Bergkvist Siljan, a leading Swedish sawmilling group supplying sawn wood products to customers mainly in East Asia, Western Europe, and North Africa, announced that it has been granted by The Environmental Impact Assessment Delegation permission to increase the production of sawn wood products at their Insjön sawmill in Sweden, by approximately 60%, from 400,000 to 650,000 m3 per year.
Wood Markets News
U.S. Home Prices Post Third Consecutive Month of Double-Digit Growth in April
CoreLogic®, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today (6-1-21) release their CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI™) and HPI Forecast™ for April 2021.
Led by Construction Sector Increases Canada’s Real Gross Domestic Product Increased 1.1% in March
Statistics Canada (StatCan) is reporting, in preliminary estimates, that real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 1.1% in March, following a 0.4% increase in February.
U.S. Construction Spending Up Month-Over-Month and Year-Over-Year in April
The U.S. Census Bureau is reporting that total construction spending during April 2021 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $1,524.2 billion, 0.2% above the revised March estimate of $1,521.0 billion.
Canadian Industrial Product Price Index Moves Higher in April Thanks to Increased Lumber and Wood Product Costs
Statistics Canada is reporting that prices for products manufactured in Canada, as measured by the Industrial Product Price Index (IPPI) rose 1.6% month over month in April and was 14.3% higher when compared with April 2020.
Loan Rates for Development and Construction Continued to Decline in Q1 of 2021
According to builders and developers responding to the National Association of Builder’s Survey on Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) Financing continued to report declining interest rates in Q1 of 2021.
Over 50% of the Homes Sold Above Listing Price in 4-Week Period Ending May 23, 2021
Redfin, the Seattle-based technology powered real estate brokerage, is reporting that for the 4-week period ending on May 23, 2021, a record high of 51% of homes sold for more than their list price — up from 26% from a year ago.
Bureau of Economic Analysis Reports Personal Income Decreased $3.21 trillion or -13.1% in April
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) today, Friday, May 28, 2021, reported that according to their latest estimates that Personal Income decreased $3.21 trillion or -13.1% in April. Disposable Personal Income (DPI) decreased $3.22 trillion, or -14.6%; and Person Consumption Expenditures (PCE) increased $80.3 billion or 0.5%.
Final Index of Consumer Sentiment in May Drops -6.1% Month-Over-Month; Rises 14.7% Year-Over-Year
The University of Michigan released today (5-28-21) its final Index of Consumer Sentiment (ICS) for May 2021. Month-over-month, the ICS declined -6.1% from 88.3 in April to 82.9 in May. When compared to May 2020, the ICS increased 14.7% from May 2020 reading of 72.3.
Interfor Corporation Announces Purchase of 4 Georgia Pacific Sawmills in South and Pacific Northwest
Interfor Corporation announced today, Thursday, May 27, 2021, that it has reached an agreement with Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC and GP Wood Products LLC (collectively Georgia-Pacific) to acquire four of its sawmill operations located in Bay Springs, Mississippi, Fayette Alabama, DeQuincy, Louisiana and Philomath, Oregon. The total purchase price of US $375 million, which includes working capital, will be funded entirely from cash on hand.