Constuction spending was up in February, but just barely, the Census Bureau reported Monday. In the home building sector, the news was more positive. Bloomberg reports:
Construction spending has been soft, inching only 0.1 percent higher in February after posting no change in January but there are definitely signs of strength in the details. The most important gains are being posted for new single-family homes, up 0.9 percent for a second straight month for a year-on-year February increase of 9.5 percent. Multi-family homes, where spending has been weak, bounced back a monthly 1.2 percent for a yearly 0.9 percent increase. The weakness in February's overall report comes from home improvements, which fell a monthly 1.5 percent for only a 1.4 percent yearly gain.
Public spending also weakened in February with educational and highway spending both slipping into slightly negative ground on the month. But private nonresidential spending is a positive, up 1.5 percent on the month though the year-on-year increase is still subdued at 1.1 percent.
To access the report, click on the 'Construction Spending' segment of today's Bloomberg Economic Calendar.