Prices received for four key building materials all decreased in October.
NAHB Eye on Housing looked at data from the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prices received for ready-mix concrete, gypsum products, and softwood lumber declined by 0.1 percent, 0.5 percent, and 1.2 percent last month.
OSB prices declined 0.5 percent, the first dip in seven months. During that span, OSB prices increased 25 percent.
The price of softwood lumber is impacted by the strength of the U.S. dollar compared to the Canadian dollar.
A strengthening U.S. dollar makes Canadian softwood lumber cheaper to import, which may prove increasingly important as softwood lumber litigation picks up in an uncertain international trade environment.
PB Topical Ref
