Blackstone Inc. and Starwood Capital Group, two of the largest real-estate investors in the U.S., agreed to jointly purchase 111 extended-stay hotels under the WoodSpring Suites brand for about $1.5 billion.
Record CRE Sales
Overall, commercial-property sales totaled a record $809 billion in 2021. That was nearly double 2020’s total, and it exceeded the previous record of about $600 billion in 2019.
Volatility
The VIX hit its highest level in a year on Wednesday, buffeted by concerns about central-bank policy around interest rates, inflation and geopolitical tensions over Russia.
Work Flexibility
Ninety-five percent of people surveyed want flexible hours with 78% of workers wanting location flexibility.
STR Forecast
STR forecasts the U.S. hotel industry should reach peak occupancy in 2023. In 2024, as group and business transient travel returns, the industry is expected to set a new occupancy record.
Renovation Delays
Many hotel owners and operators who put off projects amid a demand crisis at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic are now financially able to renovate their properties, but face the same challenges as developers of new projects: higher prices and less availability of materials and construction labor.
Nasdaq Correction
The technology-heavy Nasdaq shed 1.15% and finished the day 10.5% below its all-time closing high from last November. A decline of greater than 10% is considered a correction for a stock index.
Tax Collections
Federal receipts in the first fiscal quarter, October to December, increased by a remarkable 31%. That’s a cool $248 billion increase to $1.05 trillion for the quarter. Individual income taxes revenue soared by 55% in the quarter, or $189 billion, to $536 billion. Corporate income taxes rose 44%, or $30 billion, to $99 billion.
BX BREIT
Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, a fund sold in increments as little as $2,500, has raised more than $50 billion since it started five years ago. The fund, known as BREIT, raised an average of more than $2 billion a month, or close to a 70% share of all the money invested in 2021 in nontraded REITs.
ETFs
Of the 335 equity ETFs launched in 2021, the average number of holdings was just 156 positions, down from an average of 450 in 2009. This may indicate a shift to less widely-held, concentrated ETFs, compared with more diversified, core ETFs that typically hold a large number of positions.