Economy

From interest rates to inflation, understand the impact of macroeconomic trends on the real estate capital markets.

The Beyond Insights series aims to deliver timely economic and market-driven insights to better inform your commercial real estate investment decisions.

Markets

From local market rents to cap rates, catch up on the latest capital markets insights.

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U.S. ECONOMIC MACRO COMMENTARY & INSIGHTS

The State of Borrowing Costs: Higher Rates, Tighter Spreads

August 28, 2026
  • Agency CMBS spreads have maintained a holding pattern for nearly 7 months
  • Inflation continues to linger above the Fed’s stated 2% goal
  • U.S. Treasury makes a play to drive interest rates tighter

There has been a lot of ink spilled recently about Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement that the Treasury Department will increase its buybacks of longer-dated securities. But let’s not conflate the Treasury and the Fed. The Treasury’s job is to finance the government. The Fed’s job is to maintain price stability and employment. For years, investors have looked to the Fed when policymakers wanted to influence financial conditions or borrowing costs. Treasury’s recent actions don’t carry the same firepower.

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Trading Spreads Hold Tight

Source: Berkadia *Freddie Mac yet to report August totals*

2026 Multifamily Investor Sentiment Survey

In December 2025, we surveyed over 250 of our trusted clients from various companies, with most holding senior-level titles, for our second annual Multifamily Investor Sentiment Survey. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive view of current market sentiments to our clients, and we plan to share our findings in our detailed report.

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2026 Multifamily
Powerhouse Poll

In Berkadia’s Annual Multifamily Powerhouse Poll, we surveyed over 200 investment sales advisors and mortgage bankers to offer their unique perspectives on the state of the commercial real estate (CRE) industry.

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Insights

Inflation’s Second Act 

For a steady three years, besides a blip surrounding the Liberation Day tariff announcements, markets operated under the assumption that inflation was steadily moving back toward the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. April’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was the second straight data point that challenged the narrative. Consumer prices rose 3.8% year-over-year, above consensus expectations and marking the highest inflation reading since 2023. The acceleration was predominately driven by…

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Insights

Berkadia FHA/HUD: 2026 FHA Conference 

More than 120 members of Berkadia’s FHA/HUD platform recently gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, for three days of collaboration, learning, and strategic alignment. The conference highlighted the strength of Berkadia’s team, the momentum across the business, and the platform’s continued focus on delivering exceptional outcomes for clients and communities. Throughout the event, leaders and team…

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Insights

Powell’s Finale – The April FOMC Meeting

Markets entered the April Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting focused on the same issue that had dominated for years—the timing of rate cuts. They left with a more important message: the Fed is no longer guiding toward easing. The Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate unchanged at 3.50%–3.75%, but the headline decision obscures the…

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