HONG KONG: In Q1 2016, total investment turnover in Asia Pacific declined by 36% q-o-q as investors generally turned more risk-averse, due to stock market volatility and weaker economic environment.
According to a release from CBRE, Asian capital in particular, however, remained active across the region with the completion of three big-ticket transactions in Greater China by Chinese investors, according to CBRE Research’s preliminary APAC Q1 2016 MarketView figures.
Q1 2016 saw Hong Kong’s second largest-ever transaction for an office property, in which China Everbright Limited acquired the Dah Sing Financial Center for around US$1.3 billion (HK$10 billion). Regardless of this key deal though, investment activity on the whole remained low in Hong Kong.
“Despite slower activity in the investment environment overall, international institutional investors are continuing to display strong preferences for core assets in major markets to increase their exposure for strategic diversification,” said Dr. Henry Chin, Head of Research, CBRE Asia Pacific. “In Australia and Japan, however, even though international investors remain active with strong demand for core assets, transaction volume in both markets declined.
