US Housing Mortgage Applications (Jul.) The recent decline in mortgage rates buoyed refinancing activity in July, but didn’t prevent another month of declining home purchase activity. While market conditions are tight, there are still... 4th August 2021 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Update Increase in build-for-rent won’t derail SF rent growth Surging demand for single-family homes has revived institutional investor interest in the single-family rental (SFR) market. With few homes available to buy, interest in build-for-rent (BFR)... 3rd August 2021 · 3 mins read
US Economics ISM Manufacturing Index (Jul.) The further small decline in the ISM manufacturing index in July probably has more to do with the continued drag from supply constraints than waning demand. The details did at least suggest that... 2nd August 2021 · 2 mins read
US Economics Weekly Recovery to slow from here The slightly disappointing second-quarter GDP data released this week and another dovish press conference from Chair Jerome Powell strengthen our belief that the Fed is unlikely to begin tapering its... 30th July 2021 · 8 mins read
US Economics Payroll growth to remain elevated With labour supply continuing to lag the recovery in demand, we estimate that growth in non-farm payrolls slowed to 650,000 in July. 29th July 2021 · 3 mins read
US Commercial Property Data Response RICS Commercial Market Survey (Q2) Improvements in occupier demand boosted market sentiment in Q2. With over half of surveyors perceiving the property cycle to be in an upturn, prospects for H2 performance look solid. But while we... 29th July 2021 · 2 mins read
US Economics GDP (Q2) The relatively disappointing 6.5% annualised gain in second-quarter GDP, which was well below the consensus at 8.5%, included unexpected declines in government spending and residential investment, and... 29th July 2021 · 2 mins read
US Economics Update Fed offers first hint on tapering The Fed took a small step toward the eventual tapering of its asset purchases by altering the language in the statement released today, but officials appear to be in no rush. We still expect an... 28th July 2021 · 3 mins read
Energy US Weekly Petroleum Status Report US commercial crude stocks resumed their downward trend last week. With domestic output still well below pre-virus levels and product demand likely to rise, we think crude stocks will fall further... 28th July 2021 · 2 mins read
US Commercial Property Data Response US Metro Employment (Jun.) Employment growth accelerated in June, helping office-based employment return to pre-pandemic levels in almost a third of metros. But the 3m/3m growth rate in total employment was highest in the... 28th July 2021 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Update Conditions tighten in homeowner and rental markets The second quarter Housing Vacancies and Homeownership survey showed market conditions tightening in both the homeowner and rental markets, with vacancy rates at 56-year and 37-year lows respectively... 28th July 2021 · 3 mins read
Global Markets Update We doubt global saving will stop US yields from rising In the early 2000s, a ‘glut’ of global saving may have helped restrain rises in long-term US bond yields, even as investors began to discount tighter monetary policy. We don’t think that similar... 28th July 2021 · 6 mins read
US Commercial Property Data Response NCREIF Property Index (Q2 2021) All-property total returns strengthened again in Q2, reflecting improvement in all sectors. Industrial returns set a new quarterly record for the sector, while office and retail returns were again... 27th July 2021 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Data Response Case-Shiller/FHFA House Prices (May) House prices showed no signs of slowing in May, with annual growth setting new records on both the Case-Shiller and FHFA measures. But with housing demand falling back since the start of the year, and... 27th July 2021 · 2 mins read
US Economics Durable Goods (Jun.) The June durable goods data were a little weaker than we had expected, but the further rise in underlying orders suggests that business equipment investment growth is slowing only gradually. 27th July 2021 · 2 mins read
US Economics Will the pandemic boost productivity growth? Productivity growth surged during the pandemic last year, but that was principally due to the disproportionate job losses in low-productivity sectors like leisure & hospitality, which raised the... 27th July 2021 · 19 mins read
