Publications

- July 1, 2015: Vol. 27, Number 7

To read this full article you need to be subscribed to Institutional Real Estate Americas

Drawing attention: The strong performance of the U.S. market has attracted investors’ notice, but risks remain

by Suzanne Franks

It’s not even close: Today, the world’s most powerful economy belongs to the United States. While the nation’s recovery from the 2008 financial crisis isn’t complete, much of the lost ground has been recovered.

Economic growth in the United States is expected to accelerate in 2015, with GDP forecasted to grow by about 2.5 percent — not exuberant but respectable nonetheless. Even the lackluster first quarter GDP figures — revised downward to a contraction of 0.7 percent — can be explained away as the result of bad weather and a drop in exports due to the rising dollar.

Employment recently exceeded the previous peak — achieved in 2008 — by 2 percent and, in terms of raw numbers, all of the jobs lost in the recession were replaced a year ago. In fact, in 2014, the national labor market expanded by 3.1 million jobs, the fastest pace since 1999. Energy prices have declined from recent peaks, the stock markets are posting new highs, and U.S. consumers are s

Forgot your username or password?