Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending May 6, 2021. The PMMS reports that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.94% with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.96% percent. A year ago, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.28%.
Wood Markets News
Weekly Jobless Claims Continued to Decline in the Week Ending May 8, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 473,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday, May 8, 2021 — a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
Producer Price Index for Final Demand Increases in April
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today (5-13-21) that the Producer Price Index for final demand, seasonally adjusted, increased 0.6% percent in April. Final demand prices rose 1.0% in March and 0.5% in February.
U.S. Lumber Demand Sends European Lumber Prices Higher
Unrelenting building demand, the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, amongst other things, has kept U.S. sawmills from being able to catch up with that unabated demand. With U.S. builders needing lumber coverage, but rarely asking about price, suppliers have been forced to look for product sources apart from their traditional suppliers.
Hankins Lumber Company Expanding in Northern Mississippi with $ 12 Million Sawmill Investment
Hankins Lumber Company of Grenada County Mississippi is investing more than $12 million into a sawmill that will be called Hankins Timbers. The facility will produce about 40 million board feet per year.
Investment in Canadian Building Construction Rose 5.9% in March 2021
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported on Wednesday (5-12-21) that investment in Canadian building construction rose 5.9% to $18.6 billion (CAD) in March 2021. For the eleventh consecutive month, residential construction investment also increased, rising 7.6% to $14.0 billion (CAD) in March 2021.
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers Increases 0.8% in April; Up 4.2% Year-Over-Year
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced on Wednesday (5-12-21) the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CI-U) increased 0.8% in April, on a seasonally adjusted basis, after rising 0.6% in March. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 4.2% before seasonal adjustment.
Mortgage Applications Increase 2.1% in Week Ending May 7, 2021
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey for the week ending April 30, 2021, the Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 2% compared with the previous week.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports Construction Sector Hiring Increased in March
A deeper dive into the recent (5-11-21) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) looking specifically at the construction sector reveals that the housing market remains robust, and as a result additional labor is required.
Interfor Corporation Reports on Strategic Capital Investments Projects
In reporting on their Q1 2021 results, Interfor Corporation announced capacity-expanding spending projects. Interfor stated that the company has received Board approval to proceed with strategic capital investments at its sawmills in Castlegar, BC and Perry, Georgia of approximately $35 million and US$30 million, respectively.