Construction on edge as CPA downgrades output forecast

摘要

The Construction Products Association is to downgrade its output forecast for the construction industry this year, as the Office for National Statistics this week reported its first quarterly fall in output for more than two years. The Construction Products Association (CPA) said it still expected to see strong overall growth in output in 2016 and 2017, despite growing concern in the sector regarding a drop-off in new orders for housing and commercial construction. However, Noble Francis (pictured), economics director at the CPA, said it now expected to make a "significant but modest" downgrade to its expectations for growth this year by around one percentage point, from 4.9%, because of the unexpectedly weak performance of the sector in the third quarter.