News
The Cal State Companies: Center for Real Estate Studies ¨ Cal
State Properties ¨ Cal State Investment LTD Partnership
Media Contact:
The Center for RE Studies For:
Immediate Release
Real Estate vs. the Inverted Yield Curve
A renewed center of attention on the yield curve inversion
this week raised fears of an upcoming recession. On Wednesday, the S&P 500
declined 2.93%.The 10-year US Treasury yield fell below the 2-year yield for
the first time in over a decade – a negative sign since yield curve inversions
have occurred prior to each of the past recessions. In addition, the 30-year
Treasury yield fell to a record low in a flight to safety, suggesting investors
expect low rates to persist for an extended period. The price of gold, up 1%
Wednesday and 18% for the year, is another sign of investor fear. Despite such
indications of concern from the market, we only see a minor chance of a US recession in
2020.
This may be a warning sign for recessions, but they are shocking
as timing indicators for selling real estate investments. Unlike trade
conflicts, an inverted yield curve by itself has limited economic impact. Instead,
its signal about the health of the economy is what matters, and it is not as
negative as some investors fear. Historically, there has been a long and
variable lag between initial yield curve months for the last five recessions.
Additionally, the length of time the yield curve is inverted, and by how much,
matters. If Fed rate cuts successfully steepen the curve into positive
territory, this brief curve inversion may be a premature recession signal.
Neither does a yield curve inversion indicate it is time to sell real estate
investments. Since 1975, after an inversion in the 2-year/10-year yield curve, real
estate continued to rally.
So hold on to your hat and try to enjoy the ride. Remember,
one of the best lessons you can learn in life
is to remain calm. Before you panic over the latest inverted yield curve
story, keep in mind the Fed can lower interest rates any time they feel like it
to restore a rising yield curve, and that even telegraphing that they
might do so in the future can impact the real estate markets. The Fed is very
aware that a prolonged inverted yield curve won’t be interpreted as a healthy
sign. They can drop rates almost instantly whenever the spirit moves them.
However, predicting what they might do or when is a loser’s game. The only
people who really know aren’t talking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eugene E. Vollucci, is
considered to be one of the foremost authorities on taxation and real estate investing and has
authored books in these fields published by John Wiley & Sons of New York.
He is the Director of the Center for Real Estate Studies, a real estate
research organization. To learn more about the Center, please visit our web
site at http://www.calstatecompanies.com
UTUBE: https://youtu.be/868wrjNPQFM