In the wake of the unexpected election of Donald Trump as president, the surge in market optimism among construction executives in the fourth quarter of 2016 has taken on an even greater intensity in the first quarter of 2017. There is a growing belief among industry execs that the market will continue to expand.
The ENR Construction Industry Confidence Index rose sharply for the second straight quarter. It shows that, of the 263 executives of large construction and design firms responding to the survey, most believe market growth will continue at least through the middle of 2018. The CICI index was 76 on a scale of 100, up eight points from the fourth quarter of 2016 and 18 points higher than the third quarter.