Western Major Media Outlets Hype Omicron Variant as Investors See Opportunity in Retail
Posted on 12/27/2021
The onset of COVID-19 has made a portion of countries’ populations extra cautious on social gatherings and people contact even with greater proportions of populations receiving some form of vaccination. Despite the recent rises in COVID-19 cases in some countries, U.S. investors such as private equity investors have acquired core retail and mall properties. The U.S. retail industry recorded one of the strongest holiday seasons in years for physical retail. These institutional investors are focusing more on market-dominant properties in strong U.S. markets.
Early reports from South Africa suggested that Omicron COVID variant might cause less-severe COVID-19. The COVID omicron variant appears to be far less deadly than the earlier variants of COVID-19. SWFI research scanned articles from major news outlets in the West like ABC News, Fox News, CBS, and NBC and found that often case numbers of COVID were reported but not death rates. When COVID-19 hit the globe and became a full-blown pandemic in 2020, death rates often followed a rise in COVID case rates. Real estate investors are keeping a bigger eye on government policy vs. COVID death rates.