Jonathan Brasse
Jonathan Brasse is the Senior Editor, Real Estate for PEI Media’s real estate publications. He oversees the editorial output and leads the reporting team behind the sector-leading private real estate publication PERE as well as Real Estate Capital, the group’s real estate credit markets publication. Jonathan joined PEI in 2009 from UK commercial property magazine Property Week where he oversaw international news and analysis coverage.
Investor sentiment is on the decline as the region suffers from a decline in petro dollar surpluses coupled with the wider global economic turmoil.
Tokyo-based KK daVinci is reportedly in talks to sell three prime offices in the city. A sale would come hot-on-the-heels of the firm’s $142 million divestment of the Lietocourt Arx residential tower to Kuwait’s St Martins Group.
Canada’s Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec suffered large falls in its real estate returns in 2008, with declines of 21.9%, the largest in its history. The pension fund is now seeking ways to stem future losses.
More than 250 expressions of interest from parties including private equity real estate firms have been received by the collapsed bank’s liquidators for its assts in Asia.
The German government is reportedly taking legislative action which could force a consortium led by US firm JC Flowers to sell its 24% stake in stricken Germany-based commercial real estate lender, Hypo Real Estate.
The Canadian Pension Plan fell in value by C$13.8 billion to C$108.9 billion in 2008 as investment returns shrank. However according to the plan’s latest figures, its inflation-linked assets continued to grow in value.
Japanese private equity real estate firm KK daVinci sees its equity raising plans and the value of its assets under management hit by worsening market conditions in Japan.
As limited partners see distressed development as an investment opportunity, they are asking general partners for shorter fund lengths.
After 2008 saw 16.6 percent wiped off the value of UK houses, there are signs that confidence is returning to the residential sector with respondents to a recent survey saying they view it as a time to buy.
Prax is set to take advantage of a projected population boom in Xi’an, the capital of China’s Shaanxi province, by investing almost $30m in a residential development in the city. The population of Xi’an is due to grow to 5.3m by 2020 – up from 3.1m in 2007.