Articles Tagged with ''economy''

This column often delves deep into all aspects of the United States’ energy revolution as it carves a path to practical independence in the next decade. But we seem to have been relatively isolated by other analysts who ignore the massive upward climb in refined derivative exports, which surged past 3 million barrels a day in 2013. That output is expected to reach an incredible 5 million barrels a day by the end of the decade.

MRC Global’s 2013 third-quarter results show the company’s sales of $1.31 billion in that timeframe decreased 9.5% from $1.45 billion in the third quarter of 2012 due, in part, to a planned reduction in the company’s lower margin oil country tubular goods business. OCTG represented 8.0% of sales in the third quarter of 2013 compared to 12.8% of sales in the third quarter of 2012.

In the wake of the arm wrestling between President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on one hand and House Speaker John Boehner and the GOP on the other, this exaggerated government “shutdown crisis” will have little, if any influence on the 2014 U.S. economy.

Consumer goods including plumbing pipe could be significantly affected.

Wolseley plc recently announced its financial results for the 2013 fiscal year.

With NetworkASA 2013 being held in Washington, D.C., one of the main attractions of the convention was the opportunity for ASA members to meet with their members of Congress.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that the nation’s booming fossil-fuel energy activity is not only exceeding all recent records in this arena, but cloaking general industrial activity (manufacturing, mining, utilities) shortfalls at levels still well under the degree of industrial production and capacity utilization reached prior to the 2008-10 Great Recession.

ASA members participating in NetworkASA 2013 in Washington, D.C., Oct. 2-4 experienced a wide range of emotions during their stay in our nation’s capital.

 For most of the past decade, the well-being of the global economy, especially in the wake of the Great Recession, has been expected due to the presence of the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and lately South Africa. 

Early forecasts for 2014 show annual Construction-Put-In-Place continues moderate growth of 7%, rising to $977 billion.