The rising cost of energy sent wholesale prices up a record 11.2% last month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International released its monthly report, showing 25.1% average annual sales growth.
American Supply Association members who responded to a survey said median sales increased 27% in February versus the same month a year ago.
After 9 straight monthly increases, new orders decreased $2.7 billion, or 0.5%, to $542 billion, according to Census Bureau data.
The personal consumption expenditures index, which is monitored by the Federal Reserve, jumped 6.4% in February.
A new estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis says real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 6.9% at the end of 2021.
An Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of Producer Price Index data shows construction input prices are up 24.4% from a year ago.
The combined value for January, adjusted for seasonal and trading day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at $1,784.8 billion.
Manufacturing technology orders for the month totaled $436.6 million, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report.
The year-over-year increase reflected the 12 months ending in February and was the biggest spike in 40 years, the Labor Department says.
Exports were $224.4 billion, $3.9 billion less than December exports. Imports were $314.1 billion, $3.8 billion more than December imports.
The Fastener Distributor Index recovered in February to 56.0, rebounding after January’s seasonal-adjustment-driven downtick.
Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 7% in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the ‘second’ BEA estimate.
Construction material costs soared between January 2021 and January 2022, according to an analysis of recently released government data.
Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in January were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of nearly 1.9 million.
The Census Bureau says the combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers’ shipments for December dropped 0.7% from November.
Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for January were $649.8 billion, an increase of 3.8% from December.
Price pressure trends continue as last month’s wholesale inflation was 9.7% higher than January 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Over the past year, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 7.5% before seasonal adjustment, the highest since 1982.
Just 54% of new and existing homes sold between October and December were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income.