Econowatch L.A. county.

ECONOWATCH L.A. COUNTY

GENERAL
INDICATORS

                                                                %-from
                                         Latest    Previous    previous
                                         period      period     period

Employment (000's) (Jan.) (1)             4,439       4,465        +.6%
Unemployment (000's) (Jan.) (1)             307         292       +5.1
Help-wanted ads index (Jan.)                 13          17      -23.5
Jobless-to-job ad ratio (Jan.) (2)         23.6        17.2      +37.2
Film Production Days (Feb.) (3)           2,977       2,415      +23.3

Bankruptcies
Chapter 7 (Jan.)                          2,512       2,787       -9.9
Chapter 11 (Jan.)                            11          10      +10
Exports (mils.) (Jan.)                 $5,330.7    $6,210.3      -14.2
Imports (mils.) (Jan.)                $14,225.6   $14,248.3        -.2
Air cargo (5)
 LAX (Feb.)                                 156       150.8        3.4
 Burbank (Jan.)                             3.9         4.4      -11.4
Container volume (6) (000's)#
 Long Beach (Feb.)#                       314.7#        377#     -16.5#
 Los Angeles (Feb.)#                      482.4#      482.3#      +0.2#
Los Angeles CPI (Feb.)                    190.1       188.5        +.8
Electricity Accounts (000's) (8)
 Residential (Mar.)                     1,229.5     1,229.2        +.02
 Commercial (Mar.)                        120.5         120        +.4
 Industrial (Mar.)                         14.8        14.8        0

REAL ESTATE

                                                               % + from
                                         Latest    Previous    previous
                                         period      period     period

Construction lending (mils.) (Dec.)      $606.8      $293.2     +107%
Property acquisition
  lending (mils.) (9) (Dec.)           $4,672.5    $3,875.8      +20.6
Refinance lending
  (mils.) (Dec.) (10)                 $10,007.1    $9,253.3       +8.1
Foreclosures#
 Number (Feb.)#                             134#        169#     -20.7#
 Value (mils.) (Feb.)#                    $34.6#      $40.6#     -14.8#
Building contracts (mils.)
 Residential (Feb.)                      $263.2      $328.0      -19.8
 Nonresidential Feb.)                    $283.2      $314.8      -10
Building permits (mils.)
 Residential (Feb.)                      $475.5      $413.3      +15
 Nonresidential (Feb.)                   $193.5      $188.2       +2.8
Housing start permits (Feb.)              2,086       1,545      +35
Home sales (Mar.)                         6,721       6,014      +11.8
Home prices (000's) (Mar.)                 $383        $360       +6.4
Condo sales (Mar.)                        1,969       1,940       +1.5
Condo prices (000's) (Mar.)                $324        $300       +8
Apartments (4th qtr.)
 Gross occupancy                          96.1%       96.7%        NA
 Avg. sq. ft. rent                        $1.49       $1.51       -1.3
 Avg. monthly rent                       $1,259      $1,290       -2.4
Office vacancy rates (4th qtr.)
 Downtown L.A                             19.6%       19.9%        NA
 San Fernando Valley                       12.8        12.8        NA
 West L.A.                                   17        15.4        NA
 South Bay                                 19.6        19.4        NA
 Countywide                                16.2        15.8        NA
Industrial vacancy rates (4th qtr.)
 Downtown/Central                          1.9%        1.8%        NA
 South Bay                                  4.0         3.4        NA
 San Gabriel Valley                         2.3         2.2        NA

TOURISM

                                                              % + from
                                        Latest    Previous    previous
                                         month       month      month

Hotel occupancy rate (Feb.)#              78.1%#      70.3%#       NA #
Room rate (Feb.)#                       $127.54#    $116.98#      +9%#
Passengers
 LAX (000's) (Feb.)                     4,225.9     4,496.2        -.6
 Burbank Airport (000's) (Jan.)           350.1       390.7        +.9

GENERAL INDICATORS                         Year    % + from
                                            ago    year ago

Employment (000's) (Jan.) (1)             4,410         -.7%
Unemployment (000's) (Jan.) (1)             334        -8.1
Help-wanted ads index (Jan.)                 17       -23.5
Jobless-to-job ad ratio (Jan.) (2)        +19.6       +20.4
Film Production Days (Feb.) (3)           2,452       +21.4

Bankruptcies
Chapter 7 (Jan.)                          3,208       -21.7
Chapter 11 (Jan.)                            18       -38.9
Exports (mils.) (Jan.)                 $4,777.4       +11.6
Imports (mils.) (Jan.)                $12,246.8       +16.2
Air cargo (5)
 LAX (Feb.)                               150.4        +3.7
 Burbank (Jan.)                             3.9         0
Container volume (6) (000's)#
 Long Beach (Feb.)#                       322.6#       -2.4#
 Los Angeles (Feb.)#                      541.1#      -10.8#
Los Angeles CPI (Feb.)                    186.5        +1.9
Electricity Accounts (000's) (8)
 Residential (Mar.)                     1,221.4         +.7
 Commercial (Mar.)                          120         +.4
 Industrial (Mar.)                         15.1          -2

REAL ESTATE

                                           Year    % + from
                                            ago    year ago

Construction lending (mils.) (Dec.)      $389.2       +55.9%
Property acquisition
 lending (mils.) (9) (Dec.)            $3,107.1       +50.4
Refinance lending
  (mils.) (Dec.) (10)                 $11,129.8       -10.1
Foreclosures#
 Number (Feb.)#                             285#      -53#
 Value (mils.) (Feb.)#                    $57.1#      -39.4#
Building contracts (mils.)
 Residential (Feb.)                      $203.1       +29.6
 Nonresidential Feb.)                    $159.3       +77.8
Building permits (mils.)
 Residential (Feb.)                      $334.5       +42.2
 Nonresidential (Feb.)                   $203.5        -4.9
Housing start permits (Feb.)              2,181        -4.4
Home sales (Mar.)                         7,797       +11.8
Home prices (000's) (Mar.)                 $298       +28.5
Condo sales (Mar.)                        2,489       -20.9
Condo prices (000's) (Mar.)                $240       +25
Apartments (4th qtr.)
 Gross occupancy                            96%         NA
 Avg. sq. ft. rent                        $1.42        +4.9
 Avg. monthly rent                       $1,173        +7.3
Office vacancy rates (4th qtr.)
 Downtown L.A                             19.6%         NA
 San Fernando Valley                       15.3         NA
 West L.A.                                 15.8         NA
 South Bay                                 19.0         NA
 Countywide                                16.7         NA
Industrial vacancy rates (4th qtr.)
 Downtown/Central                          2.5%         NA
 South Bay                                  2.7         NA
 San Gabriel Valley                         4.7         NA

TOURISM

                                            Year    % + from
                                             ago    year ago

Hotel occupancy rate (Feb.)#                70%#        NA#
Room rate (Feb.)#                       $116.03#       +9.9%#
Passengers
 LAX (000's) (Feb.)                     3,909.2        +8.1
 Burbank Airport (000's) (Jan.)           361.2        +1

BOLDFACE INDICATES UPDATED FIGURES

FOOTNOTES

(1.) Not seasonally adjusted.

(2.) Thousands of jobless to index point of job ads.

(3.) Film production days

(4.) Through Los Angeles Customs District.

(5.) In thousands of tons.

(6.) 20-foot equivalent unit.

(7.) 1982-1984=100.

(8.) San Fernando Valley and metropolitan LA combined

(9.) Apartment and residential combined

(10.) Includes refinancings, second mortgages and equity
mortgages

(11.) Based on a survey by Grubb & Ellis Co. Excludes
available sublease space NA means not applicable

Sources: California State Employment Development Department
(employment figures); The Conference Board, N.Y. (help-wanted
ad index); Entertainment Industry Development Corporation Los
Angeles Film Office (film permits); U.S. Bankruptcy Court,
Central District of Calif., Los Angeles (bankruptcies); Dun &
Bradstreet (business failures); Economic Development Corporation,
Los Angeles (exports, imports); City of Los Angeles Airport
Department (LAX passenger traffic and air cargo); Burbank-
Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority (Burbank passenger traffic
and air cargo); Bureau of Labor Statistics, Los Angeles (Los
Angeles consumer price index); Office of Economic Research at
California State University, Long Beach (index of leading
indicators); First American Real Estate Solutions, Anaheim
(construction lending, property lending, refinance lending,
foreclosures, home sales, home prices, home prices per square
foot, condo sales, condo prices); F.W. Dodge Division, McGraw-Hill
(building contracts); Construction Industry Research Board (housing
start permits, building permits); M/PF Research Inc. (apartments);
Grubb & Ellis (office and industrial vacancy rates); PKF Consulting
(hotel occupancy rate, room rate).--Matt Myerhoff

Note: # Indicates updated figures.