Leading construction economist assesses slowing private, nonresidential work

Sources: Associated Builders & Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff

Nonresidential construction fell for a second consecutive month. An ABC analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data shows seasonally adjusted, annualized spending of $687 billion in August, 1.1 percent and 1.3 percent lower than prior month and August 2015 levels, respectively. Four of the five largest nonresidential subsectors—power, highway and street, commercial and manufacturing—combined to fall 2.2 percent on a monthly basis in August 2016.

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Report confirms strength in commercial building activity

The commercial real estate development industry grew at the strongest pace since the economic recovery began in 2011, according to “The Economic Impacts of Commercial Real Estate,” an annual state of the industry report from the NAOIP Research Foundation, Washington, D.C. Author Dr. Stephen S. Fuller, director of George Mason University Center for Regional Analysis, finds the economic impact attributable to nonresidential development, which rose 24 percent over the previous year—the largest gain since the sector began to recover in 2011. 

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