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As CPN reported exclusively in our Daily News REport Morning Edition, (subscribe here), after skyrocketing yesterday, the question is, “will the market maintain its momentum in trading today?” Investors are sure to be paying close attention this morning. President Bush and Treasury chief Henry Paulson have already today announced the genuinely surprising “October Surprise” ahead of the U.S. markets open. The Treasury will plunk down $250 billion for preferred shares with warrants (similar to Warren Buffett’s recent deals) of some major financial institutions. We know what you’re thinking and, if only…but Warren apparently has zero interest in running the U.S….

With the economic downturn inflicting pain on the U.S. lodging industry, it should come as little surprise that some companies are forming entities to provide services to lenders and borrowers in distress. On Oct. 8, HVS Capital Corp. announced the formation of the HVS Special Hospitality Assets Group, which is designed to help hotel lenders and borrowers with workouts of distressed assets, foreclosures and bankruptcy issues. HVS made plans to launch the group in April, according to Mike Sullivan, managing director of HVS Capital Corp., when RevPar growth began to flatten out. Lenders began to look with increased favor on…

Coming off of years of robust growth, the hotel industry’s operating fundamentals are decelerating, according to an Americas MarketView report titled, “All Eyes on Washington as Financial Crisis Deepens,” by Raymond Wong, director of Americas research operations for CB Richard Ellis Inc. The report cites Smith Travel Research, noting that the research firm slotted occupancy rates as experiencing a 2.6 percent decrease year to date, and a year-over-year drop of 2 percent. Meanwhile, average daily rates have increased by 3.8 percent this year and 4.5 percent over the past 12 months. RevPAR has also picked up steam, up 2.4 percent…

The industrial market in the United States has been holding its own so far this year, but the market will show increasing signs of strain during the next several quarters, according to a national assessment of 62 markets released last week by Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. Vacancy in properties of at least 50,000 square feet clocked in at 9.1 percent for the first half of the year. But that figure will probably rise to between 10 and 12 percent during the next six months as the effect of the sluggish economy starts to take hold. Specifically, vacancy in the nearly…

While several large markets have seen demand for industrial properties fade, coastal markets have been hit particularly hard, as the impact of lagging imports, declining demand for construction and home improvement-related products and continuing fallout from the subprime mortgage catastrophe crystallize, according to an Americas MarketView from CB Richard Ellis Inc. The report, “All Eyes on Washington as Financial Crisis Deepens,” by director of Americas research operations Raymond Wong, notes that as consumers pull back their spending habits, import demand falters. Moreover, the report states that “businesses are keeping inventories lean,” which also drags down demand for industrial space. The…

It’s no secret that the soaring number of homes nationwide moving into foreclosure status has forced more homeowners to warm up to the idea of renting. But the majority of renters are families who voluntarily opt to rent rather own, citing cost-consciousness and convenience as primary motives, according to a nearly 2,000-respondent survey conducted by Apartments.com. Most consumers that rent have done so for a significant length of time. Almost 70 percent of renters surveyed reported that they have always rented, while 37 percent have been renting for at least 10 years. Half of all respondents noted that they rent…

Population and job growth have boosted Phoenix’s office market in recent years, but the deteriorating economy is finally taking its toll. The employment situation has worsened in Phoenix, as it has in many other major U.S. metropolitan areas. The Arizona Department of Commerce reported that the city’s unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in August, a significantly higher rate than June’s figure of 4.3 percent, and higher again than the 3.2 percent recorded a year ago. Not surprisingly, demand for office space has slowed significantly, with the vacancy rate rising to 17.1 percent in the third quarter, compared to 12.9 percent…

New York City and London–two of the world’s core financial hubs–are struggling to cope with the economic slowdown that has sparked a massive amount of downsizing and forced many firms to either merge or go out of business. As a result, office vacancy levels and rents have weakened, spurring industry insiders to ponder which global markets are still poised for growth. Tokyo topped Real Capital Analytics Inc.’s mid-year office-property-sales ranking. But the firm’s report, “Investment Market Erosion Spreads and Intensifies,” notes that Tokyo is also susceptible to diluted investment prospects attributable to its connection to the financial sector. Meanwhile, emerging…

It is hard to say how much more nervous consumers are today than they were before the stock market and the financial system started their wild ride last month. But as shopping center owners and retailers gear up for the most challenging holiday season in memory, the outlook is a decidedly mixed bag, according a national survey of 21,000 households published last Thursday by The Nielsen Co. Overall, unit sales are expected to decline about eight-tenths of a percent during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Sales could increase 4.7 percent, to $98 billion, but increased commodity sales…

Retail property sales worldwide experienced a year-over-year skid through June of 54 percent, but deals involving high-street assets–including single shops, department stores and urban malls in central business districts–were a silver lining, according to Real Capital Analytics Inc.’s latest global capital trends report, “Investment Market Erosion Spreads and Intensifies.” Sales of those properties took a plunge, but the decline clocked in at 25 percent, still markedly better than the sector’s aggregate percentage drop, for a total of $15 billion in high-street sales. Comparing June 2008 to the same period one year ago, Tokyo realized the highest average price per square…