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In 2015, EMEA property investment is expected to increase by 20%.

According to Cushman and Wakefield, property investment activity in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) would expand significantly in 2015.

EMEA investment volumes are expected to rise 20% next year to €247 billion ($300 billion USD), up from an estimated €206 billion ($250 billion USD) this year. Demand is currently high, but markets will become even more liquid in 2015 as fund allocations continue to rise, occupational markets heat up in many areas, and financing markets become more competitive. Furthermore, short-term worries such as stock market volatility, deflation fears, and slow economic growth could all indicate to increased demand for property as a result of its relative yield and risk profile. Retail and logistics will gain market share, but excellent property in all sectors will be in demand, and a significant increase in development appetite is envisaged, first focused on the region's key office markets. Ad hunters

Cushman & Wakefield goes on to say: 

Quantitative easing (QE) will provide a boost to liquidity, and the aftermath of the ECB bank stress tests - which will remove a constraint on the market this year while still allowing for greater sales as banks take action - might create circumstances for much increased activity.

Profit taking and some new development should help to expand the breadth of investment alternatives accessible in the market, in addition to loan and asset sales and deleveraging. Interest in a larger range of markets and sectors should continue to grow, and although some investors are forced to do so by necessity in order to locate opportunities, others are consciously looking to take on greater risk in order to achieve higher returns. As a result, while demand at the core end of the market will remain strong, a greater emphasis on core-plus and value-added opportunities is likely.

This year's upturn was spearheaded by southern markets, particularly Spain, which saw volumes rise by an estimated 55 percent. This trend is expected to continue in 2015, with 45-50 percent growth predicted. Other places that were overlooked in 2014 might see increased demand, with the Nordics expected to rise 25% after a 7% increase this year, given to their strong appeal as low-risk markets with good relative growth prospects. Markets in Central and Eastern Europe are likely to recover as well, increasing 30-35 percent after falling 15-20 percent this year. Events in Ukraine, as well as commodity prices and general emerging market concerns, may hold back Russia and certain non-EU eastern markets. Central Europe, on the other hand, is a distinct and more hopeful short-term potential, and other eastern EU markets may see increased interest provided the right stock is available. Meanwhile, we presently estimate growth of 15% in Western markets, slightly lower than the 20% increase observed this year, reflecting the fact that these economies have already had a full recovery.

With robust buyer demand, prices are expected to rise further, with prime yields expected to decline 25-50 basis points this year, to an average of 5.6 percent across all sectors in bigger cities.

Continued uncertainty, geopolitical threats, and deflation will stifle GDP, but a slow but steady recovery is underway, and 2015 should be a stronger year than 2014. For one thing, improved spending power due to reduced inflation and tighter labor markets should stimulate domestic demand in most of Europe. At the same time, the euro's depreciation and cheaper input costs should aid manufacturing. The credit cycle appears to have reached a nadir, with rising bank lending and money supply indicating a tightening of circumstances.

Due to falling energy prices, inflation will continue to fall, keeping the attention on deflation despite the short-term benefits it provides to individuals and producers. This should slow the normalization of monetary policy and, in fact, induce more easing in the Eurozone. With investment markets well ahead of occupier cycles, there is an obvious risk of a bubble forming, but with liquidity so abundant, this will only become obvious in 2015.

In many markets, occupational trends are driven by supply, but needs are changing as a result of new technology and new living, working, and shopping patterns, and this will be a major driver of demand across all European markets.

While low and uncertain economic growth will keep firms focused on cost-cutting, demand for efficient space will begin to push rents up, and falling commodity prices may make this process easier if construction costs fall. Prime rents are predicted to rise 2-3 percent in 2015, led by Western markets, with strong growth for dominant high streets and shopping centres, however offices may lead over the cycle due to limited new supply. As ecommerce expands the role of logistics, better industrial performance is expected, but there will be a risk of secondary market underperformance in all sectors.

Europe will continue to draw more than its fair share of global investment, albeit at a slower rate than in 2014, thanks to increasing supply and demand and more liquidity courtesy of QE, while domestic and regional spending will rise as fund allocations are boosted. Overall, cross-border investment is expected to increase by 30%, compared to 15% for domestic expenditure, with global investment increasing by 30-35 percent and regional purchases increasing by 20%.

According to Jan Willem Bastijn, Cushman & Wakefield's head of EMEA Capital Markets, "As both the supply and demand outlooks improve, our market forecasts are being pushed higher. The push to demand is already visible, with volatile stock markets and rising liquidity boosted by quantitative easing, and the boost to supply will come from deleveraging banks and enterprises, profit taking, and, in our opinion, a more noticeable speed up in development.

"Our central projection is for a 20% growth to over €250 billion, which would make 2015 the second highest year for volumes ever and only 8% below the pre-crisis peak. With the current level of liquidity, it may easily be surpassed, and the market will be hitting a new all-time high by 2016 at the very latest.

"As other areas display greater economic development, a higher level of investor risk tolerance is maintained, and the unwinding of quantitative easing reduces global liquidity, the worldwide focus on Europe over the last 1-2 years is projected to gradually fade. Parts of Asia, particularly the United States, are expected to draw more EMEA investment. However, in the short term, additional QE in the Eurozone, as well as a higher supply of chances in Europe as banks and firms restructure and deleverage, will keep the world's gaze on Europe for longer than expected."

Cushman & Wakefield's Head of EMEA Investment Strategy, David Hutchings, says, "The dangers in today's market are difficult to assess; some are hardly visible at the moment, while others will erupt, possibly most notably in the political sphere this year. As a result, for many investors, it's all about the lease, and they need to make sure their approach is as future-proof as possible, which involves focusing on property that fits the demands of occupiers and is adaptable to change. Only the best properties will be able to withstand periods of inflation or deflation.

"Investors must also broaden their investing horizons to include new markets and sectors, and 2015 should see a continued push into formerly "alternative" industries such as multifamily residential and healthcare." "Sectors begin to enter the mainstream.

"While a bubble may build further out due to bond markets and excess liquidity, bond yields are expected to remain low in 2015, putting further downward pressure on property rates. Pricing will react to the new market reality, in which liquidity and income sustainability should be more strongly rewarded in their price than in the past, and markets with below-average income sustainability and security will be the most vulnerable to the bubble risk."

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