LOS ANGELES—Although most investors globally plan to increase or maintain their buying activity this year, CBRE's Chris Ludeman says that "2016 looks likely to be a 'risk-off' year."

NEW YORK CITY—The three Boca Raton, FL student housing properties and two Minneapolis-area apartment complexes boast "strong market fundamentals including solid rent growth and high occupancy rates," says Investcorp's Herb Myers.

BETHESDA, MD—However, the revised merger agreement between Marriott and Starwood Hotels doesn't mean an Anbang-led group won't come back with a higher bid, continuing the Chinese insurer's buying spree in the US.

CALABASAS, CA—Current forecasts point to continued tightening of vacancies in the sector, "although the pace of contraction could ease," says Marcus & Millichap's Richard Bird.

BETHESDA, MD—The hotelier said Friday that it continues to believe that a combination with Starwood Hotels "is the best course for both companies and offers the best value to Starwood shareholders."

STAMFORD, CT—The "binding and fully financed" Anbang proposal has been sweetened to $78 per share from the unsolicited $76/share proposal that Starwood Hotels received last week.

HELSINKI, FINLAND—The Nordic countries' increasingly urbanized and affluent population is just one of the factors bringing investors to a region whose small size is belied by its high levels of liquidity.

NEW YORK CITY—The first acquisition in New York by China Oceanwide Holdings, the parcel adjacent to the Historic District at the Seaport can support nearly 820,000 square feet of development.