News, Information and Ideas from Around the Web

Lumber prices down 32 percent for the year
Prices for lumber hit a five-year low, falling 32 percent this year from $410 per thousand board feet to $274 per thousand board feet, according to an Oct. 5 article from the Home Channel News… read more

American Confidence in Home Value Remains Despite Slipping Real Estate Market
The results of the Second Annual RBC Capital Markets Consumer Survey show that American optimism in real estate appreciation remains surprisingly high in the face of the recent downturn in the housing market, according to a Sept. 27 RBC release… read more

Global Manufacturing Output Expected to Continue its Rise
Driven in party by higher than expected growth in emerging markets such as China, global output will likely accelerate during 2006 and 2007, according to a quarterly report from the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, released Oct. 4… read more