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Commercial Real Estate 2

Paper Session

Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (PST)

San Francisco Marriott Marquis, Nob Hill C
Hosted By: American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association
  • Chair: Stanimira Milcheva, University College London

Motivated Investors and Operational Efficiency

Zifeng Zeng
,
University of Texas-El Paso
William Hardin III
,
Florida International University
Daniel Huerta
,
Florida Gulf Coast University
Thanh Ngo
,
East Carolina University

Abstract

This study evaluates the role of motivated investors in enhancing firm performance through operational efficiency improvements, a necessary precursor to better operating results, stock returns, and firm value, using a sample of real estate investment trusts (REITs). Our results suggest that the mere presence of institutional owners is unrelated to firm-level operational efficiency, whereas a large concentration of motivated institutional owners significantly improves efficiency. This result is more substantial in larger, highly leveraged firms and is robust to endogeneity, self-selection, and reverse causality tests. We additionally find that increased motivated institutional ownership leads to significant efficiency gains, while reductions have no impact on efficiency. Our findings indicate that motivated institutional owners provide relevant oversight, resulting in managerial discipline, especially in terms of operating cost control. We advance the literature by highlighting the impact of specific institutional investor types on firm operations, performance, and returns and by linking motivated investors to efficiency gains as a channel to higher firm valuations.

Quantitative Easing and Global Commercial Real Estate Price Spillovers

Bing Zhu
,
Technical University Munich
Dorinth Willem van Dijk
,
De Nederlandsche Bank
Dennis Bonam
,
De Nederlandsche Bank and VU Amsterdam
Goy Gavin
,
De Nederlandsche Bank and University of Amsterdam

Abstract

The effectiveness of unconventional monetary policies (UMPs) and their international spillovers to global asset prices and capital flows have dominated policy discussions. This paper is the first to document the effect of UMP on global commercial real estate (CRE) markets. Even though the size of CRE as asset class is substantial, the subject has received very limited interest in research studying the effect of monetary policy. We empirically find that a domestic UMP significantly impacts US CRE pricing through credit supply. We additionally document persistent price effects on foreign non-US CRE markets. This effect largely stems from global CRE market spillovers. In fact, global CRE market spillovers are found to amplify the original domestic UMP effect on US CRE prices. We aim to enrich our empirical findings with a two-country DSGE-model that includes CRE pricing.

Real Estate Values and Corporate Yield Spreads

Sean Wilkoff
,
University of Nevada-Reno
Yifei Li
,
University of Nevada-Reno
Anni Wang
,
University of Nevada-Reno

Abstract

We investigate the impact of corporate real estate values on corporate bond yields. A higher collateral value of real estate can decrease expected loss and lower default probability, thus decreasing yield spreads, while the costly reversibility of real estate might heighten firms’ riskiness, resulting in higher yield spreads. Our results show a negative correlation between real estate values and corporate yield spreads, supporting the collateral value channel. Specifically, a one-standard deviation increase in real estate values as a proportion of net fixed assets results in a 4.2 basis points reduction in yield spreads for all U.S. corporate bonds in our sample, increasing to 20 basis points for speculative-grade bonds. Furthermore, this effect is more pronounced in the presence of local housing price shocks and is particularly significant if the firm has experienced substantial changes in real estate holdings. Our research suggests that the market value of corporate real estate holdings is a determinant of bond yield spreads, contributing to a deeper understanding of the dynamics between collateral assets and unsecured corporate debt.

Overlapping Real Asset Networks and Corporate Investment

Jeffrey P. Cohen
,
University of Connecticut
David Ling
,
University of Florida
Andy Naranjo
,
University of Florida
Chongyu Wang
,
Florida State University

Abstract

This study shows how the interconnected networks of real assets among corporations affect their corporate investment choices, which highlights the importance of asset networks in determining firm investment. We first develop a theoretical model that predicts commonalities resulting from a firm’s asset network will lead to higher optimal investment, and we test these predictions using spatial econometrics and network methods. Controlling for both industry and headquarters co-investments, we find a 1% increase in the instrumented asset network co-investments relative to its long-term average is associated with a 0.35% increase in the typical firm’s rate of investment. We also find that the effect of the headquarters network (asset network) on firm investment decays (increases) with the extent of a firm’s geographic complexity (gauged by the number of locations in which a firm has a physical presence). We further show our documented asset network effect prevails among firms with higher corporate real estate holdings, which can be pledged as collateral for debt financing. A 1% increase in the debt issuance of companies in a firm’s asset network relative to its long-term average is associated with a 0.37% increase in a firm’s debt issuance.

Discussant(s)
Meagan McCollum
,
University of Tulsa
Carles Vergara
,
IESE Business School
Mariya Letdin
,
Florida State University
Alex van de Minne
,
University of Connecticut
JEL Classifications
  • R0 - General