REAL ESTATE

Western nations fret that China is engaged in a grand strategy as it snaps up natural resource assets around the world -- that it is seeking to control the supply of raw materials and dominate manufacturing processes. But could this be a misreading of its motives?

For the past six months or so, Wall Street has been bracing for what many fear may be the next shoe to drop on the already battered U.S. economy: a U.S. commercial real estate bust that could rival the housing market collapse.

Sales of previously owned homes in the United States increased at a faster-than-expected annual pace in June, an industry survey showed on Thursday, in the third straight month of gains.

An unusually robust rise in home prices from April to May could foreshadow a recovery in many U.S. housing markets, according to a report released on Thursday by Radar Logic, a real estate data and analytics company.

The fate of billions of pounds of British commercial property is in the hands of a small group of secretive administrators, leaving investors in the dark about the future returns on their bonds.

Middle East analysts from London-based risk consultancy Exclusive Analysis answer emailed questions about Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE.

Select seasonally adjusted historical data from Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) weekly mortgage application survey

The Watergate Hotel in the U.S. capital, part of a complex made famous by a political scandal which brought down former U.S. President Richard Nixon, has failed to attract bidders at auction.

U.S. mortgage applications rose despite a jump in borrowing costs last week, but still bounced around the year's lows with unemployment fears depressing demand.

Commercial mortgages at U.S. banks have been failing at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years, the Wall Street Journal said, citing its own analysis.

Freddie Mac (FRE.P), the mortgage finance company seized by regulators in September, has chosen Charles

Bank of America's (BAC.N) Merrill Lynch is in talks with several firms including Blackstone (BX.N) and Apollo Investment Management to sell management rights of its $2.65 billion Asian Real Estate Opportunity Fund, a source with knowledge of the deal said.

Homebuilders are getting busier. Housing starts rose 4 percent to 582,000 annualized unit pace in June, the highest six months and over 100,000 higher from the pace just two months ago.

Don't forget to remind potential buyers of something that is obvious to real estate professionals: Now is the time to buy, but that opportunity may be slipping away.

U.S. commercial property prices plunged for a second straight month in May as distressed transactions weighed, but the pace of decline may signal a bottoming process, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.

LaSalle Investment Management on Monday said investor sentiment in the European commercial property sector had stabilised, that repricing had found a floor and that there was rising interest in the UK market.

M&T Bank Corp (MTB.N), a large U.S. mid-Atlantic regional bank, on Monday posted better-than-expected results even as increased credit losses and writedowns led to a 75 percent decline in second-quarter profit.

The U.S. housing market is showing signs of stabilization, according to inventory data released on Monday by national real estate brokerage ZipRealty.

Commercial mortgages at U.S. banks have been failing at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years, the Wall Street Journal said, citing its own analysis.

Helping home owners appeal their tax bills can be a lucrative side business for real estate practitioners - particularly this year when legions of home owners are considering appeals after prices have crashed.

U.S. Treasuries prices were lower on Friday, erasing their early gains after the government data said U.S. housing starts increased in June, bolstering prospects for economic recovery and damping demand for safe-haven U.S. government debt.

New U.S. housing starts and permits jumped more than expected in June, propelled by a rise in single-family homes, a government report showed on Friday.

New U.S. housing starts and permits jumped in June, propelled by a rise in ground-breaking for single-family homes and suggesting the battered housing sector was beginning to stabilize, a government report showed on Friday.

Australian investment group Macquarie CountryWide Trust (MCW.AX) has agreed to sell U.S. property assets for $1.3 billion to a joint venture including Californian state pension fund Calpers, it said on Friday.

A unit of Swiss private bank Sarasin has launched a fund to invest in the shares of environmentally aware property companies in an effort to satisfy growing demand for

A nascent housing market rebound and a rally in shares could trigger a new round of cash raising by Chinese developers, eager to replenish coffers to meet rising demand, spurred by Beijing's economic stimulus measures.

U.S. home builder sentiment in July jumped to its highest level since September as improved sales conditions boosted confidence in the market for new single-family homes, an industry group said on Thursday.

Beijing has found a new culprit to blame for China's asset bubbles -- foreign hot money. China's official reserves are rising again, breaking the $2 trillion mark in April, and unexplained inflows are once again coming under the critical microscope.

U.S. home foreclosure activity galloped to a record in the first half of the year, overwhelming broad efforts to remedy failing loans while job losses escalated.