US: The Portland Cement Association (PCA) has forecast that cement consumption will increase by 4% in 2013, followed by 9.7% in 2014 and 2015.
"Nearly two-thirds of the anticipated growth in 2013 cement consumption will be caused by gains in the residential construction market," said PCA chief economist Ed Sullivan. "Home inventories are declining, signalling that it is time to start building, while the lingering effects of damaged credit due to foreclosure activity have created a robust apartment demand."
According to the PCA's forecast, consumer and business attitudes are expected to increasingly focus on the recovering economy rather than political uncertainty. However Sullivan hoped that the US House of Congress would avoid the political brinksmanship shown during the fiscal cliff crisis of early 2013 during future debt limit discussions.
Sullivan predicts that an increase in local spending on public construction starting in the 2016 financial year will drive a recovery in cement consumption in the US. Due to the high level of cement usage in road construction a rise of 11% in cement is forecast for 2016.
