Steady growth of the U.S. economy will likely continue through 2017, benefitting a wide range of single-tenant, net-lease retail concepts that will dominate the development pipeline over the coming year, according to Marcus & Millichap’s latest Net-Leased Retail Research Report. The report details three aspects of the U.S. economy that are proving to be positive forces for the net-leased retail sector: job growth, consumer sentiment and core retail sales. Job growth gains averaged 195,000 positions per month over the last year, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 4.7 percent, the lowest level since 2007. The report also references an annual increase in average hourly earnings of 2.8 percent. Consumer sentiment posted its highest level since 2000, with expectations also elevated. The U.S. consumer confidence index is 11.9 percent above the average reading since the survey began in 1967. Core retail sales, defined as aggregate sales excluding automobile and gasoline sales, vaulted 5.7 percent year-over-year in February. Lead growth categories within the retail sector include e-commerce, food and drink establishments and health and personal care stores. As For Rising Interest Rates The postelection surge of the 10-year Treasury yield, as well as the Federal Reserve’s decision to increase the federal funds …
