National Average Price Per Gallon: $3.043
Geopolitical concerns raised crude prices on Tuesday after President Trump canceled a scheduled trip to South America. The President canceled the trip to meet with military officials to discuss the situation in Syria.
Reports that Saudi Arabian officials are seeking $80 per barrel on Brent crude further elevated prices. Officials are hoping that the $80 per barrel price will coincide with the planned public launch of the country’s public energy company, Aramco.
Framing lumber: $492
Panels/plywood: $532
As with last week, prices for individual framing lumber products were mixed. No clear pricing trends emerged for the market as a whole. However, gains were most pronounced in the price of the Western S-P-F (spruce-pine-fir) group.
Prices declined across a range of structural panel products, which dragged overall market prices down.
The national unemployment rate continues to hold steady at a historic low of 4.1%. Some states, however, have much lower rates.
According to U.S. News, the ten best states for job seekers (based on the unemployment rate, labor force participation, and change in unemployment rate between 2013 and 2016) are:
10. Wisconsin
9. Massachusetts
8. Iowa
7. Minnesota
6. Nebraska
5. New Hampshire
4. Utah
3. Colorado
2. North Dakota
1. Hawaii
Sources: Random Lengths, EIA, CNBC, U.S. News