The year reached a high point in the heady days of summer, but flattened as the weather turned colder. Take a look back at the year in CPE’s capital markets coverage.

The weather’s getting colder, but purses and wallets are getting warmer — and, in the retail space, retailers, landlords and investors are eager to capitalize on pent-up consumer demand.

Some economic indicators haven’t been very encouraging of late, but a few reports see the capital available to U.S. companies as ripe for investment opportunities.

Despite today’s news from Greece, a number of studies and reports have closely monitored the world economy from a capital perspective, and results have been mixed. But, on closer inspection, real estate investment has been surprisingly resilient.

The domestic employment figures have hit home the fact that economic recovery is less than a sure thing. But what does the roller coaster of job numbers mean for commercial real estate?

While it’s been a negative few months for the CMBS market, from delinquencies to the removal of lender options, there are still reasons to keep the faith.

While the worries about a double-dip recession are valid, there are strong fundamentals within commercial real estate – especially in multi-family and some office markets – that may hold off disaster.

After two down years, the CMBS market is starting to look good for 2011 and into 2012. Investment totals are up, delinquency rates are down and firms are more willing to open their books.

While the last few weeks have been rocky for financial markets, two industry experts feel the CRE space is still well-poised for growth in the remaining months of 2011.

While hotel investments are up across the board and some major deals have just completed, the second- and third-tier markets look to have the most activity in the upcoming months.