Construction spending rose 0.2 percent in April, which was lower than the consensus estimate. Private residential and public spending rose, while private nonresidential fell for the fourth straight month.
Residential Outlays Continue to Improve
· Total construction spending rose 0.2 percent in April to a $953.5 billion annual pace with upward revisions to previous months’ data. Private residential construction spending rose just 0.1 percent on the month, with home improvements holding down the headline. However, private nonresidential outlays fell 0.1 percent on the month. The decline was concentrated in communication, power and manufacturing.
Public Spending Expected to Slow in Coming Months
· Public construction spending rose 0.8 percent in April, but could begin to falter in the coming months. The largest component of public outlays, ‘highway & street,’ is up 4.9 percent on a year-ago basis, but the expected slower pace of reimbursements this summer to states from the federal Highway Trust Fund (receives revenue from a federal fuel tax and distributes to states for infrastructure projects) could weigh down total public outlays.
