Contractors who would prefer to make material purchases in a stable pricing environment have had to more closely monitor trade talks, tariff policy and the minutiae of world politics this year—with all three heating up over the last three months.
“Keeping up with the changing political climate is something that takes more time than it used to, for sure,” says Trent Wachsnicht, senior vice president at JE Dunn Construction Co. in Kansas City, Mo. “It’s hard to isolate a line item and really understand and know what that direct impact was from.”