Breaking Flooring News

Fed Officials Divided on Further Interest Rate Cuts

Washington, DC, February 19, 2026—"Divided Federal Reserve officials at their January meeting indicated that further interest rate cuts should be paused for now and could resume later in the year only if inflation cooperates,” reports CNBC.

Trade Deficit Rose by $17.3 Billion in November

Washington, DC, February 19, 2026--The goods and services deficit was $70.3 billion in December, up $17.3 billion from $53.0 billion in November, revised, the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced.

Initial Jobless Claims Declined by 23,000 in Week Ending Feb. 14

Washington, DC, February 19, 2026--In the week ending February 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 206,000, a decrease of 23,000 from the previous week's revised level, according to the Department of Labor.

Housing Starts Rose 6.2% in December

Washington, DC, February 18, 2026-Privately-owned housing starts in December were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,404,000, 6.2% above the revised November estimate of 1,322,000 but 7.3% below the December 2024 rate of 1,514,000, according to the U.S. Censu Bureau.

Architecture Billings Declined to 43.8 in January

Washington, DC, February 18, 2026--The AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped to 43.8 in January, down from 47.1 in December, signaling a greater number of firms experienced a decline in billings compared to the previous month.

Mortgage Applications Rose 2.8% in Week Ending February 13

Washington, DC, February 18, 2026—Mortgage applications increased 2.8% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 13, 2026.

Remodeling Growth Anticipated for 2026 & Beyond, Says NAHB

Washington, DC, February 18, 2026—The remodeling market is poised for growth in the coming years as many structural tailwinds, including an aging housing stock, the persistent lock-in effect and the trend for older home owners to age-in-place, will not be changing quickly, according to industry experts at a panel hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) during the International Builders’ Show in Orlando.

Global Hotel Construction Reached All-Time High in Q4 2025

Portsmouth, NH, February 18, 2026—The Q4 2025 Global Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE) reveals that the global hotel construction pipeline reached a new all-time high project count with 15,922 projects/2,437,354 rooms, a 1% increase in projects year-over-year (YOY).

ASID Releases 2026 Design Trends Outlook Report

Washington, DC, February 18, 2026-ASID has released its 2026 Design Trends Outlook Report.

Orders for Durable Goods Declined 1.4% in December

Washington, DC, February 18, 2026—New orders for manufactured durable goods in December, down two of the last three months, decreased $4.6 billion or 1.4% to $319.6 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced. This followed a 5.4% November increase.