December 3rd – Emptied Out

What I’m Reading Emptied Out: In 2011, US department stores employed 1.2 million employees across 8,600 stores, according to estimates from the research firm IBISWorld. But in 2020, there are now fewer than 700,000 employees in the sector, working across just over 6,000 locations. Vox Comeback Kid: The fact that AirBnb is about...

December 2nd – The End is in Sight

What I’m Reading The End is in Sight: The Federal Reserve has told banks that they should stop writing contracts using LIBOR by the end of 2021, after which the rate no longer will be published. The current plan is that LIBOR will be fully phased out by June 30, 2023. ...

November 25th – Locked Down

What I’m Reading Locked Down: In a move that should come as no surprise, President Elect Joe Biden and his team are leaning towards extending the CDC eviction moratorium that is set to expire December 31st.  Ultimately, this program is just a band aid that forces landlords to shoulder the burden...

November 18th – Back in Line

First, Some Corporate News: RanchHarbor closed on our second deal since launching.  This one is a sale-leaseback industrial portfolio in San Diego that was purchased in a joint venture with Stos Partners.  Really excited to get another one in the books that will provide a solid yield for our investors. ...

November 17th – What Lies Ahead

One Big Thing There has been a lot of COVID news to digest in recent days so I thought it would be helpful to put together a quick summary of what is going on.   On the infection side, things are undeniably bad and getting worse.  We have now seen over 11...

November 13th – Pile Up

What I’m Reading Pile Up: Corporate tenants put a record 42 million square feet of space on the office market in the second and third quarters, according to data firm CoStar Group Inc. That increased the total sublease space in the U.S. to roughly 157 million square feet, or 1.7% of...

November 12th – Canary in the Coal Mine

What I’m Reading Canary in the Coalmine: Office REITs have underperformed dramatically this year but their beat-down shares may be a good under-the-radar way to play the vaccine trade. However, upside may be capped by behavioral headwinds. P.S.  Shouldn’t need to say it but this is IN NO WAY investment advice.  MSN...

November 11th – Changing of the Guard

What I’m Reading Changing of the Guard: Office, hospitality and retail, three of real estate’s most institutionalized sectors, are facing long-term structural headwinds.  At the same time, formerly-niche sectors like cold storage, self-storage, medical office and data centers are getting more institutional attention thanks to their resiliency in the face of...

November 10th – Shot in the Arm

One Big Thing Like me, most of you probably woke up yesterday morning to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine news from the AP: Pfizer Inc. said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine may be a remarkable 90% effective, based on early and incomplete test results that nevertheless brought a big burst of optimism...

November 9th – Thou Dost Protest Too Much

One Big Thing Its no secret that office landlords – especially those in expensive coastal markets – are struggling.  Vornado Realty Trust (VNO) is one of the worst positioned for the post-pandemic world with the vast majority of its holdings in NYC.  Vornado’s recent earnings sucked – and missed already-low...