Dodge Momentum Index Continues to Gain in January

Press Release

Dodge Momentum Index Continues to Gain in January

NEW YORK – February 6, 2013 – The Dodge Momentum Index rose 2.7% in January, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The January increase for the Momentum Index marked its second monthly gain in a row, lifting it to 97.6 – the highest reading since mid-2010. This recent upturn follows a moderate decline for the Momentum Index that took place from August through November, when uncertainty related to the November 2012 elections and the looming fiscal cliff generally dampened investment. With the election results final and the fiscal cliff averted for the time being, plans for nonresidential building projects that may have been deferred are now moving ahead at a quicker pace.

January's increase for the Momentum Index relative to December was the result of stronger activity for both its commercial and institutional segments. The 3.1% gain for the institutional segment in January was driven by a surge in new hospital projects entering the planning pipeline. These included a $202 million second phase to the Advocate Christ Hospital Patient Tower in Illinois and an $80 million expansion at the Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. The 2.3% gain for the commercial segment in January reflected an uptick in plans for new offices and stores. These included such projects as a new Chevron Office Complex in Texas and a mixed-use tower in San Francisco CA which entered planning.

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About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record— create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics, including Dodge BuildShare and Dodge SpecShare. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a financial intelligence and education company, signed an agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC in November 2012.  Following the sale closing, expected in early 2013, the Company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval) and will be a powerhouse in benchmarks, content, and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. The Company's leading brands will include: Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, Crisil, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction, and Aviation Week.  The Company will have approximately 17,000 employees in more than 30 countries.  Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Media Contact:
Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Marketing Communications,
McGraw-Hill Construction, +1 212-904-4376, kathy_malangone@mcgraw-hill.com

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Dodge Momentum Index Dips in September

Press Release

Dodge Momentum Index Dips in September
October 5, 2012 - New York, NY

The Dodge Momentum Index retreated 0.8% in September compared to August,  according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The September Momentum Index came in at 94.7 (2000=100), down from a revised 95.4 in August and 96.7 in July. While the longer term trend is still viewed as positive, the Index appears to be experiencing a temporary pause. Uncertainty, particularly related to the impending presidential election and yearend expiration of the Bush tax cuts combined with automatic spending cuts (the "fiscal cliff"), is likely the main contributor to this short-term hesitation in future development plans.

The uncertainty seems to be weighing more heavily on the commercial segment of the Index, which dropped by 5.4% in September. Institutional building, by comparison, rose by 4.0%. A decline in the volume of education projects was offset by the inclusion of two large healthcare developments: the $300 million Children’s Hospital proposed in San Antonio TX and the $200 million Froedtert Hospital slated in Milwaukee WI. The decline for the commercial segment of the Index was cushioned by two $100 million office campuses—one in Midland TX and one in Wesley Chapel FL—that entered planning in September.

About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction’s data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record— create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics, including Dodge BuildShare and Dodge SpecShare. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Media Contact:
Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Marketing Communications,
McGraw-Hill Construction, +1 212-904-4376, Kathy Malangone 

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Dodge Momentum Index Rebounds in December

Press Release

Dodge Momentum Index Rebounds in December

NEW YORK – January 8, 2013 – The Dodge Momentum Index rose 3.2% in December, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The December gain brought the Momentum Index to 94.9 (2000=100), up from November’s revised 91.9. After showing a hesitant upward trend during the first seven month of 2012, the Momentum Index settled back from August through October, and then stabilized in November. This coincided with the economic and political uncertainty that dampened investment during that time. The December rebound for the Momentum Index brings it back close to the 95.4 reached in July, which was the highest reading reported during 2012. The latest month’s upturn may also be the initial sign that the uncertainty that restrained plans for construction is now easing, with the November 2012 elections now final and the fiscal cliff being averted for the time being.

December’s increase for the Momentum Index was due entirely to a pickup by its commercial building segment, which advanced an impressive 9.0% relative to November.  New plans for stores and office buildings were stronger in December, and several notable warehouse developments also bolstered the Index, including plans for two new Amazon distribution facilities in Dupont WA and Fort Worth TX. In contrast, the institutional building segment of the Momentum Index dropped 2.4% in December, weighed down by a reduction in the number of new hospitals entering the planning phase. The retreat for the institutional building segment is likely to continue for a while longer, given expected cutbacks in federal spending and state budget constraints.

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About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction’s data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record—create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics, including Dodge BuildShare and Dodge SpecShare. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Media Contact:
Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Marketing Communications,
McGraw-Hill Construction, +1 212-904-4376, kathy_malangone@mcgraw-hill.com

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Dodge Momentum Index Slips in August

Press Release

Dodge Momentum Index Slips in August
September 10, 2012 - New York, NY

The Dodge Momentum Index retreated 1.4% in August compared to July,  according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The Momentum Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The August Momentum Index came in at 96.8 (2000=100), down from July's revised 98.1. Despite the month's pullback, the index remains 21.4% ahead of its level a year earlier. The recent softening in the U.S. economy may be causing some deceleration in plans for future development.

This is particularly true for the commercial component of the index, which dropped 3.5% in August. By contrast, the institutional building segment of the Momentum Index inched up 1.0% over the month. Both components are well ahead of their year-earlier levels. In August, the institutional building segment was buoyed by two large projects entering the planning database: the $500 million MGM Resort Casino proposed for Springfield MA and the $200 million Milford Memorial Hospital proposed for Milford DE. On the commercial side, August saw the addition of Apple Computer's $250 million planned expansion of its Prineville OR office park.

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About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, and Engineering News-Record— create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics, including Dodge BuildShare and Dodge SpecShare. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Media Contact:
Kathy Malangone, Senior Director, Marketing Communications,
McGraw-Hill Construction, +1 212-904-4376, kathy_malangone@mcgraw-hill.com

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Dodge Momentum Index Retreats in May

Press Release

Dodge Momentum Index Retreats in May

June 7, 2012 - New York, NY

The Dodge Momentum Index moderated in May, slipping 1.2% from April, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. The Index is a measure of first-reported nonresidential building projects at the planning stage, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The Index now resides at 93.6 (2000=100) compared to the prior month's 94.8. The May decrease follows a 1.0% gain in April when the Index hit its highest level since August 2010. The moderation in the May Index was in line with the increasingly unsettled economic environment and the recent downward revisions to both gross domestic product and employment. In recent months, the Index had been showing a gradual upward trend – after hitting bottom in July 2011 at 77.1, the Index had risen in all but two months through April.

May's softening was the result of a divergent pattern for the two major segments of the Dodge Momentum Index, as a 1.5% gain for institutional building was outweighed by a 4.0% decline for commercial building. The institutional building portion of the Index was aided by several large education projects that entered the planning pipeline last month including a $300 million renovation to New York Public Library's Fifth Avenue flagship building. Given current tight fiscal conditions within state and local governments, however, the recent trend for institutional building projects at the planning stage has been flat-to-down. The commercial building portion of the Index pulled back in May after showing gains in recent months. A decline in new planning projects for office construction was responsible, only partially offset by a greater volume of planning projects for stores and warehouses.

About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction connects people, projects, and products across the construction industry. For more than a century, it has remained North America's leading provider of project and product information, plans and specifications, and industry news, trends, and forecasts. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers in the global construction industry through Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, Engineering News-Record, GreenSource, and SNAP. To learn more, visit www.construction.com or follow @mhconstruction on Twitter.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two public companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services, and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

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