Dodge Momentum Index Steadies in July

NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dodge Momentum Index held steady in July compared to the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI). The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The index inched up 0.2% in July to 112.8; little changed from its June reading of 112.6. While July's growth rate was modest, the Momentum Index continues to hold onto the gains established earlier in the year and remains near its four-year high. This stability suggests that developers perceive the environment for new construction to be generally improving, but remain cautious about the tepid performance of the economy and its impact on market fundamentals.

The July Momentum Index once again showed divergent paths for its main components: new plans for institutional buildings rose again, while commercial plans declined. New development for institutional buildings increased 3.3%, bolstered primarily by a strong showing for amusement-related projects. Several casino projects entered the planning phase in July, including a $200 million slot machine complex in Tewksbury MA. Along with Tewksbury, three other towns in Massachusetts will be competing for the one slot parlor license to be issued by the state, including Millbury MA and Leominster MA. Other new amusement-related planning projects for July included an $85 million performing arts complex in Lubbock TX and a $75 million sports and entertainment complex in Alexandria VA. Meanwhile, the commercial building component of the Momentum Index fell by 3.0% in July, weighed down by declines for new hotel and warehouse plans.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130807/NY60418 )

About McGraw Hill Construction: McGraw Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses – Dodge, Sweets,Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record – create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics, including Dodge MarketShare, Dodge BuildShare and Dodge SpecShare. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About McGraw Hill Financial: McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI) is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power, and McGraw Hill Construction. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

Media Contact: Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Communications, McGraw Hill Construction, 212-904-4374, [email protected]

SOURCE McGraw Hill Construction

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