The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 3.839 million Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday April 25th.
Wood Markets News
FEA’s Weekly Order Survey Shows Lumber and Panel Sales to Builders Holding Steady in April
Many dealers are reporting that their sales in April have met or exceeded their initial expectations.
Billion Board Foot Club 2019 Rankings
The annual FEA-Canada Billion Board Foot Club of top global lumber companies, highlights producers that have reached the one billion board feet level (nominal count) of annual lumber production.
U.S. Commerce Department Announces New Deadlines for all Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews due to COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to operational adjustments due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced new deadlines for all antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) administrative reviews.
Oregon’s Forests Forever Group Asks Gov. Brown to Delay Corporate Activity Tax
Oregon’s timber industry, along with the rural business community is urging state lawmakers and Gov Kate Brown to temporarily suspend the recently approved new Corporate Activity Tax for 6-months to help business hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
GDP Suffers First Decline Since 2014
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), is reporting that the U.S. economy declined in the first quarter of 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-29 virus pandemic.
Pending Home Sales Fall 20.8% in March
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) has reported Pending Homes Sales Index (PHSI) fell -20.8% to a reading of 88.2 in March.
Washington State Eases Restriction on Construction with New Guidelines
With new guidelines now in place, Gov. Jay Inslee announced the State of Washington has started to ease some restrictions that were put into place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Increases to 6.99% in Week Ending April 19th 2020
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) latest Forbearance and Call Volume Survey reports that the total number of loans now in forbearance increased from 5.95% of servicer’s portfolio volume in the prior week to 6.99% as of April 19th, 2020.
Mortgage Applications Decline in Week Ending April 24th, 2020
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending April 24th, 2020, the Market Composite Index decreased -3.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.