Mickey, a technology startup that brings the trading of physical commodities online, announced it has joined forces with MaterialsXchange (MX), a B2B e-commerce and digital marketplace that matches lumber buyers and sellers across the United States and Canada through its online platform.

Mickey, an innovative startup company, announces the launch of its automated lumber marketplace. The new marketplace offering represents the first time that lumber buyers can partake in the platform and current Mickey suppliers can access new buyers along with their core customers.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) urged the Biden administration to increase domestic production of timber from federal lands and to work with Canada on a new softwood lumber agreement that will eliminate tariffs during a virtual White House listening session March 14 on resolving the lumber and building material supply chain crisis.

Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders and a custom home builder from Tampa, Florida, issued a statement after the Commerce Department increased duties on Canadian lumber shipments into the United States.

Supply chain and labor challenges helped to push overall housing starts down 7.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.53 million units.

Soaring building material costs, high demand and low inventory have added tens of thousands of dollars to the price of a new home and caused housing affordability to fall to its lowest level in nearly a decade during the second quarter of 2021.

Sales of newly built, single-family homes fell 6.6 percent in June to a 676,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate.

Overall housing starts increased 6.3 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.64 million units.

Chuck Fowke, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders issued a statement after the White House meeting to discuss home building material supply chain issues.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell two points to 81 in June.