According to the most recent published reports by the Conference Board, CEO Confidence spiked a highly significant 15 points as of January and the Consumer Confidence Index sits at 114.8 as of February, making each measure sit at 6 year and 15 year highs respectively. Confidence at these levels, especially when true for both consumer and business segments, leads to increased levels of investment and spending, both critical for demand of real estate. To appreciate why confidence is so high, it is important to look at the underlying fundamentals of the macroeconomy in early 2017.
CONSUMERS CONTINUE TO DO WELL IN 2017
Job growth remains robust with multiple months of 200,000+ net new jobs, specifically 235,000 in February per the BLS, and a steady, low unemployment rate, presently 4.7%. This has led to continued wage growth and personal income growth, 0.4% in January alone. In addition, record high stock prices and growing home prices all add up to a (financially) happy household. Spending is up too with retail sales at a record high in the latest monthly reading and a 5.56% year over year growth rate as of January according to the Census Bureau. This has increased growth in manufactured goods order in the US, up 1.2% in January and up six out of the last seven months. In summary, the growing wave of positive news that began in the third quarter of 2016, appears to only have accelerated into the first quarter of 2017. Whether it’s due to raw macroeconomic fundamentals, or optimism following the election, the fact is, consumers are doing very well today.
The business sector still appears to be under investing, with only 0.04% growth in fixed investment in the 4Q2016 and there is a lot ground left to cover to get to full growth in the economy. If businesses invest more vigorously, as CEO confidence and stock market levels suggest could happen, GDP growth should easily exceed 2% and may even approach 3%. Despite all the recovery and improvement, the US economy only managed 1.6% growth in 2016. Regulatory rollback and reform is the one area of the new administration’s agenda most likely to advance in 2017, although not without controversy. These are the aspects President Trump can influence without needing Congressional approval, in many instances, and is more likely the most tangible, real, and immediate area that is causing the rise in business sector optimism. Even if there are small changes, the threat of sudden negative changes or complex new regulations is substantially reduced, such as the sudden change to the Department of Labor’s overtime compensation rules in 2016.
SMALLER DEALS AND OUTPERFORMING SECONDARY MARKETS TRENDS SET TO CONTINUE
A wide range of commercial real estate organizations have also begun intense lobbying on regulatory reforms due to the relaxed lending restrictions stemming from Dodd-Frank to energy use reporting provisions enacted by HUD in FHA multifamily lending. If these efforts are even somewhat successful, commercial property investors will have good reason to be optimistic. So far, commercial real estate has not yet felt the full impact of the Trump administration, rising stock prices and, even to some degree, long term interest rates. All evidence suggests that the commercial real estate industry is equally, if not more, optimistic than the general business community. CoStar, who issues monthly pricing indices for commercial real estate, reported that its value weighted index fell 0.9% in January, up 5.5% year over year, while its equally weighted index rose 1.4% that same month, up 7.5% year over year. The difference is due to the equally weighted index being more representative of secondary/tertiary markets and deals of smaller size. This trend of smaller deals and secondary markets outperforming core assets and primary markets looks highly likely to continue for 2017, especially if the confidence and optimism holds.
2. Urbanization is happening across the country.
effect could be measured. Job growth has mostly sustained at robust, consistent levels as unemployment sits at near full employment at 4.7%. Of course, the biggest impact has been stock equity prices. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average have risen approximately 10% since the election as a result of anticipated future growth. This future growth in the economy and jobs, if it materializes, will also mean increased demand for all types of commercial real estate, resulting in a possible rise of rental rates and occupancies.
Los Angeles is one of the largest, most dynamic cities in the United States and its economy has fully recovered, with a normalized level of unemployment at 5.5% as of January ‘16 and annualized total employment growth of 2.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its industrial space market is one of the best performing in the nation due to the growth in container and freight traffic from the port as well as inbound air cargo from Asia. The Trade, Transportation, and Utilities sector is growing at an annualized rate of 1.7%, meaning that further growth and expansion is possible. Of course, the reliance on trade could cause a contraction in the industrial sector with global pressures, but this is unlikely as much of the trade and distribution are import goods that will benefit from a strong US dollar.
Orlando continues to be one of the fastest growing markets in the nation, fueled by record tourism and new business openings and relocations. Unemployment remains stable at 4.7% as new jobs are being created at a 4.9% annualized rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Population has also boomed by 9.9% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau, creating the demand for more retail real estate. Top employment sectors include Construction, Professional and Business Services, Manufacturing, Educational and Health Services, and Leisure and Hospitality, with annualized growth rates of 14.5%, 8.6%, 7.3%, 4.6%, and 4.4%, respectively. This broad-based growth will enhance the health of the retail real estate sector in 2016 and beyond for both tourist-focused and resident-focused establishments.
Denver remains one of the most rock-solid metropolitan economies in the nation with 3.0% unemployment in January ‘16, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while maintaining steady, slow growth that has total employment at record highs. The office market is equally steady with a relatively low level of vacancy and fair asking rents. This stability and growth should persist in 2016 for the office sector as key employment groups – Financial Activities, Professional and Business Services, and Information – are all showing strong-to-decent annualized growth of 3.9%, 3.2%, and 1.8%, respectively. Denver maintains a diversified set of economic base activities including aerospace, bioscience, and energy, just to name a few. As such, the office market is likely to withstand any negative impacts of global uncertainty and oil price declines for the foreseeable future.
Phoenix experienced significant gains in overall employment in 2015 that moved the number of jobs significantly above pre-recession peaks as unemployment fell to 4.6% in January ‘16 with continued annualized employment gains of 3.6%. The population grew by 6.2% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau, helping to fuel new demand for apartment units. The city utilizes approximately 46% of its housing units as rentals and has relative affordability with high quality of life making the market a prime one to grow in 2016 and beyond, with rents expected to grow over 5% this year. The leading employment sectors are Information, Construction, Financial Activities, Education and Health Services, and Professional and Business Services, growing at annualized rates of 7.6%, 6.3%, 5.3%, 5.2%, and 5.1%, respectively.
The Knoxville economy is extremely steady given its diverse economic base and thus experienced relatively low effects of the recession. The city now has a 4.5% unemployment rate as of January ‘16, with overall employment growing at an annualized rate of 2.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The industrial sectors of Knoxville are all showing marked strength, including Manufacturing and Trade, Transport, and Utilities growing at annualized rates of 4.5% and 4.1%, respectively. Additionally, the Mining, Logging, and Construction sector is growing at a rapid 10.2% annualized rate, further fueling the market. The mix of defense, research, and industrial manufacturers gives Knoxville strong power to grow its industrial real estate in 2016 and beyond.
Nashville’s economy continues to boom, as employment sets new record highs with continued 4.0% annualized growth that has brought the unemployment rate to a low of 3.7% as of January ‘16, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This corresponds with a 6.7% increase in population from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau. This growth is putting pressure on retail real estate as fundamentals improve in face of steady growth; a trend expected to persist in 2016 and beyond. The fastest growing employment sector is Mining, Logging, and Construction followed by Professional and Business Services, then Financial Activities and Information, with annualized growth rates of 9.4%, 8.7%, 4.5%, and 4.4%, respectively. This type of broad-based job growth is sure to boost all real estate sectors including retail.
Dallas remains one of the fastest growing employment centers in the nation, even with the energy price declines of 2015. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate sits near record lows at 3.8% as of January ‘16, with the city creating over a half million new jobs since the recession. The office markets have fared well, as key office sectors of Financial Activities and Professional and Business Services have grown at strong annualized rates of 4.8% and 2.3%, respectively. Information has remained fairly flat at 0.4% annualized growth. As Dallas has become a modern international city with the help of the DFW airport, it is perhaps the best positioned market in the oil-producing region of the U.S. to weather any pain from the petroleum industry. The office market should remain stable and growing in 2016 and beyond.
Job growth in Philadelphia has brought the city back above pre-recession employment levels as unemployment stays steady at 4.8% as of January ‘16 with modest annualized employment growth of 2.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Population growth has been below the national average as the city only gained 2.2% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau. Accordingly, demand for new apartment units is modest compared to other metros of similar size; yet the city does have a relatively high use of housing units as rentals at approximately 47%. Philadelphia does have an advantage in affordability, especially compared with other East Coast metros, and thus has growth potential with rents forecast to grow by over 3% in 2016. The city’s top sectors for job growth include Mining, Logging, and Construction as well as Professional and Business Services where are expanding at annualized rates of 8.2% and 3.7%, respectively.
The Greenville-Spartanburg region has experienced significant gains in its labor force, and overall employment is growing at a 2.6% annualized rate with unemployment holding steady at 4.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Key industrial sectors of Trade, Transport, and Utilities and Manufacturing are growing at annualized rates of 2.6% and 1.3%, respectively, setting up the industrial market for gains in 2016 and beyond. As South Carolina is well located for distribution in the Southeast, connected to ports, and unfriendly to labor unions, it is likely to continue to see expansion in its industrial sectors including those of Greenville-Spartanburg. Low cost of living and operating costs also serve to boost overall business development.
After facing a deep real estate and economic recession, Miami has fully recovered, has more employment than ever, and continues to grow at a 2.9% annualized pace, while unemployment remains stable at 5.2% as of January ‘16, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This growth has been led by a new construction boom fed by foreign investment that has construction jobs growing at a 10.5% annualized rate, making it the far and away fastest growing sector. Population has also grown by 7.8% from 2010 to 2015, according to the Census Bureau, and is expected to continue growing, fueling the need for more retail development. Miami’s joint tourism, retirement, and business growth should force rental rates up and vacancies down in the retail real estate sector for 2016 and beyond.
The multifamily market in Charlotte has experienced strong growth in demand as the city has gained 10.1% in population from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau. This has been fueled by significant job growth that has set new records substantially above pre-recession peaks, leading the present unemployment rate to sit at 5.3% as of January ‘16 with new job creation occurring at an annualized rate of 2.8%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Approximately 45% of the city’s housing stock is renter occupied. Thus, a good deal of the new population is likely to demand an apartment. Further, gross rents are below national averages, making Charlotte affordable and capable of seeing meaningful rent growth. New supply has grown approximately 4% in 2015 which will lower rent growth slightly in 2016, but still likely to be robust and above 4%. Many sectors are adding jobs at annualized rates above 4%, including Financial Activities, Professional and Business Services, and Leisure and Hospitality. However, this city does face a unique risk to continued growth from the new “bathroom” law, perceived very negatively by many; this could jeopardize new job growth and thus the market if firms choose to relocate or otherwise curtail operations in the state.
The Dallas economy remains one of the strongest of the major metros in the nation with unemployment at 3.8% as of January ‘16 and steadily rising total employment at a 3.4% annualized rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The fastest growing sector of employment in Dallas is an industrial space using Trade, Transport, and Utilities, which is growing at an annualized rate of 5.2%. This is the sector, where most of the 2016 and beyond gains in the industrial space market will be generated. Dallas has unparalleled airport and rail access making it an ideal business and distribution hub. In fact, the area surrounding the DFW airport is best poised to expand. Manufacturing is the weakest sector declining at a –1.6% annualized rate. This sector touches oil and gas production and exploration, and is thus most at risk for declines in 2016 and beyond.
As tourism growth has once again led Las Vegas to new heights in overall employment, the unemployment rate is still falling as it sits at 6.5% as of January ‘16 while jobs are being added at a 2.5% annualized rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction is the fastest growing employment sector at an 11.0% annualized rate followed by Education and Health Services at 8.1%. Las Vegas took a pause in population growth due to the recession but the pace is likely to grow in 2016 and beyond; still, the city grew by 5.0% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau. Growth in tourism will spur the need for tourist-focused retail in popular locations like The Strip; however, overall growth will also increase demand for retail to service the local population. Over time, Las Vegas is likely to diversify from tourism and become a more balanced economy.
Cincinnati’s economy is still struggling to find a consistent growth trend as unemployment started the new year at 5.2%, up from 3.9% in August of ‘15, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Positive signs for the office market can be seen in Financial Activities and Information, which are growing at annualized rates of 3.6% and 2.2%, respectively; however the key office-using sector of Professional and Business Services is losing ground with –1.6% growth. Overall, the run of consolidations in industries such as banking, legal firms, etc. has still left Cincinnati with relatively high vacancies and lower lease rates. As the national economy grows, these relative pricing advantages should position Cincinnati to gain new tenants and users looking to locate in the region.
The Denver multifamily market has experienced significant additions of new supply as its population has grown 10.6% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau. Further, the employment market is outstanding with 3.0% unemployment as of January ‘16 and annualized job growth of 2.5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Denver features a larger renter population with approximately 50% of its metro’s housing units used for rental purposes; still rental rates are relatively affordable for a metro of its size, giving it room to grow. Top sectors for employment growth include Leisure and Hospitality, Financial Activities, Manufacturing, and Professional and Business Services growing at annualized rates of 6.0%, 3.9%, 3.5%, and 3.2%, respectively. As such, rent growth could hit 7% in 2016.
Charlotte has expanded its employment base steadily since the recession bottomed in 2010 and currently has a relatively low 5.3% unemployment rate, as of January ‘16, and 2.8% annualized growth of new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The region has also grown population by 10.1% from 2010 to 2014 according to the Census Bureau, making it prime for expansion and development of retail real estate. Major growing employment segments include Mining, Logging, and Construction, Financial Activities, and Leisure and Hospitality with 6.4%, 4.8%, and 4.6% annualized growth, respectively. As Charlotte continues to be a popular place to work and live, more firms are likely to enter the market, including those seeking to establish corporate headquarters. Despite these positive forces, North Carolina’s recently enacted “bathroom law” threatens to reverse economic growth as businesses and consumers look elsewhere to avoid the perceived discriminatory law; this could cause pain to the retail sector for the rest of 2016 and beyond if not fixed.
Atlanta has experienced strong gains in total employment and is setting record highs as of January ‘16, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with unemployment at 5.2% and new job creation at an annualized rate of 3.5%. This includes growth in key office-using sectors including Professional and Business Services, Financial Activities, and Education and Health Services, which grew at annualized rates 5.0%, 2.0%, and 1.8%, respectively. In addition, Construction employment is growing at a 7.4% annualized rate, indicating further overall economic growth is projected to occur in Atlanta in 2016 and beyond. According to Georgia Trend, many high impact industries are likely to accelerate growth in Atlanta including life sciences and technology. These forces should cause rising rental rates and falling vacancies in the metro region, with downtown/midtown potentially poised to gain in the overall trend of urbanization affecting cities such as Atlanta.
Boston’s economy has experienced significant job growth such that its unemployment rate is now 4.0% as of January ‘16 and new jobs are being created at a 1.4% annualized rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Further, population has grown 6.2% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Census Bureau, and has thus significantly increased the demand for rental housing in the metropolitan region. Bostonians are highly predisposed to renting as over 65% of the housing units in the city are rentals according to Census data; thus prolonged population and job growth will place great pressure on rents which could grow over 6% in 2016 and keep occupancies above 97% while new supply is likely to remain less than 2% . The top sectors for job growth include Financial Activities and Education and Health Services which are growing at 3.1% and 2.9% annualized rates, respectively.
Albuquerque’s overall economy has remained fairly stable with a slowly falling, above national average level of unemployment at 5.8% as of January ‘16, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Key industrial sectors have been losing employees and thus may threaten to soften the industrial space market; these include Manufacturing and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities which are contracting at –2.5% and –0.9% annualized rates, respectively. As much of the economic and industrial base of Albuquerque centers on high tech, research, defense, and other manufacturing, the industrial sector should remain very stable on a relative basis. Given low levels of new supply, growth in fundamentals could also occur in 2016 as the market is not over-supplied.
Retail real estate should perform well in Austin in 2016 and beyond, as this dynamic economy continues to grow and diversify. According to the Census Bureau, the population of Austin has grown 12.5% from 2010 to 2014. Not surprisingly, the economy looks stellar with a 3.2% unemployment rate as of January ‘16 and jobs are growing at 4.7% annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The best sectors for job growth are Mining, Logging, and Construction and Leisure and Hospitality, growing at 11.0% and 9.2% annualized rates, respectively. These forces will keep new residents locating in the metro region and businesses expanding. Retail demand will follow the population and should continue expanding in 2016 with ever-increasing fundamentals.
