Rockson Advisory

05/10/2026

A short but sweet note this month for Rockson Advisory Insights based on my latest visit to Omaha for my annual Berkshire visit.

I spent my fourth year in Omaha this weekend at the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. My first visit was the first meeting after the COVID-19 pandemic, my second visit was the last year Charlie Munger would appear on stage and my third visit was the final meeting with Warren Buffett as Chief Execut

04/07/2026

Everyone is debating whether the Iran conflict ends in a ceasefire or escalation. Wrong question.

The right question is: what does the scar tissue look like when it's over?

Last week, I wrote my Rockson Advisorykson Advisory Insights newsletter and am catching up on sharing across platforms like LinkedIn, Meta, BiggerPockets and Medium (a bit late on posting!)

However, with the looming deadline from The White House, trading sessions today and tomorrow may be especially telling.

Even in the best case — a near-term resolution — we're still looking at:

→ Energy and food prices that don't snap back
→ A Fed with no room to cut
→ A consumer that was already cracking before the first missile flew
→ A housing market that has functionally closed its doors to a generation of buyers

The Walmart Recession Signal is at its highest reading since 2008. Auto repossessions are tracking toward 3 million — 2009 levels. Nearly 29% of households earning $100K+ now shop at Walmart. The trade-down is no longer a low-income story.

And in the worst case? We're talking accelerated de-dollarization, structural inflation, and an American standard of living that starts converging with Europe's consumer price reality — without the social safety net to cushion it.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scar-tissue-economy-what-iran-conflict-really-costs-us-szikla-7gohe/

Even a ceasefire won't undo the damage. Here's what the accumulating toll means for capital markets, real estate, and the American consumer.

03/03/2026

Commercial real estate is now cheaper than equities on a relative basis. That hasn't happened in roughly 20 years.

In this month's edition of Rockson Advisory Insights, I break down what the data is actually saying about where we are in the cycle — and why private capital isn't waiting around for the all-clear.

A few things I cover:

💡 The valuation reset MetLife Investment Management flagged and what it means for 2026
💡 The $3.4B Veris Residential take-private and the historical pattern it fits into
💡 A list of REITs I think could be next — compared on implied cap rate

One name I've followed since early in my career is Clipper Equity (NYSE: CLPR) that I think deserves a closer look. This one has some personal color alongside the analysis. Would love to hear what you're seeing on the ground.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/commercial-real-estate-trades-cheaper-than-stocks-first-szikla-xw6nc/?trackingId=rOruTRqNR76sW6BBHOy7HA%3D%3D

According to MetLife Investment Management, CRE cap rates relative to stock P/E ratios have dipped below equities for the first time in roughly 20 years. Real estate is now priced cheaper than stocks on a relative basis — a dynamic that hasn't existed since the early 2000s.

02/04/2026

In the February edition of Rockson Advisory Insights, we discuss the three numbers which explain where CRE is heading in 2026:

$545.3B — Full-year transaction volume, up for the second consecutive year

89,400 — Q4 apartment deliveries, the first sub-100K quarter since early 2023

37% — Share of private fundraising that went to data centers (up from 2%)

After two years of recalibration, liquidity is returning and investors are getting off the sidelines. But capital isn't flowing everywhere equally.

Opportunistic strategies are up. Value-add is down. Fundraising timelines have stretched from 15 months to 25.

The market is rewarding precision over broad participation.

What trends are you watching most closely?

After two years of recalibration, commercial real estate is showing clear signs of life. Transaction volume surged, apartment supply finally cooled, and private capital returned to the asset class for the first time since 2021.

01/01/2026

Cheers to 2026 and the opportunities which lie ahead, see the analysis in the latest edition of Rockson Advisory Insights

https://lnkd.in/eXSn3e5n

First of all, wishing my readers a heartfelt happy New Year with much success in the upcoming year! A firm called John Burns Real Estate Consulting puts together a regular which I follow and the signal is clear: expansion mode is here. Capital is flowing again.

12/01/2025

The CRE market just posted its strongest month in two years - read more in the December edition of Rockson Advisory Insights. A few quick notes below:

October saw: → Transaction volume up 28% to $34.6B → Bank lending up 85% YoY → Construction starts up 21%

Multifamily led bidding activity. Office posted its first vacancy decline in five years. And 68% of deals sold above prior purchase price.

After two years of recalibration, capital is moving again and nature is healing.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/q4-momentum-builds-alexander-szikla-w1hle/?trackingId=YDMrIwxOSs648ZaCZ4is3g%3D%3D

According to LightBox, October marked a turning point for U.S.

11/03/2025

In this month's edition of Rockson Advisory Insights, I address the potential consequences of Mamdani's policies if he becomes Mayor of New York. With elections approaching, it's crucial to evaluate your voting options. If you're considering staying home or defaulting to the Democrat candidate, I urge you to reconsider your choice.

As New York prepares to potentially elect Zohran Mamdani as mayor, it's crucial to examine the serious problems with his signature policy proposals. While his promises of affordability sound appealing, the evidence suggests his agenda would actually harm the very New Yorkers he claims to help.

10/03/2025

🏗️ Commercial Real Estate: Signs of Real Recovery Emerging

Check out Rockson Advisory's latest newsletter where we discuss how CRE is finally showing real momentum—and the latest data suggests we may be past the bottom.

Article here: https://lnkd.in/dahhSuKC

📈 In August, the MSCI RCA CPPI recorded the strongest annual price gains since 2022:

All-Property Index: +2.4% YoY | +0.9% MoM
Retail: +5.3% YoY – 15 straight months of growth
Industrial: +5% YoY – strongest since Dec 2024

💡 Multifamily’s paradox: Demand is strong (216K units absorbed YTD), but new supply is shrinking—construction activity is at its lowest since 2016. This could tighten the market and drive rent growth into 2026.

After years of uncertainty, commercial real estate is showing genuine signs of recovery. August delivered the sector's strongest annual price gains since late 2022, and with improving fundamentals across multiple property types, market participants are cautiously optimistic that the worst may be beh

09/22/2025

As we celebrate Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish New Year, wishing you and your family a sweet and prosperous year ahead. Shana Tova from Rockson Advisory!

09/02/2025

Check out the latest version of Rockson Advisory Insights where I discuss three forces which are converging right now:

(1) Opportunity Zones 2.0 launches Jan 2027 (Houston gets 631 zones—5x increase)
(2) Cities embracing radical rezoning (NYC's largest in 20 years)
(3) Capital flowing again (lending momentum up 45%)

Federal incentives + aggressive rezoning + accessible capital = narrow window for outsized returns.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ez9cXhci

Goodbye summer, hello foliage! Hope Labor Day wasn't too laborious for my readers, with impending rate cuts Q4 should sure be an interesting way to end the year. Federal incentives are getting smaller and more competitive.