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Cicada Investments News
Welcome to Cicada Investments News hub. This resource is for the use and benefit of existing Cicada Investments clients and anyone else interested in our current investment markets in the US. In addition to regular email updates from your Account Manger this facility will allow you to examine some recent news coverage relating to this investment.
The content is carried from a range of sources, we hope this is useful to you, please feel free to contact the team if you have questions relating to this information.
GM, Ford Sales Top Analysts' Estimates
June 02, 2010
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. posted U.S. sales increases in May that topped analysts' estimates as higher consumer confidence and inexpensive gasoline spurred customers to buy more sport utility vehicles.
GM's deliveries rose 17 percent from a year earlier to 223,822, the Detroit-based automaker said today in a statement. GM was expected to report a 5.9 percent increase, the average estimate of five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Ford sales rose 22 percent, topping the average estimate of a 16 percent gain.
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Eight Signs Of A Real Estate Rebound
April 23, 2010
Is the housing market on the verge of recovering? Is it recovering already? If you're not sure whether you believe the economists and pundits who think they can see the future, here are some tools that will help you make up your own mind.
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Top 25 US Real Estate Markets For Growth In 2010
April 09, 2010
Metropolitan areas in Michigan and Ohio topped Housing Predictor's list of the top housing markets for 2010. Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati were among the hardest hit real estate markets in the US, and are now expected to see double-digit gains as prices rebound from market lows.
The Great Lakes region is leading the U.S. out of the housing downturn as lower home prices trigger an increase in buyers with government incentives. The shake-up in Housing Predictor's best 25 housing markets for 2010 leaps Detroit, Michigan one of the worst impacted markets in the nation to the #1 position. Detroit is now forecast to experience double-digit appreciation in home prices for the year.
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GM Picture Brightens as Sales Rise
March 23, 2010
General Motors Co. appears to be making progress in the first quarter, benefiting from savings won in bankruptcy court, an improving economy and firmer pricing.
At the same time, the U.S.'s largest car maker has seen sales rise and is on track to produce 75% more vehicles in the first quarter in North America than a year ago.
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Housing Real-Estate Recovery Signaled as Fed Unwinds
March 15, 2010
The U.S. housing market is poised to withstand the removal of government and Federal Reserve stimulus programs and rebound later in the year, contributing to annual economic growth for the first time since 2006.
Increases in jobs, credit and affordable homes will help offset the end of the Fed's purchases of mortgage-backed securities this month and the expiration of a federal homebuyer tax credit in April. Sales will rise about 6 percent this year, and housing will account for 0.25 percentage point of the 3.6 percent growth, according to forecasts by Dean Maki, chief U.S. economist for Barclays Capital in New York.
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Buffett: US housing market now healed
March 01, 2010
World-renowned investor Warren Buffett says US property market problems will be gone within a year.
In his annual letter to shareholders in his Berkshire Hathaway company, Buffett said that while prices will remain 'far below bubble levels' for the foreseeable future, the balance between supply and demand for new houses has been restored.
Buffett - who is known as the 'Sage of Omaha' after making a career from beating the markets - now sees only a positive future for well-again US property after three years of turmoil.
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Trading places: Toyota, not Detroit, worries dealers
February 14, 2010
When thousands of dealers gathered for the annual National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Orlando, Florida, this weekend, it was "Toyota. Toyota. Toyota."
The specter of Toyota Motor Corp, and how it stumbles or recovers from the biggest safety recall in its stellar history, was everywhere, including at press conferences hosted by its rival automakers.
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Home Prices Rise in Metro Areas
February 12, 2010
Home prices rose in more than a third of U.S. metropolitan areas in the fourth quarter, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday as it pointed to a "broad stabilization" in values.
The median price for single-family home resales was up from a year earlier in 67 of the 151 U.S. metropolitan areas included in the trade group's quarterly survey. But other housing analysts say the home-price trend depends heavily on any recovery in the job market and on the pace of foreclosures
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US property index reports price increases
February 10, 2010
Almost all areas in the US have reported property price rises in the last three months, it has been announced.
Clear Capital's Home Data Index showed that nationwide prices rose a total of 1.8 per cent within that time period, with the biggest increases occurring in the Midwest.
Detroit was the city with the largest gains in price, although this was put down to the steep deeclin in value of property in the region earlier in 2009.
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US residential property market sees steady rise in real estate prices in last three months
February 09, 2010
Detroit led all Metropolitan Statistical Areas with a 14.6% quarterly gain in January. The jump follows a 14.1% increase in November 2009 and 17.4% rise in December. But the price increases in Detroit come on the back of a steep decline. "Detroit always raises eyebrows. But we have to put it in perspective in terms of how far these prices have fallen. In Detroit, we're talking a nearly 80% drop from the peak," explained Alex Villacorta, senior statistician at Clear Capital.
He added that what's driving demand is the lower end of the housing market in Detroit. The first time homebuyer tax credit, a larger buying pool for consumers and an increase in investor presence stirs the activity in the lower-tier market in Detroit.
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Toyota's Pain, Detroit's Gain
February 02, 2010
U.S. auto sales were generally higher in January as the economic recovery continued to take hold, but a strong month for Ford Motor and General Motors came at least partially at the expense of a rocky performance from Toyota, which was plagued by a recall and suspended sales on several top models that resulted.
Ford sales were up 24.6% from January 2009, with sales increases for every brand in every category. Cars saw a 43% spike while crossover sales increased by 20%. Ford's market share climbed to 16%, a two-percentage-point lift from January of 2009. On Jan. 28 Ford reported its first profit in four years.
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US car industry rises from the ashes with debut of 'world car' at Detroit
January 11, 2010
A Ford vehicle billed as the company's first "world car" made its debut at the opening of a defiantly optimistic Detroit motor show, as America's battered car industry insisted it was rising from the ashes of its worst crisis since the second world war.
Arguing that international tastes in car buying were converging, Ford launched a new version of its Focus family car. Unusually for the motor industry, it will be sold in Europe, the US, Africa and Asia with 80% uniformity in its parts.
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Electric investment key to Detroit's revival
January 10, 2010
The Cobo Center which hosts the annual Detroit motor show is in dire need of investment.
The ageing building on the bank of the Detroit river is losing ground to rival venues in other US cities, so a plan to inject $288m (£180m) to spruce up the place was recently given the go-ahead by the city council.
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GM's Bold Outlook: a Profit This Year
January 06, 2010
General Motors Co. will make money in 2010, its chairman said Wednesday, a bold and surprising forecast for a business that exited bankruptcy proceedings just last summer and hasn't turned an annual profit since 2004.
"My prediction is we will be" profitable in 2010, Edward E. Whitacre Jr. told reporters at GM's Detroit headquarters, a sign of rising confidence that also sets a tough benchmark for the still-struggling car maker's employees. "Do we have obstacles in the way? Yes. But we have a good management team and a good plan in place."
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MARKETS SURGE AS US EMERGES FROM SLUMP
October 30, 2009
Markets surged as the US economy emerged from the longest and deepest recession since the Great Depression, expanding at an annual rate of 3.5 per cent in the third quarter according to figures released yesterday.
The main Dow Jones index closed up 200 points to 9,962.58, while the technology-laced Nasdaq jumped 38 points to 2,097.55. In the UK, the FTSE 100 rose 57 points to 5137.72.
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Running a property investment
October 26, 2009
Whether you own a single rental apartment or a fat property portfolio, the devil's in the detail. Being a good landlord â by which we mean protecting your own interests, keeping your tenants happy, and complying with the law - is not rocket science; but you do have to know what is needed and keep on top of it.
So what do you need to think about? "Even before you buy anything you need to have done your homework," says Catherine Cockcroft, lettings director at property agent Aylesford. This involves being businesslike - choosing a particular segment of the rental market and buying an appropriate kind of property in an appropriate area. "Speak to a local agent before you buy and get a feel for who rents what and where," she advises.
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How to invest in residential property
October 26, 2009
Returns from buy-to-let investments have been fantastic for those who pioneered the asset class during the late 1990s. But opinion is now divided on the wisdom of a buy-to-let investment in the current economic climate.
Over the past two years, the 'bears' have become increasingly alarmed by the massive growth of buy-to-let mortgages, as competing providers have relaxed loan-to-value (LTV) conditions. There are now about 849,900 investment mortgages outstanding (£95bn), compared with 73,200 (£5.4bn) in 1999, because lenders have reduced the deposit requirements from an absolute minimum of 25 per cent of value, and no longer demand rental income equivalent to 130 per cent of mortgage repayments. The 'bears' are simply concerned that highly geared buy-to-let investors will be hurt should property prices fall, particularly those who are financially stretched and those involved in co-ownership ventures. Co-ownership is promoted by specialist websites enabling complete strangers to collaborate and raise a loan on a property and, because it's simpler for co-buyers to get a mortgage for a buy-to-let than for a primary residence, many under the age of 35 are tempted to use this route to get a foothold on the property ladder while they continue to live at home.
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Buying property at auction
October 26, 2009
Property auctions for both residential property and commercial premises have become increasingly popular. More estate agents now sell through auctions as well as traditional channels (see list below) and some property investors only buy through auctions because of the opportunity to pick up a bargain and because they make the purchase of buying a property much quicker. From start to finish, the whole process can take just over a month, compared with an average of three months when buying through an estate agent.
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Five property swindles exposed
October 26, 2009
Our main feture - Property swindles exposed - showed that the property rip-off industry is alive and well. Preying on the weak-minded may be unethical, but it is not illegal. Sadly, despite the obvious flaws in the following methods, you can't legislate for greed or stupidity.
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Investing in overseas property
September 02, 2008
Overseas property has been one of the investment world's hottest parties in recent years. With the onset of the credit crunch, however, the hangover has set in with a vengeance. Property investors are banging their heads against the wall from Marbella to Marseilles, and from Miami to Melbourne. You may think, then, that this is a strange moment to be considering the virtues of overseas real estate. But history shows that conditions such as these can offer great opportunities to those with the vision and resources to exploit them
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Doing it right and avoiding pitfalls
September 02, 2008
So, you've viewed the development, sipped the marketing suite's champagne and fallen in love with your overseas property. Whether your purpose is to secure a vital asset for your future prosperity or simply a foreign getaway, itâs time to get down to business. And it is at this stage that so many buyers get it so wrong.
Some of the mistakes people commonly make seem almost unbelievably obvious. An estimated seven out of 10 overseas property buyers do not use a lawyer for their purchase. While some people do get away with doing this, many end up losing out, sometimes in spectacular style.
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