North America In the U.S.: The Fed minutes and subsequent speeches showed that policymakers are torn on the correct path forward given the current data. Some members fear that being too accommodative would leave the Fed vulnerable with little tools to combat future recession risks. Of note, the NY Fed announced that it would start buying $60B per month in Treasuries beginning 15-Oct. REIT Focus: Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB) announced the sale of the Topaz Hotel in Washington DC for $33M. Pebblebrook is targeting Q4 to complete the sale. ASIA In China: US President Trump stated that the US and China have reached a “substantial phase 1” trade agreement, though it may take over a month to cast it into

North America In the U.S.: September ISM Manufacturing fell to 47.8 versus August’s 49.1 reading. This was the lowest level since 2009 sparking fears of an economic slowdown. The sentiment was further compounded by the lackluster ISM Non-Manufacturing reading which fell to 52.6 from 56.4.September ADP private payrolls increased 135K versus a downwardly revised 157K reading in August. Unemployment ticked down to a 50 year low of 3.5%. REIT Focus: Equinix, Inc. (EQIX) announced an agreement with Axtel S.A.B. de C.V. (AXTELB.MM) to acquire three data centers that serve the Mexico City and Monterrey metro areas of Mexico for $175M. The acquisition is expected to close in Q1 2020. Asia In China: Hong Kong protests escalated this week as a

North America In the U.S.: The White House continues to be on defense as new details emerge regarding the whistleblower report showing a potential cover up of the President’s call with the Ukrainian president where it appears that President Trump urged the Ukrainian president to pursue an investigation into his political rival Joe Biden. Congress has opened an official impeachment inquiry, which has been labeled a witch hunt by the White House. REIT Focus: Paramount Group, Inc. (PGRE) announced the sale of Liberty Place in Washington D.C. for $154.5M. Paramount Group plans to use the proceeds to fund its recent purchase of Market Center in San Francisco. ASIA In China: Trade talks with the US seem to have de-escalated this

North America In the U.S.: As expected, the Fed cut rates by 25 bps. Fed chair Jerome H. Powell, said at a news conference after the meeting that the United States economy remained strong and unemployment low, but that “there are risks to this positive outlook.” If the economy weakens, he said, a “more extensive sequence” of rate cuts could be appropriate.The US announced new sanctions against Iran’s central bank in response to the attack on Saudi oil fields this past weekend. The Pentagon on Thursday called the attacks a “dramatic escalation” of tensions in the region.  REIT Focus: Bloomberg reported that CyrusOne (CONE) has drawn interest from Digital Realty Trust (DLR). CyrusOne was previously reported to be exploring a

North America In the U.S.: A Reuters poll showed that most economists expect the Fed to cut the fed funds rate by 25bp at the next FOMC meeting. Also, nearly 80% of over 60 economists said US-China trade relations would either worsen or stay the same by the end of next year. President Trump floated two financial reforms this week. The first was the idea of indexing capital gains to inflation and the second was to be a “very substantial” middle class tax cut. As usual, there was no concrete details surrounding these two ideas. REIT Focus: HCP, Inc. (HCP) announced the acquisition of 224K sq. ft. LEED Gold Laboratory building in West Cambridge for $332.5M. The building is 100%