The Quikrete Industry Dashboard

The latest edition of the Quikrete Industry Dashboard shows declines in the Residential Construction/Sales metrics to match a decline in sales of NAICS 444 retailers.

Meanwhile, stock prices of the 10 ticker symbols tracked by HBSDealer are all in positive territory on an annual basis. But most have given back some of their gains in the recent month.

While Builders FirstSource shares have slipped more than 10 percent in the last month, shares of BLDR remain up more than 100 percent for the year. Beacon, which continues to grow through acquisition, is up 2.6 percent for the month, and up 66 percent for the year.

Gas prices, as measured but the American Automobile Association, are at a national average of $3.66 for a gallon of regular. That’s up from $3.53, last month. It’s also unchanged from last year.

As for housing starts: “Builders are grappling on several fronts as the inflation fight continues,” said Carl Harris, chairman of the NAHB, and a custom home builder from Wichita, Kansas. “Higher interest rates are increasing the cost of housing for prospective home buyers and raising the development and construction cost for builders of homes and apartments. At the same time, shelter inflation is rising faster than overall prices due to supply-side challenges.”

Coming soon: the New York-based industry group The Conference Board will publish the closely watched Consumer Confidence Index for April on Tuesday. Currently, the index stands at 104.7 (1985=100).