The cost of a so-called “starter home” has soared in recent years. In 2012, the typical median sale price for what is defined as a starter home was $95,000. That price rose in 2019 to $165,500 — and it rose further, to $250,000, last year.
About 58 million options changed hands daily on average in January, a monthly record in data going back to 1973. That follows a record year for options trading volumes in 2024.
Shelter costs increased 4.4% in January from last year. That was the smallest annual uptick since January 2022, and well below the peak period of 2023.
Blackstone Real Estate Partners X has completed its previously announced acquisition of all outstanding common shares of Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. for $17.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4 billion, including outstanding debt.
Values for less than premium grade A office buildings are about 35% to 60% lower than they were before the pandemic.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. for $13.50 per share, or approximately $2.6 billion, including approximately $900 million of debt, net of cash. Playa is a leading owner and operator of all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica and Hyatt is currently the beneficial owner of 9.4% of Playa’s outstanding shares.
Just under 900 deals were announced in the U.S. in January. That compares with more than 1,200 transactions in the previous January and over 1,500 two years ago.
Microsoft, Google and Meta Platforms have projected combined capital expenditures of at least $215 billion for their current fiscal years, an annual increase of more than 45%. Amazon.com didn’t provide a full-year estimate but indicated that total capex across its businesses is on course to grow to more than $100 billion, and said most of the increase will be for AI.
Private equity returned a median annualized 15.2% over the 10-year period ended in 2023, versus 12% for the S&P 500 index.
