Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment

Welcome to the Crew Capital Management Thoughts on Investment blog. At Crew Capital, investment education is key to how we work with our clients. We hope our conversation and analysis entice you to think further on your investment strategies and planning. For further discussion, please contact us at rjung@crewcapital.com

Thank you!
Robert F. Jung, CFA CPA*

*CPA inactve

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

S&P/Case-Shiller Housing Price Update

The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Index fell 18.1% y/y in April 2009 after declining 18.7% y/y in March. The m/m pace of decline in April was slower than in March for 19 cities, while 13 of 20 cities covered in the survey showed an improvement in the y/y returns in April (Standard and Poor's)

As of April 2009, average home prices are at similar levels to what they were in mid-2003. From the peak in mid-2006, the 10-City Composite is down 33.6% and the 20-City Composite is down 32.6%.

Residential R/E is bottoming.

Commercial R/E is the next shoe to drop. It lags Residential R/E by about 18 months. Rubin has recently reported that NYC commercial rents are down by 30 to 45%. Commercial R/E is prices are calculated using discounted cash flows. Therefore, NYC Commercial R/E should drop proportionately.

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