NEMA’s Index Soars
NEMA’s Electroindex Business Conditions Index (EBCI) for current conditions
rose nearly nine points in January, to 57.1. A reading of “50” is the dividing
line between expansion and contraction.
Also flying high: The EBCI for future North American conditions (i.e., six
months from now). It rose 14.3 points to 78.6—highest level since December 2004.
NEMA noted that this was the 11th straight reading above the “50”
mark for the future conditions index.
December Construction Starts Up 5%
McGraw-Hill Construction reported
that the dollar value of construction starts increased 5% in December 2009 (from
November’s level), taking the Dodge Index to 90 (2000 = 100), up four points
from November.
Note the figures below for calendar 2009. MHC said 2007’s total construction
start dollars fell by 7%, and 2008’s decline was 13%.
YEAR-TO-DATE CONSTRUCTION
STARTS
Unadjusted Totals, In Millions of Dollars
| |
12 Mo. 2009 |
12 Mo. 2008 |
% Change |
| Nonresidential Building |
$162,402 |
$242,933 |
-33 |
| Residential Building |
111,363
|
161,865 |
-31 |
| Nonbuilding Construction |
137,825 |
151,271 |
-9 |
| Total Construction |
$411,597 |
$556,069 |
-26 |
Special 2010 Reports/Outlooks
Consumer electronics/home systems integrators—from Editor Jason
Knott of CE Pro magazine: “the average CE pro integration company saw
its gross revenue from residential installations fall a jaw-dropping 51% in
2009.” The good news: Respondents to the magazine’s survey said they anticipate
doing 15% more jobs in 2010 than they did last year. Full
report.
Construction—FMI, a management consulting firm that specializes
in the construction industry, said total construction in 2010 will be down 4%.
See article here
(you can download a 16-page report, free, from the page).
General contractors—nearly 90% of them are notably
unenthusiastic about the prospects for 2010.
Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Survey—December’s reading
on this quarterly index was 57%, up from 38% reported in September—and “the
highest level since the March 2008 survey.” More.
Security—revenue (from SDM magazine’s 2010 Industry Forecast
Study) fell 7.8% in 2009 (to $44.67 billion) and is forecast to tumble another
1.6% this year. It’s the first time since the magazine began doing these surveys
(going back to 1981) “that a decrease has been recorded,” the
magazine said.
Data Points Monitor (2.4.2010)
| Indicator/Frequency |
Reading |
Month |
Previous |
Year Ago |
Source |
Construction |
| Architecture Billings Index |
43.4 |
Dec |
42.8 |
n/a |
AIA |
| Construction Spending YTD |
$868.9B |
Nov |
$794.0B |
$994.9B |
Census |
| Dodge Index |
90 |
Dec |
86 |
90 |
MHC |
| Single-Family Housing Starts |
28,500 |
Dec |
34,400 |
26,100 |
Census |
Shipping |
| Air Freight Demand |
-0.2% |
Dec |
2.1% |
n/a |
IATA |
| Baltic Dry Index (weekly) |
2,848 |
1/29 |
3,204 |
1,036 |
Bloomberg |
| For-Hire Truck Tonnage |
106.4 |
Nov |
103.5 |
-3.50% |
ATA |
| Inbound Shipping (TEUs) |
232,586 |
Dec |
228,347 |
205,831 |
Pt of Long Beach |
| Railcar Loadings (weekly) |
3.9% |
1/23 |
-8.0% |
-11.1% |
AAR |
| Outbound Shipping (TEUs) |
153,837 |
Dec |
149,148 |
109,705 |
Pt. of Los Angeles |
Other Indicators |
| EC Field Employees |
610,300 |
Nov |
620,800 |
714,400 |
BLS |
| Electrical Distributor Employees |
137,100 |
Nov |
137,800 |
150,600 |
BLS |
| Manufacturing Capacity Utilization |
68.6 |
Dec |
68.4 |
69.0 |
FRB |
| S&P 500 (weekly) |
1,074 |
1/29 |
1,092 |
826 |
Yahoo! Finance |
| Steel (spot price) |
$616 |
Oct |
$605 |
$995 |
Locker |
| Notes: Baltic Dry
Index, Railcar Loadings, and S&P 500 index are the only three data points
updated weekly. All other data updated as information becomes available.
Year-ago data for Non-Residential Starts and for-hire Truck Tonnage is on
a comparable basis (percentage up/down for this month’s number vs. one year
ago). TEUs = “twenty-foot equivalent units,” a measure of shipping
containers used by ports.
Sources:
AAR = American Association of Railroads, www.aar.org
AIA = American Institute of Architects, www.aia.org
BofC = Bureau of the Census, www.census.gov
Bloomberg = www.bloomberg.com/apps/cbuilder?ticker1=BDIY:IND
BLS = Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov
FRB = Federal Reserve Board, www.federalreserve.gov
IATA = International Air Transportat Association, www.iata.org
Locker = Locker Associates, www.lockerassociates.com
MHC = McGraw-Hill Construction, www.construction.com
Port of Long Beach = www.polb.com/about/port_stats/latest_monthly_teus.asp
Port of Los Angeles = www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp
RCD = Reed Construction Data, www.reedconstructiondata.com |
© 2010 The Electrical Distributor. All rights reserved.