USRT News and Press, iShares Core U.S. REIT From 03/02/23

Summary With the Federal Reserve approaching the tail end of an aggressive interest rate hiking cycle, investors have been bracing for a hard landing. The stock market has stabilized and risen since last October (S&P +13.7%) but has also hit a temporary air pocket last month (-2.6%)...

Summary Applications for mortgages to purchase a home plunged every week since late January and now dropped to a new 28-year low. Homebuilders played a big role in the January-hype-and-hoopla show. Bankruptcy equities and collapsed post-SPAC and post-IPO stocks doubled or tripled in...

Summary Today’s US data has been disappointing with housing, manufacturing, and construction data all hinting at challenging conditions. Unfortunately, given the lack of buyer interest in the residential property market, we expect construction activity to remain a drag on overall...

Summary Non-seasonally adjusted new home sales were indeed higher, jumping by 12,000 to 59,000 sales from December 2022's revised estimate. The partially complete time-shifted rolling twelve-month average of the U.S. new home market capitalization for January 2023 is $24.81 billion. ...

Summary Year-over-year growth in consumer debt payments since 2020 has outstripped growth in discretionary income by the most on record. Some $10 trillion of US private debt up for renewal in 2023 now faces interest costs 400 to 500 basis points higher than they have been paying. A ...

Summary Nearly 200 U.S. REITs have reported fourth-quarter earnings results over the past month, providing critical information on the state of the real estate industry in a period defined by post-pandemic uncertainty. Rising rate concerns overshadowed a surprisingly strong slate of rep...

Summary U.S. equity markets posted their worst week of the year as benchmark interest rates jumped to three-month highs on data showing a surprising reacceleration in inflation and economic activity in January. Declining for a third straight week - a skid that follows a stretch of four-...

Summary Stock market bears are fixated on the belief that inflation is not only "running hot" but also "accelerating." Natural gas prices have truly collapsed, falling by way more than ever before in a short span of time. It takes time for monetary policy - which is undoubtedly tigh...

Summary USRT invests in U.S. REITs. The fund is sensitive to changes in the economy. The elevated rate environment can cause distress to many stocks in USRT’s portfolio and some may have to cut their dividends. The fund has underperformed in the S&P 500 index in the l...

Summary Apartment REITs were the second-worst-performing property sector in 2022 - barely outperforming the troubled office sector - despite delivering a record year of operating performance highlighted by 20% FFO growth. Following two years of historic rent growth, there is little doub...