Tangible locations account for larger slice of total retail sales. Store-based retail sales, which excludes online purchases and spending at restaurants and bars, represented nearly two-thirds of all retail sales in March, the largest proportion this year. The 2.1 percent rise in store-based spending recorded last month suggests consumer mobility is improving, and physical stores are noting a rise in foot traffic as health conditions improve and mandates are lifted. Receding online sales during the… Read More

Leasing volumes robust. After encountering a disproportionate number of hurdles in 2020 and early 2021, apartment demand has soared in the nation’s gateway metros. During recent months, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago challenged Sun Belt and Mountain/Desert hot spot metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Phoenix for the country’s largest increases in occupied units.

Inflation pressures persist. The Consumer Price Index increased by another multidecade high margin in March as multiple factors drive ongoing upward price movements. The widespread economic shutdown in 2020 led to unprecedented levels of fiscal stimulus, engorging the money supply, while the Federal Reserve also boosted liquidity by cutting lending rates and offering new programs. Aided by this support, consumer demand leapt ahead of supply as the economy unevenly reopened, hindered by a logjammed global supply… Read More

Omicron a minor setback, but attitudes are shifting. Before the omicron wave, office leasing activity had reached its highest levels since the onset of the pandemic. The space available for sublease also declined, most importantly in central business districts. Omicron interrupted this positive trend, raising vacancy in CBDs by an estimated 30 basis points in the first quarter of 2022, while suburban rates remained stable. The subsequent slowdown in cases is welcome news for office… Read More

Unemployment rate nears parity with pre-pandemic. Staff counts expanded by 431,000 in March, helping lower the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent — only 10 basis points above the February 2020 measure. Weekly initial jobless claims have also fallen to levels comparable with before the health crisis. Overall, the labor market has generally returned to where it was just about two years prior, which is a more rapid improvement than in previous recessions. It took over… Read More

Retail sales mixed in February. Consumer spending increased a modest 0.3 percent last month, although much of the gain was driven by climbing fuel prices. Excluding energy costs, core retail sales retreated 0.4 percent in February, as widespread inflation eroded some consumption. Spending was nevertheless 15.8 percent above the same level last year, indicative of an overall more active consumer base. In a potential benefit to physical properties, the largest drag last month came from… Read More

Home prices climbing, despite a slowdown in buying. For the first time since 2019, the average rate for a 30-year mortgage breached 4 percent in March, then accelerated at an even faster pace, following the Fed’s first interest rate hike in over four years. Higher mortgage rates make houses less affordable, in an environment where elevated prices are already an inhibiting factor. In February, fewer existing homes sold than in any of the previous five… Read More

Employment growth continues at rapid clip. Employers created 678,000 jobs in February, exceeding the 2021 monthly average of 560,000 positions. The strong opening salvo in hiring for 2022 has lowered the unemployment rate to 3.8 percent. Down from the pandemic peak of 14.7 percent in April 2020, the measure is just 30 basis points above the pre-health crisis benchmark, which in itself was also a historically tight rate. There are nevertheless 1.4 percent fewer people… Read More

Consumers step forward in January. After an early holiday shopping season led to a quieter than normal December, retail spending bounced back last month. Several sectors recorded strong gains, though online retailers and furniture stores posted the largest month-over-month increases at 7.2 percent and 14.5 percent, respectively. Spending was influenced by the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19, with more people staying home. Despite this recent setback, the economy is much more open than it… Read More

Employers tackling labor shortage in new year. The job market continued to recover in the opening month of 2022 as 467,000 jobs were created. While unemployment also rose, the labor force participation rate improved by 30 basis points to 62.2 percent, a post-recession high, as wage increases lured job seekers. Another factor indicative of the tight labor market is the declining number of people who want a full-time job but can only find part-time work.… Read More