REPEAT:Australia Aug Construction Index Slows from July Record

Repeats Story Initially Transmitted at 2330GMT Sep 6/1930EST Sep 6

     SYDNEY (MNI) - AI Group/Housing Industry Association Performance of

Construction Index (Australian PCI) for August published Thursday.

                                  August    Change from Previous Month

     Australian PCI                55.3               -5.2

     Overall Activity              54.0               -4.3

     Activity - Houses             56.5               -5.9

     Activity - Apartments         44.7               -7.9

     Activity - Commercial         50.2              -14.1

     Activity - Engineering        58.0               +0.5

     New Orders                    57.5               -7.1

     Employment                    51.5               -7.5

     Deliveries                    59.7               +0.5

     Input Prices                  70.5               -3.1

     Selling Prices                57.2               -1.9

     Wages                         65.3               +0.7

     Capacity Utilization (%)      77.7               +0.1

     The construction industry index eased back in August after its record

reading in July, with activity continuing to expand, but at a slower pace.

Activity in all four subsectors declined. Engineering construction and house

building were the main drivers of growth in August. Engineering construction

continued to expand strongly, boosted by increased government spending on

infrastructure projects. The pace of house building remained strong in August,

though it eased off from the 4.5-year high posted the month before.

     The drop in August activity was led by the commercial and

apartment-building subsectors, with a "stabilization" of commercial construction

at 50.2, while apartment building returned to negative territory after a "mild"

upturn in July, according to the report.

--MNI London Bureau; tel: +44 203-586-2225; email: les.commons@marketnews.com

[TOPICS: MALDS$,M$A$$$,M$L$$$]