$800 Million Loan Sought on Worldwide Plaza

$800 Million Loan Sought on Worldwide Plaza
12/21/2012

The owner of one of New York’s largest office towers is shopping for an $800 million fixed-rate loan.

http://www.cmalert.com/headlines.php?hid=160163

U.S. Oil Services & Drilling: 2013 Outlook: The Mega-Cycle Rolls On

U.S. Oil Services & Drilling: 2013 Outlook: The Mega-Cycle Rolls On

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The mega cycle for the oil services industry will continue in 2013, in our view, though it remains largely obscured by concerns over the "fiscal cliff" in the U.S., an unsteady recovery in China, the ongoing debt saga in Europe and depressed equity valuations globally. Despite the macro anxieties, the reason to own oil services stocks remains clear, in our view: the world is increasingly short energy, hydrocarbon prices are at attractive levels for investment and are likely to rise further, CAPEX on energy investments is growing and, as the bottleneck, the oil services companies are likely to capture the lion's share of the economic benefit of this unfolding trend. We remain bullish on the oil services, equipment and drilling companies and expect the group to significantly outperform the broader equity market over the next several years.

M.D. Anderson snags prime tract in Energy Corridor

Dec 21, 2012, 5:00am CST
M.D. Anderson snags prime tract in Energy Corridor

Shaina Zucker
Reporter-
Houston Business Journal

Alongside the bustling traffic on Interstate 10, an unscathed tract of land in the Energy Corridor has beckoned developers for more than four decades.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/print-edition/2012/12/21/md-anderson-snags-prime-tract-in.html

2013 U.S. High Yield Default Outlook

Fitchratings.com
2013 U.S. High Yield Default Outlook

Fitch Ratings projects that the U.S. high yield default rate will remain low in 2013. However, the rate needs to be viewed with caution as more of a lagging rather than leading indicator of credit conditions.

Asia Insights: China: Mixed signals from leading indicators

Fixed Income | Asia Ex-Japan
21 December 2012

Asia Insights: China: Mixed signals from leading indicators

· Nomura's China leading indicator fell in November, but we expect it to pickup in December (Bloomberg ticker: NMEICLI).

· Our heatmap continues to improve, with 67% of indicators positive in November, up from a revised 65% in October.

· We expect growth momentum to continue to build, and maintain our above-consensus GDP forecasts for 4Q and Q1 2013.

In Race to Recover Peak Commercial Real Estate Values, Boston on Top, Followed by Manhattan

World Property Channel

In Race to Recover Peak Commercial Real Estate Values, Boston on Top, Followed by Manhattan
Posted by Hortense Leon 11/20/12 11:00 AM EST

Commercial real estate prices in Manhattan over the 12 months ending September 30th were up 16.3%, according to Moody's/RCA Commercial Property Price Indices (CPPI). What this means is that New York has joined the exclusive club of major metropolitan areas with the greatest price gains in that period, Boston being the only other market in that category.

Chile Central Bank Gives 'Yellow Card' to Real Estate Sector

World Property Channel

Chile Central Bank Gives 'Yellow Card' to Real Estate Sector
Posted by Darin Bifani 12/20/12 10:46 AM EST

Apart from the famous asado, one of the great Chilean national pastimes is soccer. Rather than one of the players on the famous Universidad de Chile or Colo-Colo teams, however, the most recent recipient of a yellow card was the Chilean real estate sector.

A Crucial Leading Indicator Of Commercial Real Estate Hits Its Best Level Since 2007

A Crucial Leading Indicator Of Commercial Real Estate Hits Its Best Level Since 2007
Dec. 19, 2012, 1:07 PM

Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment.

From AIA: Architecture Billings Index Signaling Gains for Fourth Straight Month

Billings at architecture firms across the country continue to increase. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the November ABI score was 53.2, up from the mark of 52.8 in October. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 59.6, up slightly from the 59.4 mark of the previous month.

PIMCO Cyclical Outlook for the U.S.: Will Washington’s Choices Foster or Frustrate Growth?

PIMCO Cyclical Outlook for the U.S.: Will Washington’s Choices Foster or Frustrate Growth?

· We expect U.S. growth in the range of 1.25% to 1.75% over the cyclical horizon, and housing will be an important component.

PIMCO’s Cyclical Outlook for Asia: Awaiting the Policy Breakthrough

A new Economic Outlook Q&A with Tomoya Masanao, Robert Mead and Ramin Toloui is now available on pimco.com.

PIMCO’s Cyclical Outlook for Asia: Awaiting the Policy Breakthrough

· The cyclical economic outlook for 2013 is unusually dependent upon whether we see a structural policy breakthrough somewhere in the world.