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Construction

Trade War 2.0

Tariffs could pinch the already tight building industry

by Caleigh Wells
Mar 18, 2025
New residential building permits are down. High prices on building materials could further slow new construction.
New building permits in February fell 6.8% from the same month in 2024, according to new data release by the Census Bureau.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Los Angeles Wildfires

Cheaper, faster and safer: Some LA builders and architects want a different approach to rebuilding

by Caleigh Wells
Feb 27, 2025
The current rules give homeowners an incentive to build replacement homes likely to burn just as easily during the next wildfire.
Rebuilding the thousands of homes that burned in the Eaton and Palisades Fires will take years. But some construction professionals are thinking about how to do it more quickly.
David McNew/Getty Images
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Building new housing on federally owned land could shrink the national shortage

by Kai Ryssdal and Sarah Leeson
Feb 13, 2025
"This is one area where there does appear to be convergence between Democrats and Republicans," said UChicago professor Mike Albertus.
Though the broad idea has bipartisan support, regulation of what types of homes are built, for what price and where could become a political sticking point.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Trade War 2.0

Aside from Trump tariffs, steel and aluminum have little in common

by Mitchell Hartman
Feb 10, 2025
The metals are paired as targets for import duties, but they serve different markets. Domestic steel has spare capacity, aluminum not so much.
The U.S. imports half of its aluminum supply and less than a third of steel.
STR/AFP via Getty Images
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The services part of the economy is growing much faster than the part that makes things  

by Sabri Ben-Achour
Feb 5, 2025
ADP estimates that the services sector gained 190,000 jobs in January and the production sector lost 6,000.
The "making things" part of the economy — think manufacturing and construction — lost jobs in January. But the services sector gained a ton.
Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
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Adventures in Housing

Building, instead of buying, a home

by Maria Hollenhorst
Jan 23, 2025
This couple in Fairbanks, Alaska saved money by DIY-ing their own home build.
Josh Paul in July 2022 working on the beams that the floor — and whole house — would eventually rest on.
Courtesy Paul
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Housing starts jumped in December

by Justin Ho
Jan 17, 2025
Multifamily housing was a big part of the increase. But there is still high demand for single-family homes.
There's still plenty of demand for single-family homes despite high prices and mortgage rates.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
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Awaiting immigration crackdown, some homebuilders wonder who'll build the homes

by Amy Scott
Dec 6, 2024
About a quarter of construction workers are immigrants. They may be vulnerable at a time when more housing is needed across the country.
Foreign-born workers make up a quarter of the overall construction workforce, according to the Home Builders Institute.
Amy Scott/Marketplace
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Construction spending increased more than expected in October, mostly thanks to housing

by Caleigh Wells
Dec 3, 2024
Meanwhile, commercial and government construction spending actually fell.
Construction of single-family homes could pick up in the new year if interest rates continue to fall.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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In an uncertain housing market, home builders face a range of challenges

by Justin Ho
Nov 26, 2024
A shortage of skilled labor, high labor costs, and uncertainty about the effect of tariffs on lumber prices weigh on some homebuilders.
Inflated costs and low labor pools are making home building challenging.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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