From Tysons Corner, to Downtown Bethesda, to the District’s Mount Vernon Square, towering cranes are dotting the landscape, signaling growth and development. Despite an unprecedented amount of available space in some parts of the Metro area, tenants are opting for new buildings with the latest green technology, open & collaborative space, the most efficient use [...]
The Current Conditions component of the Index of Consumer Sentiment is one of the better indicators of consumer spending. It is suggesting that consumers feel wealthier and better off in general today than they have in many years…If they begin to increase their spending more rapidly, it will boost the entire US and global economy.
One of the most important influences on the US economy’s performance in 2013 and beyond is the expected shift in the housing sector from a drag on economic activity to a source of stimulus. Over the past several months there has been a growing body of evidence that housing is reviving. The three major measures [...]
By Eric Berkman and Andrew Asbill Capital Markets, Washington, D.C. The champagne at election-night celebrations had barely lost its fizz when Senator-elect Tim Kaine of Virginia gave a sobering warning about the fierce financial hangover that is looming. Talking to Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show, Kaine reminded us that the fiscal cliff will still [...]
Can a silver lining be found within the sputtering U.S. economy? After showing tepid positive momentum, growing at an annual rate of 2.5% in the second half of 2011 and 1.9% in the first quarter, the U.S. economy has waned. Now added to the uncertainty of the European debt crisis and anemic U.S. job growth [...]
On Thursday morning, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee considered a bill that would streamline the disposition of underutilized or excess Federal Real Property. The Federal Real Property Assert Management Reform Act (S. 2178), which Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) introduced, if enacted, would remove many of the administrative requirements that make the disposition [...]
Optimism is Slowly Returning Two important segments of the economy: consumers and small businesses, are getting more optimistic. In surveys released last week by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and the University of Michigan, the measures of confidence both reached their highest level since the recession of 2007-2009 began. The NFIB survey measures [...]
The office market in the Washington, D.C. Metro region was off to a slow start in 2012, with leasing activity down from last year at this time in both the Downtown and suburban markets. Negative absorption of 452,000 square feet (sf) in the District marked the second consecutive quarter of decreased absorption. The CBD submarket [...]
The US Labor Department reported this morning that the economy added 243,000 payroll jobs in January, the largest increase in employment since last April. In the private sector payrolls increased by 257,000, bringing total private sector employment growth over the last six months to 1.06 million persons. The unemployment rate declined to 8.3% from 8.5% [...]
As we approach the end of another year, the U.S. economy continues its measured recovery. Gross Domestic Product grew at a 2.5% annual rate in third quarter 2011, bolstered by consumer spending, investment and exports, and a 1.1% year-over-year increase in non-farm payrolls that resulted in a net gain of roughly 1.5 million new jobs. [...]