Deposits at U.S. banks fell by a record $370 billion in the second quarter, the first decline since 2018. Deposits fell to $19.563 trillion as of June 30, down from $19.932 trillion in March.
Tech Funding
Tech firm startups raised $444 billion in the first eight months of 2022, down from $526 billion during the same period in 2021.
Rate Hike
The Federal Reserve appears to be on a path to raise interest rates by another 0.75 percentage point this month in the wake of Chairman Jerome Powell’s public pledge to reduce inflation even if it increases unemployment.
Junk-Loan Defaults
Defaults on leveraged loans hit $6 billion in August, the highest monthly total since October 2020, when pandemic shutdowns hobbled the U.S. economy. This sprawling loan market doubled over the past decade to about $1.5 trillion.
Energy Investments
The aggregate transaction value of private-equity and venture-backed investments in oil and gas has been just $4.4 billion so far this year compared to the peak in full-year 2014 of $49.5 billion. Meanwhile, there has been nearly $11 billion worth of investments in renewable-energy sources such as solar and wind so far this year, on track to surpass oil and gas for the first time.
Housing Migration
An analysis of U.S. Census and Internal Revenue Service data found that in many metro areas, migration patterns led to a net loss for the city centers, often as people relocated to the suburbs. These patterns could prompt concern of a doughnut effect in which city centers are hollowed out as migration and housing demand shift to suburban counties.
Fed’s Outlook
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York President said that combating high inflation is likely to require lifting the central bank’s benchmark short-term interest rate above 3.5% and holding it at that level through next year.
Commercial Property Funds
Nontraded real-estate investment trusts, one of the few ways for individuals to get direct exposure to office towers, warehouses, hotels and other commercial properties, raised a record $36.4 billion last year and are on track to nearly match that level this year.
Office Vacancy
In the second quarter, the U.S. downtown office vacancy rate surpassed the suburban vacancy rate for the first time in decades. Vacancies fell slightly to 16.8% in the suburbs and rose to 17% in city centers.
Private RE Allocations
Private real-estate funds currently hold 23% of their investments in offices, down from 34% three years ago. These funds’ holdings in retail space have fallen to 10% from 17% over the same period. Meanwhile, industrial properties have grown to account for 31% of those private real-estate funds’ investments and stakes in airports, highways and utilities, so-called infrastructure assets, have grown to 4.1%.