China Economics Weekly Brighter days ahead for the housing market New home sales have almost halved over the past couple of years but a cyclical rebound appears to be kicking off now that government policy has turned more supportive on multiple fronts. 27th January 2023 · 7 mins read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (Dec.) The small rise in new home sales in December confirmed that the new build sector is holding up better than the wider market. This likely reflects builders offering generous incentives to attract... 26th January 2023 · 2 mins read
US Commercial Property Data Response RICS Commercial Market Survey (Q4) The latest RICS Survey conveyed a further decline in confidence following a turning point in the previous quarter. Comments from surveyors point to high interest rates as the main concern, and we... 26th January 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Outlook Activity to slump as prices adjust to higher rates 2023 will be the most difficult year for the housing market since 2008. Mortgage rates remain very high by the standards of recent years and can’t drop materially until the Bank of England shifts from... 26th January 2023 · 25 mins read
UK Commercial Property Data Response RICS Commercial Property Market Survey (Q4) The slowing economy led to a further fall in occupier demand in Q4, with retail seeing the largest contraction. So far, the fall in rental expectations has been relatively modest and surveyors expect... 26th January 2023 · 3 mins read
US Commercial Property Data Response NCREIF Property Index (Q4 2022) The 4.45% hit to all-property capital values in Q4 was more substantial than our end-2022 forecasts implied, although recent news of bigger valuation markdowns in December made this less of a surprise... 25th January 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Retail rent outlook weak despite recent better news Since the end of last year, developments have been more positive in the retail sector. However, we still think 2023 will be a difficult year. The weak outlook for consumer spending and more spending... 25th January 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Are we nearing a trough for Scandinavian investment? Near term economic headwinds suggest the slowdown in investment activity in Scandinavia will continue in 2023. However, with policy rates near a peak, and improving economic activity and falling bond... 23rd January 2023 · 3 mins read
US Commercial Property Update Investment set for weak H1 before picking up in late-2023 We expect the slowdown in investment activity in the second half of 2022 to persist into the first half of 2023. But we think transactions will begin to recover later this year once interest rates... 20th January 2023 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Dec.) Single-family housing starts surprised on the upside in December. But it is too soon to call the bottom of the market. Indeed, another substantial fall in permits means we think starts are set to... 19th January 2023 · 2 mins read
UK Housing Market Data Response Credit Conditions Survey (Q4 2022) The Q4 2022 Credit Conditions Survey shows that while lenders tightened lending criteria in the aftermath of the “mini” budget, the main constraint on lending volumes was a collapse in demand due to... 19th January 2023 · 3 mins read
UK Commercial Property Update REIT pricing points to further fall in capital values Movements in REIT pricing provide a good indication of where property capital values are heading. And the latest data are consistent with our expectation that all-property values will see a peak-to... 18th January 2023 · 3 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Office downturn underway Office markets started to lose momentum at the end of last year and the expected weakness in employment this year suggests the slowdown will continue. That said, we think prime rents will avoid falls... 17th January 2023 · 3 mins read
US Commercial Property Data Response Commercial Property Lending (Dec.) On the surface, net lending to real estate in December looks to have reached its highest since October 2008. However, this apparent spike in lending was almost entirely due to the addition of a... 16th January 2023 · 2 mins read
Global Economics Update Housing downturns starting to take toll on economies Housing downturns are well underway in many countries and house prices and activity generally have further to fall. Construction activity is already suffering as a result. While it is hard to detect... 16th January 2023 · 4 mins read
Europe Commercial Property Update Dutch offices unlikely to fall over EPC cliff-edge The recent commencement of stricter office EPC legislation in the Netherlands has raised concerns that Dutch office valuations may be on the edge of a regulatory precipice, given the large proportion... 13th January 2023 · 3 mins read