NEW JERSEY (October 15, 2020)—Total construction starts dipped 18% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $667.7 billion, essentially taking back August’s gain. While some of this decline is certainly payback from several large projects entering start in August, the drop in activity brought total construction starts below levels seen in June and July. Nonresidential starts fell 24%, while residential building dropped 21% over the month.

Birmingham, Ala. (Oct. 16, 2020)—Construction Business Owner (CBO), the leading business magazine for contractors, is pleased to announce the 10 finalists of its Outstanding Women in Construction (OWIC) 2020 honor.

OWIC was designed to recognize industry-leading females and their skills, achievements and contributions to the construction industry. The 10 finalists selected for OWIC 2020 are:

WASHINGTON (October 13, 2020)—Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator fell to 7.5 months in September, a decline of 0.5 months from August’s reading, according to an ABC member survey conducted September 20 to October 6. Backlog is 1.5 months lower than in September 2019.

WASHINGTON (October 14, 2020)—Construction input prices increased 1.6% in September compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of Producer Price Index data released today by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nonresidential construction input prices rose 1.4% for the month.

NEW JERSEY (October 7, 2020)—The Dodge Momentum Index rose 3.7% in September to 130.8 from the revised August reading of 126.2. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Data & Analytics, is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year.