Kamloops, BC, radio station NL 610 AM reported Thursday that Tolko Industries has announced it is temporarily cutting some graveyard and weekend shifts at its Heffley Creek Mill located in Kamloops due to a drop in demand for some of its wood products.
Wood Markets News
Fixed Mortgage Rates Decline for Second Consecutive Week
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® for the week ending March 23rd. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.42%, down from last week when it averaged 6.60%. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.68%.
Utah Gets Its First Look at Large-Scale Mass Timber Construction
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday that Utah is getting its first look at large-scale, mass timber building with an office structure currently under construction in the City of Draper. The five-story Baltic Pointe building will be the home of Pelion Venture Partners.
US Weekly Jobless Claims Decrease in the Week Ending March 18th
The US Department of Labor is reporting that the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 191,000 during the week ending on Saturday, March 18th. This is a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 192,000.
Canfor Announces Final Log Processing, Kiln, and Planer Shutdown Schedule for Its Houston, BC, Sawmill
British Columbia’s Houston Today newspaper reported Wednesday that layoff notices have gone out and the last log is set to be processed at Canfor’s Houston, BC, sawmill on March 31st. The move sets into motion the phasing out of the Houston sawmill facility originally announced by Canfor in late January.
Twin Rivers Paper Company Finalizes Sale of Its Plaster Rock Lumber Mill to Groupe Lebel
Twin Rivers Paper Company on Monday announced it has finalized the sale of its Plaster Rock Lumber Corporation, its softwood lumber mill in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick, to eastern Canadian lumber manufacturer and North American forest products leader Groupe Lebel.
Canadian National New Home Price Index Declines Month-Over-Month in February
Statistics Canada reported today that the Canadian National New House Price Index declined 0.2% month-over-month in February. This follows a similar decrease in January. The index has retreated in five of the past six months.
Construction Has Started on Stora Enso’s New Head Office in Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland, will soon be the home of the Katajanokan Laituri, according to Premier Construction News. The new building will house Stora Enso’s head office, a high-quality Solo Sokos Hotel Pier 4 hotel, as well as open spaces for the city’s residents.
Mortgage Applications Increase for Third Consecutive Week
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending March 17th, the Market Composite Index increased 3.0% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 3.0%.
Existing Home Sales Up 14.7% Month-Over-Month but Down 22.6% Year-Over-Year in February
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reported that total existing home sales—which are completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops—recorded a 14.5% month-over-month increase in February to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.58 million homes.