Construction materials update

摘要

Last year proved to be a year of mixed results for the construc tion materials sector. Produc tion volumes increased in 2014, but not at the pace that many expect ed. Sales increased but profit margins struggled to show improvement. Stock prices for the sector's public companies had an impressive start to the year but lagged the Dow Jones Industrial Aver age and S&P 500 for the year. The sec tor benefited from continued increases in both residential and nonresidential construction spending.