This month’s UK real estate update highlights sustained confidence in the market, with significant activity from domestic and international investors. London’s office market continues to lead, with strong leasing performance, record-breaking rents, and a growing appetite for flexible, sustainable spaces.
Renewable energy stocks have faced recent setbacks from rising interest rates and other challenges, yet the energy transition continues. In this article, Tom Bayes from Bedrock’s Research team delves into the economic, political, and technological forces driving sector growth, sharing insights from a Q&A with Guinness Global Investors.
This month’s news round-up looks at a positive few weeks for UK real estate, with strong activity across the office, retail and logistics sectors, while continued rental rises offer more encouragement for investors.
Steady, if not speedy, disinflation has allowed monetary easing to begin in Europe, and, latterly, in the US, as well as in many large emerging markets. As a base case, we expect this process to continue. But upside surprises for inflation and rates are a distinct possibility. Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine perpetually threaten to disrupt energy and food supplies; China has opened the floodgates to more policy stimulus; and the US election may well carry Donald Trump back into office on the promise of more tax cuts and trade protectionism. Meanwhile, markets are pricing in a goldilocks ‘soft landing’ scenario for the global economy, reflected in razor-thin credit spreads and toppy equity multiples on cycle-high earnings. Downside risks for traditional asset prices are elevated, with gold and alternatives obvious redoubts for investors. But the rosy market consensus may yet prove right.