Construction equipment investment expected to continue above average growth in 2013

Construction equipment investment is expected to continue to grow and an above average rate over the next three to six motnhs, according to the 2013 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook from the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation.

However, the ELFF warns that the rate of growth construction equipment has enjoyed “should continue to decline from recent highs.”

The ELFF forecasts the U.S. economy to grow 2.2 percent in 2013, citing the current housing boom, a rebound in auto sales and the resurgence of the U.S. manufacturing sector as its basis for that prediction.

The biggest threats to U.S. economic growth include higher tax rates, political uncertainty over the budget, fiscal consolidation, weakness in Europe and Japan and high global energy prices. “Any mid-year disruption in oil supplies or refining could stall economic growth by raising consumer prices and slowing real consumption spending,” the ELFF reports.