Brickonomics

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• Orders figures continue to point to a rougher road ahead

  For those poring over the latest new orders figures released today to find guidance on the future of construction activity I suspect there is something for the optimists, but rather more for the pessimists. It must be said that trying to discern sensible... Posted Nov 05 2009, 12:44 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: housing market, commercial sector, house building, Homes and Communities Agency, construction orders, ONS, quantitative easing, Bank of England, public spending

• Growing evidence of double dip collapse for construction

  The latest round of trade survey data points to an ugly acceleration in the rate of collapse of workloads. Persistent sightings of green shoots over the late spring and summer now look to have been little more than a mirage. Read More... Posted Nov 03 2009, 11:21 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: Construction Products Association, construction output, CIPS, construction orders, Experian, NSCC, inquiries, BCIS, tender prices, double dip

• Contractors are bagging a third less new work than at peak

  The latest new orders figures provide a sobering injection of reality after the barrage of "it's okay the recession is over" talk that seems rife. Yes the rate of collapse has slowed. But it's the level that really matters at the moment... Posted Oct 01 2009, 11:47 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction firms, construction output, construction orders

• Public sector keeps construction orders afloat

  The new orders figures were out today and they hint at a uplift, with the headline figure showing a 2% rise comparing the three months to July with the previous three months. And recently when I speak to people in the industry they seem a bit more optimistic... Posted Sep 10 2009, 11:16 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction orders, optimism, public spending

• Construction trade survey confirms worsening slump

  The latest trade survey covering both the contracting and materials sectors underlines both the depth and the rate of decline in the construction sector with pessimism rampant across all sectors. As in all surveys there are glimmers of light and hope... Posted Aug 10 2009, 11:23 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: Construction Products Association, construction orders, surveys, material prices, labour costs, tender prices

• Ignore those saying new construction orders are on the rise

  I feel sure there will be someone penning near euphoric words about the 18% rise in orders in the second quarter, which is the opening line of the statistical bulletin released today. Ignore it. The new orders figures bounce about like a drugged kangaroo... Posted Aug 06 2009, 11:10 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: house building, recession, construction orders, public spending, kangaroo

• CIPS talk of optimism is baffling

  The CIPS appeared to be putting a rather positive spin on its July figures for construction activity on the back of a slowdown in the pace of decline and swelling optimism among its respondents. The press release reads: "Optimism about future activity... Posted Aug 04 2009, 11:43 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction output, house building, CIPS, construction orders, economy, optimism, pessimism

• The orders figures and public spending fears point to industry chaos ahead - need it be so?

  The good news is that after the monstrous distraction over the past month cause by raking over expense claims made by MPs we are getting back to debate about things that really will shape our lives - notably how much dosh there is (or rather isn't... Posted Jun 11 2009, 02:20 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: RICS, construction industry, construction firms, construction output, construction orders, redundancies, ONS, public spending

• Watch out for snake oil salesmen purveying good news

  There are few things more odious than selling false hope to desperate folk. But I am seeing ever more evidence of this sad occupation. I would have posted a blog on the latest new orders figures yesterday, but I was out of the office either in meetings... Posted May 08 2009, 11:03 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: house building, construction orders, infrastructure, optimism, delusion

• What revalations are there in the insolvency figures

  If Pestilence is the diseased financial system War is contractual and trade disputes Famine is the lack of orders Then Death must be measured by the insolvency figures . And they do look a bit on the pale side. The base figures show a 56% increase in... Posted May 01 2009, 12:11 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction firms, construction orders, company collapses, administration, receivership, property, insolvency

• NSCC survey of specialists highlights strategic industry problems

  I was passed a draft copy of the latest state of trade survey undertaken by the specialist contractors' body NSCC . It covers the first quarter of this year and tells pretty much the story you'd expect - orders and inquiries down and firms working... Posted Apr 23 2009, 01:44 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: construction firms, construction output, construction orders, NSCC, payment, contractual abuse, late payment, trade credit

• We're in the worst recession on record, says Construction Products Association

  The spring round of forecasting has brought more gloom with the Construction Products Association taking an even dimmer view of industry prospects than in the winter. On the basis of the current data available the materials producers' body predicts... Posted Apr 03 2009, 10:09 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: Construction Products Association, construction output, commercial sector, construction orders, forecasts, Hewes & Associates, RMI sector, public housing

• Another month another set of "worst ever" new orders figures

  The February figures for new orders were worse than the January figures which were the worst monthly figures ever recorded. There is perhaps little to add to the comments made last month other than to say if you are looking for optimism, perhaps the social... Posted Apr 02 2009, 01:05 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: social housing, recession, construction orders

• Red alert as new orders plunge to record low in January

  January 2009: the worst monthly new orders figures ever recorded And with little sign that February will be prove any better, the latest figures for new orders underline the collapse of construction across the board. Every sector - even public non-housing... Posted Mar 12 2009, 10:51 AM by Brickonomics Filed under: main contractors, commercial sector, recession, construction orders, infrastructure

• Could buying up unsold private stock be stifling social house construction?

  Is it just me, or is there a link between the deals being struck through the Government's National Clearing House to take unsold private homes into the social sector and the recent collapse in new construction orders for social house building? Read... Posted Feb 16 2009, 05:54 PM by Brickonomics Filed under: housing market, government spending, house building, housing starts, housing completions, RSL, The Red Book, Lehman Brothers, section 106, unintended consequences, Bloor, Santuary Group, construction orders, National Clearing House, credit crunch