London office market: Good prospects from 2014

http://www.property-magazine.eu/london-office-market-good-prospects-from-2014-23396.html

UK
13. Dezember 2012
London office market: Good prospects from 2014

In its latest research paper, Henderson’s c. £12.4 billion Property business, examines prospects for the Central London office market. The report notes that City Fringe, West End and Midtown sub-markets have benefitted from strong take up by technology, media and telecommunications firms during an otherwise difficult year for the domestic economy. Core City take up has been dominated by lettings from the insurance sector with very subdued activity from banking. Underlying City take-up has been relatively stable over the last 12 months or so, at around 75% of the long run average. This sub-par level of activity is expected to persist while low confidence and volatility persists in the markets.

Another Office Tower Trades Hands in San Francisco as Local Market Soars

http://www.multihousingnews.com/cities/san-francisco/another-office-tower-trades-hands-in-san-francisco-as-local-market-soars/1004094912.html

Dec. 13, 2013

Another Office Tower Trades Hands in San Francisco as Local Market Soars
By Alex Girda, Associate Editor

As the San Francisco office market becomes one of the healthiest local markets in the entire country, the rush is on for investors to capitalize on the impressive appeal of the San Francisco Bay Area before 2013 draws to a close. We’ve recently reported on the major deals completed in the city for high-profile office assets, and now KBS Real Estate Investment Trust III is adding to an already impressive tally of major real estate transactions completed just weeks before the end of Q4. The public non-traded REIT recently shelled out $121 million for an office building in the city’s South Financial District.

Re/Max forecasts ‘exceptionally healthy’ real estate market in 2014

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/12/11/remax-forecasts-exceptionally-healthy-real-estate-market-in-2014/

Re/Max forecasts ‘exceptionally healthy’ real estate market in 2014

Canadian Press | December 11, 2013 7:40 AM ET
More from Canadian Press

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Canada can expect an “exceptionally healthy” housing market in 2014 thanks to improvements in the overall economy that helped produce a surge in the latter half of this year, a leading real estate group said Wednesday.

Propane demand hits a record high for November

DECEMBER 12, 2013
Propane demand hits a record high for November

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=14151

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Weekly Petroleum Status Report
Note: Product supplied is a proxy for consumption.

Propane is produced from natural gas at processing plants and from crude oil at refineries. Propane produced from natural gas has been the fastest-growing component of overall U.S. propane supply. Propane production in the United States has set record highs on an almost weekly basis in 2013 as a result of increased oil and natural gas drilling. A record corn crop harvest has increased the demand for propane (shown in the graph above as product supplied) in the central United States. Expanded propane production met this agricultural demand, while continuing to supply other markets.

2014 US Credit Outlook - Living in a Lean World

2014 US Credit Outlook - Living in a Lean World

Mark Howard, Colleen Watson, Ashish Jain - Credit
The Weekly Credit Pulse | 12 Dec 2013 16:47 | 1131 Kb

Summary
2014 US Credit Market Roadmap
US credit spreads are likely to grind tighter through much of 2014, but the path will not be linear or easy. Decent fundamentals and solid inflows are offset by rising interest rates, suppressed volatility, and skinny valuations. Total returns are expected to be modest in 2014 given our rates forecast, but excess returns are expected to be decidedly positive. We forecast 13bp of cash IG spread tightening and 58bp of HY tightening by year-end.

CIT Survey Finds Middle Market Commercial Real Estate Executives Cautiously Optimistic But Feeling The Strain Of The Taxes And Regulations

http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2013/12/12/cit-survey-finds-middle-market-commercial-real-estate-executives-cautiously-optimistic-but-feeling-the-strain-of-the-taxes-and-regulations/

12/12/2013 @ 9:11AM
CIT Survey Finds Middle Market Commercial Real Estate Executives Cautiously Optimistic But Feeling The Strain Of The Taxes And Regulations

60% Say Their Go-Forward Orientation Is Opportunistic, With a Mix of Challenges and Opportunities
60% Say the Current Tax and Regulatory Climate Is Placing a Strain on Their Performance
40% Say They Are Negotiating Harder With State and Local Governments to Obtain Tax Credits

NEW YORK – December 12, 2013 – Middle market commercial real estate executives are expressing cautious optimism toward the market and are looking to take advantage of long-term investment opportunities. However, the majority are finding that the current tax and regulatory climate is placing a strain on the performance of their companies. These are some of the findings from a recent survey (cit.com/realestateoutlook) by CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) cit.com, a leading provider of financing and advisory services to small businesses and middle market companies, and Forbes Insights.

Economy, Marc Faber

The problem with Mr. Obama is that you get more regulation and it’s a disincentive for businessmen to hire people. You probably also get higher taxes, so in terms of the economy, he is very negative in my view.

- Marc Faber (1946- )

US Views: Looking to 2014 (Hatzius)

US Views: Looking to 2014 (Hatzius)

Published December 10, 2013

1. The economic news remains broadly encouraging. Although we would discount the 3.6% increase in Q3 GDP—which was inflated by a large inventory contribution that is likely to reverse in Q4—other indicators also suggest that growth has accelerated since earlier in the year. Nonfarm payrolls grew a solid 203,000 in November, business surveys are at levels consistent with above-trend growth, and the consumer picture is improving, judging from the latest auto sales and consumer sentiment figures. Taking October and November together to adjust for the government shutdown distortions, our current activity indicator (CAI) has averaged 3% in the past two months, up from around 2% in the first half of 2013. Likewise, our US-MAP surprise index has moved back into positive territory, indicating that the economic activity data are mostly beating consensus forecasts.

SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK: Global Crude Oil and Liquid Fuels

http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/report/global_oil.cfm

SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK
Release Date: December 10, 2013 | Next Release Date: January 7, 2014 | Full Report | Text Only | All Tables | All Figures

Global Crude Oil and Liquid Fuels

SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK: Prices

http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/report/prices.cfm

SHORT-TERM ENERGY OUTLOOK
Release Date: December 10, 2013 | Next Release Date: January 7, 2014 | Full Report | Text Only | All Tables | All Figures

Prices