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Contractormag 3082 Construction4
Contractormag 3082 Construction4
Contractormag 3082 Construction4
Contractormag 3082 Construction4
Contractormag 3082 Construction4

CMD report predicts continued improvement for residential and non-residential construction in Q2

May 3, 2016
On the heels of a 5.8 percent gain in 2015, residential starts and non-residential starts are tracking positively for the second quarter Non-residential building structures that will see the fastest percentage gains in 2016 include office buildings, transportation terminals and hospitals/clinics By 2020 - the end of CMD’s forecast period - total value of construction starts will be in excess of $700 billion

ATLANTA — construction starts increased 7.4 percent, higher than expected in the first quarter of 2016. On the heels of a 5.8 percent gain in 2015, residential starts and non-residential starts are tracking positively for the second quarter, according to CMD’s latest quarterly forecast report.
 
The forecast, which combines CMD’s proprietary data with macroeconomic factors, expects a total year-over-year dollar volume increase of 7.4 percent this year, which is slightly higher than the 6.5 percent increase that was expected in the Q1 forecast.

Non-residential building structures that will see the fastest percentage gains in 2016 include office buildings, transportation terminals and hospitals/clinics. Roads and bridges are also expected to perform well.
 
“Over the last several years, including 2016, the first quarter has proven challenging for the U.S. economy, slowing advances in national output,” said Alex Carrick, CMD chief economist. “Forward momentum has more often gathered in later quarters, giving rise to encouraging gross domestic product (GDP) improvements deeper into the calendar.”
 
According to the report, the increased pace for construction in 2016 is due to positive starts in both non-residential building and civil engineering starts, which are predicted to increase 5.4 percent and 1.5 percent respectively.
 
“The construction sector traditionally lags GDP change and in the current cycle, the effect has been more pronounced than usual. Inevitably, too-long delayed capital spending leads to an accumulation of pent-up demand and an onset of construction investment. That stage is now underway,” said Carrick.
 
By 2020 - the end of CMD’s forecast period - total value of construction starts, based mainly on the summation of actual projects, will be in excess of $700 billion.

See a breakdown of the 2016 new construction market by type of structures being built. 

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