REITs

Just connecting the dots. You tell me.

Once again, the algospasms have turned many funds into dust as those attempting to short brokerage stocks, REITs, etc. in front of the European implosion are getting killed. Clearly, investors are voting that U.S. commercial real estate is the last bastion of safety, and the primary growth industry in 2011 will be stock trading.

The pressure is on the 19-year old motion-chasing "portfolio managers" at TIAA-CREF, CalPers, Harvard Endowment, Gates Foundation, et al to buy whatever is going up and sell losers immediately, and continue looking in the garbage bins for more "alpha" to goose returns.

Today is proof that the Algo/Igor/Robo computer trading programs have run amok. While Wall St. engages in bear raids against foreign countries, panicked algos are triggering wild squeezes everywhere, causing lots of head scratching among the pundits trying to explain these insane moves. Proof that the worse the Greece situation gets, the retail stocks simply go up faster.

Spreads managed to hold onto modest widening today in the US as IG underperformed HY, indices underperformed intrinsics, single-name activity was extremely muted, and low beta underperformed high beta. Notable underperformance in Europe, spreading idiosyncratic sovereign risk to SovX to FINLs to Main and up to XOver was not enough to upset the optimistic US investor today, though it was one of the least convicted days in a long time.

Even as Bank of America is preparing to restart securitization and thus provide the single greatest gift to creditors the world over, as this is merely the first step in wiping out/transferring yet more trillions in private sector debt, it has done the public a bigger favor by compiling the following list of key terms for all those lost in the current labyrinth of definitions,acronyms and euphemisms. Since following the Goldman legal plight will require a facility with some heretofore quite complex constructs, the following catalog is a must read for all financial novices.

How many ways can a Wall Street Banker bend over an institutional client before they scream "ouch"??? Let me count the ways (with a spreadsheet, may I add)...

Spreads were broadly tighter today with HY outperforming IG as equities got a boost from retail sales, Bernanke's low-and-long comments, and Beige book headlines. JPM's earnings (along with CSX's beat and INTC's smash) also helped as financials outperformed in equity and credit. The psychological break of several critical levels in equity and credit indices seems relevant for the moment (despite the survivorship bias inherent in these long-run indices reducing the real worth) but there was no arguing with the breadth today as tighteners outpaced wideners by over 8-to-1.

Another day where the problems of the PIIGS, gyrating interest rates, skyrocketing unemployment and vacancies, imploding housing starts, and other assorted ills are totally shucked off by the favored "must own" sectors: REITs, retail, and financials.

Delinquency rates up, Cap rates up, Macro outlook down, CRE REIT equity prices up. Sounds about right!

Anyone notice that Michelle C-Squared has been gradually dolling up for the inevitable Dow 11,000? Hate to sound like a broken record, but it appears that each day we have another round of breakouts in the retail and REIT sector, as if fund managers are giddy at the prospect of Michelle losing a few buttons on her blouse on Monday.

Last weekend The Los Angeles Times featured a story about the war room discussions at PIMCO. Now with over $1 trillion under management and bonds teetering, the pressure must be huge to start chasing equities and other risk assets.

Another day with a plethora of consumer stock breakouts, defying higher interest rates, ongoing problems with the PIIGS, and other assorted credit-related convulsions and algospasms.

On top of the previously announced record delinquency rate for Fannie, here comes some even worse news out of commercial real estate, which together with record high downtown vacancy rates, should be enough to push all REITs to 1052 week highs tomorrow. RealPoint has just released its March CMBS delinquency data, according to which delinquencies hit an all time high 6%. Not to be ignored, according to TREPP this number is even worse, at nearly 8%, after the single biggest monthly spike in 30 day + delinquencies.

Surely this must be worth a strong buy upgrade of the REIT sector by someone (too bad most banks already have these in the "conviction buy to the grave" category). Bloomberg TV reports that the office vacancy rate in downtown NY has dropped to September 11th levels, and is about to pass 14%. In other words short reality, long hopium and office REITs, and presto - 100% P&L overnight. Who needs such boring things as cash flows when you have record vacancies and guaranteed, undipsuted bailouts.