Lumber falls to six-week low as weak housing demand weighs on prices

Lumber futures fell toward $550 per thousand board feet, reaching a six-week low as the North American housing sector struggled to absorb seasonal inventories. Demand softened following new housing data for January, which showed single-family housing starts down 7% year on year, while the number of homes under construction declined 8.4%. Higher borrowing costs continued to weigh on the market. Mortgage rates around 6.25% have slowed new building activity, while Canadian home sales dropped 5.8% in January 2026, further limiting demand for construction materials. At the same time, supply conditions have remained ...