Beige Book Report: Boston
October 16, 2013
Reports from business contacts indicate the First District economy continues to grow, at a pace that varies depending on sector. Most retailers and manufacturers report moderate increases in revenue, while consulting and advertising contacts cite robust growth. Residential and commercial real estate markets continue to improve. Aside from consulting, most firms are doing little to no hiring, or hiring only for replacement. Prices are largely unchanged. Firms doing business with the government have been affected by the sequester; other firms are also concerned about potential effects of the government shutdown on consumer demand or broader economic effects of hitting the debt ceiling.
Retail and Tourism
The retail contacts reporting for this round cite September year-over-year comp store sales ranging from a 2 percent decrease to increases in the upper single digits. Consumer demand remains strong for apparel, home improvement items, home furnishings, and sporting goods, with online sales accounting for an increasing fraction of total sales. Inventories are said to be in good shape and prices remain steady. Contacts say that while consumer sentiment seems to have improved over the summer months through mid-September--which they attribute in part to more positive trends in the housing market–the recent decline in the stock market and federal government shutdown may damp consumer spending. Respondents note uncertainty about the underlying strength of the economic recovery.
Domestic and international leisure travel and corporate business travel and entertaining are quite strong. Hotel occupancy rates in Boston and Cambridge reached a nine-year high in August, with average room rates the highest in a decade. However, if the federal government shutdown lasts more than ten days, it could curtail some leisure travel, as domestic leisure travelers seem to operate within a 10-day booking window. October is New England's busiest month of the year for travel, so such a curtailment now could be particularly significant for businesses throughout the region that rely on tourism.
Manufacturing and Related Services
Of 11 manufacturing firms contacted this cycle, only one, a frozen food producer, reports falling sales. Among firms reporting higher sales, those in the medical and technology areas with blockbuster products report double-digit sales growth, more or less independently of the state of the economy. The rest of the firms generally report year-on-year sales growth in low single digits and, for such firms, small changes are very significant. For example, a diversified firm in the building equipment and aerospace industries reports sales growth of only 3 percent when they expected 4 percent; as a result, the firm has imposed serious restrictions on hiring and, in some areas, substantial layoffs, as the firm attempts to meet earnings targets through cost containment.
On the global front, China has reportedly stabilized, but several contacts mention that other emerging markets declined, pointing in particular to Brazil and India. Indeed, a contact at a manufacturer of computer storage devices describes the two countries as "disasters." Interestingly, the devaluation of the Indian currency was good for this firm's income statement because, due to outsourcing, their costs in India exceed their revenues; nonetheless, the contact views the turmoil in India as worrisome news. A firm in the semiconductor industry reports that an unusually long down-cycle in sales appears to have come to an end and that sales have returned to their historic peak, achieved in 2010.
Eight of the 11 contacts say they are keeping employment steady and hiring only for replacement or for key needs. Of the remaining three, one plans to consolidate two business lines and cut headquarters staff, including some highly paid executives. The other two, a drug manufacturer and a computer storage firm, are hiring significantly and roughly in line with their sales growth.
Only one contact, a firm in the semiconductor equipment business, reports revising investment plans down recently. The rest are holding steady or accelerating their plans. In particular, the firm planning layoffs is at the same time "investing for the long run," albeit mostly in Asia.
The outlook ranges from fair to very good. One contact in publishing expects slow growth for at least the next 12 to 18 months. Another contact said he was, "increasingly nervous that there is another little slowdown here." But many other contacts are quite optimistic, including a firm that had disappointing results in 2013, where the contact expects 2014 to be better.
Selected Business Services
Consulting and advertising contacts report a strong third quarter, consistent with a sustainably, but not rapidly, growing economy. Healthcare consultants cite the strongest results, as the double-digit revenue growth of the past few years continues. Demand for healthcare consulting services is driven by increased merger and acquisition activity among providers, adoption of new technology, compliance with new regulations, and the need for organizational change due to structural shifts in the healthcare industry. Demand for economic consulting remains strong, and strategy consultants report that "the economy is slowly picking up steam." Marketing contacts estimate industry-wide growth of 6 percent to 7 percent, driven by large corporate orders and a shift in demand towards higher-value items as companies have more to spend on marketing and branding. By contrast, a government consultant reports a slight drop in revenues and a smaller backlog as the sequester continues to reduce agencies' ability to purchase services.
Most firms' annual salary adjustments range from 2 percent to 4 percent. A majority of contacts report minimal increases in health insurance costs; however, two cite troublingly large increases. Firms' own rate increases are about 3 percent to 5 percent. Economic and healthcare consulting firms have been increasing employment 10 percent to 15 percent on an annual basis, strategy consultants closer to 5 percent, while marketing and government consultants report little to no hiring.
Contacts expect growth to continue at or moderately above its current level as long as the economy is not hit with a shock. Other than the government contractor, contacts are not worried about the sequester or European uncertainty, and several note that European risk has been "priced in" or forgotten about. Several are very concerned, however, about the potential for a debt ceiling-induced financial crisis.
Commercial Real Estate
Reports from First District contacts describe the region's commercial real estate markets as either stable or strengthening. A Boston contact cites improvement in leasing fundamentals in recent weeks across diverse sectors--including office and assisted living facilities--while investment sales demand is up from an already-strong pace. Redevelopment activity picked up in Boston's retail sector, with plans for filling and retooling vacant space in both urban and suburban locations. Another Boston contact says office leasing activity is roughly unchanged since the last report, with strong demand in the Seaport and Kendall Square areas and comparatively weak demand for locations in the Financial District. Build-to-suit office construction continues in prime neighborhoods but otherwise office construction is negligible in metro Boston. A Portland contact notes significant improvements in leasing fundamentals and investment demand in recent months. In Hartford, the sale of two large office building in recent months has resulted in a significant decline in the office vacancy rate for class A space, from upwards of 25 percent to roughly 17 percent, a decline that should lead to some firming of rents after a long period of stagnation. Also in Hartford, investor demand for prime office and multifamily properties stayed strong. A Providence contact is mostly upbeat, citing a modest uptick in leasing activity in recent weeks and some positive absorption of downtown office space. While leasing volume increased across the region, contacts note that most leasing deals consist of renewals-in-place or relocations of existing firms, with little to no net expansion of firms' footprints.
In Boston, local conditions lead contacts to expect more slow-to-modest growth in the commercial real estate sector moving forward, but national economic and political conditions lend uncertainty and downside risks to the outlook. In both Rhode Island and Connecticut, contacts are cautiously optimistic that commercial leasing fundamentals will continue to improve, but note that their respective states face persistent challenges to economic growth, leaving their overall prospects weaker than the U.S. average. A Portland contact is mostly optimistic that southern Maine will continue to see modest growth in leasing fundamentals, but expects investment sales to slow with rising interest rates.
Residential Real Estate
Residential real estate contacts in the First District say markets continue to strengthen and they are "cautiously optimistic" about the outlook. According to a source in New Hampshire, realtors are no longer talking about returning to a "non-recession" market, but rather stating that market conditions have returned to normal. August saw sales of single-family homes and condominiums continuing to increase across the region compared to August 2012. Market participants, however, are watching interest rates closely. Where current market activity is largely driven by first time home buyers--such as in Maine and Connecticut--higher interest rates could slow sales. In other states, rising interest rates may be temporarily spurring activity as buyers attempt to lock in lower rates. With the exception of one state which saw condo prices fall, median prices for single-family homes and condominiums rose in August relative to last year. Inventory trends vary across the states, with Massachusetts seeing inventory for single-family homes and condos low compared to historic norms--making it a sellers' market--while inventory in Maine increased in August compared to a year ago and New Hampshire sources indicate there "appears to be more balance between buyers and sellers."
While First District realtors say that this has been a turnaround year, they fear economic shocks could still stall the recovery. In addition, respondents express concern about negative effects on housing markets of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012; they say that lack of affordable flood insurance may cause values to fall and buyer delays in newly redrawn flood zones.