Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Thursday May 11 2016 Housing and Economic stories


Miami Suddenly Has a Glut of Plush Hotel Suites - (www.bloomberg.com) Hotels in sun-drenched Miami are getting burned by a pullback in Brazilian travel and a building boom that has added thousands of rooms to the market. Nightly room costs are dropping. Greater Miami’s revenue per available room -- a key measure of rates and occupancies known as revpar -- has fallen each month this year, and in April was the worst of the top 25 U.S. markets, according to STR, a data provider for the lodging industry. Marriott International Inc., set to become the world’s largest hotel operator, said on its first-quarter earnings call that Miami is among its weakest U.S. areas. The city, known for its Latin American influences and trendy South Beach party scene, is being hit by too much hotel supply and not enough demand. An unusually mild winter in North America has curbed visits, while Brazilians, a major source of tourism, are pulling back as the country’s currency slumps and its economy is mired in recession. Developers who rushed to take advantage of soaring interest by wealthy tourists are now facing the prospect of a glut of rooms, particularly at the high end. 

LendingClub CEO Resigns Over Loan Review - (www.nasdaq.com) Renaud Laplanche was the face of the online-lending industry, a telegenic French entrepreneur who argued the Internet would upend finance by allowing borrowers to connect directly with investors. On Monday, Mr. Laplanche was pushed out as the CEO of the firm he founded, LendingClub Corp., after the board said it found problems with its lending practices and what it called the executive's lack of disclosure surrounding a personal investment. The ouster amplified concerns about the business model Mr. Laplanche pioneered, and the company's shares tumbled 35%, lopping off nearly $950 million in market value.

IMF Urges Action as Negative Rates Infect Danish Property Market - (www.bloomberg.com) After almost four years of negative interest rates, Danish policy makers need to act now to prevent a housing bubble, according to the International Monetary Fund. “We strongly encourage the authorities to take early action to lean against the wind on house price increases,” David Hofman, IMF mission chief to Denmark, said in an interview. “We see a need for action on a number of points.” No country has experienced negative rates longer than Denmark and the way the policy plays out will hold lessons for other economies, Hofman said. While banks have fared relatively well in the extreme monetary environment, it’s “exactly in the housing market” that the effect of negative rates is clear, he said.

Greek Debt Talks Enter Familiar Summer Tumult - (www.nytimes.com)  The Greek debt talks are entering an all-too-familiar stage, as the country’s creditors appear to be at a standoff over whether to give new aid to Athens. Eurozone finance ministers were on Monday set to discuss the bailout terms, but the talks are unlikely to produce a breakthrough. Once again, there is a wide gulf between European officials, Greece and the International Monetary Fund over a continuing austerity program and the prospects of debt relief for Athens. Greece needs the money to make a debt payment in July. If the parties involved do not come to terms, the country could default and the markets could be put through another summer of tumult. A year ago, the jockeying over the bailout prompted fears that Greece could crash out of the eurozone and destabilize the wider regional economy.

Merger Breakups Increase to Record - (online.wsj.com) For deal makers, 2016 is set to be another record year, just not the type of record anyone wants. Last week Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc. called off their nearly $35 billion deal after facing resistance from regulators. The transaction's failure brought the value of withdrawn U.S. deals to $378 billion. That is not only the highest level year to date for U.S. withdrawn deals, it is the highest total for a full year, according to Dealogic. The failure of the Halliburton-Baker Hughes deal comes after Pfizer Inc. called off its $150 billion tie-up with Allergan PLC after the Treasury introduced new rules further curbing inversions.





No comments: