Construction costs cool but still squeeze contractors; Reed says starts rise

The producer price index for finished goods fell 0.6 percent in June, not seasonally adjusted (0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted), and rose 2.8 percent compared to June 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday [July 15]. The PPI for inputs to construction industries, a weighted average of prices for materials used in all types of construction plus items consumed by contractors (such as diesel fuel), dropped 0.9 percent for the month but was 4.2 percent higher year-over-year, according to a July 16 Data DIGest report