Construction Economic News

Stay up to date on the latest construction economic news and get in-depth analysis and insights from Chief Economist Alex Carrick and Senior Economist Michael Guckes.

Michael Guckes, Chief Economist

Michael Guckes is regularly featured as an economics thought leader in national media, including USA Today, Construction Dive, and Marketplace from APM. He started in construction economics as a leading economist for the Ohio Department of Transportation. He then transitioned to manufacturing economics, where he served five years as the chief economist for Gardner Business Media. He covered all forms of manufacturing, from traditional metalworking to advanced composites fabrication. In 2022, Michael joined ConstructConnect's economics team, shifting his focus to the commercial construction market. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Kenyon College and his MBA from the Ohio State University.

Blog Feature

By: Michael Guckes, Chief Economist
November 20th, 2023

The project stress index composite represents an equal-weight measure of the seasonally adjusted level of pre-construction projects that have experienced a delayed bid date, have been placed on hold, or have been abandoned in the last 30-days. For the week ending November 20th,

Blog Feature

By: Michael Guckes, Chief Economist
November 13th, 2023

Project Stress Index registered 120.2, indicating that last week’s project stress conditions were 20.2% above their 2021 average level.

Blog Feature

By: Michael Guckes, Chief Economist
November 6th, 2023

Project Stress Index registered 120.2, indicating that last week’s project stress conditions were 20.2% above their 2021 average level.

Blog Feature

By: Michael Guckes, Chief Economist
October 31st, 2023

Project Stress Index registered 120.2, indicating that last week’s project stress conditions were 20.2% above their 2021 average level.

Blog Feature

By: Michael Guckes, Chief Economist
October 23rd, 2023

Project Stress Index Moves Higher On Rising Abandoned Project Readings: 122.7, +3.4%

Blog Feature

By: Michael Guckes, Chief Economist
October 16th, 2023

COMPOSITE OVERVIEW: The project stress index composite represents an equal-weight measure of the seasonally adjusted level of pre-construction projects that have experienced a delayed bid date, have been placed on hold, or have been abandoned in the last 30-days. For the week ending October 15th, 2023, the Index registered 118.3, signaling a stress level approximately 18% above the average 2021 weekly reading. The Index decreased by 0.5% week over week resulting primarily from a decline in the level of bid date delayed projects. This movement overshadowed minor changes in the level of on hold and abandoned project levels. The latest result ends a two-month long trend of sequentially higher stress readings in which abandoned and on hold projects grew rapidly. Additional weeks of measurements will determine if this week’s pause in rising stress readings represents a temporary pause in a broader run-up, a plateau, or the beginning of a decline in construction stress.