Beige Book: Commercial construction was somewhat mixed: steady/up in Clev, Chi, Minn; weak in NY, Phil; slow in Rich, StL but with indus up

Construction spending: +0.8% in Oct; 3rd straight gain but -0.4% vs. Oct '10. Revisions: Sep +0.6%, Aug +0.5%. Private side getting stronger

Construction employment in Nov: -12K (-0.2%) vs. Oct, +18K (0.3%) vs. Nov '10; very little change since Feb '10; unem rate 13.1%

Manpower Inc survey (manpower.com/research/resea…): Construction only industry expecting drop in hiring in Q1 (worse outlook than for Q4)

Detailed but clear IHS Global Insight report documents bright future for shale gas, adding to demand for construction: tinyurl.com/crasskj

Nov PPI for const materials: -0.1% vs Oct, 6.2% vs 11/10, outpacing bid prices & squeezing contractors. More info: agc.org

Multifamily starts, permits soar: Nov starts +25% vs Oct, +145% vs 11/11; Nov permits +13% vs Oct, +71% vs 11/11. More in pipeline

Only 19 states, DC add construction jobs in Nov, led by RI, NY; year-over-year 25 states, DC gain, led by ND, TX. More: agc.org

Census surprises: DC tops 2010-11 % growth, TX 2nd; Sunbelt, NW, most Rocky Mtn, Plains states above avg except KS, NV, WY; ME, MI, RI slip

Construction spending hits 20-mo high in Dec; mild weather (esp. vis-a-vis Dec '10) may have boosted housing, highways

Construction employment dips for 2nd straight month, falling 7K in March, but is up 55K (1%) from 3/11

Beige Book: several regions report construction growth in multifamily, energy, high-tech, hospitals, education; more commercial RE lending

6/6 Beige Book: "Conditions in residential and commercial real estate improved. Construction picked up in many areas of the country."

AGC President Joe Jarboe & I gave a plug for SmartBrief at a meeting of 12 assn research directors today. We're big fans! [email protected]

ADP: June construction employment rose by 8,000, more than reversing declines of April & May. But BLS (report tomw.) often differs w/ ADP.

Construction spending hits 30-mo high; single-, multi-family, nonres gains outpace drop in public construction. Expect all 3 trends to last.

Construction spending better than #s show. Unreliable est. of res improvements masks strong gain in homebuilding & apts. Priv nonres up yoy

Free webinar Tues 11-12:30 ET on economic impact of Sandy w/ 6 economists (I'll discuss consruction): nabe.com