U.S. Commercial Real Estate Investment to Set Record

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. commercial real estate investment is likely to set a record this year, driven by rising rents and occupancies in office and industrial buildings, the National Association of Realtors said.
More than $236 billion in commercial real estate transactions were recorded in the first 10 months of 2006, up from $231.9 billion a year earlier, the Washington-based association said in its Commercial Real Estate Outlook report, released today. Blackstone Group LP's agreement in November to acquire Equity Office Properties Trust, the biggest office landlord in the U.S., for $20 billion, isn't included in the data.