Construction spending reports from the Commerce Department remain a joke with wild month-to-month revisions. An error discovered earlier this year caused revisions dating back for a decade, some of which still have not been factored into prior GDP statements.

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Construction Numbers

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Public construction jumped 2.6% in October. Cleverly timed or just an accident? Question aside, numbers are so volatile, we don’t even know if that happened.

September as Initially Reported

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October Construction Spending Revisions

  • October revised September and the already revised August.
  • September jumped to 1,166,509 from 1,150,005.
  • August jumped to 1,166,513 from 1,154,388 in July.
  • July remained at 1,160,407 (hooray).
  • Total construction spending for September (from August) went from -0.4% to 0.0%.
  • Total construction spending for August (from July) went from -0.4% to +0.5%.

These numbers will add a small amount to third quarter GDP estimates, assuming they are not revised away.

Related Articles

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Diving Into the Revisions: Construction Spending Revised Lower 7 Consecutive Months!

Mike “Mish” Shedlock