SAN FRANCISCO, June 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Prologis, Inc. (NYSE: PLD), a leading owner, operator and developer of global industrial real estate, today released its latest Industrial Business Indicator ("IBI"), a diffusion index that integrates customer-provided insights with key macroeconomic variables to measure and forecast business activity and industrial real estate demand.
"Our research indicates that there will be continued growth in global trade over the next two quarters," said David Twist, vice president, Research at Prologis. "The strong correlation between business activity and net absorption implies that demand for logistics space will also accelerate."
Key Findings
- The May 2011 IBI measures 56.9 for overall business activity
- The business activity index has indicated economic expansion for 21 consecutive months as the company's customers' businesses have been steadily improving since 2009
- The industrial space utilization index measures 55.4--the highest reading since April 2008
- Real inventory growth more than tripled between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011
- The current level of the space utilization index implies stronger inventory growth in the coming months
- The April 2011 IBI implies continued growth in trade over the next two quarters as cargo handling picks up in seaports and airports
- Net absorption has remained positive for three consecutive quarters, and the IBI's strong levels imply that absorption should accelerate in the coming quarters
Prologis collects data from a geographically-diverse set of warehousing and logistics customers across a range of business sectors. The IBI consists of an overall business activity index and a distribution space utilization index, tabulated for the company's markets and industry groups. The indices have averaged more than 350 participants per month. The findings indicate that the IBI is highly correlated with, and a leading indicator of, key macroeconomic variables. Of greatest significance, the IBI leads net industrial absorption by a quarter with a correlation of 97 percent, and seaborne container volumes by one month with a correlation of 85 percent.
Prologis' research reports can be downloaded from the company's website at http://ir.prologis.com/research.cfm?CategoryID=398&PageSect=categories
About Prologis, Inc.
Prologis, Inc. is a leading owner, operator and developer of industrial real estate, focused on global and regional markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia. As of March 31, 2011, on a pro forma basis giving effect to the merger, Prologis owned or had investments in, on a consolidated basis or through unconsolidated joint ventures, properties and development projects expected to total more than 600 million square feet (55.7 million square meters) in 22 countries. The company leases modern distribution facilities to more than 4,500 customers, including manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises.
Prologis' press releases are available on the company website at www.prologis.com or by contacting the Investor Relations department at +1 415 394 9000.
Some of the information included in this press release contains forward-looking statements, such as those related to our expectations for trade growth in the U.S. and globally, business activity, industrial real estate demand, and gateway market demand, which are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, and you should not rely on the forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events or circumstances reflected in forward-looking statements might not occur. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "pro forma," "estimates" or "anticipates" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements are necessarily dependent on assumptions, data or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise and we may not be able to realize them. We caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect our analysis only and speak only as of the date of this report or the dates indicated in the statements. We assume no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth or contemplated in the forward-looking statements: changes in general economic conditions in California, the U.S. or globally (including financial market fluctuations), global trade or in the real estate sector (including risks relating to decreasing real estate valuations and impairment charges); risks associated with using debt to fund the company's business activities, including refinancing and interest rate risks; the company's failure to obtain, renew, or extend necessary financing or access the debt or equity markets; the company's failure to maintain its current credit agency ratings or comply with its debt covenants; risks related to the merger transaction with ProLogis, including litigation related to the merger, and the risk that the merger may not achieve its intended results; risks related to the company's obligations in the event of certain defaults under co-investment venture and other debt; defaults on or non-renewal of leases by customers, lease renewals at lower than expected rent or failure to lease properties at all or on favorable rents and terms; difficulties in identifying properties, portfolios of properties, or interests in real-estate related entities or platforms to acquire and in effecting acquisitions on advantageous terms and the failure of acquisitions to perform as the company expects; unknown liabilities acquired in connection with the acquired properties, portfolios of properties, or interests in real-estate related entities; the company's failure to successfully integrate acquired properties and operations; risks and uncertainties affecting property development, redevelopment and value-added conversion (including construction delays, cost overruns, the company's inability to obtain necessary permits and financing, the company's inability to lease properties at all or at favorable rents and terms, and public opposition to these activities); the company's failure to set up additional funds, attract additional investment in existing funds or to contribute properties to its co-investment ventures due to such factors as its inability to acquire, develop, or lease properties that meet the investment criteria of such ventures, or the co-investment ventures' inability to access debt and equity capital to pay for property contributions or their allocation of available capital to cover other capital requirements; risks and uncertainties relating to the disposition of properties to third parties and the company's ability to effect such transactions on advantageous terms and to timely reinvest proceeds from any such dispositions; risks of doing business internationally and global expansion, including unfamiliarity with the new markets and currency risks; risks of changing personnel and roles; losses in excess of the company's insurance coverage; changes in local, state and federal regulatory requirements, including changes in real estate and zoning laws; increases in real property tax rates; risks associated with the company's tax structuring; increases in interest rates and operating costs or greater than expected capital expenditures; environmental uncertainties and risks related to natural disasters; and our failure to qualify and maintain our status as a real estate investment trust. Our success also depends upon economic trends generally, various market conditions and fluctuations and those other risk factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and our other public reports.
SOURCE Prologis, Inc.
