Over the year-ended August 2023, sawn softwood imports totalled 607,417 m3, down 36.5% on the year prior. Imports are beginning to stabilise and look likely to settle somewhere close to 42,000 m3 on average per month, resulting in annual imports falling to an expected 0.5 million m3 before mid-2024. The… Read More
The role of freight costs on timber import prices
Imported timber prices have moderated in recent months, as global demand has deteriorated, local supply and inventory returns toward equilibrium and importantly, as the cost of sea freight retreats like a bully running from a fair fight. Coming fresh from some analysis on this topic, there are a couple of… Read More
Sawn Softwood Freight Import Costs Down 33.5% in 2023
GEELONG, AUSTRALIA Freight costs associated with Australia’s imports of sawn softwood have continued to decline over the course of 2023, according to latest analysis from IndustryEdge. The Australian Sawn Softwood Freight Cost Index (Softwood FCI) reported at 210.0 points in July 2023, down 2.5% on the prior month and a… Read More
HOUSING MARKET REPORT February 2023
SUMMARY Annual Australian Approvals down 18.6% to 181,394 dwellings approved Free-standing Houses down 20.3% to 112,819 approvals Victoria continues to dominate approvals, but NSW is also stable Latest data shows the pipeline of work continued to expand in 2022, especially for Houses AUSTRALIAN APPROVALS Approvals down 17.9% year-ended February… Read More
Rental vacancies are another reason housing demand will barely miss a beat
GEELONG, AUSTRALIA In Australia’s capital cities, rental vacancies have eased ever so slightly since mid-2022. At 1.58% in February 2023, PropTrack’s assessment means there is now a ‘slim chance’ a potential renter will get a property, up from ‘no hope’ just a few months ago. In the regions, it is… Read More
Australian Dwelling approvals down 17.4% pa
New housing approvals for Australia continue to trend gradually down on an annual basis, despite month-on-month fluctuations, as government stimulus measures move further into the past. Across the twelve months of 2022, monthly approvals averaged approximately 15,600 per month, showing some signs of stabilising. Construction companies continue to face challenges. Read More
Australian Dwelling approvals down 16.8% pa
New housing approvals for Australia continue to trend gradually down on an annual basis, despite month-on-month fluctuations, as government stimulus measures move further into the past. Across the twelve months Nov’21 – Oct’22, monthly approvals averaged approximately 15,900 per month, showing some signs of stabilising. Construction companies continue to face… Read More
Australian Approvals – down 17.1% p.a
New housing approvals for Australia continue to trend gradually down, despite month-on-month fluctuations. Across the six months Apr-Sep 2022, monthly approvals averaged approximately 16,300 per month, as compared to an average 18,800 residences approved each month during the previous six months. Construction companies continue to face significant challenges. In September… Read More
Budget presents opportunities, but is mainly a repair job
The 2022 Federal Budget delivered on 25th October presents some opportunities for economic activity and investment. Most of all, it sets about the task of reducing Government debt, while not tanking the economy at the same time. These are some of the important headlines. Latest economic projections GDP to… Read More
Softwood consumption year-ended August 2022
Annual sawn softwood consumption estimate 3.929 million m3 Australia’s estimated apparent Sawn Softwood consumption for the year ended August 2022 totalled 3.929 million m3. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase in annual consumption of 7.2% Production for the year (where domestic sales are the proxy measure), was… Read More