The sale of supplies for the construction In September it fell 5.43% compared to August and 22% year-on-year, according to the Construya Index released this Monday.
“After several months of improvements, second consecutive month in August we face a reduction of sales of materials for residential works. We believe that the continuity of the recovery process will be associated with the reactivation of private works, driven mainly by the expansion of mortgage credit and to a lesser extent by laundered funds,” the report noted.
In this way, on average in January-September 2024 Construya group shipments were 28.6% lower than those made during the first seven months of 2023.
The index measures the evolution of the volumes sold to the private sector of the following construction products: ceramic bricks, Portland cement, lime, long steel, aluminum carpentry, adhesives and pastes, waterproofing paints, toilets, boilers and home and central systems heating, taps and systems for water and gas conduction, floors, ceramic coatings and electrical and electronic materials.
Construction sector: the panorama, according to INDEC
Construction activity grew 8% monthly in July and thus added his fourth consecutive improvement. Even so, it remained more than 20% below the level of November, before the arrival of Javier Milei to the Casa Rosada.
The sector already seemed to hit its bottom in March, and since then it has been showing a sustained recovery. With this latest data published on Monday, the Synthetic Indicator of Construction Activity (ISAC) of the INDEC reached its best mark since February, although it is still remains 21.5% behind the value prior to the December devaluation.
In year-on-year terms, the decline slowed to 20.4% in July, from the 35.3% verified in the previous month. Likewise, despite the recent rebound, construction accumulated a collapse of 30.9% in the first seven months of 2024.
Regarding the apparent consumption of the main inputs of the sector, The greatest interannual declines were seen in granitic and calcareous mosaics, and ceramic floors and coverings.. In parallel, the most limited reductions were made by paints and plasterboard.
What does the sector expect for the coming months?
According to a survey carried out by INDEC with companies in the construction sector, Only 21.8% of companies that carry out private works expect that activity in the sector will increase between now and Octobermainly due to the greater stability of inflation and the rebound in general economic activity.
Meanwhile, that figure drops to 17.3% among the firms that participate in public works. For that percentage, the restart of public works will be the main driver of improvements.
For their part, firms that believe that activity will not grow in the coming months attribute this to the fact that the economy as a whole will continue to be depressed.
Source: Ambito
