You´d think we´re back and everything was fine. Well at least according to the chief investment officer of one of North America´s leading banking institutions. We sat in his office overlooking an expansive trading floor doing an Emerging Trends interview late last week. "It´s one of the best...

In retrospect, it's fascinating how sophisticated investors bought into the whole risk/return spectrum rationale for commercial real estate. Back in the 1980s, investors invested in real estate funds for income and some appreciation. If you wanted to take the risk for bigger returns, you did development...

So the economic consensus is that the recession is over-we landed with a big thud after prolonged contraction and growth--albeit very anemic---has resumed. That´s good news, of course. The costly stimulus and financial industry bailouts indeed appear to be working to stanch what might have been even...

The TrendCzar is currently on vacation and will return next week.  While he is away let's revisit a story from last summer about the commercial real estate investment model.  When the billions on the sidelines step back into the investing arena, what will the new model look like?

The TrendCzar is currently on vacation and will return mid-month to begin writing Emerging Trends 2010. What's changed in the market since this time last year?

The credit limbo gripping the real estate markets leaves some major developers in a Wylie Coyote mode. They´ve stepped off the cliff and freeze in suspended animation, realizing they have no chance of getting back. They know it´s just a matter of time before a sudden, quick descent starts leading...

"Sales of newly constructed single-family homes spiked 11% in June to an annualized rate of 384,000 homes. The gain over May was much greater than expected. A consensus of housing industry analysts had forecast seasonally adjusted sales of 352,000. However, sales are still 21% below the levels of a...

However the debate turns out, it´s clear that healthcare is big business... very big business. It´s such a big business and so many companies, doctors, and lawyers profit off it, that the government has to reduce overall growth in costs or it could take us all down into a further pit of national and...

It´s a case of worse, more worse, and worst when it comes to assessing the condition of U.S. property sectors.

Goldman Sachs reported giant $3.5 billion quarterly earnings so suddenly we should all believe everything has turned around in bank and financial companies. The sector's stocks shot up in anticipation of the news.  Indeed Goldman was the best of the banking group at taking low interest government...