Market Holds Steady Amid ‘Tumultuous’ Election

DeBoer sees “steady growth and balanced markets” reflected in the latest Roundtable survey results.

WASHINGTON, DC—Market conditions have remained steady throughout a year marked by economic and political turbulence and commercial real estate industry executives expect to close out 2016 on an even keel, according to the Real Estate Roundtable’s Overall Q4 Sentiment Index, released Thursday. That being said, the three indices derived from the Roundtable’s Sentiment Surveys represent a falling-off from the year-ago period.

The Overall Sentiment Index—an average of the Current-Conditions Index and Future-Conditions Index in which a score above 50 is viewed as positive—registered registered at 48, down just one point from Q3 but off nine points from Q4 2015. The Current-Conditions Index held steady at 51, yet was down 11 points from a year ago.  Q4’s Future-Conditions Index of 46 represents a two-point decrease from the prior quarter and a six-point drop over the past 12 months.