Construction material prices were up in January, and some observers are wondering if that is the start of a string of price increases .
The Associated General Contractors of America looked data from the first month of 2012 for producer price indices and market information.
"Cost increases have slowed in recent months but haven't disappeared," Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist, said recently. "In fact, today's producer price index report may be the low point, as manufacturers and commodities markets are signaling that bigger increases may be just around the bend."
