US construction spending down 0.3 pct. in November; government building activity leads decline

A sharp slowdown in government-built schools and infrastructure caused U.S. construction spending to fall slightly in November.

The Commerce Department says construction spending slipped 0.3 percent in November, after having climbed 1.2 percent in October.

Much of the decline came from a 1.7 percent retreat in government expenditures. Publicly-built school spending fell 2.5 percent, while the transportation, health care and public safety sectors also fell.

Private construction spending rose a modest 0.3 percent in November. Home-building climbed 1 percent in November, offsetting the declines in the office, commercial and health care-related construction.

Total construction spending has jumped 2.4 percent from a year ago to $974.9 billion.