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Period of Positive Growth Followed by Slowed Momentum, Say FMB

According to the latest H2 2025 State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), SME builders saw another period of positive growth in the second half of 2025, with workloads and enquiries remaining in the black. But momentum has slowed compared with earlier in the year, as rising costs, skills shortages and…

S&P Global UK Construction PMI®: Sector Downturn Continues, Led by Sharp Drop in Housing Activity

Key Findings: New orders decline at fastest pace since November 2025 Rapid acceleration in input cost inflation Business optimism moderates since February March data indicated a solid reduction in UK construction output, albeit at a slightly less marked pace than in the previous month. Residential work remained by far the weakest-performing category. The latest survey also…

HCOB Eurozone Construction PMI®: Surge in Cost Pressures Triggers Sharper Deterioration in Activity

Key findings: Substantial acceleration pushes cost inflation to 40-month high Sharpest fall in new orders since last October Business confidence turns negative The end of the first quarter of 2026 signalled a stronger contraction in eurozone construction activity, according to the latest PMI® data from S&P Global. The rate of decline was the sharpest seen for…

HCOB France Construction PMI: Activity Falls at Sharpest Rate in a Year-and-a-Half

Key Findings: Total Activity Index sinks to 18-month low of 38.4 Input cost inflation jumps to its highest rate in almost three years Business confidence weakens sharply France's construction sector slipped deeper into contraction during March, registering its sharpest decline in activity levels since September 2024. Subsequently, surveyed companies retrenched harder, cutting purchasing volumes more…

HCOB Italy Construction PMI: Activity Falls with Cost Inflation Highest Since October 2022

Key Findings: Residential building leads widespread downturn across monitored sub-sectors Buying activity lowered as cost inflation rises Pessimism signalled regarding 12-month outlook The Italian construction sector fell back into contraction in March, while war in the Middle East added to inflationary pressures. The trends of reduction in output and new orders were renewed after just a…

HCOB Germany Construction PMI®: Sector Input Cost Inflation Posts Record Rise in March

Key findings: Sharp intensification of cost pressures amid outbreak of war in the Middle East Total industry activity falls at slowest rate in yearto-date Business expectations turn negative as slump in new orders deepens Businesses in Germany's construction sector reported a sharp spike in cost pressures at the end of the first quarter linked to the…

ByConstructUKApril 7, 20260Comments

UK Construction Activity Collapses, According to Glenigan Index

Glenigan has released the April 2026 edition of its Construction Index. The Index focuses on the three months to the end of March 2026, covering all underlying projects, with a total value of £100m or less (unless otherwise indicated), with all figures seasonally adjusted. It’s a report which provides a detailed and comprehensive analysis of…

ByConstructUKApril 3, 20260Comments

BMBI: New Year Off to Weak Start as January’s Builders’ Merchant Like-for-Like Value Sales Down -2.6% Y-o-Y

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, published in March, shows January’s builders’ merchant like-for-like total value sales (adjusted to remove the effect of trading days) were -2.6% lower than the same month in 2025. Like-for-like volume sales fell -7.2% while prices increased +5.0%. With one less trading day this January, total value sales…