Dees Stribling
Economy Watch: Internet Sales Keep Climbing
By D.C. Stribling Since the dawn of Internet commerce, seasonally adjusted sales using that platform have moved in one direction: up. That trend continued in the second quarter, the Census Bureau reported on Thursday, with U.S. retail e-commerce sales up 4.8 percent compared with the first quarter. (Unadjusted Internet sales tend to bottom out in the first quarter and peak in the fourth, like all retail sales.) Year-Over-Year Jump As usual, the bureau adjusts for seasonal variation, but not for price changes, which have been fairly modest in recent years. Altogether, second-quarter Internet sales totaled $111.5 billion. That’s also a 16.2…
Economy Watch: Retail Sales Enjoy Healthy Gain
Consumers appear to be in a buying mood this summer, as last month’s sales jumped 4.2 percent ahead of July 2016, the Census Bureau reported.
Economy Watch: Data Centers Stay Red-Hot
Construction jumped 43 percent year-over-year during the first half, according to JLL, and big changes are in store during the next few years: artificial intelligence, automation and enhanced energy efficiency.
Economy Watch: Planning Velocity for Nonresidential Projects Slips in July
The drop in Dodge Data & Analytics’ Dodge Momentum Index for the month was due to a 6.6 percent decline in the institutional component, while the commercial component fell 1.1 percent.
Economy Watch: Investment in Non-Residential Structures Gains in Q2
By D.C. Stribling, Contributing Editor Investment in non-residential U.S. structures increased at a 5.2 percent annualized pace during the second quarter of 2017, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Monday. That’s a marked change from early last year, when the pace of non-residential investment was dragged down due to a drop in petroleum exploration. Property type variation Investment in office properties increased during the second quarter, and is up 13 percent year-over-year. The pace of investment in that property type is almost as high as during the years before the recession, as a percent of GDP. As of the…
Economy Watch: CRE Lending up in 2Q, CMBS Gains Traction
Volume increased across all lending groups, with CMBS leading all other lenders in terms of market share, according to CBRE’s recent Lending Momentum Index.
Economy Watch: Economy Adds 209K Jobs in July
July was a fairly good month for job growth, with employment increasing in food services and drinking places, professional and business services, and health care, all of which spur commercial space absorption, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Economy Watch: Slowing Development in CA May Point to Nationwide Issue
Despite positive economic data like low unemployment and income increases, all property types are expected to see a construction slowdown in the Golden State, according to the recently released Allen Matkins/UCLA Anderson forecast.
Economy Watch: Construction Spending Edges Down in June
Private and public spending both decreased in June, with all property types seeing a decline aside from office construction, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest report.
Economy Watch: Nonresidential Construction Activity Still Brisk
The continued expansion in nonresidential fixed investment signals that growth in business outlays supports the ongoing economic recovery, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.