The economic data distributed by the federal government are starting to flow now that shutdown has come to an end. Total construction spending rose 0.2% in August, the third straight monthly gain. The positive trend over the summer largely reflects an improvement in home improvement residential spending. Meanwhile, nonresidential outlays continued to trend lower. All told, the modest upturn in total spending is an encouraging sign that activity might be starting to stabilize. That said, total spending was still down 1.6% on a year-to-year basis, showing that high interest rates and elevated building costs are still a ... (full story)