The CRE Weekly Digest by LightBox

Ryan Severino, chief economist at BGO and adjunct professor at Columbia, never holds back and this week he joined the LightBox team to break down what lies ahead in 2025. The conversation centered on key questions: Has the market soured on the Fed? What can the office market learn from retail? And what predictions does he have for the year ahead as Trump policies start to take effect? From the cau...

Fresh economic data brought a much-needed sigh of relief this week, as Martha Coacher, Manus Clancy, and Dianne Crocker tackled everything from the “Goldilocks prints” to the bullish outlook among lenders eager to return to dealmaking. Manus coined a new term, “office collateral damage,” comparing the current state of office space to the retail apocalypse of years past. The team also weighed in on...

In a week that was chock full of economic data for investors to digest, there was no lack of market news for Martha Coacher, Manus Clancy, and Dianne Crocker to consider as a bond rout took hold, and wildfires continued to burn out of control in the Los Angeles area leaving a path of devastation. With the holidays firmly in the rear-view mirror, the team takes a spin through the spirit of the U.S....

In the first episode of 2025, guest host Tina Lichens, General Manager of LightBox Capital Markets joins Manus Clancy and Dianne Crocker to kick off the new year with an encouraging look back at the final few weeks of 2024 and a forward-looking discussion of expectations for the New Year. Tina’s observation of an unexpected surge in property listings on the LightBox RCM® platform during the final...

This week, Martha Coacher, Manus Clancy, and Dianne Crocker take a look back at CRE’s hits and misses in 2024 with a review of "Successes, Setbacks, and Surprises."    The discussion covers 2024 as a tale of two halves, from the successes—like banks resuming lending, impressive CMBS volumes, and double-digit growth in the LightBox CRE Activity Index—to the setbacks, including the inconsi...

This week, Martha Coacher, Manus Clancy, and Dianne Crocker unpack the mixed signals from the latest economic data including November’s wholesale inflation report, which came in hotter than expected, alongside an expected uptick in consumer inflation and a notable jump in weekly jobless claims.  All this, while Wall Street has come off a mixed session with some sky-high valuations.  Is the Fed get...

This week, the LightBox team welcomes Spencer Levy, global client strategist and senior economic advisor for CBRE, for a compelling conversation about the seismic shifts in commercial real estate since the pre-COVID era. Levy compares the “Yellow Brick Road” era of low interest rates, strong fundamentals, and geopolitical stability before 2020 with today’s more turbulent landscape, shaped by infla...

This week on the CRE Weekly Digest podcast, Jamie Woodwell, Head of CRE Research at the Mortgage Bankers Association, shares key insights that signal reasons for optimism in CRE lending as 2025 approaches. The discussion covers the impact of Q3 rate cuts on loan originations, a significant uptick in CMBS single-asset, single-borrower deals, and Freddie and Fannie’s expanded multifamily loan caps f...

The LightBox podcast team evaluates the week’s bullish and bearish signs contributing to renewed uncertainty in CRE. With a bond market signaling that investors are concerned about geopolitical events and mixed economic data, there’s plenty for the team to dive into: 10-Year Treasurys’ new heights, Fed speak on interest rates, a tale of two divergent retailers like Walmart and Target and some warn...

You’ll want to take notes during this episode where the team dives into insights from Partner Valuation Advisors’ senior managing directors, Brandon Nunnink and Eric Enloe, on the evolving private REIT market. They explore Q3 trends on bid-ask spreads, the reset in markets like San Francisco, the “enthusiasm gauge” of 2024, cap rate analysis and office price discovery, and where there are untapped...

In this special edition, Martha Coacher and experts Manus Clancy and Dianne Crocker review Trump’s proposed economic agenda, the latest Fed rate cut, and the LightBox CRE Activity Index. With Trump’s election win setting the stage for anticipated policies on tariffs, taxes and deregulation, the team explores the immediate and long-term impacts these could have on commercial real estate. They also...

With Treasury yields marching upward, the podcast team dives into inflation, jobs, and big tech earnings data and what it means ahead of the presidential election. A lot has changed in the last 45 days as investor euphoria has recalibrated. The team also shares Q3 data from LightBox RCM, focusing on capital market and investment trends. And ‘Professor’ Manus gives us an education on CMBS losses wi...

In this week’s podcast episode, Brian Olasov, Executive Director of Financial Services Consulting at Carlton Fields and Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Capital Markets at New York University Schack, joins the team to discuss the current state of the commercial real estate market. With the benefit of a historical perspective, Brian holds nothing back as he discusses today's market challenges,...

In this week’s guest pod episode, the team dives into the potential economic impact of the upcoming November election with special guest David McCarthy, managing director and head of Legislative Affairs at CREFC. McCarthy breaks down the CRE risks and opportunities tied to outcome scenarios, examining potential impacts on taxes, housing and climate change policies, and banking regulations. Plus, h...

This week the team considers whether the Fed’s jumbo rate cut last month now seems ill-advised in the context of fresh inflation data that was warmer than expected and the September jobs report that showed a surge in job growth.  This episode is chock full including LightBox data analysis assessing Hurricane Milton’s landfall with structures at risk; CRE appraisal trends for Q3; office leasing com...

Join Martha, Manus, and Dianne on this week’s episode of the CRE Weekly Digest as they dive into the impact of Hurricane Helene and the industry's move toward a Property Resilience Assessment to better measure environmental risk.  The team also reveals the latest LightBox CRE Activity Index, which rose modestly in September, signaling growing confidence in the CRE market. Listen to the discus...

Join Martha Coacher and Dianne Crocker on this week’s episode of the CRE Weekly Digest by Lightbox, featuring lending industry expert Candi Coleman. They discuss the top concerns among lenders and appraisers, assess current economic shifts impacting commercial real estate, and share the post-Fed rate cut takeaways from the CREW Network convention. Plus, hear why one industry titan has decided to “...

In this special edition of the CRE Weekly Digest by Lightbox, Martha, Manus, and Dianne discuss the implications of the Fed's 50 basis-point rate cut. What are some of the immediate and long-term effects on commercial real estate as the market shifts into this easing cycle? The team details the tailwinds for bank lending, private equity, developers, and brokers, as well as the broader U.S. ec...

In this week’s episode, Martha, Manus, and Dianne explore why recent data on inflation, jobs, and the consumer economy are tempering CRE market enthusiasm, even with expected Fed rate cuts. Plus, the team offers a look at LightBox data which reveals promising signs for the Q3 2024 Appraisal Index and what that may mean in the following months for CRE participants.    0:10 Economic Policy Predictio...

In this week's CRE Weekly Digest by LightBox, Martha Coacher, Manus Clancy and Dianne Crocker dissect a new round of data from labor reports, retail earnings, and market performance that raise doubts about a soft landing for the economy. The latest on jobs and consumer spending is spooking traders. Is the bad news really bad this time around? “Professor” Manus gives us his take on the uninver...

Tune into the latest episode of The CRE Weekly Digest, where Martha, Manus, and Dianne unpack the soft-landing narrative supported by new data on inflation, retail earnings, and the expected September Fed rate cuts. Plus, a deep dive into LightBox data on investor interest in multifamily and retail listings, and the latest on one executive’s high-flying commute. 00:29 Soft Landing? 01:55 Retail Ea...

Join Martha, Manus, and Dianne as they dive into this week’s market moves impacting CRE—retail earnings that give more clues about the consumer economy, Fed rate cut predictions, and the big downward revision on jobs. The team discusses the LightBox CRE Activity Index early indicator signs, and how to read the tea leaves about recent environmental assessment trends. Going from shifts in value vs....

Join Martha, Manus, and Dianne as they break down a flurry of data that provided CRE investors some needed good news – inflation prints, retail sales, earnings from Home Depot and Walmart, office-to-residential conversions, and moves in the hotel and multifamily sectors.  So, has the market forgotten about the recession scare of a week ago? Tune in to hear what else the team is watching. 00:13 A R...

This week, guest moderator Sophie Cheston joins Manus and Dianne.  The LightBox team puts the recent market volatility in context examining the potential for contagion to spill over into CRE and reviews the just-released LightBox CRE Activity Index for July.  Despite the negative headlines, some noteworthy transactions offered the market price transparency.  Stay tuned for our rationale for why yo...

This week, Martha, Manus, and Diane digest weak jobs data and the impact on the market, CRE investor FOMO (fear of missing out), promising leasing activity, and Tom Brady's new wellness-focused office space in Miami. 0:20 Weak Data Make Broader Market Investors Nervous 3:14 Revisiting CRE Market Forecasts 11:44 Office Pain Continues 15:00 Lightbox Data Dive 20:00 Office Leasing Activity and M...