Latest IndexRoom Articles
Data Points includes construction spending, more lighting data from NEMA, a gasoline price report, and how manufacturing seems to be doing right about now.
Commodity Watch shows that the price of copper closed on Sept. 3 at the unofficial London Metal Exchange price of $3.48/lb. Also noteworthy: aluminum and zinc, both of which are up around 5% in five days.
Private sector, construction add jobs in August; construction spending
drops in July
With the yen up almost 10% vs. the dollar since the end of March, some numbers in Commodity Watch (like copper at $3.34/lb.) are mighty interesting to stare at. There’s also a nice chart of tin spot prices; you shoulda bought it a year ago!
Lots of Data Points this week from NEMA, including the August EBCI (unwonderful) and really good Q2 data on motor shipments and the two industrial control indices, and interesting info on HIDs (metal vapor loses more market share).
Aluminum’s spot-market price slipped 8% in one week, according to Commodity Watch. Crude oil finished last week closer to $60/barrel than $90. And the U.S. dollar seems to have bottomed, maybe.
In Data Points: It’s been two-and-a-half years now that the “work on the boards” survey from the American Institute of Architects has offered a punk outlook for the next six to 18 months of nonresidential construction; here’s the latest. Plus: Info and outlooks on datacom/VDV.
States are mixed on construction jobs in July; construction PPIs moderate
LEDs are the story in Data Points, with several key reports (one of which was posted to an IALD e-newsletter) from the DOE’s Jim Brodrick. How do you like this idea? A sound alert (“chirping”) when the LED’s light output falls below a certain level.
Construction starts were mixed in July, Reed says; pay gains shrink;
costs vary
© 2010 The Electrical Distributor. All rights reserved.