Wood Markets News


Producer Price Index for Final Demand Increases 1.0% in June

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today (7-14-21) that the Producer Price Index for final demand, seasonally adjusted, increased 1.0% in June. Final demand prices rose 0.8% in May, 0.6% in April, 1.0% in March and 0.5% in February. On an unadjusted basis, the final demand index moved up 7.3% for the 12 months ended in June.

Mortgage Applications Jump 16.0% in the Week Ending July 9, 2021, Ending 2-week Downturn

According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending July 9, 2021, the Market Composite Index — a measure of mortgage loan application volume, which includes an adjustment for the 4th of July holiday — increased 16.0% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased -7% compared with the previous week.

Idaho Wildfires Consuming Thousands of Acres of Grass and Forestlands

High temperatures, low humidity levels, and heat lightning have sparked wildfires all across Idaho and they are continuing to grow in size. The fires are burning in both grasslands and forested areas. Idaho News Channel 6 is reporting that there are currently 5-major fires burning in the state. Containment of most these fires is not expected until later in the year.

Consumer Price Index Increased 0.9% in June, 5.4% Year-Over-Year

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is reporting that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.9% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.6% in May. This is largest 1-month change since June 2008 when the index rose 1.0%. Over the past 12-months, the all-item index has increased 5.4% before seasonal adjustment.

Wildfires Rage in Russia, Spain, the U.S. and Canada

While we read and hear about forest fires in the U.S. and Canada, the same unusually hot weather is taking its toll around the globe. In Russia, forest fires have broken out in the Chelyabinsk region close to the border with Kazakhstan, as well as in north-eastern Siberia. The Ministry of Emergency Situations said it has deployed aircraft and a helicopter to fight the fires, as well as 240 personnel to Chelyabinsk where two large villages have been evacuated.