In Case You Missed It: Week of April 4, 2016

Manhattan rents drop for first time in 2 years
The Real Deal
April 7, 2016
“For the first time in two years, the median residential rental price has decreased in the borough, according to a new report by Douglas Elliman. The median rent in March dropped to $3,300, a 2.8 percent decrease from March 2015. Over the last few months, the rate of price growth slowed, preluding a rental flatline.”

U.S. Apartment Market Shows Signs of Losing Steam
The Wall Street Journal ($)
April 7, 2016
“The apartment-rental market cooled in the first quarter, according to reports from three research companies, suggesting a six-year boom that has pushed the cost of housing to unaffordable heights in many U.S. cities might be coming to an end.”

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) Teaser Trailer
Trailer Addict
April 07, 2016
“Rogue One is about a group of rebels who set out on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. This is only the first teaser, so don't expect too much to be revealed, but they do show quite a bit and it looks amazing.”

Experts warn affordable housing rules will hurt development 
The New York Post
April 5, 2016
“The City Council and Mayor de Blasio can high-five all they want, but real estate experts believe the new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) policies that require affordable units to be interspersed throughout buildings — while so far, not providing any real estate tax breaks in return for the lower rents — will put a damper on development.”

Will Rising U.S. Debt Levels Keep the Fed On Hold?
Charles Schwab
April 4, 2016
“The national debt factors into the Fed’s decisions only insofar as it affects the economy and inflation. Otherwise, fiscal policy is in the hands of Congress. So, what do the debt dynamics look like? The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) compiles a lot of useful data on this topic. It recently released its updated 10-year projections for the country’s financial outlook. The report is available online here, and we’ll take a closer look at some of the numbers below.”

Bryce Harper wore a 'Make Baseball Fun Again' hat after the Nationals' win
USA Today | For The Win
April 4, 2016
“Harper has been outspoken in his dissatisfaction with baseball’s unwritten rules. He wants players to express themselves and have fun on the field. He is in favor of the bat flip, and bat flips are awesome. Harper 2016.”

MAP: The Ramones' New York
DNAinfo
April 3, 2016
“The Queens Museum is about to unveil its tribute exhibit, "Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk" on April 10 — honoring the band's deep roots in the borough. But before Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone — and later Marky, Richie, Elvis and CJ — took the world by storm, they got their start in Forest Hills. The original bandmates lived on Yellowstone Boulevard and wreaked havoc on Queens Boulevard, connecting at Forest Hills High School.”