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This is the first in a three-part series related to managing financial risk associated with timberland investments, wood procurement and forest management activities. In his 1989 book Liar’s Poker, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at Wall Street, Michael Lewis writes, more…
As we hit midfield for 2012 and closed out the second quarter, the timber REIT sector as measured by the Forisk Timber REIT (FTR) Index posted a 12.09% gain relative to 8.31% for the S&P 500 (click here for the more…
One reality of market and investment research is that if a data set “should” exist, it doesn’t. And if it does exist, it’s probably out of date (especially in forestry). Therefore, my team views the systematic aggregation, tracking and analysis more…
People who cite a rising stock market as evidence of economic health (1) make me nervous and (2) remind me what Timber REIT said to Timberland as they walked out of the gym: “You’re such a hard asset.” Roiled and more…
Years ago, I held shares in Crown Pacific Partners, a timberland-owning firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon. During market declines in the late 1990s, the firm subsidized its shareholder distributions through borrowing and cash generated from non-organic business activities. In other more…
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on the rush of investors buying into publicly-traded real estate investment trusts (“Real-estate investors target neighborhood that is looking up,” Wall Street Journal, 11/15/11). According to Citigroup Global Markets, investors, year-to-date, invested 18% more…
When studying exchange rates and currency markets, I sometimes think of the old joke “the quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and stick it back in your pocket.” Currency markets shake more than more…
Last Friday (September 16, 2011), Rayonier (RYN) announced its intent to acquire 250,000 acres of timberlands in the US South for $330 million. Expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, the deal would bring Rayonier’s timberland ownership more…
It’s December 31, 2010 and you’re sitting on a pile of cash. Do you invest in the S&P 500, an all-REIT index, private timberlands or publicly-traded timber REITs? Based on the performance of key indices, putting your chips in with more…
Who buys the trees grown by timberland-owning REITs? Timber REIT returns depend on strong demand from end-use markets for forest products such as lumber, plywood, pulp and OSB. This explains the dependence that timber REITs have on housing markets. Low more…