CEMENT SHORTAGE THREATENS BUILDING BOOM

MSN Money ^ | 1 June 2006 | Rob Reynolds

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

The red-hot real estate market shows no sign of cooling, but there could be a cloud on the horizon. The shortage of a humble but irreplaceable material could slow the growth of new housing. In parts of the Pacific Northwest, for instance, there's not nearly enough cement, 15% less than last year even as demand has climbed by 30%. "It's definitely affected our bottom line," says Dave Bertsch, president of Champion Concrete Pumping. "If it continues, we're going to have some layoffs. We are going to have to liquidate some equipment. It's a domino effect."

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Something is fishy here. Cemex controls entire MOUNTAINS of ideal cement material around Monterrey Mexico. No shortage of cement exists. It must have something to do with the tariffs and manipulation to keep Mexico out of the market. Seems like someone wants the price of cement to go UP. This might explain the jump in value of the shares of cement companies this a.m. in premarket. LOL.

[Fury]

Let me be the first to say...

Bush's fault...

or perhaps Hoffa's fault?

[CBart95]

No link. Update needed.

[Lazamataz]

Cement is basically rocks.

And nobody better try to tell me there's a shortage of rocks.

[CindyDawg]

There will be concrete. We are just going to pay more for it.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Kind of looks that way, doesn't it?

[Red Badger]

Cemex controls entire MOUNTAINS of ideal cement material around Monterrey Mexico. No shortage of cement exists.

THEY CAN'T GET ENOUGH WORKERS TO MAKE THE RAW MATERIALS BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL HERE!.....................(thread hI-jack).......

[Coop]

I know exactly whose fault it is- ConcreteBob's!

PleaDeal, I think he's shown he can no longer be at the top of your tagline. ;-)

[ChristianDefender]

And nobody better try to tell me there's a shortage of rocks.

LOL... it's like somebody's saying that we're running out of sea-water!

[Zenith]

The World Trade Center is starting to build the new tower, Maybe they bought all the cement.

[stylin19a]

can a cement refinery fire be coming soon? /*Sarc off

[sine_nomine]

The artificial shortage method has worked for all kinds of resources, so why not cement?

Phoenix is waking up to its highway shortage. The first solution was to build light rail, but now they are thinking of widening the two biggest parking lots, I-10 and I-17.

[Red Badger]

OCEC, The Organization of Cement Exporting Countries is deliberately not making cement in order to drive up prices in the US.....................

[McGruff]

I heard Donald Trump complain about Iraq that they were taking away all the cement for their rebuilding and he couldn't get any. Shows you where his patriotism lies.

[litehaus]

How many American Owned cement companies are there?

[Perdogg]

This has been an issue for about three years now, why the media is picking up on this now, well you know.

[AmericaUnited]

And nobody better try to tell me there's a shortage of rocks

Well... at least not in some people's heads...

[Vision]

The boom is from immigration.

[Red Badger]

Yes, it's rocks, but a specific type of rock that's found only in third world countries that hate us like Mexico, Venezuela, and California......

[cripplecreek]

China is using a LOT of cement these days.