January 23, 2019, Las Vegas – At a press conference held at the 2019 World of Concrete, Portland Cement Association (PCA) Executive Vice President and Chief Economist Ed Sullivan predicted moderate growth in 2019 for the overall U.S. economy and in cement consumption. This was Sullivan’s first glimpse of his upcoming Spring forecast for PCA’s Market Intelligence Group. 
 
“The U.S. economy’s long run of growth should continue in 2019,” said Sullivan. “Since 2011 we have averaged 2 million jobs being created each year and the unemployment rate is below 4 percent. Despite the headlines, the impact in the near term of the rising interest rates and inflation are relatively benign. Simply put, fundamentals like these take a long time to unwind.”
 
Sullivan added, “The projected cement consumption will slow modestly from 2018 in 2019. The gradual increases in interest rates, the aging recovery, and accompanied trade issues may contribute to the slowdown in the cement market.”
 
For more information, including other PCA Market Intelligence forecasts and information, visit www.cement.org/economics. 
 
To schedule an interview with Ed Sullivan you can also contact John Norton at jnorton@cement.org.

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The Portland Cement Association (PCA), founded in 1916, represents 93 percent of U.S. cement production capacity and have facilities in all 50 states. The association promotes safety, sustainability, and innovation in all aspects of construction, fosters continuous improvement in cement manufacturing and distribution and generally promotes economic growth and sound infrastructure investment.