US Geological Survey preliminary data for January 2009 cement shipments were released on the 18 March. The data indicated that US cement shipments in January were 30.6% lower than in January 2008. This was the 32nd successive month where shipments were lower than in the same month in the previous year. However, the rate of decline increased in January, from -18.7% in December.

Amongst the larger states, shipments declined in January in Michigan  (-56%), Florida (-40%), Arizona (-39%), Georgia (-38%), South Carolina (-36%), Northern Texas (-34%), Southern Texas (-21%) Southern California (-18%) and Northern California (-5%).

According to analysts at JP Morgan: from the building materials companies that they research and that have US cement businesses, the following estimates of the percentage of their mid-cycle profitability derived from all of their US operations (including their non-cement businesses) and their key markets are as follows: - Eagle Materials 100% (Texas, Illinois, Wyoming and Nevada) - Cemex: 33% (Florida, California, Arizona and Texas) - Buzzi Unicem: 21% (states bordering the Mississippi river) - Titan: 13% (Florida and Virginia) - Lafarge: 9% (Eastern half of US) - Holcim: 9% (Eastern and central US) - Ciments Francais: 6% (NE of US) - Italcementi: 6% (NE of US)
Advertisement