Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Grubb & Ellis Represents Higgins Development Partners in Sale of 400,000-SF Warehouse/Distribution Facility


KING OF PRUSSIA, PA (June 1, 2010) – Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, today announced that its Global Logistics Group represented Higgins Development Partners in the investment sale of a 400,260-square-foot warehouse/distribution facility in Hazleton to Exeter Property Group for $12.9 million.

Steve Bonge and Tim Brogan, both senior vice presidents, and Patrick McBride, vice president, served as the seller’s representative in the transaction, located at 68 Green Mountain Road in Humboldt Industrial Park.

“We had strong buyer response to the offering of this outstanding Class A facility,” said Bonge. “In addition to its location in one of the Northeast’s most important distribution corridors, the property offers state-of-the-art systems and has a credit tenant occupying a portion of the building on a long-term basis.”

Built in 2006, the insulated precast facility features high clearance of 32 feet, ample parking and high power. Graham Packaging currently leases 168,630 square feet in the facility, with the rest of the space available for lease.

Contact:  Erin Mays, Phone: 312.698.6735, Email: erin.mays@grubb-ellis.com


Grubb & Ellis Regains Early Compliance with NYSE Listing Standards

SANTA ANA, CA (June 1, 2010) – Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, today announced that the New York Stock Exchange has notified the company that it is back in compliance with the NYSE’s continued listed standards.

The company, which had until February 2011 to regain compliance, said that the NYSE advised the company that its early decision was based on Grubb & Ellis’ consistent positive performance with respect to the business plan submitted to the NYSE and the company’s achievement of compliance with the NYSE’s minimum market capitalization requirements over the past two quarters.

“We are pleased to have come back into compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing standards on an accelerated basis,” said Thomas P. D’Arcy, (bottom right photo)  president and chief executive officer of Grubb & Ellis Company.

“We believe this notice is a reflection of the progress we have made over the past six months in strengthening our capital structure and implementing our growth strategy, which is designed to produce long-term value for our shareowners.”

Contact: Janice McDill, Phone: 312.698.6707, Email: janice.mcdill@grubb-ellis.com

Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida Negotiates 10-Year Lease with Investor opening New High Tech Concept in Upscale Dining at 55 West in Downtown Orlando


ORLANDO - Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida recently completed a new 10-year lease agreement for 6,000 square feet of retail space at 55 West Marketplace, located at 54 W. Church St. in downtown Orlando.

Aaron Gray, (bottom  right photo)  associate at Grubb & Ellis
Commercial Florida, negotiated the lease on behalf of the Netherlands based landlord FFWO LLC.

The new tenant, associates of Pranna, a Southeast Asian Fusion restaurant in Manhattan, and Lotus Lounge in Washington, D.C., plans to open a restaurant lounge and bar called Blend that will hold approximately 330 people.

 Blend will feature a mix of cuisines and drinks with the latest technological advancements in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Gray said Blend’s touch tables will provide guests an interactive experience right at their tables, completely unique in this market, and iPhone applications will allow guests to both order and pay their bills through their phone.

Cynthia Hunter of Pegasus Realty represented the tenant, JSK Orlando, LLC in the transaction

CONTACTS:
Aaron Gray, 407-481-5397, agray@commercialfl.com;
Jeff Sweeney, 407-481-5387, jsweeney@commercialfl.com;
Larry Vershel 407-644-4142

Texas DOT Renews Contract with D & A Building Services


LONGWOOD, FL., June 1, 2010 — The Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation has renewed its contract with D & A Building Services Inc. for facility maintenance services, and added day porter services to the scope of work.

D & A is now providing day porter services weekdays for seven, one- and two-story buildings that total 40,000-square-feet, as well as night cleaning that includes janitorial and carpet cleaning. Work on this contract is being performed by D & A’s Dallas branch office.

The Tyler District of the Texas Department of Transportation covers an eight county area just east of Dallas.

PR Contact: Elaine Ingra, (407) 384-1344 elainei@pr-works.com

Foster Conant secures new streetscaping project in Orlando


ORLANDO, FL,  June 1, 2010 — Foster Conant & Associates has secured a new contract for site-specific landscape architectural services for the Rollins Street Improvement project in Orlando, Florida.

 Under contract with the project’s civil engineer VHB Miller Sellen Inc., Foster Conant is providing design, construction documents and construction observation for 700-lineal-feet along Rollins Street west to the intersection with North Orlando Avenue and 500- lineal-feet down North Orange Avenue.

Along with landscape planting, Foster Conant is responsible for designing the irrigation system and hardscape elements that include sidewalks, corner plazas, handicap ramps, and architectural finishes for planters, trash containers, benches, tree guards and tree gates. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid summer.

According to Keith Oropeza, ASLA, a Principal at Foster Conant, the firm is designing to guidelines created for Florida Hospital Health village.

PR Contact: Elaine Ingra, 407-384-1344, elainei@pr-works.com

TD Wood & Co. Brokers Total $3.71M in Loans for 4 Retail Properties


ORLANDO, FL—June 1, 2010— Thomas D. Wood and Company, a Strategic Alliance Mortgage LLC member, secured financing in the amount of 3,710,000 for Smokey Bones, 108 Commerce Street, Dollar General, and Sandscove Court.

Patrick Madore, (top right photo)  Company Vice President, secured $1,400,000 in financing for the Smokey Bones Restaurant on May 6, 2010, through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s relationship with a regional bank.


The full-recourse, fixed-rate loan has a term of five years, based on a 25-year amortization and an interest rate of 7.15%. The loan-to-value is 70%. The 6,686 square-foot single-tenant restaurant was built in 1993, and is located at 21733 State Road 7, Boca Raton, Florida.

Jeff Schnupp, (top left photo) Company Vice President, secured $650,000 in financing for the 108 Commerce Street Office on April 29, 2010, through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s relationship with a local credit union.

The fixed-rate loan has a term of five years, based on a 20-year amortization and an interest rate of 6.50%. The loan-to-value is 45%. The 22,800 square-foot office was built in 1989 and is located at 108 Commerce Street, Lake Mary, Florida.

Joe Dear, (lower right photo) Company Vice President, secured $860,000 in financing for Dollar General on May 20, 2010, through Thomas D. wood and Company’s correspondent relationship with The Standard Life Insurance Company.

The permanent loan has a term of five years, based on a 25-year amortization and an interest rate of 6.25%. The loan-to-value is 66%. The 12,480 square-foot single-tenant retail was built in 2010 and is located at 7025 Highway 231, Panama City, Florida.

John Worrell,  (lower left photo) Company Assistant Vice President, secured $800,000 in financing for Sandscove Court on May 20, 2010, through Thomas D. Wood and Company’s correspondent relationship with Kansas City Life Insurance Company.

The fully-amortizing loan has a term of 20 years and an interest rate of 6.75%. The loan-to-value is 52%. The 23,760 square-foot industrial center was built in 1999 and is located at 7307 Sandscove Court, Winter Park, Florida.

 For further information, please contact:

Patrick Madore (561) 338-9799 pmadore@tdwood.com
Jeff Schnupp (407) 937-0470 jschnupp@tdwood.com
Joe Dear (407) 937-0470 jdear@tdwood.com
John Worrell (407) 937-0470 jworrell@tdwood.com
Jessica Kinnee (407) 937-0470 jkinnee@tdwood.com

Marcus & Millichap Sells 28,000-SF Shopping Strip in Orange Park, FL


ORANGE PARK, FL– Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has announced the sale of O’Reilly Auto Parts Center, (top left photo)  a 28,000 square-foot retail property located in Orange Park, FL, according to Richard D. Matricaria, (bottom left photo)  Regional Manager of the firm’s Jacksonville office.

The asset commanded a sales price of $2,817,000.

David Hsieh, (middle right photo)  Vice President Investments and James Hoggatt, an investment specialist in Marcus & Millichap’s Jacksonville office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a developer.

 The buyer, a local partnership, purchased the property all-cash as part of a 1031 exchange.

“The property is 100 percent occupied and sold at a 10.05 percent CAP rate on in-place income,"says Hsieh..

"The buyer will benefit from the property’s busy location at the intersection of Blanding Boulevard and Wells Road and the fact that it is shadow-anchored by the 900,000-square foot Orange Park Mall,” 

O’Reilly Auto Parts Center is located at 1980 Wells Road.

Press Contact:  Richard D. Matricaria, Sales Manager, Jacksonville, (904) 672-1400

Friday, May 28, 2010

Marcus & Millichap Sells 24,750-SF Self-Storage Faco;otu om Dunnellon, FL


DUNNELLON, FL, May 28, 2010 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has announced the sale of Out-Back Self Storage,(top left photo)  a 24,750-square foot self-storage facility property located in Dunnellon, FL, according to Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager of the firm’s Tampa office.

The asset commanded a sales price of $1,150,000.

Adam Wides, (middle right photo) investment specialist and Michael A. Mele (bottom left photo) , vice president investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the seller, a limited liability company and the buyer, a private investor, both based out of Florida.

“Out-Back Self Storage has a lot of the characteristics an investor looks for in a facility and it proves that quality, income-producing facilities can find a buyer in this market”, stated Wides.

“We were able to generate multiple offers for this property and chose a buyer who came in above 95% of list price and closed in 45 days”, added Mele

Out-Back Self Storage is located at 19545 West Highway 40. This 23,625 net rentable square foot facility is situated on approximately 3.32 acres of land. The property was built in 2006 and expanded in 2009.

Press Contact:  Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager, Tampa, (813) 387-4700

Marcus & Millichap Wins New Listings in Illinois, Texas and Arizona


CHICAGO, IL – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has secured the exclusive listing for 806 N. Rush St. and 56-58 E. Chicago Ave. (top left photo) , a two-building property in the heart of the Gold Coast.

The unpriced property includes Pippin’s Tavern, (top  right photo)  one of Chicago’s most famous establishments, and a six-story mixed-use building with three ground-floor retail stores and 26 apartment units.

 In all, Marcus & Millichap is selling 26,385 square feet of space in two buildings located on 5,800 square feet of land.

Kyle Stengle, a senior associate, in the firm’s Chicago Downtown office, is exclusively marketing this property on behalf of the owner, a private investor.

“This is an excellent opportunity for an owner to rehab or redevelop this site,” explains Stengle.

“The property has been in the current owner’s hands for a long time, as are most of the properties in this area,” says Stengle, who specializes in the Near North neighborhoods, including the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Bucktown.

“Regardless of the current state of the economy, high-demand infill locations still attract investor interest because of the underlying, long-term value of the land in this area. Retail rents in the Gold Coast submarket range between $100 per square foot and $400 per square foot on a triple-net basis,” adds Stengle.

This 26,385-square foot property is surrounded by many high-end tenants including Bentley Gold Coast, Lululemon, Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels, Barney’s New York, Patagonia, Tori Burch, Jimmy Choo and other national-credit and local tenants.

 $20M Mixed-Use Development Site Listed in Midlothian, TX



MIDLOTHIAN, TX– Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has retained the exclusive listing for a 560-acre mixed-use development site in Midlothian, which is located approximately 20 miles south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

John Barker, a vice president investments and director of the firm’s National Multi Housing Group in Dallas, and Creighton Stark, a senior associate, also in Dallas, are representing the seller.

“This 560-acre planned development opportunity is ideal for a number of uses and is situated along the city’s two main arteries in a highly progressive and synergistic community,” says Stark. “The location features an abundance of traffic generators, including Joe Pool Lake, a Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is situated across the highway from the property, Navarro College (lower right photo)  and several major employers.”

The parcel is located along U.S. Highway 287 and U.S. Highway 67 in Midlothian with 1.5 miles of frontage along Highway 287, 0.5 miles of frontage on Highway 67 and combined traffic counts of approximately 131,000 vehicles per day.

Midlothian is located 26 miles south of Dallas, 27 miles southeast of Fort Worth, 73 miles north of Waco and 180 miles north of Austin in Ellis County.



Reywest Commerce Center in Tucson, AZ Listed for $11.5M 
TUCSON, Ariz., May 28, 2010 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has retained the exclusive listing for two adjacent institutional-grade foot industrial assets in Tucson known as the Reywest Commerce Center (bottom left photo). The listing price for the net-leased property is $11.5 million, which represents $95 per square foot.

Peter P. Ioannou, a vice president investments in the firm’s West Los Angeles office, and David A. Guido, (bottom right photo)  in Marcus & Millichap’s Phoenix office, are representing the seller, a Beverly Hills, Calif.-based limited partnership.

“The built-to-suit asset was developed in the third quarter of 1999 for Raytheon by a division of the Alcoa Co.,” says Ioannou. “Raytheon leased the property for a 10-year term and has just exercised the first of its five three-year options.”

The property is located at 6221 and 6223 South Palo Verde Road on a corner parcel with 312 feet of frontage on South Palo Verde Road, a main arterial road leading to the Tucson International Airport.

The Reywest Commerce Center was built on 7.54 acres of land. Construction consists of five-inch concrete-slab floors, concrete tilt-up walls and a wood panelized built-up roof. Parking is available on grade, 4.3 spaces per 1,000 feet. The structure is in excellent condition and has received improvements by Raytheon. A national credit tenant with global reach, Raytheon has a Standard & Poor’s rating of A-.

Contact: Stacey Corso, Public Relations Manager, (925) 953-1716

Regency Centers Sells $150M of 10-Year Senior Unsecured Notes


JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regency Centers Corporation (NYSE:REG) announced  that its operating partnership, Regency Centers, L.P., completed the sale of $150 million of 6.0% ten-year senior unsecured notes under its existing shelf registration statement.

The notes are due June 15, 2020 and were priced at 99.299%. Interest on the notes will be payable semiannually on June 15th and December 15th of each year, beginning on December 15, 2010. The net proceeds will be used to repay near-term maturing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.

J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC acted as joint book-running lead managers for the transaction.

The co-managers were Banc of America Securities LLC, Capital One Southcoast Inc., Comerica Securities Inc., Daiwa Securities America Inc., Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA) Inc., Mizuho Securities USA Inc., Morgan Keegan & Company Inc., PNC Capital Markets LLC, RBC Capital Markets Corporation, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc. and US Bancorp Investments Inc.

A copy of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933 may be obtained by contacting the underwriters at J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., 383 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10179 – telephone (212) 834-4533 (call collect) or Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 1525 West W.T. Harris Blvd., NC0675, Charlotte, North Carolina 28262, Attn: Syndicate Operations – telephone (800) 326-5897 or prospectus.specialrequests@wachovia.com.

Avalon Park to Start Development of Assisted Living and Memory Care Facility in East Orlando


ORLANDO - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently granted preliminary approval of a pre-application for the development of an 80,000 square foot assisted living and memory care facility on Tanja King Parkway and Avalon West Blvd. near downtown Avalon Park (top left photo) , moving the project one step closer to development.

Eric Marks, (middle right photo) senior vice president and chief operating officer at Avalon Park Group, said APG has been planning the 90-unit, 128-bed facility for more than two years.

“Approval of our pre-application is the first of several steps that must be undertaken before construction can start,” Marks said.

Avalon Park Group is preparing its formal application for HUD approval that details project design, contracting schedule, job creation and economic impact.

Ross Halle (lower left photo), town planner at Avalon Park Group, said Baker Barrios Architects, Inc. of Orlando is designing the three-story Avalon Park Assisted Living and Memory Care facility that will be comprised of six neighborhoods, each with 15 studio or one-bedroom units and with its own dining room and living room area.

Additionally, the project consists of an Outreach room for local community activities, a wellness area, occupational and physical therapy, salon and spa. The building will be surrounded by a secured, landscaped courtyard consisting of fountains, trellises and seating areas all under a canopy of oak trees.

Halle said construction of the $15 million facility could start later this year.

“Typically, it takes about seven months to complete the design, permitting and HUD final approval process,” Halle said.

Construction bids have been received and the winning construction company will be announced within the next few weeks after all bidding is studied, he said.

Avalon Park Group is currently seeking focus group participants who have searched for an assisted living facility or memory care center for their loved ones in the recent past, Stephanie Hodson, marketing coordinator for Avalon Park Group said, adding that focus group participants will be paid $50 per session.

“We want to ask them about their experience so we can learn more about how caregivers choose which facility is best for their loved ones,” she said.

Interested participants should contact Hodson at 407-658-6565 or visit www.AvalonParkGroup.com and click on the “Senior Living Focus Group” link.

For more information, contact:
Stephanie Hodson, Marketing Coordinator, Avalon Park Group 407-658-6565;
Eric Marks, Vice President /Chief Operating Officer, Avalon Park Group 407-658-6565;
Beat Kahli, Founder /CEO Avalon Park Group 407-658-6565;
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Cambridge Realty Capital Provides $10M FHA-Insured HUD Loan to Refinance Villa Healh Care Property in Sherman, IL


Cambridge Realty Capital Companies has closed on a $10.02 million FHA-Insured HUD LEAN mortgage for Villa Health Care, (top left photo)  a 212-bed skilled nursing and assisted living facility in Sherman, Ill.

Cambridge Chairman Jeffrey A. Davis (lower right photo)  said the fully amortized, 30-year term loan was arranged for the borrower, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, by Cambridge Realty Capital Ltd. of Illinois, the Cambridge business entity responsible for underwriting HUD loans.

Davis said the property has 99 skilled nursing and 113 assisted living beds. It was financed using HUD’s 232(a)7 - LEAN program, which is used to refinance properties with existing HUD financing. The interest rate was not disclosed.

Contact:  Evan Washington, Phone: (312) 521-7604, Fax: (312) 357-1611, E-Mail: ew@cambridgecap.com

Marcus & Millichap Sells 55,067-SF Self-Storage Facility Building in Knoxville, TN


KNOXVILLE, TN, May 27, 2010 – Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, the nation’s largest real estate investment services firm, has announced the sale of Papermill Self Storage, (bottom right photo)  a 55,067-square foot self-storage facility property located in Knoxville, TN, according to Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager of the firm’s Tampa office.

 The asset commanded a sales price of $2,025,000.

Michael A. Mele, (top right photo)  vice president investments in Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office, along with Anne Williams, investment specialist in the firm’s Memphis office, had the exclusive listing to market the property on behalf of the Texas-based seller, a bank/financial institution. The buyer, a limited liability company based out of Mississippi, is also represented by Mele and Williams.

“This sale is one of the first of what will be a wave of REO sales in self-storage”, stated Mele.

 “We will see many more deals like this one over the next two years, as financial institutions look to clear their inventory of self-storage properties” added Mele.

Papermill Self Storage is located at 3980 Papermill Road. This property was built in 2004, expanded in 2007 and enjoys a 70.04 percent physical occupancy.

Press Contact:  Bryn D. Merrey, Regional Manager, Tampa, (813) 387-4700

Arbor Closes $20M on 2 Loans in Illinois and New York

Longacre Ponds in Fairview Heights, IL Receives $17,882,500

UNIONDALE, NY (May 27, 2010) - Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $17,882,500 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® product line for the 252-unit complex known as Longacre Ponds in Fairview Heights, IL.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.68 percent

The loan was originated by Patrick McNulty (top right photo) , Director, in Arbor’s full-service Chicago, IL lending office.

 "Arbor was pleased to deliver attractive terms to our Borrower on a high quality asset,” said McNulty. “We made certain assumptions in our initial loan screening and the subsequent performance of the property met and exceeded our expectations allowing us to provide additional loan proceeds.”


Livonia Avenue Apartments in Brooklyn, NY Obtains $2.7M

UNIONDALE,  NY (May 27, 2010) - Arbor Commercial Funding, LLC (“Arbor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arbor Commercial Mortgage, LLC, announced the recent funding of a $2,700,000 loan under the Fannie Mae DUS® Small Loan product line for the 22-unit complex known as Livonia Avenue Apartments in Brooklyn, NY.

The 10-year loan amortizes on a 30-year schedule and carries a note rate of 5.87 percent.

The loan was originated by Alexander Kaushansky (middle left photo) , Director, in Arbor’s full-service New York, NY lending office.

“The borrower was looking for permanent financing after they completed construction and leased up the property,” said Kaushansky. “Arbor was able to provide a permanent 10-year loan that met his requirements.”

Contact:  Ingrid Principe, Marketing Manager, Arbor Commercial Mortgage, 333 Earle Ovington Blvd., Suite 900, Uniondale, NY 11553, P: 516.506.4298, F: 516.542.2555, http://www.arbor.com/, Follow us on Twitter @ arbor1

EastGroup Properties Announces 122nd Consecutive Quarterly Cash Dividend

JACKSON, MS-– EastGroup Properties (NYSE-EGP) announced  that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.52 per share payable on June 30, 2010 to shareholders of record of Common Stock on June 18, 2010.

This dividend is the 122nd consecutive quarterly distribution to EastGroup's shareholders and represents an annualized dividend rate of $2.08 per share.

Contacts:
David H. Hoster II (top right photo) , President and Chief Executive Officer or N. Keith McKey, Chief Financial Officer
(601) 354-3555

Real Estate Trends Offer Mixed Signals for Florida Economy

By George Livingston, CIPS

(Ed. note: George Livingston is chairman emeritus of NAI Realvest in Maitland, FL  and a 30-year veteran real estate and investment analyst.)

Current real estate trends offer mixed signals for the Florida economy. While several economic indicators are stabilizing or recovering, the millions still unemployed hold little promise of a full recovery this year.

Housing markets are showing signs of revival, however, commercial property values dropped 25.8 percent from a year ago and a full 42 percent from the October 2007 apex.

The big question is, how quickly can commercial real estate absorb its losses? We’re moving in the right direction. Commercial property sale volume is way up---$5.6 billion in March, up from $4.2 in February and significantly higher than 2009 levels. And sales are dominated by distressed transactions.

REITs are performing well, with a 6.9 percent total return for April. Cap rates are steady at 7.81 percent in March. But commercial office absorption totaled -7.5 million square feet in the first quarter of this year, down from -39 million during the same period last year.

Job growth in April was strong, as was our 3.2 percent GDP growth.

The S&P index increased 1.6 percent in April with year-over-year returns posting a healthy 38.8 percent.

Real estate capital markets are improving. RBS Commercial Funding offered the first CMBS security the market has seen in two years.

House sales were up in March, and prices strengthened for existing homes.

Investment property vacancy rates and rents stabilized after two years of steady decline.

The consumer confidence index increased and we saw continued growth in March and April for the highest since September, 2008.

We also saw increases in retail sales, apparel and building materials.

Dr. Peter Linneman,  (top  left photo) chief economist for NAI Global, says interest rates could be the key to our economic future.

We could experience sustained growth through the end of this year if the Fed raises artificially low interest rates. If interest rates remain low, the economy could continue to suffer.

Real GDP has increased over the past three quarters. We are seeing early signs of job growth. Both of these indicators support our anticipation that recovery is underway.

However, job creation will lag GDP growth by 12-18 months. With sustained growth, interest rates should increase by June this year.

The current sharp stock market decline will suppress the economy and job growth, at least in the short term.

Looking ahead, the greatest threat is from inflation, thanks to the extraordinary federal budget deficit.

The strengthening of the dollar against many currencies, regardless of our twin deficits and ominous inflation, reveal that although the US is in bad shape, many countries are fundamentally in worse shape.

Contact:
George Livingston, glivingston@realvest.com
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, lvershelco@aol.com