Despite historic declines in coal production volumes, coal mining represented the largest market for explosives in 2016. Although it never came into effect, the announcement of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, among other regulations, encouraged a shift away from coal and towards cleaner, cheaper alternatives like natural gas. However, with the change to the Trump administration came promises to roll back these proposed restrictions an d potentially increase demand for coal, which would boost sales of explosives to the coal mining industry.
November 6, 2017US lime demand is forecast to reach 18.9 million metric tons in 2021. Rising manufacturing output and construction activity will support lime consumption.
October 16, 2017Earlier this month, Lego announced that it would cut 1,400 jobs after reporting revenue and profit both fell in the first half of 2017, driven by declines in US sales. Much of the discussion around this story has focused on contributing factors within the company. However, these declines may also signal waning popularity in construction toys.
September 18, 2017US housing starts are forecast to reach 1.6 million units in 2021, with homebuilders benefiting from strengthening consumer finances and rising levels of employment. At the same time, sales of existing homes are expected to reach 6.0 million units, with the fastest gains occurring in the South. Although economic recovery has helped consumers achieve higher incomes to purchase homes, rising home prices and a shortage of available properties is presently a detriment to first-time homebuyers, especially millennials.
August 28, 2017The US fabricated metals industry is highly affected by construction markets, as a significant amount of fabricated metal products are used in various construction projects. Robust growth in construction activity – both in the US and in key export markets – is allowing fabricated metal producers, particularly those specializing in structural metals, to forge a better path to 2021...
March 12, 2017Since the depths of the recession, multi-family residential projects have emerged as a star in the building construction market for architectural service providers. From 2011 to 2015, multi-unit housing projects experienced double-digit yearly growth in unit starts, while annual expenditures vaulted 24% at a minimum between 2012 and 2015. This surge in the construction of new multi-unit residential buildings has been evident in many large US cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
January 18, 2017