As investor interest in ESG strategy rises, LEED-certified office provides a key indicator on comparative performance By 2023, 80% of investors intend to incorporate ESG into their strategy. As demand for ESG-committed assets has grown, a key question has arisen: do these assets perform the same or better than their non-ESG peers? If so, is it possible to quantify this difference? Key takeaways: LEED-certified buildings have consistently achieved higher rents compared to their non-LEED counterparts. Attaining ESG commitment through LEED certification...

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The second quarter of 2021 revealed continued momentum for energy-sector benchmarks. U.S. crude oil prices increased 24.2% during the quarter to $73.47 per barrel by June 30th. WTI prices rose steadily through the quarter as strong economic activity and increasing travel drove hydrocarbon demand. The drilling rig count rose by 53 rigs (per Baker Hughes) during the second quarter of 2021, which represented another solid quarterly rig count expansion (driven primarily by private oil & gas companies) continuing the...

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The Basque Country and the Commonwealth of Virginia will be collaborating in the development and implementation of technologies applied to renewable energies, as well as energy efficiency and storage. This is the outcome of the MoU signed on August 24th between the Basque Minister of Economic Development, Sustainability, and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade from the State of Virginia, Brian Ball. The two institutions are committing themselves to work together in areas such as wind...

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Even before the world first heard of COVID-19, retailers had been rightly questioning if their traditional planning process was broken. Consumers’ behavior has become much more fickle, while their expectations from retailers have shot up over the last few years. Simply plugging in the prior year’s numbers, then, was already beginning to feel unreliable and incomplete. But the onset of the pandemic has completely upended planning. Considering how much the world and consumer behavior has changed over the last 18 months, trends and numbers...

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The US dollar was driven to new highs for the year in recent weeks by a combination of another signal that the Federal Reserve was still on track to taper before the end of the year and concerns about global aggregate demand.  The spread of the contagion has exacerbated the slowdown already seen in parts of Asia.  China's efforts to curb steel output and recognition that the US infrastructure initiative may be smaller than expected were separate sources of...

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