Market Insights

Stocks were mostly positive at the close of Wednesday. Lumber Liquidators led the pack with positive 10.65%.

Building permits in Canada decreased 4.9% in September 2011 compared with August, marking the third consecutive monthly decline, according to Statistics Canada, the government’s national database. Permit activity fell in six provinces, led by British Columbia and Alberta.

The decline nationally was mainly attributable to both the residential and non-residential sectors in British Columbia and the non-residential sector in Alberta. Building permits increased in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Understanding the evolution of the brick-and-mortar, and the store-as-a-hub for an array of customer services.

First rule: plan ahead. Does your approach to buying markets and trade shows jibe with our readers’ approach?

A survey of builders conducted by the National Home Builders Association pointed to energy-efficient concepts, high ceilings and laundry rooms as top-of-mind construction concepts for 2015.

A report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates said that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.6% in October over the same month last year and should reach its highest level of the year as retailers stock up for the holiday season.

The unemployment rate is now down to a post-recession low of 5.6%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing starts data released Wednesday morning shows a lull in housing construction, as the pace of residential construction showed a less-than-1% gain in August. 

The official seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of housing starts in August was 891,000, up 0.9% above the downwardly revised July estimate of 883,000. Total housing starts are up 19.0% compared to the August 2012 rate.

Analysts had expected total starts to comfortably exceed the 900,000 mark.