Construction spending up 1.4 percent in August

Construction spending in August was up 1.4 percent from July, and up 0.9 percent from August 2010, according to an Oct. 3 release from the Associated General Contractors of America. "There is no doubt that declining public sector demand for construction is dragging down the entire construction industry," the association's chief executive officer, Stephen Sandherr, said in the release. "If it wasn't for the modest increase in private sector demand, the hard hit construction industry would be in much worse shape this year."