higher in Ja...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13—Construction input prices increased 1.4% in January compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today. Nonresidential construction input pri...

2024 will be remembered for many things. One on hand: strong consumer spending and stock performance; low unemployment; rate cuts; an artificial intelligence craze; the election. On the other: high house prices and mortgage rates; stagnant wages; labor shortages. Both the positiv...