Four trends driving real estate in Asia

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought about significant change and disruption to the world’s economies, and there is no doubt many sectors and markets will feel substantial pain as a result of the pandemic, at least over the short term. But as we live through these extraordinary times, four major trends driving real estate — demographic shifts, deficient supply, digital disruption and demand for yield — remain as relevant as ever in Asian growth markets. And as with any shock, investment opportunities remain in areas underpinned by long-term fundamentals — and in our view, Asian real estate is one such opportunity.

Although the global economic backdrop looks challenging, as before the current crisis, we believe significant opportunity remains in many of Asia’s major cities in markets such as China and South Korea — both of which were exposed early to the virus and have worked quickly to contain it — as well as in India and across Southeast Asia. Because major cities