Of Skyscrapers And Recessions

I came across an interesting hypothesis by Andrew Lawrence in today’s ET.

Lawrence explains that “high buildings are typically driven by cheap and available capital-high land values,high construction costs-and therefore marks the cyclical peak of the credit cycle.The higher the building the often more abundant and cheaper capital is relatively.”

“Skyscraper building booms do not appear in every economic upturn,but simply in those with strong expansion and typically driven by cheap credit.So when you see a skyscraper boom it should signal concern over the extent,nature of the upswing and the extent of the downturn.”

Mmm…..food for thought isn’t it?Mumbai today seems to have a couple of new towers coming up in almost every street.