Newsline

Canada’s retail vacancy rate is expected to hold relatively steady near 2.5 percent over the next year as the sector continues to absorb the fallout from the closure of Hudson’s Bay stores, according to a new forecast from CoStar Group, a global provider of online real estate marketplaces, information and analytics in the property markets.

In this interview, Dan Haroun and Max Heiden, co-founders of Catalyst Investment Partners, discuss what makes an IOS asset attractive to institutional investors, why flexibility and supply constraints remain central to the firm’s strategy, how growing power requirements are affecting the sector and what the expansion of institutional debt capital indicates about the maturation of IOS.

The Asia Pacific Data Centre Association (APDCA) has launched a new white paper titled “Data centers as catalysts for infrastructure modernization in APAC,” highlighting how data centers are helping to strengthen the energy and water systems needed to support Asia-Pacific’s future development.

The flood of capital entering the data center sector is seen by many investors as an opportunity to gain exposure to a high-growth sector with strong structural tailwinds, according to a new study by INREV (European Association for Investors in Non-listed Real Estate Vehicles), the European industry body for nonlisted real estate. As cloud computing, AI, and the wider digital economy drive demand for digital infrastructure, this interest is only expected to grow. The key challenge is that the data center sector is a sophisticated and fast-evolving ecosystem that requires a complex skill set and operational know-how to enter and fully understand.

Pushback against data center development has intensified in recent weeks as states and localities move to restrict or halt new construction amid concerns about the industry’s impacts, according to Yardi. Opposition has been driven by concerns ranging from resource consumption and higher utility bills to tax incentives and pollution.

The number of U.S. store openings may be at its lowest level in six years, but IKEA’s expansion pattern this year shows retailers are not retreating from physical space. They are changing how they use it.

Graceada Partners has released “Equal Footing: The Inland West and the Southeast”, a research paper that measures the Inland West as a single economy rather than as fragments of 11 states. Defined from the 100th meridian to the coastal ranges, the region has roughly 47 million residents — more than any single state — and includes 10 of the country’s fastest-growing large metros, including Boise, Idaho; Denver; Las Vegas; Phoenix; Sacramento; and Salt Lake City.

Institutional investors may want to reconsider the role of real estate debt within their portfolios as higher borrowing costs challenge the return assumptions underlying value-add and opportunistic equity strategies, according to a new analysis by Manoj Vasudevan.

The U.S. life sciences real estate sector is moving toward a gradual rebalancing as development activity contracts, investment sales recover and funding conditions strengthen, according to Cushman & Wakefield. While elevated vacancy and softer rents continue to weigh on near-term fundamentals, a reduced construction pipeline and improving demand indicators are positioning the market for healthier long-term growth.

Over the past two years, commercial real estate has become captivated by artificial intelligence (AI). Capital has poured into the infrastructure needed to support AI. Conference agendas are dominated by discussions of power, hyperscalers and compute capacity. Nearly every conversation about the future of real estate eventually finds its way back to AI.

Eight of the 10 best U.S. metros for purchasing a newly built home are in the South, according to Realtor.com's second annual Top Metros for New Construction report.

Fundraising continues to be challenging for many fund sponsors. Second quarter data compiled in July from PitchBook suggests that private capital fundraising remained stagnant in the first half of 2026, particularly in private equity, real estate and other real assets, and is concentrated in a small set of larger, established managers. Investors have not received their capital back from earlier funds, asset values remain uncertain and there is the threat of future interest-rate increases.

Malaysia is emerging as an investment destination within Asia Pacific’s expanding student housing sector, where transaction volumes tripled between 2022 and 2025, according to JLL.

Investor conviction in the Asia Pacific (APAC) living sector remains resilient, with 85 percent of investors planning to increase living investment over the next five years, according to Cushman & Wakefield’s inaugural “APAC Living Investor Survey 2026.”

 Dealpath has released findings from a new survey of institutional commercial real estate (CRE) investors on the impact of AI on investment decisions.

NIC MAP has released its updated “Senior Housing Market Outlook”, revealing that the nation’s 80-plus population is entering a period of historic growth just as senior housing communities are filling up and new construction remains near historically low levels. The result has created one of the largest long-term investment opportunities in commercial real estate.

A powerful surge in credit-market liquidity is reviving global commercial real estate transactions.

Hines has released research that identified the six U.S. cities among the highest-scoring in Hines’ analysis positioned to capture a potential tidal wave of investment, as an estimated $1 trillion in advanced manufacturing construction reshapes demand for industrial space over the remainder of the decade.

Estimated preleasing at the Yardi 200 schools reached 89.1 percent in July 2026, 100 basis points above final occupancy data compiled in July 2025. Year-over-year rent growth totaled 2 percent in July, according to new data from Yardi Matrix.

The U.S. retail market is showing signs of renewed momentum, and enclosed malls are beginning to re-enter the investment conversation. Larger-format retailers that historically favored standalone or power-center locations, including IKEA and Target, are increasingly considering enclosed mall locations, a shift that could signal stronger confidence in traffic, demographics and the long-term durability of the format. At the same time, improving operating performance, limited new supply and more favorable debt markets are beginning to change the risk-return profile of quality malls. In an IREI interview, David Monahan, senior managing director in JLL Capital Markets’ New York office, discusses why he believes the mall recovery is sustainable, what is drawing retailers back to enclosed locations, and whether institutional capital could be next to return to the sector.