Consumer prices continued to rise in May, supported by increases in housing costs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.6% in May on a seasonally adjusted basis, following an increase of 0.8% in April. It marks the largest increase since June 2009. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, “core” CPI… Read More ›
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of the Army have announced their intent to revise the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS). EPA Administrator Michael Regan says that the Navigable Waters Protection Rule enacted during the Trump administration to define WOTUS “is leading to significant environmental degradation.”
The first quarter 2021 Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) showed that single-family home building continued to shift to low-density and low-cost markets, a trend stemming largely from the COVID-19 pandemic and first reported in the second quarter of 2020. However, this suburban shift has been even more pronounced in the multifamily sector, which is experiencing growth in 2021 after a… Read More ›
The count of open construction jobs increased in April to 357,000 unfilled positions, according to data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The housing market remains hot and requires additional labor, lots and lumber and building materials to add inventory. Overall, hiring in the construction sector slowed in April, declining to a 4.5% rate. The recent… Read More ›
