Irish investors sell Marks & Spencer's London HQ for €240m to Asian property syndicate

Irish investors sell Marks & Spencer's London HQ for €240m to Asian property syndicate
TOM LYONS – 11 AUGUST 2013

INVESTORS in D2 Private, including David Arnold, the father of actress Leigh Arnold, are close to bagging a significant profit by selling Marks & Spencer's headquarters in London for €240m.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/irish-investors-sell-marks-spencers-london-hq-for-240m-to-asian-property-syndicate-29489855.html

Investment in European industrial property returns to pre-crisis levels

August 6, 2013 5:30 pm
Investment in European industrial property returns to pre-crisis levels
By Ed Hammond, Property Correspondent

Spending on European industrial property has returned to pre-financial crisis levels as a range of international investors vie for warehouses, logistics hubs and small factories, underscoring the improving sentiment over the continent’s economy.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b98e961e-feac-11e2-b9b0-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2bKSoAgD6

Goldman to Axa Ride London’s Crossrail Office Boom

Goldman to Axa Ride London’s Crossrail Office Boom
By Neil Callanan & Patrick Gower - Aug 6, 2013

London’s high-speed rail project is helping to drive an office-building boom on the City of London’s western edge as investors rejuvenate aging sites like Smithfield Market near future transport hubs.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-05/goldman-to-axa-ride-london-s-crossrail-office-boom-real-estate.html

Finance, Bill Gross

Inflation and deflation in this levered world coexist nearly side-by-side.

- Bill Gross (1944- )

Starwood Capital Group Purchases Liberty Center in Pittsburgh

Starwood Capital Group Purchases Liberty Center in Pittsburgh
Transaction includes Federated Tower and the Westin Pittsburgh

GREENWICH, Conn., Aug. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Capital Group, a leading global private investment firm focused on real estate, announced today that an entity controlled by Starwood Distressed Opportunity Fund IX has acquired Liberty Center, a prominent mixed-use office and hotel asset located in downtown Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle." The property was acquired from a partnership that included Forest City Enterprises, Inc. and Jos. L. Muscarelle, Inc., for a gross selling price of $135 million.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/starwood-capital-group-purchases-liberty-center-in-pittsburgh-218083091.html

A Simple Solution for America's Looming Commercial Debt Crisis

A Simple Solution for America's Looming Commercial Debt Crisis
By JASON GOLD
August 1, 2013

As the housing sector continues its apparent recovery, some U.S. lawmakers are turning their attention to a looming crisis in the commercial real estate market, which is threatened by an avalanche of debt as loans made during the heady days of the early aughts start coming due over the next five years.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/08/01/a-simple-solution-for-americas-looming-commercial-debt-crisis

Property market in Central London, Michael Marx

Such low yields could signal the top of the property market in central London. Those sorts of yields are breathtaking. The problem is that when you get to the top of Mount Everest there is only way to go.

- Michael Marx, Reuters, Jul 26, 2013

Ultra-low yields suggest London property crash around the corner

Ultra-low yields suggest London property crash around the corner

By Tom Bill
LONDON | Fri Jul 26, 2013 4:56pm BST

(Reuters) - Voracious investor demand for the best London real estate is approaching record levels that could trigger a price crash in popular areas such as upmarket Bond Street, property experts said this week.

United States, Jason Zweig

Here Comes the Next Hot Emerging Market: It is called "the United States."

- Jason Zweig, Wall Street Journal, Jul 24, 2013

Italy May Retail Sales Almost Flat on Month, -1.1% on Year

July 24, 2013
Italy May Retail Sales Almost Flat on Month, -1.1% on Year

By Manuela Mesco

ROME--Italy's retail sales in May increased by 0.1%, compared with April, national statistics institute Istat said Wednesday.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130724-702696.html