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Audi plans a $4 billion SUV factory near Fort Valley, Georgia, south of Macon. It would be the Volkswagen-owned automaker’s first U.S. manufacturing plant.
Approximately 1,100 acres owned and developed by the state and a local economic development authority.
The plant is expected to manufacture Q5 and Q9 SUVs.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with completion estimated for 2028.
Houston’s 29% monthly sales jump needs a reality check: September was up just 3.2% from a year earlier, and year-to-date sales remain down 1.2%. A strong month, not proof the market has turned.
Houston-area new vehicle sales increased in September, with dealers selling 39,508 vehicles, up 3.2% year over year and 29.0% from August.
Despite the monthly increase, sales over the past 12 months declined 2.3% to 382,535 vehicles, with trucks and SUVs accounting for 80.8% of total sales.
⭐View report: ow.ly/nweP5100hKq
U.S. office vacancy is falling even though companies are not hiring at anything close to a normal pace.
U.S. office vacancy is falling, but the forecast points to a recovery that doesn’t require a hiring boom.
CoStar now expects 12 million square feet of office inventory to disappear this year. That makes the vacancy forecast look better, not the demand forecast.”
New construction has collapsed. The Americas office construction pipeline is 82% below its 2020 peak, leaving little new supply to relieve pressure on premium buildings.
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U.S. healthcare spending is growing faster than the economy, driven by rising prices rather than a sicker population. Total spending reached $5.3 trillion in 2024, up 7.2% from the previous year.
The cost of US healthcare: 7 numbers to know
The U.S. spent $5.3 trillion on healthcare in 2024, or more than $10 million every minute, according to a KFF Health News analysis published Oct. 23.
hubs.ly/Q04Chjxy0
Texas manufacturers reported slower production growth in October, yet their outlook improved.
dallasfed.org/research/surve…
HealthSpan Partners, an affiliate of Bon Secours Mercy Health, has agreed to acquire Surgery Partners in a deal valued at $5.7 billion, including debt.
More than 200 locations across 30 states and approximately 5,000 affiliated physicians, spanning ambulatory surgery centers, surgical hospitals and physician practices.
Expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Cerenome expands to 36,500 SF of purpose-built lab & office space at Levit Green (Hines’ 53-acre life sciences district next to the Texas Medical Center).
The CNS oncology company (radiotherapeutics + diagnostics for brain/CNS cancers) expects its new space complete late next year.
Anthropic announced it filed an S-1 registration statement with the SEC for a proposed IPO of Class A common stock.
The company intends to list on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “ANT,” with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as underwriters.
Anthropic has filed an S-1 registration statement with the SEC related to its proposed IPO.
Read more: anthropic.com/news/s1-sec
Legal disclaimer: A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This post does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
The AI boom is running into a surprisingly ordinary obstacle: electrical equipment that can take three years to arrive.
bisnow.com/news/national/dat…
U.S. economic growth picked up in September 📈
Chicago Fed National Activity Index:
▫️ Headline: +0.07 vs. −0.08 in August
▫️ 3-month avg: +0.03 vs. +0.01
Production led the rebound, while consumption & housing weakened.
Growth improved,but strength wasn’t broad-based.
The latest Baker Hughes U.S. rig count is 603, unchanged for the week. That’s 53 rigs higher than a year ago, an increase of 9.6%.
Oil rigs: 460 versus 459 last week and 420 a year ago. Up 40 YoY.
Gas rigs: 132 versus 133 last week and 121 a year ago. Up 11 YoY
Miscellaneous rigs: Unchanged at 11
A flat vacancy rate looks like a market standing still.Houston’s office vacancy sits at 27.6%, unchanged from last quarter and from a year ago. Read only that number and you miss the quarter.
coydavidson.com/houston-offi…
43% of U.S. hospitals are losing money on operations, up from roughly 33% before the pandemic, as rising costs and more unpaid care squeeze already-thin margins. The median operating margin fell to 1.8% in August 2026, down from 5.6% in June, according to Kaufman Hall data covering more than 1,300 hospitals.
Why 43% of hospitals are losing money
Roughly 43% of U.S. hospitals are operating at a loss, up from about 33% before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Kaufman Hall’s August 2026 “National Hospital Flash Report published Oct. 13.
hubs.ly/Q04C6MLB0
Consumer sentiment held nearly unchanged this month, yet buying conditions for durables plunged 18% on higher rates and affordability worries.
Year-ahead business conditions improved about 14% this month, yet they remain 16% below last October and overall sentiment is still down 10% from a year ago.
US growth stays strong, but inflation heats up. October flash PMI eased to 57.6 from 58.4, still signaling robust expansion. Manufacturing PMI hit a 53-month high of 56.0, while selling prices rose at the fastest pace since Aug. 2022.
pmi.spglobal.com/Public/Home…
Retail rent increases slow to a crawl in third quarter
Landlords struggle to push pricing higher even as nationwide store vacancy falls to 4.3%
Retail vacancy fell to 4.3%, yet annual rent growth slowed to 1.6%. The constraint isn’t available space. It’s what a store can earn after paying rent.
Houston absorbed roughly 1.5 apartments for every unit delivered this year. Occupancy reached 91.2%, its highest since early 2022.
Q3 2026 Houston Multifamily Market Report
Occupancy at its highest level since early 2022, paired with tapering deliveries and a thinning construction pipeline, points to firmer footing for Houston multifamily heading into 2027.
🔗 colliers.com/en/research/hou…
Texas job growth is slowing, but the Dallas Fed still forecasts a modest increase for 2026 despite September’s job losses.
dallasfed.org/research/forec…
Houston lost 7,300 jobs in September, yet its annual job growth still ran at roughly three times the national pace.
Metro Houston lost 7,300 jobs in September as private sector losses outpaced seasonal hiring in public education.
Despite the monthly decline, the region added 33,600 jobs over the past 12 months, growing at roughly three times the national pace, with construction leading annual gains.
📊See employment update: ow.ly/QxKl50ZZQyu
