Landmark Links – August 18th: College

Lead Story…. Investors are casting a wary eye towards bonds backed by student loans as repayment concerns mount. However: Nearly all of the good jobs created since 2010 have gone to college grads.  Related: More Millennials are stuck renting for years before buying a home.

Economy

Elephant in the Room: on the surface, S&P 500 earnings look awful. However they aren’t bad at all if you exclude oil.

California’s economy is going HAM except for that whole pesky lack of rain thing.

Commercial – International Edition

Viva La Revolucion! Cuba’s real estate market is about to soar due to thawing relations with the United States. However, American companies are getting left behind as foreign investors get a head start.

The Falling Yuan: Could be a net positive for commercial real estate even if it’s a mixed bag for the US economy as a whole

Residential

They’re Baaaaack: Lone Star just issued $72mm in securities backed by home loans to borrowers with riskier credit profiles.

Confidence Game: builder confidence levels are now at levels not seen since 2005 but starts are lagging. A lot.

Un-affordable: Affordability took a hit in the 2nd quarter as home prices rose.

More Great News For the Middle Class: Mid-tier apartment rents are now rising even faster than luxury apartment rents.

Profiles

“Amazon seems like a fun place to work” said no one who (apparently) works at Amazon.  Contra: At least one employee calls BS on the NY Times story.

Dear D!$k Head: Studies find that venting via email is actually (sadly) bad for us.

The California Energy Miracle: California’s gains in energy efficiency since the 1970s compared to other states has been incredible.

Sorry to Burst Your Bubble: Classic cars are almost always a shitty investment.

Chart of the Day

WTF

Video of the Day: Luddites rejoice as eagle takes down drone.

Amped: Woman goes blind after drinking 28 Red Bulls per day. I’m sure she was delightful to spend time with.

Mud Wrestling: Pig wrestler throws animal rights activist over a fence a a county fair in Utah. 

Landmark Links – A candid look at the economy, real estate, and other things sometimes related.

Visit us at Landmarkcapitaladvisors.com