Investment in Chinese real estate development in the first two months of 2018 increased almost 10% year-on-year which lifted annual growth to almost 3%.Of the total investment there was a rise of 12% in residential building which accounted for 68% of all real estate development investment.In terms o

Timber trade associations in two leading EU importing countries have recently been pushing forward plywood quality, performance and legality initiatives. In the UK, the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) has undertaken a Plywood Review over the last 18 months. This is in response to concerns over i

Japan's housing starts continued to decline in February, the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism showed Friday. Housing starts decreased 2.6 percent year-on-year in February, but slower than the 13.2 percent decline seen in January. Economists had forecast a bigger de

Import/Export Wood Purchasing News (February/March 2018 issue) provided an overview of major developments in shipping in 2017 and how they may affect prices and container trade in 2018. The number of large shipping lines has continually decreased through acquisitions and mergers. In 2017 Maersk a

In January 2018 compared with December 2017, seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector decreased by 2.2% in the euro area (EA19) and by 2.1% in the EU28, according to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In December 2017, production in construc

The China National General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has announced a new regulation aimed at eliminating potentially harmful products from the market and this could affect imports of fibreboard, laminated wood and wooden furniture. The items that will be cl

More than 300 participants from 55 countries will descend in Dubai this week for the 13th edition of Dubai WoodShow, which will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.The event will be launched in the presence of Pacome Moubelet Bouyeba, Gabonese Minister of Forest and Vira Khmerova, vice president

The Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) increased to US$76.34/m3 in the 4Q/17, up 1.0 percent from the 3Q/17. This was the fourth consecutive q-o-q rise, with the GSPI being up 9.8 percent in one year.Sawlog prices have gone up universally in US dollar terms in 2017, with the biggest growth occurring i

Japan’s plywood imports in 2017 at almost 250,000 cu.mwere 4% higher than in 2016. Year on year shipmentsfrom China were down 3%, Indonesian shipments weredown 5% which left Malayia accounting for the rise in2017 imports. Shipments from Malaysia were up around9.5% year on year.The surge in first qua

Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 7.8 per cent in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 593,000 units after an upwardly revised December reading, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau."New home sales