Steel Markets
January 8, 2018
Dodge Index Ends Year with a Gain
Written by Sandy Williams
A favorable indicator of construction activity, the Dodge Momentum Index gained 3.6 percent in December for a reading of 153.9. The November index was revised downward to 148.6 from 149.5. The gain last month was due to an 8.5 percent jump in planning for institutional building projects. The commercial building index gained just 0.7 percent in December.
The Momentum Index was 10.7 percent higher in 2017 than in 2016. The fourth quarter rebounded from weakness in Q3 resulting in an average of 132.3 for the year. Yearly indexes for the commercial and institutional sectors gained 11.4 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively. December’s Momentum reading was 20.9 percent higher than December of the previous year.
