Lumber Briefs: Countervailing Duty Preliminary Ruling...19.88%...Bearish For Lumber Matt Layman Preliminary CVD announced at 19.88% The pieces are falling into place. Department of Commerce has issued its preliminary countervailing duty on Canadian softwood lumber exports destined for the U.S. The rate of 19.88% is lower than the anticipated 30%. In addition, the four largest producers... Read More May 2017 Issue #10214 Page 65
Lumber Briefs: Transition From Multi-Family to Single Family Is Here Matt Layman For a few months now, I have detected an uneasiness among lumber buyers. Near term expectations are bullish, however, there is an underlying sense of caution. Something is just not quite right in the housing sector. I believe I know what it is. Winds of Change Several years ago, when... Read More April 2017 Issue #10213 Page 65
Lumber Briefs: Lumber Market Volatility About to Binge Matt Layman Have you heard the news? Lumber prices are up? Feel like punching me in the throat, don’t you? Over the past several months, we have been looking at ways to save money in the lumber market. Saving money adds money to your bank account, which means that saving money is part of our business... Read More March 2017 Issue #10212 Page 65
Lumber Briefs: The Real Cost of “Not Discounting” Invoices Matt Layman Part Four in the Save Money Series Back in the good old days, when I was a rookie lumber broker, central zone SYP producers offered wholesalers a 5% discount which gave us incentive to work their wood outside Mississippi and Alabama. I offer that just to be aggravating. Also, back in... Read More February 2017 Issue #10211 Page 58
Lumber Briefs: Anticipated 2x4 Prices H1-2017 Matt Layman Part Three in the Save Money Series I certainly do not have crystal ball, but I do have something almost as good. I have history and the ability to analyze the market from a fundamental and technical perspective. Together they provide an 86% accurate forecast of when prices will rise and... Read More January 2017 Issue #10210 Page 59
Lumber Briefs: How to Best Quote 90-Day Jobs Matt Layman Part Two in the Save Money Series I used to ride a Harley. A fellow rider once told me, “There are two kinds of motorcycle riders. Those who have wrecked and those who are going to.” After his crash and broken leg…I sold my bike. The most common question I get from... Read More December 2016 Issue #09209 Page 57
Lumber Briefs: Buying Mill Direct Matt Layman Part One in the Save Money Series Over decades of purchasing for a large component manufacturer and trading as a lumber broker, I bought and sold well over 25,000 loads of lumber. The most valuable asset I brought to the table as the truss plants’ lumber buyer was confidence to purchase... Read More November 2016 Issue #09208 Page 53
Lumber Can Wait Matt Layman What has changed? In my early childhood, you could ride around town on a Sunday morning and notice and obvious quietness. Certainly not everyone was preparing for church, but the overwhelming majority of families were tidying up, putting on their Sunday-go-to-meeting attire, and heading out... Read More October 2016 Issue #09207 Page 51
The Approach of Opportunity Carl Schoening Those of us who have been around this industry long enough have a general feeling of cautious optimism. We have all been through the economic ups and downs, the building cycles, and all the rest. We have sat listening to economists at BCMC every year. We have read so many detailed articles over... Read More September 2016 Issue #09206 Page 16
Four-Week Buying Strategy Score Card Matt Layman On the right you will see the four week performance of our weekly, short-term August buying strategies. The results show 2x4 #2 SYP, Canadian SPF, and western U.S. Dry and Green Fir as well as 7/16 OSB southeast and southwest. The buying strategies are simple. In rising markets, buy... Read More September 2016 Issue #09206 Page 47