Spec On The Job Blog

Archives

Diesel, Lumber, And The State Of Staffing – January 23, 2018

Diesel News

Diesel prices give a snapshot of the state of staffing in the trucking industry

National Average Price Per Gallon: $3.025

According to Majid Jafar, the CEO of Crescent Petroleum, global oil prices could soon “soar” to $80 per barrel. Jafar blames the potential rise in gas prices on falling output in Venezuela.

In the U.S. market, the International Energy Agency is predicting a “record-setting” year for energy production.

“Relentless growth should see the U.S. hit historic highs above 10 million barrels a day [in production], overtaking Saudi Arabia and rivaling Russia during the course of 2018,” the organization said in a report published on Friday.

 

Diesel prices give a snapshot of the state of staffing in the trucking industry

 

Lumber News

Random lengths – framing lumber: $458

Random lengths – panels/plywood: $454

Continuing trends from last week, framing lumber trading remained active. Again, the prices of some products were pushed to all-time highs. This brisk pace in trading is highly unusual given the time of year and cold temperatures across much of the country.

Cold temperatures in the south disrupted trading in Southern Pine plywood products. Despite this, sales of OSB remained strong throughout the country.

 

Lumber prices give a snapshot of the state of staffing in the construction industry

Staffing & Job Market News

The U.S. job market performed better than many economists expected during 2017.

According to Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo Securities, the 2017 job gains were “pretty solid, particularly in an economy that by most traditional measures is at or beyond full employment.”

The tax law signed by President Trump on December 22 is expected to add to further job gains in 2018. Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania, predicts that the law will create an additional 300,000 jobs in 2018.

However, because unemployement remains exceptionally low (at about 4.1%), job gains are expected to be slower overall in 2018 than in 2017.

 

 

Sources: Random Lengths, EIA, Bloomberg, CNBC (1), CNBC (2)

 

 


 

 

 

“Helping our clients get jobs done since 1998.”

 

“Helping our clients get jobs done since 1998.”