The effects of President Donald Trump's tariffs continue to arise, whereby the latest analysis of the associated builders and the latest analysis of tariffs triggered increasing construction prices before they came into force.
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ABC economists say that the prices for input -input -Input rose by 0.5% in March. Similarly, prices for non -free -free construction prices rose by 0.6%in the same period.
Both the input prices for the entire and the non -resident constructions are 0.8% higher than a year ago.
“The prices for construction inputs rose rapidly in the third time in a row in March and rose to an annual rate of 9.7% in the first quarter of 2025,” said Anirban Basu, chief economist from ABC.
According to Basu, one of the largest contributors is the tariffs announced by the Trump administration, especially with iron, steel, steel mill product and copper wire and cable prices that increase by more than 5% per month.
“While the contractors remain busy for the time being, this escalation of the input price in connection with increasing uncertainty is too late and canceled according to the ABC construction deficit if they exist for a meaningful period of time,” said Basu.
The ABC analysis shows that the latest numbers are an increase of 41.6% compared to February 2020 for the total prices for the construction of the construction work.
Diagram with the friendly approval of the associated builders and contractors.
Market uncertainty
Trump announced on Wednesday that he would take a break for most countries for most countries in most countries.
As a result, the Dow Jones Industrial Average swung back by almost 8% on Wednesday, although it declined by 2.5% when the break in the tariff faded. The S&P 500 fell by more than 3% and the Nasdaq lost around 4%.
The declines indicate the uncertainty that Trump does to do against tariffs. It has a tariff of 10% in most countries, and when he combined all tariff hikes imposed during this term, he meets China with a tariff of 145%. As a retaliation, China has increased tariffs in the United States to 125% from Friday, which lies above an existing 20% tax.
When Trump was asked about his decision, Trump said to examine the bond market, played a role and said people said “became a little Yippy, a little scared.” The finance minister Scott Bessent insisted that the market chaos caused by the movements were targeted.
“This was driven by the president's strategy,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “He and I had a long conversation on Sunday, and that was all the time about his strategy.”
Mixed news from Trump's adjutants and the president himself have led to confusion. Some insist that they are a negotiation tactic, while others say they will be permanent. When asked about this contradiction, Trump insisted that they could be “both”.
Various civil servants said the aim of the tariffs was to generate better trade agreements, increase the economy, increase income, bring jobs and factories back to the USA and reduce prices for consumers.
The uncertainty will probably continue to affect pricing and investor behavior, which means that the roof industry has to prepare for potential price increases and problems with the supply chain.