HARBINGER: BASF announced it will increase by $.05 the price of a dry pound of all Styrofan carboxylated styrene-butadiene polymers sold to the carpet industry in the U.S. and Canada. Omnova Solutions declared it will also raise by $.05 a dry pound of styrene butadiene latex for carpet and related products. And Dow Chemical informed customers it will increase by $.05 a dry pound all styrene butadiene latex and acrylic latex products sold to the carpet industry in the U.S. The three cite escalating costs of raw material, energy and transportation as the reason for the increase, which becomes effective Feb. 4 for Omnova and Dow and Feb. 8 for BASF. Now, could this portend increases by the carpet mills? Well, I guess that depends on how many dry pounds of the stuff goes into a yard of carpet.

SURVEY: The housing slump is deepening and the outlook is gloomy, says Moody’s Economy.com. It sees this plunge as the worst since the Great Depression. A new survey indicated many metro areas will record losses of 20% or more during the downturn, with the national median price for single-family homes dropping 13% through early 2009. Eighty of the 381 metro areas covered will report double-digit losses, the hardest hit being California and Florida and other once high-flying areas. Right now there is an 11-month back-log of homes for sale, many sitting completely empty. To be more succinct, the Census Bureau reported a total of 2.1 million vacant homes for sale. It also verified new housing starts were down to an annualized rate of 1.187 units in November, the lowest in 16 years. The housing slump will have a substantial impact on the overall economy, says Moody’s, claiming it will depress real gross domestic product by more than 1.5 percentage points this year.

UPWOOD: According to the Hardwood Manufacturers Association (HMA), the use of American hardwoods in the flooring market has grown 56% in the past decade, while demand in the domestic furniture market has declined 55% in that same period. However, hardwood usage in 2006 was at 10.7 billion board feet, also because of the 61% growth in the kitchen and bath cabinet market. The decline in the U.S. furniture market is understandable since 53% of all wood furniture sold here is produced overseas. That statistic is a little weird, since American hardwoods are being increasingly exported for production in foreign countries and then returned to the U.S. as imported goods. “Flooring was a bright spot for the hardwood industry over the past 10 years,” said the HMA. “Consumers have more choice than ever as producers offer new products, such as distressed, scraped, plank and others.”

GIANT STEP: StarNet Worldwide Commercial Flooring Partnership’s newest member is Giant Floor & Wall Covering Co. of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. StarNet, a member-owned partnership of commercial floor covering professionals, has nearly 170 members and maintains a waiting list for membership in some regions. Giant is a family owned and operated company since 1965 and installs what it sells, including carpet, area rugs, wood, laminate and ceramic. It has branch locations in Bartonsville, Scranton and Hazelton. Peter A. Rubando is chairman of the board of the company.

PERCEPTION: A young lady working in a candy store always had customers lined up waiting while other salespeople stood around with nothing to do. The owner of the store noted her popularity and asked for her secret. “It’s easy,” she said. “The other girls scoop up more than a pound of candy and then start taking away. I always scoop up less than a pound and then add to it.” Elementary, dear Watson.