Federal Reserve officials expressed concerns about inflation and the labor market during their most recent policy meeting, although they ultimately opted to keep interest rates unchanged, according to minutes from the gathering. "Participants generally pointed to risks to both sides of the Committee's dual mandate, emphasizing upside risk to inflation and downside risk to employment," the minutes show. Two officials dissented from the decision to leave rates unchanged.

Initial jobless claims reached 235,000 last week, increasing 11,000 from the prior period, according to the Labor Department. The increase was the largest since May.

US banks have reduced their exposure to municipal securities to just 1.18% of total assets, marking the lowest level since the financial crisis, according to a Municipal Market Analytics analysis.

Some potential homebuyers remain sidelined despite a recent decline in mortgage rates, as undersupply continues to put upward pressure on home prices. About a third of prospective buyers say they would only feel comfortable if mortgage rates drop below 6%, according to Bankrate. "Not knowing if rates are going to come down or go up is adding to the uncertainty in the marketplace," said Bank of America's Matt Vernon.

Hines Global Income Trust bought a Houston mixed-use property known as Montrose Collective for $137.6 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The project was completed in 2022 and is fully leased, with both office and retail space. Separately, Brixmor Property Group recently acquired LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch in Katy, Texas, for $233 million.

BXP has pursued a creative, multi-pronged outreach effort for its Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, a strategy that has attracted a group of vibrant, local retail businesses to the property. "Almost all of these business owners are either San Francisco natives, or they've lived here for a long time, or they have a couple other locations in local neighborhoods and they're interested in what downtown has to offer," says BXP's Christine Yuen.

Commercial property sales of between $5 million and $25 million have increased 3.5% in the first half of 2025, driven by multifamily, industrial and retail assets, according to Green Street. Although deal volume remains 27% below the 2022 peak, momentum is returning, with regional banks playing a crucial role in financing.

The Central London retail market, particularly in the West End, is seeing renewed momentum, with investment expected to exceed 2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion), according to Savills. Retail property deals in London could hit their highest level by value since 2018.

Sales of previously owned homes reached an annualized rate of 4.01 million units in July, up 2% compared with June, according to the National Association of Realtors. Median prices gained 0.2% from last year, reaching $422,400.

Equinix has issued S$650 million (around $505 million) in green bonds in Singapore to fund sustainability projects such as green buildings and renewable energy. With green financing "we can accelerate innovations in energy-efficient infrastructure and clean and renewable energy, and address the growing demands of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies like liquid cooling," said Equinix's Leong Yee May.

Data from the second quarter show that REITs recorded 4.8% year-over-year gains in net operating income (NOI), according to the Nareit Total REIT Industry Tracker Series (T-Tracker) report. More than 61% of REITs had year-over-year gains in NOI, and same store NOI rose 2.7%. "When combined with their strong balance sheets, these results highlight REITs' operational excellence, while giving investors confidence that REITs are well-positioned to seize growth opportunities when market certainty and transactions increase," said Nareit's John Worth.

This special episode of the REIT Report podcast explores how the commercial real estate industry is building for a more resilient future. Michael Reed, senior director of building transformation at NYSERDA, discusses the organization's evolving mission and its partnership with real estate leaders to advance energy efficiency. He reveals how a focus on improving buildings delivers financial benefits and makes broader energy systems more reliable, addressing the growing challenges posed by a hotter climate and extreme weather.