The Lede

CNBC, Jan. 5, 2015--Frank, Robert The average apartment price in Manhattan hit a record $1.95 million in the fourth quarter, as high-end real estate continued to defy volatile stock markets and slowing growth overseas.

Puget Sound Business Journal, Jan. 5, 2016--Stiles, Marc Seattle is back on the list of the top five U.S. cities for foreign commercial real estate investment, according to a new survey.

Wall Street Journal, Jan. 4, 2015--Leubsdorf, Ben Nobel laureates, Federal Reserve policy makers and other top economists converged on San Francisco for the American Economic Association's annual conference. One topic of discussion: the state of the U.S. economy and its prospects at the start of a new year.

Bloomberg, Jan. 4, 2015--Miller, Rich Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer sounds concerned that the central bank may lack some key tools needed both to prevent another financial crisis and to contain the fallout should one occur.

CNBC, Jan. 3, 2015--Gillies, Trent In the shadow of the Fed's modest tightening of monetary policy, mortgage rates have risen as borrowers seek to refinance before interest rates jump in earnest. In the immediate aftermath of the Fed's decision, mortgage applications and refinancings jumped, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Colorado Springs Business Journal, Jan. 6, 2016--Vader, MarijaThe commercial real estate industry will continue its fast pace into 2016, according to Colorado Springs real estate agents, who attribute the quicker pace of transactions to the local favorable political climate locally.

Cap rates for retail, office and industrial single-tenant net-lease properties declined steadily throughout 2015 as investors pursued the asset class's stable returns, reported the Boulder Group, Northbrook, Ill.

Nearly two-thirds of overseas investors surveyed plan modest or major U.S. real estate investments this year despite moderate concerns about higher interest rates, the Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate reported.

CBRE Group, Los Angeles, acquired CBRE Memphis, a commercial real estate services firm that served as the firm's Memphis, Tenn. affiliate since 1996.

Hotels experienced steady bookings increases in late 2015, with 21 of the top 25 markets showing committed occupancy growth, reported TravelClick, New York.