We closed last year with comments about Chinese investment in US real estate. Well, we are opening the new year with a renewed focus on China, but this time focusing on the shaky economic news coming out of Beijing and creating shockwaves, once again, in the global stock markets.

Yesterday in the first session of the New Year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw its greatest opening-day loss since 2008 on as sharp declines in China rekindled fears of slowing global growth. The economic concerns about China and other emerging markets is in contrast to European markets, and of course the US, which remain in growth mode. What this implies to me is a volatile year on the securities front, and the woes in China will in fact ultimately spill over into the global economy precipitating a slowdown.

This isn't necessarily bad news as this may translate into a soft landing on the real estate front and not a major decline in the markets. Nevertheless, it definitely time to tighten your seatbelts as 2016 may be a wild ride and not for the faint of heart. Oh by the way, Happy New Year!

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