Real Estate

Bloomberg Denys Laroche has been trying to sell his 18th century one-bedroom apartment just off the Champs-Elysees for six months. If the €3.75 million Paris home doesn’t attract a buyer soon, he may decide to wait for a new president next year. “We have a socialist president who’s increased taxes,” said Laroche, a business owner who’s about to retire and ...

  Bloomberg Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes rose more than projected in March, indicating resilience in demand heading into the spring selling season. Contract closings climbed 5.1 percent to a 5.33 million annualized rate from February’s 5.07 million, figures from the National Association of Realtors showed Wednesday in Washington. The median forecast of 75 economists in a Bloomberg survey ...

  Bloomberg A Chinese-led group agreed to buy Australia’s most iconic cattle company in a deal valued at more than A$370 million ($288 million) after partnering with local investors. The venture, headed by a company controlled by Shanghai Pengxin Group, will purchase 80 percent of S. Kidman & Co., according to a statement to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Australian Rural ...

  Bloomberg Blackstone Group LP, the world’s largest manager of alternative assets, said first-quarter profit fell 77 percent as rocky markets curbed asset sales and new buyouts. Its real estate operation struck two massive deals: a $6.5 billion sale of Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc. to China’s Anbang Insurance Group Co., which is expected to close later this year, and ...

  Bloomberg Workers have almost completed mounting the copper paneling on the American Copper Buildings (née 626 First Avenue), the new tilting, two-towered development on Manhattan’s East Side, but their most striking feature—a three-story, 100-foot-long skybridge—is still open to the elements. A Bloomberg photographer (and a laughably heights-averse reporter) had the chance to take the construction elevator up to the ...

  Bloomberg New-home construction in the U.S. slumped more than projected in March, reflecting a broad-based retreat that showed the industry lost momentum heading into the busiest time of year. Residential starts decreased 8.8 percent to a 1.09 million annualized rate that was the lowest since October and weaker than any forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, Commerce Department data ...

  Bloomberg Shake Shack Inc., which has tantalized investors with promises of rapid growth, may have its expansion plans hindered by weaker real estate skills. The burger chain doesn’t have the management experience or information needed to pick prime locations, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence study from analytics provider Fishbowl. Newer Shake Shack locations were in areas that scored lower ...

  Bloomberg The University of Michigan’s endowment has bolstered its alternative assets with more than $100 million in commitments to venture capital and real estate funds. Michigan also plans a new commitment of $50 million, subject to approval, to CD Capital Natural Resources Fund III, a London-based pool that will invest in early-stage mining opportunities, according to the agenda for ...

  Bloomberg The unexpected rebound in China’s steel market this year is set to keep rolling because record output by mills has so far failed to replenish inventories as the government cranks up stimulus to boost growth. Stockpiles of steel reinforcement bar, used in construction, sank for a sixth week, contracting 6.8 percent in the period to April 18 in ...

  Bloomberg Hines, the developer behind the ultra-luxury condo tower rising by New York’s Museum of Modern Art, has a new project coming to midtown Manhattan: a senior-living community. The builder, in a partnership with senior-housing owner Welltower Inc., acquired a site at the corner of 56th Street and Lexington Avenue for an undisclosed price, according to a joint statement ...