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Builder Confidence Highest in Four Years

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business and Housing & Construction.

Home builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes increased for the fifth consecutive month in February, the highest level the index has reached in more than four years.

Housing Affordability Breaks Record, Again

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Nationwide housing affordability, as measured by the Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), rose to a record level during the fourth quarter of 2011, while prospective home buyers continued to feel the constraints of tighter credit standards and a soft economy.

Housing Starts Rise 1.5% in Jan

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Building on significant upward revisions to numbers for the previous two months, nationwide production of new single-family homes and apartments increased 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of nearly 700,000 units in January.

Builder Show Marked by Optimism

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Housing & Construction and Industry Announcements.

More than 51,000 builders, remodelers and other members of the home building industry crowded the aisles of the National Association of Home Builders' International Builders' Show (IBS).

Truckers Challenge New Federal HOS Rules

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Legislative.

The American Trucking Associations has filed a petition asking a federal court to review the new hours of service rules announced by the FMCSA that reduce the maximum number of hours a truck driver can be on the road from 82 hours per week to 70 hours.

Will Housings Starts Follow Improving Builder Sentiment?

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) increased four points in February to 29, the highest level since April 2007. 

Foreclosures Edge Up 3% in January

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

U.S. foreclosure filings edged up 3% in January as picking up for the first time since the fall 2010 robo-signing crisis in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Economic Confidence Varies Widely by State

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic.

Americans' economic confidence hit its highest level of the past year in January and is approaching its highest level in four years, according to new survey data released by the Gallup Organization.

BlueLinx Reports 4Q Loss

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business and Raw Materials.

BlueLinx Holdings Inc. reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $10.3 million, or 17 cents per share.

UFP Reports 4Q Loss

Posted on February 20, 2012.

Universal Forest Products reported a fourth-quarter net loss of $1.7 million.

Canada's Leading Index Up

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic.

Canada's composite index of leading economic indicators rose 0.7% in January, following an identical gain the previous month, according to Statistics Canada. 

Breaking Down Structural Unemployment

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business and Economic.

One of the most concerning trends that our group has cited numerous times over the past year has been the structural unemployment problem facing the United States.

Looking at the Feds Housing Recommendations

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business, Economic and Housing & Construction.

Explores issues and tradeoffs that the Federal Reserve Board believes lawmakers should consider in addressing these forces affecting the housing market.

Opinion: Exploring Moral Issues Behind Illegal Immigration

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business and Legislative.

It is time that Americans revisit the issue and ponder very carefully the morality of entering the United States illegally.

Is the New LEI Better than the Old One?

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic.

The recession probability model based on the new Leading Economic Index successfully predicts all recessions since 1979, but it has more false-positives compared to our original model, which uses the old LEI.

Housing Starts Continue to Rise

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Housing starts rose 1.5 percent to a 699,000-unit pace in January, the highest level since the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse.

Uncertainty Still Impacting Commercial Development

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Economic activity appeared to turn up a notch toward the end of 2011, and data for the early part of 2012 suggest that the new year has gotten off to a solid start.

Leading Indicators Support Continued Growth

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic.

The LEI rose 0.4 percent, supported by an increase in the average workweek and improving financial indicators. This is now the fourth-consecutive month of improvement in the index.

Economic 1Q Indicators Soften

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic.

The tone of U.S. economic releases softened a bit this week, though there is no sign that growth in Q1 is about to hit a brick wall. 

12 Steps to Comply with Immigration Laws

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business and Legislative.

Here are twelve steps all employers should take in 2012 to comply with the myriad of immigration laws.

Consumer Confidence Up 4 Straight Weeks

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Consumer confidence in the U.S. increased for a fourth straight week to reach the highest level in a year as more households believe the economy is improving.

Florida is the Nation's Housing Market?

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Trulia's Chief Economist posits that the state of Florida is the perfect microcosm of the nation's ongoing housing problems.

10 Things New Home Buyers Really Want

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Building Codes, Business and Housing & Construction.

A number of successful home builders, designers, and architects were asked what they are designing, building, and installing in homes that are making home shoppers want a house

Growing Evidence Points to Improving Housing Market

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business and Housing & Construction.

The evidence is beginning to mount that the housing market has stabilized and is improving. 

Top 20 Markets for 2012

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

Looking at the 100 largest markets in the country based on predicted new-home sales for 2012, the following 20 markets appear to be the best ones.

Analyzing Home Fee Impacts

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Economic and Housing & Construction.

The NAHB Priced Out Model estimates how many households can qualify for a new home mortgage before and after a house price increase.

Ideal Home Size Decreasing

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Housing & Construction.

After many years of dramatically increasing home size in America, the trend appears to be going in the other direction.  

Energy Efficiency Could Save Billions

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Building Codes, Engineering & Testing, Green Building and Housing & Construction.

New white paper puts a whopping price tag on the possible energy savings of multifamily buildings.

Multifamily Predictions 'Overly Optimistic'?

Posted on February 20, 2012.

Moody's Analytic's recent prediction about 2012 multifamily starts has other housing economists warning it may be overly optimistic.

OSHA Posts Videos on Respirator Use

Posted on February 20, 2012 in Business.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has posted a series of 17 videos to help workers learn about the proper use of respirators on the job.