The U.S. economy starts the third quarter with some strong challenges that rattled the ongoing recovery in Quarter 2 and are likely to filter through to the next few months. Among them are lingering inflation, the prospect of several additional aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes, and...

On June 15th, the Federal Reserve Bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the third time this year. It was its biggest increase since 1994. The Fed raised rates by three quarters of a percentage point, and indicated that further increases would follow in July. Nonetheless, Fed chairman...

When one of housing’s biggest optimists changes his outlook, attention must be paid. Stephen Kim, senior managing director and head of Evercore ISI’s Housing Research Team, had declared in September 2020 that housing had entered a Golden Age. But that changed on June...

We’ve heard the statement forever: communication is key. Communication lies at the core of every successful relationship, team, and business. Our industry remains extremely strong and demand for metal plate connected wood trusses is as high as ever. Oftentimes when demand gets high and we...

On May 4th, the Federal Reserve Bank raised its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year. It was its biggest increase since 2000. The Fed raised rates by half a percentage point, and indicated that further increases would follow throughout the year. Its next increase is poised to...

In a recent article in MoneyWise, the top states for relocation to and from were listed and many of them were as expected: Arizona, Alabama, Texas, Florida, which are all warm states that draw northerners. BUT, some of the states were unexpected: Idaho, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and...

When the 52-page Webb Analytics’ 2022 Construction Supply 150 Report was released on May 3, the top headline was: Report Shows Lumberyards’ Revenues Soared Far Above Gains for Specialty Dealers, Big-Box Stores. Indeed, high-flying lumber prices helped drive a 19.2% revenue increase...

One unique thing about our industry is the diversity among markets across the country. The upper Midwest does things very differently than the South. The methods used in the West don’t align with the those used in the East. None are wrong, but most are very different. At their core, each...

As you may already be aware, the Fed has committed to raising interest rates in 2022. Will you have your financing in place before the rates move higher? One of the many advantages of working with Acceptance Leasing and Financing Service is that we have a number of financing programs that...

Recession by definition: A recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales. A recession begins just after the economy...