Work on the Boards Down

The American Institute for Architecture has just released Architecture Billings Index (ABI) for the month of December. This index is a leading index of nonresidential building construction approximately 9 to 12 months into the future.  The idea is that construction firms make architectural plans and are billed prior to constructing the buildings in the future.  The ABI is centered around a value of 50.  Scores above 50 indicate an increase in billings and below 50 indicate a decrease in architectural billings.  The ABI score for November was 49.8, in December it fell again to 48.5.  This generally would mean a potential downturn in construction spending on nonresidential projects in the future.  Some good news is that on a regional average, the ABI for the southern region (a 3 month moving average) was 51.2.   For more information on this topic you can check out this link  http://www.aia.org/press/releases/AIAB101427