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Asia Pacific commercial real estate investment volume dropped by 19 percent quarter-on-quarter but increased by 15 percent year-on-year to $31.2 billion in second quarter 2025, as the second quarter was affected by global trade tariff uncertainty, according to CBRE.

In recent weeks, we have gained clarity on policy in the United States. On the fiscal policy front, that clarity stems from the passing of recent budget legislation. On the trade policy front, that clarity comes from our own proprietary modeling, which is already proving helpful and accurate given the slew of trade policy announcements in recent weeks. Taken together, they can help us focus on the outlook for the economy and commercial real estate market. We are a couple of weeks away from our quarterly global outlook, but for now let’s look at these two important policies and short-run implications.

The Asia Pacific region is gaining momentum as a global tech talent hub, being home to three of the world’s top 10 locations — Beijing in China, Bengaluru in India and Tokyo in Japan.

Cushman & Wakefield’s 2025 global data center market comparison has ranked Abu Dhabi and Dubai as the top two emerging data center markets in the world.

European real estate investment continued to show resilience in second quarter 2025.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Asia Pacific has released its 2025 Asia Pacific Home Attainability Index, revealing persistent challenges to affordable or accessible housing across the region. The fourth edition of the report assesses 51 market segments across 41 major cities.

LaSalle Investment Management has released its mid-year update to its 2025 ISA Outlook.

M&G Real Estate has published its mid-year Global Real Estate Outlook report, which highlights that real estate markets globally are presenting attractive cyclical buying opportunities, with the United Kingdom, continental Europe and Asia poised to be the beneficiaries of shifting capital flows as investors sharpen their focus on diversification. 

The United Kingdom will experience a 16 percent drop in publicly funded affordable residential development during the next decade — further compounding the need for private capital to help solve the country's housing crisis.

The U.S. industrial market’s continued resilience in the second quarter, despite broader economic uncertainty and regional volatility, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

CBRE’s 2025 Asia Pacific Real Estate Chief Sustainability Officer Survey has foundthe role of chief sustainability officer (CSO) in real estate is maturing across Asia Pacific. Amid complex policies and economic uncertainty, real estate companies are looking to their CSOs to deliver value by driving efficiencies, future-proofing assets and mitigating risks, while implementing high-impact initiatives to achieve sustainability goals.

Commercial estate values declined nearly 20 percent unlevered (more than 30 percent levered) from fourth quarter 2022 through third quarter 2024, while U.S. home prices rose to record highs despite mortgage rates reaching 20-year peaks. Commercial real estate returns are poised to outperform housing prices for the first time since fourth quarter 2022, driven by resilient income returns and improving capital markets, according to Rich Hill, global head of real estate research and strategy for Principal Asset Management. Hill believes this shift marks the start of a new cycle, one less driven by interest rates and more by fundamentals such as income growth and geographic nuance.  

Small-bay industrial assets, once a niche play, are now becoming a core investment strategy, drawing heightened attention from institutional investors who are seeking stable, income-generating assets in an increasingly volatile market, according to Jason Fisch, Greek Real Estate Partners vice president of leasing, and Patrick Reistrom, senior leasing associate.

America’s housing shortage grew to an all-time high of 4.7 million units.

According to JLL, refrigerated warehouse capacity demonstrated consistent growth from 2014 to 2020. It is projected to rise by 25 percent over the next five years and reach more than 1,100 million cubic meters by 2030 globally, with Asia Pacific driving the bulk of activity.

More than one in four (27 percent) of respondents said their building had been the victim of a cyberattack in the past 12 months, according a RICS Facilities Management survey. This represents a significant increase of 11 percent on the previous year, when 16 percent of respondents said they had experienced an attack.

Falling property values, tighter capital markets, and economic headwinds are driving more U.S. tenants to buy office buildings rather than lease them, according to an Urban Land article.

A dramatic power shift has occurred in real estate debt as banks have pulled back on lending, with their share of originations plummeting from 38 percent to 18 percent in the past year, according to Hamilton Lane’s newly released 2025 Real Estate Market Overview.

The national industrial vacancy rate declined slightly to 8.5 percent in May, down 30 basis points from April, but still up 290 basis points over the past 12 months, according to Commercial Café.

Commercial real estate seemed poised for a rebound, but 2025 has revealed a new reality of structural uncertainty – and the success is now driven by disciplined execution, strategic agility, and deep expertise – not market momentum, according to PIMCO in its 2025 Real Estate Outlook: Bend, Not Break: Investing in Real Estate Amid Economic Uncertainty.