Breaking Flooring News

U.S. Renters Face Affordability Challenges

Cambridge, MA, March 16, 2026—Despite a recent softening in rents for new leases and a cooling construction pipeline, rental housing in the U.S. remains unaffordable for households across the income spectrum, according to America’s Rental Housing 2026, a new report being released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Construction Job Openings at 231,000 in January

Washington, DC, March 16, 2026—The construction industry had 231,000 job openings on the last day of January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

Q4 2025 GDP Revised Down to 0.7% in Second Estimate

Washington, DC, March 13, 2026—Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 0.7% in Q4 2025 (October, November, and December), according to the second estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Customs & Border Protection's Tariff Refund Efforts Deemed Satisfactory

Washington, DC, March 13, 2026—"Court of International Trade Judge Richard Eaton described CBP's [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] work to set up an automated reciprocal tariff refund process as satisfactory and continued to suspend his order to liquidate entries without International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs,” according to International Trade Today.

Consumer Sentiment Declined 1.9% to 55.5 in Early March

Ann Arbor, MI, March 13, 2026—Consumer sentiment declined 1.9% to 55.5 in early March, according to preliminary results from the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers.

California Finds Synthetic Turf Poses No Significant Health Risks

Sacramento, CA, March 13, 2026—The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment California Environmental Protection Agency has released the findings of its Synthetic Turf Study: Assessment of Health Risks from Exposure to Chemicals in Crumb Rubber Infill.

Orders for Manufactured Goods Declined Slightly in January

Washington, DC, March 13, 2026—New orders for manufactured durable goods in January, down three of the last four months, decreased $0.1 billion or virtually unchanged to $321.2 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced. This followed a 0.9% December decrease.

Antidumping Duties on Engineered Wood to Be Published Dec. 31

Sterling, VA, March 13, 2026-- The U.S. Department of Commerce has begun its administrative review of antidumping duties on engineered wood flooring that was imported from China from December 1, 2024, through November 30, 2025, reports Decorative Hardwoods Association.

Trade Deficit Narrowed by $17.5 Billion in January

Washington, DC, March 12, 2025--The January decrease in the goods and services deficit reflected a decrease in the goods deficit of $17.5 billion to $81.8 billion and an increase in the services surplus of $1.0 billion to $27.3 billion, according to the Department of Commerce.

More Homebuyers Considering Adjustable-Rate Mortgages

New York, NY, March 12, 2026—"Americans are reconsidering adjustable-rate mortgages as a way to cut the cost of buying a home in the short term,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

Near-Record Number of Homeowners Listing Unsold Homes as Rentals

Seattle, WA, March 11, 2026—A near-record (and rising) share of homeowners are turning their unsold properties into rentals, according to new research from Zillow

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