Over the years, it has been impossible to escape the growth story, draw and influence of China — for real estate investors and the global economy. Now, that growth story is being disrupted by a black swan event, which in this case is a microscopic, highly contagious novel coronavirus.

External risks aside, and despite the slowing Chinese economy, the Chinese consumer story remains intact. After all, China currently accounts for one-third of world growth, larger than the combined share of Europe, Japan and the United States.

A total of 53 new investment funds were launched during the fourth quarter of 2019, the highest amount of new funds launched since first quarter 2011, when 73 new investment funds hit the market.

Landmark Partners tallied 127 real estate secondary transactions in 2019, representing approximately US$7.2 billion of net asset value that closed or were placed under contract in the past year — the second-highest volume Landmark has recorded.

ARA Asset Management has acquired a majority stake in LOGOS via its logistics arm, ARA Logistics Partners, joining existing shareholders, LOGOS’ founders and Ivanhoe Cambridge.

Investor confidence continues to ride high behind robust deal flow, increasing M&A expectations and strong portfolio performance, according to the Global PropTech Confidence Index from MetaProp, a proptech venture firm.