Economic & Real Estate Report: 4th Quarter 2015

Amidst headwinds such as economic weakness in China and emerging markets, financial and stock market volatility, falling oil prices and a stronger dollar, the U.S. economy weakened to end 2015. Despite these impediments to growth, several economic indicators were encouraging. During the 4th Quarter 2015, leading indices showed that consumer confidence increased, the labor market strengthened, and the unemployment rate ended at a year low at 5.0 percent. Conditions within the real estate debt markets were generally positive, and there is cautious optimism that commercial real estate momentum will continue throughout 2016.