, Columnist
Trump's Building Promises Energize Lumber Prices
A boom from new homes and the proposed border wall.
Bumper crop.
Photographer: Cristóbal Olivares/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The lumber markets are off to a robust start in 2017, as U.S. housing data show that the number of new homes available -- along with the sale of new homes -- are rising, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Home builders are employing more people and their purchasing orders of raw materials are increasing, particularly in lumber.
Lumber futures prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have been rising and could surpass their recent highs in late February.