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REPEAT: MNI DATA ANALYSIS: US Construction Spending Flat In Jan>

Repeats Story Initially Transmitted at 15:00 GMT Mar 1/10:00 EST Mar 1
--Private Nonresidential Spending -1.5%; Residential +0.3%
--Public Construction Spending Up 1.8%
--Total Construction Spending Highest Level On Record
By Holly Stokes and Sara Haire
     WASHINGTON (MNI) - Construction spending was flat in January, 
falling short of the expected 0.3% gain, this was mainly due to private 
construction seeing a 0.5% decline while public construction was able to 
negate the decline with a 1.8% rise, data released by the Commerce 
Department Thursday morning showed. 
     Analysts surveyed by MNI had expected total construction spending 
to rise by 0.3%, adding to December's 0.7% rise. However, with the 
latest data, December construction was revised up 1pp to a 0.8% gain, 
while November was revised up to a 1.2% increase from the 0.6% increase 
previously reported. 
--TOTAL PRIVATE SPENDING DOWN
    Private nonresidential construction saw a 1.5% decline in January. 
The categories were mixed, with increases in lodging, amusement and 
recreation, transportation, communication, and manufacturing. These 
were unable to offset the large declines in power (-6.2%), commercial 
(-2.7%), office, healthcare, education, and the religious category. 
     Private residential construction spending was up 0.3% in the month, 
while home building ex. new homes, also known as remodeling, rose 0.2% 
according to an MNI calculation. New homes saw a 0.3% rise, also based 
on an MNI calculation. Single-family building registered an increase of 
0.6%, while multi-family building posted a 1.3% decrease from December. 
--PUBLIC SPENDING UP
     Public construction spending saw a 1.8% gain in January following a 
sharp upward revision to a 1.8% gain in December from the 0.3% rise 
previously reported. 
     The gain in public construction reflected a 14.9% surge in Federal 
Government spending, jumping to the highest level seen since September 
2011. State and local building also added to the large gain, albeit 
softer than Federal Government spending, with a 0.5% increase in the 
month. 
      ** MNI Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 ** 

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