At least six bidders have been circling Terrafina in a flurry of offers for a Mexican company amid a boom in industrial real estate, as more companies seek space to export to the US. Hype around the “nearshoring” trend has sparked an equity issuance revival in Mexico’s stock market.
Shelter Inflation
Shelter inflation, mostly a measure of rents that lags behind real market conditions by many months, was still running hot in May, with an annual rate of 5.4%.
Rates Outlook
Futures markets Friday showed investors think there is a better than 70% chance that the Fed will cut rates at least twice this year, with the first cut most likely happening in September. That was double the chances seen in late May.
Fed Outlook
Federal Reserve officials penciled in just one interest-rate cut for this year, indicating most are in no hurry to lower rates, even after a widely watched report showed inflation improved last month.
Calgary Conversions
Calgary, Alberta, has one of the most aggressive programs in North America to promote office to residential conversions. Facing an enormous hole in its property-tax base, Calgary in 2021 approved a conversion program featuring an unprecedented subsidy of 75 Canadian dollars a square foot, equivalent to $55 a square foot. Unlike many conversion programs in the U.S., Calgary’s plan has no major strings attached, such as an affordable-housing requirement.
Hotel Employment
According to government data, total hotel employment stands at roughly 1.92 million. This means there are 191,500 less workers in the industry than there were in February 2020, reflecting the scarcity of available employees since the onset of the pandemic.
Restaurants
Food services accounted for more than 19% of all retail leases last year, rising in recent years to the highest proportion for any category since tracking began in 2007. Total restaurant sales are on track to top $1.1 trillion this year, a 5.4% increase from 2023’s record-high level.
Government Debt
In 2008, the U.S. accounted for about a quarter of all outstanding debt issued by the governments of rich countries. Now it accounts for about half.
Airbnb Hosts
AirBNB hosts in the U.S. has grown to more than 790,000, an eightfold increase since 2014 and up 35% since the start of the pandemic.
Investment Income
Americans in the first quarter earned about $3.7 trillion from interest and dividends, up roughly $770 billion from four years earlier.