Alongside swarms of contractors and others pouring in to the annual World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas, the Portland Cement Association released a relatively rosy economic forecast for 2020 into 2021.
After several weeks of growth, the IHS Markit Materials Price Index (MPI) declined 0.3% for the week starting Jan. 6, largely due to an 18.5% fall in European gas prices.
Looking to 2020, the anticipated theme of the global economy is uncertainty, as countries around the world wait for clarity over future trading arrangements. Construction activity will slow as long as these geopolitical discussions linger.
News that House Democrats and the Trump administration have come to terms on the US-Mexico-Canada pact offers calm in the storm over trade policies roiling construction since 2017.
Protectors of feathered friends are celebrating the New York City Council’s passage of the most expansive legislation in the U.S. aimed at reducing collisions of birds with buildings.