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As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

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Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

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As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Real EstateHome Prices

These Real Estate Markets Face the Biggest Bubbles

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
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By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 27, 2018, 11:34 AM ET

The next real estate implosion could begin in Hong Kong, according to a new study from UBS.

The investment’s firm’s Global Real Estate Bubble Index says homes in the Asian territory are the most overvalued in the world—and at the highest risk for collapse.

The good news for U.S. homeowners is UBS says it doesn’t believe any major city in America is presently in a bubble risk. However, it did note “major imbalances” in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.

Chicago was the only U.S. metropolitan area that was rated as undervalued.

The story’s less optimistic for homeowners in Munich, Toronto, and Vancouver. UBS says the bubble risk in those cities is nearly as high as it is in Hong Kong, where citizens need to work 22 years to afford a 646-square-foot home. Amsterdam and London are also at risk of a bubble. Overall, housing prices in major cities have increased 35% in the past five years, the study says.

And in some areas, it’s much worse.

“[San Francisco] real house prices have increased by 80% in the last six years,” the report noted. “Price growth has accelerated again in recent quarters, up 12% in the past 12 months. Though city inhabitants enjoy the greatest income growth among residents of the US cities in the study … affordability has worsened in both the ownership and rental markets.”

Cracks seem to be appearing as well. UBS notes that home prices have started to decline in half of last year’s bubble risk cities. It’s much too early to determine the extent of any possible bubble’s collapse, though, at this point.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

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