It’s a milestone week at The CRE Weekly Digest—our one-year anniversary and 52nd episode. From launch day to today, we’ve unpacked the headlines, challenged assumptions, and surfaced the trends that matter most for CRE professionals navigating uncertainty. This episode is no different.
Markets are running hot, with stocks brushing all-time highs despite risks from Middle East volatility to tariff headwinds and the Powell–Trump standoff. Is it optimism or selective amnesia? Manus calls it like he sees it, with Dianne and Martha weighing in on rate cut speculation, earnings compression, and investor fatigue.
In CRE, conviction is showing up in the form of major bets: a $211M construction loan in Miami’s Edgewater, a Manhattan office-to-resi conversion, and a surge in data center demand, even as zoning friction and energy strain rise. Cincinnati tops rent growth rankings, and Walmart experiments with dark stores and drone delivery.
We also give an advance look at the latest LightBox CRE Activity Index and spotlight the metros showing real momentum in environmental due diligence.
And finally, a big thank you to our listeners—from NYC to Singapore—for showing up, weighing in, and pushing the conversation forward every week. Here’s to the next 52 episodes.
00:52 Geopolitical Tensions and Market Reactions
07:03 Interest Rates and Economic Outlook
12:29 New York City Mayoral Election and Potential Fallout
19:14 The Rise of Data Centers in the AI Era
24:57 Gyms are Back and Part of the Amenity Draw
27:39 Bold Moves in Multifamily and Office-Resi
35:11 Innovations in Retail: Dark Stores and Drone Delivery
37:00 Celebrating One Year of Insights with the Pod Team
Have questions for the pod team? Send them to Podcast@LightBoxRE.com
