Producer Price Index on Construction Materials Up 0.5% in January

According to the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Producer Price Index (PPI) on prices paid for goods used in residential building increased 0.5% in January, not seasonally adjusted. Over the past 12-months, January 2019 to January 2020, building material prices have increased 2.0%. When compared to January 2018 to January 2020 they have increased by 3.3%. The price on gypsum and ready-mix concrete were responsible for a large portion of the January 2020 increases. The PPI report also shows that softwood lumber prices declined 0.9% (seasonally adjusted) in January. While the Random Lengths Composite Index increased 2.5% from December 2019 to January 2020.