Juraj Bielik (365.invest): We’re a new company now
You’ve spent the last four years overhauling 365.invest. What has that involved, specifically? When I began in 2020, the company had many more funds than it does now. Over the last three years, we closed some of them, some of which were real estate funds but also...
Fitch warns CRE pain in U.S. “ain’t over yet”
Sorry to be a joy-kill, but the ratings agency Fitch suggests we should take a grain of salt before reading headlines like: "US Commercial real estate bottoming out!" or "Now's the time to buy!" Doing my own Google search, I found headlines proclaiming the bottom as...
Fraser Watson (Savills): Lower rates mean funds must invest again
Volume was down last year, of course, and foreign money isn’t flooding back yet. But I hear more and more often about new activity. People also say something is shifting. Volume is down significantly from where it was at the peak even though the domestic market has...
John Newton: Sustainability’s stars are finally aligning
Last summer, when studying for my ESG qualification, Larry Fink of Blackrock, announced that ESG is dead! Thanks Larry, I thought as I read the bold print. I knew ESG naysayers would be quoting him out of context to promote their out-of-date climate crisis denial...
David Černý, developers, and public space
David Černý has struck again. The enfant terrible of Czech art initially denied that he was behind the sculptures that are to be installed on the newly renovated Maj department store. But it soon became clear that the hybrid butterfly/Spitfires that flooded social...
Richard Wilkinson (CTP): Access to liquidity is our competitive advantage
You managed to get substantial financing from bond investors when that was advantageous without burning your bridges with the banks. What’s your strategy at this point, given the uncertainty of whether, or at least how fast, the ECB is likely to cut rates? One of the...
Peter Nitschneider (iO Partners): The money’s there, but not the prices
Last year was bad because people didn't know how far it was to the bottom. They didn’t know if inflation would fall, or if interest rates would continue climbing. With fewer unknowns now, does it mean this year will be busier than last year? Buyers and sellers are...
Milan Šlapak (RSBC): Focus brings the best results
You didn’t come from a real estate background, so 2023 can’t have been the easiest introduction. How did you find navigating it? Last year was tough for investment companies because when you have high interest rates and high inflation, investors have low-risk options...
