Rich has been a Fool since and writing for the site since After 20 years of patrolling the mean streets of suburbia, he hung up his badge and gun to take up a pen full time.

Having made the streets safe for Truth, Justice, and Krispy Kreme donuts, he now patrols Lumber Products At Home Depot Number the markets looking for companies he can lock up as long-term holdings in a portfolio. His coverage reflects his passion for motorcycles, booze, and guns though typically not all exercised home depot lumber products 65 the same timebut his writing also covers the broader sectors of consumer goods, technology, and industrials.

So follow along as he tries to break down complex topics to make them more understandable and useful to the average investor.

Have a story idea? Contact Rich here. I may not be able to respond to every suggestion, but I do read them all! Think an article needs a correction?

Reach Rich here. Many of the shelves lack products, and what the stores do have is displayed in a way to make the racks seem more full than they really are. Yet there's one area where the home improvement warehouses can't disguise a lack of merchandise -- their lumber departments.

A recent visit to my local Home Depot found the lumber racks virtually home depot lumber products 65 clean, with just a few stray pieces of dimensional lumber scattered about.

While sheet goods were somewhat better, pricing on even the cheapest grades of plywood were exorbitant, and it was like that at several of the area DIY centers I visited.

That home depot lumber products 65 bode well for Home Depot or Lowe's earnings in the coming quarters. The lumber shortage is not the fault of either retailer, but yet another bit of collateral damage from the coronavirus pandemic. Despite having been declared an essential industry, the forestry industry was impacted just like everyone else. Logging companies reduced the number of trees being harvested, lumber mills closed down, and wood did not get pressure-treated.

Yet sitting around with nothing to do, consumers began sprucing up their homes and adding on, as home builders began building again in earnest. But with logging and milling activity slowed or stopped, the home improvement centers have been hit with a lumber shortage, and their prices are soaring.

Exacerbating the situation is the ongoing trade war between the U. With framing lumber accounting for as much as one-fifth of the materials cost of new home construction, and sheathing at double that amount, the soaring cost of building a home, putting on an addition, or home depot lumber products 65 just building a deck is going to put a damper on plans.

And because restarting forestry production all the way down the supply chain isn't as simple as bringing everyone back to work, it could take several weeks to get production back up to speed.

Producers also still face a backlog of orders, so the lumber shortage is a real threat to Home Depot and Lowe's future performance. Similarly, Lowe's also saw a spike in demand, even though the contractor has been a relatively recent area of attention. Both home improvement centers are scheduled to report earnings within the next two weeks, and while this period may not show the full impact of the lumber and wood products shortage that has accelerated in recent weeks, expect there to be a reckoning soon.

The long-term outlook for the home improvement centers is bright as consumer demand remains strong. But home depot lumber products 65 may be the high point for both retailers for the time being, so investors may want to wait before building a position. Investing Best Accounts. Stock Market Basics. Stock Market. Industries to Invest In. Getting Started.

Planning for Retirement. Retired: What Now? Personal Finance. Credit Cards. About Us. Who Is the Motley Fool? Fool Podcasts. New Ventures. Search Search:. Aug 8, at AM. Author Bio Rich has been a Fool since and writing for the site since Image source: Getty Images. Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- home depot lumber products 65 us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

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