Commercial and public construction trends are mixed. Public is down from last year, while commercial is up roughly 2%. A continued upturn is expected as long as increasing interest rates don't stall the trend. Construction material costs are still rising, but at a lower rate of just 2% for the year. Lumber prices are up compared to last year and had a spectacular run in the early spring, only to be tempered to an increase in the 6-8% range. Steel prices remain down to flat from last year. Copper and precious metals are down, so keep an eye out for an adjustment. After a somewhat flat year in 2012, the price of rubber products has slowed even further to just 1%. This might be related to the price of crude, which may add some volatility to the price of rubber.
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