ECONOMICS

The Fed's rate hikes were supposed to slow down the economy and, thanks to soaring interest rates, lower prices and make housing more affordable. That did not happen, and instead housing is now the least affordable it has been in US history.

And while an entire generation of potential buyers will be forced to rent indefinitely, the flip side is that anyone who has been lucky enough to buy a house, is celebrating on a day real-estate brokerage Redfin reports that the total value of (more…)

Authored by Mike Maharrey via Money Metals,

I've been watching the commercial real estate (CRE) sector as a potential catalyst for the next financial crisis. So far, it has managed to hold together, but there is still trouble brewing under the surface.

The story of one commercial real estate investment by UBS Group is a microcosm of the commercial real estate market.

In 2006, an investment fund managed by a division of UBS bought the Sports Illustrated Building in (more…)

By Satish Jindel, president of ShipMatrix Inc., a consultancy, and founding member of RPS (now FedEx Ground) who has analyzed trends in the parcel and less-than-truckload sectors for 30 years. Via FreightWaves

For decades, FedEx and UPS essentially functioned as a duopoly in the U.S. parcel delivery market. With few challengers, they made lots of money.

FedEx and UPS face strong headwinds from Amazon, Walmart and other delivery companies as B2C delivery overtakes the B2B market they (more…)