Will the Growing Trade War Clouds Rain on REITs and Real Estate?
August 26, 2019 | Calvin Schnure | Nareit
There has been no shortage of troubling news on the economy. Trade wars are in the headlines and are already having an impact on certain sectors. For example, total U.S. exports fell at a 5.2% annual rate in Q2, shaving more than a half-percentage point from GDP growth, a sharp contrast from the positive contribution that trade made last year. Manufacturing firms have borne the brunt of the problems, and manufacturing output fell 3.0% at an annual rate in the second quarter.
But the U.S. economy includes more than manufacturing and exporters and is less exposed to export markets than are most other countries. As a result, many of the main economic indicators are holding up, including continued job growth and rising retail sales.