ATLANTA, Ga. — Construction companies are growing more optimistic about their risk exposure as they round out 2015, with respondents reporting in a new survey that their “risk sentiment” has dropped to 4.4 on a scale of 1-10 on (down from 5.2 earlier this year). The latest “Sterling Risk Advisors Risk Sentiment Index” shows that while profit margins continue to improve, companies are more concerned than ever about staffing, with access to adequate numbers of employees deepening its hold as the No. 1 risk to businesses. “Sterling’s Risk Sentiment Index clearly shows that most construction contractors continue to see a significant … Read more

NEW YORK, N.Y. — New construction starts in October advanced 13 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $591.1 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The increase follows the lackluster performance for construction starts during August and September, when activity fell to the lowest levels reported so far in 2015. Much of October’s gain for total construction was due to a sharp rebound by nonresidential building, with additional support coming from a moderate upturn for housing as the result of further strengthening by multifamily housing. At the same time, the non-building construction sector (public works and electric utilities/gas plants) … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There has been increasing levels of demand for design services for nearly all construction project types for the majority of the year as revealed in the Architecture Billings Index. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9-12-month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the October ABI score was 53.1, down slightly from the mark of 53.7 in the previous month. This score still reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index … Read more