The Dodge Momentum Index increased 6.9 percent in October to 152.6 (2000 equals 100) from the revised September reading of 142.7. The Dodge Momentum Index, published by Dodge Data and Analytics, 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. October’s increase was due entirely to a recovery in institutional planning projects, which had stepped back over the previous few months. Institutional planning moved 22.8 percent higher in the month while commercial planning lost 0.5 percent.
Despite the October increase, institutional projects entering planning remain 4.3 percent lower on a year-over-year basis compared to October 2018. Commercial projects meanwhile are 14.3 percent higher than October 2018 as several mega projects have entered the early stages of planning over the last several months. The overall Momentum Index is 6.7 percent higher than a year ago, although its level remains below the July 2018 peak.
In October, 24 projects each with a value of $100 million or more entered planning. The leading institutional projects were the $470 million Orlando Health Hospital in Lake Mary FL and a $356 million renovation project at the Rockrimmon Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colo. The leading commercial projects were a $250 million office building in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the $188 million Spirit Airlines Headquarters in Dania Beach Fla.
