SHIFT TOWARD PRE-PANDEMIC HIRING PATTERNS CLEARER

Labor market dynamics becoming more familiar. Job growth in August tallied 187,000 positions, one of the slowest months for hiring in the pandemic recovery period. Headcounts declined in the information and transportation sectors, heavily influenced by Hollywood strikes and the bankruptcy of trucking company Yellow. Even without these one-off factors, the labor market is displaying clear signs of returning to pre-health crisis dynamics. Since May, employers have brought on an average of roughly 150,000 personnel on net per month, below the monthly average for 2019. The unemployment rate also rose 30 basis points in August to 3.8 percent, its highest level in 18 months. Amid higher joblessness, the number of people voluntarily leaving roles fell month-over-month. Taken together, these factors point to a labor market that is still growing but undoubtedly loosening.

Inflation and hiring trends may sway Fed from hike this month. The core personal consumption expenditures index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation target, rose 0.4 percent from May to July, the slowest two-month climb since late 2020. While the annual level of core PCE inflation was 4.2 percent in July, if this recent monthly pace were to continue for a full annual span, it would produce an inflation rate of 2.4 percent, only 40 basis points above the Fed’s target. Cooling upward momentum in consumer prices, paired with a loosening labor market, give the Federal Open Market Committee more room to maneuver at this month’s meeting. While another hike to the overnight lending rate is not out of the question, Wall Street currently favors a hold. Some market participants believe a rate cut could happen as early as December. A plateauing of the current interest rate hiking cycle would send an important signal to financial markets and property investors.

Rate stability a tailwind for investment sales. The rapid climb in interest rates, especially in 2022, led to a tempered investment sales environment for commercial real estate this year. Total transactions above $1 million in the first half of 2023 predictably fell short of the strong volumes recorded in the same spans of recent years, instead aligning broadly with figures from 2015. As more investors become confident that interest rates will remain stable, however, more deals can move forward. Private buyers have enjoyed a recent span of reduced competition, but that could end soon if larger parties re-enter the market.

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As of August Sources: Marcus & Millichap Research Services; Bureau of Labor Statistics; CoStar Group, Inc.; CME Group; Federal Reserve; Moody’s Analytics; Real Capital Analytics; RealPage, Inc.