The Dodge Momentum Index fell to 155.8 in July, a 6 percent decline from the revised June reading of 164.9. The index, issued by Dodge Data and Analytics, is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which has been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. The two components of the index fell in July—commercial planning by 3 percent and institutional planning by 9 percent.

Mohamed A. El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz, warns of the danger of significant inflation and calls for a more comprehensive policy approach that speaks to both the supply and demand sides of the economy.

The real estate industry is tackling the twin challenges of a cyclical downturn juxtaposed with the long-term consequences from the disruption caused by COVID-19, and the environmental, social, and governance agenda becoming increasingly important.

During the recent ULI Asia Experience the Experience retail summit, real estate developer, owner, and operator Sid Yog, founder of the Xander Group and chairman of Virtuous Retail (VR) South Asia, discussed the broader Indian retail sector, as well as several of the company’s recent urban Indian retail developments. Joining him in the conversation was Susheela Rivers, office managing partner, co-chair for the global real estate sector, and head of real estate Asia Pacific for DLA Piper.

A study by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia showed that tenants who lost jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic may have already amassed $11 billion in rental arrears. Procedures for evictions and foreclosures may be failing the most vulnerable tenants and landlords.

The U.S. industrial real estate market finished 2020 with a remarkably strong quarter, much of its resilience hinging on the acceleration of e-commerce, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield. The fourth quarter was the strongest for absorption ever, accounting for 89.8 million square feet (83.4 million sq m).

Europe’s property sector is in the midst of a cyclical downturn that is coinciding with long-term structural changes in real estate, according to the 18th edition of the Emerging Trends in Real Estate ^® Europereport. However, according to the PwC and ULI survey of almost 1,000 industry leaders across Europe, real estate generally is seen as one of the few asset classes to generate acceptable returns at a time of low or negative interest rates.

ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: As other segments of the real estate business adjust to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recession, the industrial sector is looking to capitalize on greater demand for its facilities resulting from the explosion of e-commerce, panelists said at a Trends and Outlooks session during the 2020 ULI Virtual Fall Meeting.

U.S. real estate economists predict generally improved economic and property market news for the rest of 2020, as well as for the following two years, compared with their forecasts of six months ago, according to the fall 2020 ULI Real Estate Economic Forecast.

Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor in chief of the Economist, outlined several trends accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic in a presentation at the 2020 ULI Virtual Fall Meeting.