Single-Family Housing Squeeze Eases in Texas; Multifamily Soars Laila Assanie
Single-family home sales in Texas—constrained by steadily rising prices,
tight bank lending standards and insufficient new-house inventory—should gain traction in 2015. A booming apartment market moderates slightly amid still-elevated construction activity, occupancy rates and rents.
On the Record: Bankers Reengage in Housing as Purchasers Confront Budget-Busting Prices
A Conversation with Mark G. Dotzour
Mark G. Dotzour is chief economist and director of research at the
Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Dotzour, an observer of residential and commercial real estate trends, discusses why Texas home prices are hitting new highs, the prospects for new construction and housing’s overall impact on the Texas economy.
Budget Balancing Act: Health and Education Stretch Texas Resources Jason Saving
Texas legislators confront a key challenge: how to make much-needed investments in health, education and transportation without sacrificing the fiscal structure that has propelled the economy over the last few decades.
On the Record: South Texas County Hopes to See Lasting Gains from Eagle Ford Shale Oil Boom A Conversation with Joel Rodriguez
Joel Rodriguez took office in 2003 as La Salle County judge, the area's chief administrative and judicial officer. The South Texas county had among the largest oil production increases in the booming Eagle Ford Shale from 2010 to 2013. The Eagle Ford is one of the most productive formations brought online with hydraulic fracturing technology. As a result of the boom, wages and employment have soared, but so have rents and food prices. Hear additional excerpts of the interview
Mexico's New Banking Measures Aim
to Increase Credit, Transparency Edward C. Skelton
The overhaul of Mexico's banking laws, enacted as part of President Enrique Peña Nieto's wide-ranging economic and business structural changes, is designed to increase credit to small and medium-sized businesses while enhancing regulatory oversight and transparency.