Quikrete Industry Dashboard highlights: starts and retail sales

Residential construction numbers in the latest edition of the Quikrete can be viewed from a variety of angles. The seasonally adjusted rate of total stars for the month of July is down 7.0% from the month of June. But compared to the same month a year ago, the pace of starts is up 2.5%. 

There’s even a bigger spread when measuring single-family starts – down 4.5% for the month, but up 11.7% for the year. 

Meanwhile, the Quikrete Industry Dashboard shows the recent update for monthly sales for NAICS 444 category of retail businesses (building supplies, home centers, garden centers) is down for the month, and – again – up for the year. 

Hardware stores, or NAICS 44413 businesses, are not included in the Census Bureau’s Advanced Monthly Sales update for July. The most recent stats for this group measure June’s performance, which shows slight decline on both an annual and monthly basis. 

Elsewhere, gas prices continue to run about $1 a head of the same time last year, according to the American Automobile Association. And shares of major industry stocks are well ahead of their positions a year ago.