Market Outlook

Colliers International, in its latest report titled “New Directions In Asia Pacific Logistics-Increasingly Varied Sector Requires Multiple Approaches” highlighted the positive outlook that lies ahead for Asia Pacific’s logistics market.

Across Asia Pacific, demand for logistics space has been supported by a long-run shift from physical to online retailing. COVID-19 has driven up e-commerce volumes sharply, while expansion in the cold chain sector and new infrastructure developments should boost demand further. Most investors and developers already see logistics warehouses as a core asset class.

While office rents continued to drop in the downbeat market, tenants seized the opportunity for better relocation options, resulting in high activity in the leasing market during the month. However, landlords further softened their approach and adopted a more realistic stance in negotiating leasing terms to secure tenants, so the majority of tenants tended to renew their leases. As a result, new take-up of Grade-A office space was at an exceptional low level during the month, particularly in the CBD area.

Amid the challenging economic environment, cost-competitiveness remains a pressing consideration for tenants. Going into 2021, we therefore expect to see a continuing decentralisation trend. We also foresee rising demand for co-working space, as more companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have been heavily impacted by the coronavirus-induced recession to actively explore flexible leasing options.

Respondents to the Q2 Asia Pacific Commercial Property Monitor indicated that regional sentiment remained downbeat  in Q2. The RICS Commercial Property Sentiment Index*  (CPSI) fell from -31 in Q1 to -38 in Q2, the lowest reading since the Global Financial Crisis. As can be seen in Chart 1, the results from Asia Pacific are in line with those from the Americas (-38), Europe (-36) and the Middle East and Africa (-39).

Chart 2 shows China was the largest contributor to the downbeat sentiment in Asia Pacific. However, this is largely due to its large regional weighting in the index (China represents 48% of the Asia Pacific Index). The CPSI was firmly negative in every Asia Pacific country tracked by this survey. Chart 2 also shows a deterioration in conditions in Australia, India, Japan and elsewhere in APAC (including Hong Kong and Singapore).

The MSCI Global Annual Property Index weighs real estate investment returns across 25 countries. While MSCI’s national indexes for Japan and Korea are included in the MSCI Global Annual Property Index, our market data for seven other Asian countries – China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand – are excluded from that index. In this report, all national market sizes are based on bottom-up, portfolio-specific estimates, and these are converted into US Dollars using the yearend currency conversion rate.

Cushman & Wakefield, in its latest report titled ‘The Rise and Rise of ASEAN’ highlighted the bright future that lies ahead for Southeast Asia. Some of the key perspectives include:

1. ASEAN’s economies and population hold tremendous potential for its growth as a manufacturing bloc in the region. 
2. The stock of industrial land across ASEAN remains very healthy, presenting opportunities for occupiers to take up space at competitive land rates. 
3. Once the region emerges from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, it appears that Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia are set for a bright future through the rest of the 2020s. Developers active in these markets need to identify the stream of new corporate occupiers scoping out their markets.

Although Japan has managed to contain the COVID-19 outbreak relatively well thus far, the impacts of the global pandemic will certainly put a damper on Japan’s economy and by extension the broader real estate market. As of April 2020, the IMF has forecasted that Japan’s economy will contract by 4.8% in 2020. To make matters worse, the Tokyo Olympics – which are now slated for July 2021 – could face an outright cancellation. Notwithstanding the near-term impacts of COVID-19, Tokyo will continue to see significant investment into the early 2020s and beyond. Major development projects are already underway around the C5W in areas such as Toranomon and Shibuya. Along with these developments, Shinagawa Station will undergo massive redevelopment that will prime it, as well as the Shinagawa Ward just to the south, for a boom over the course of the decade.

新冠肺炎疫情对全球经济的影响引发了激烈辩论。多数预测认为，全球经济将经 历严重衰退，程度或甚于金融危机时期； 更有不少人士认为这将是第二次世界大战以来最严重的经济衰退。争论的焦点在于经济复苏模式。是否会出现V形反弹？还是U形、L形或W形？甚至有预测认 为会出现像耐克品牌标志那样的“对勾 形”复苏。 随着各国陆续放松封锁禁令但继续鼓励社交隔离，新冠肺炎疫情的长期影响仍有待观察。许多人士认为世界将大为不同。

New Launches

• H1 2020 new launch supply declined by 56% compared to H2 2019. The nationwide lockdown imposed from the last week of March severely impacted the real estate sector, resulting in muted launches.

• Q2 2020 was the most impacted quarter with launches being the lowest since 2013. During this quarter, new launch supply declined by 97% over Q1 2020 and 98% over the same period last year.

• The share of affordable housing in H1 2020 new launches was around 36% of the total supply. This decreased from 41% in H2 2019. In absolute terms, the half-yearly decline in this segment was around 61%. No new supply was added in the affordable segment in Q2 2020.

The impact Covid-19 will have on the global economy is being fiercely debated. Most forecasters agree that there will be a global recession deeper than the global financial crisis (GFC) and many expect it to be the deepest since the Second World War. The debate is around the shape of the recovery. Will there be a V-shaped rebound? Or is a U, L or W shape more likely? We’re even hearing discussions about ‘a Nike swoosh-shaped’ recovery. As countries come out of their strict lockdowns but social distancing is still encouraged, the long-term impact of Covid-19 is yet to be seen. Many believe the world will emerge as a different place.

While real estate value is unsurprisingly concentrated in Tokyo’s central business district, namely the central five wards of Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, Greater Tokyo’s comprehensive rail system grants great accessibility to outlying areas. The key advantage of Tokyo’s rail network is its density and globally-renowned punctuality. Although delays certainly occur and carriages become overcrowded during rush hour, commuters can largely count on trains arriving on time and at a high frequency. Looking at global comparisons, Tokyo is often ranked as having the most efficient and punctual railway system, especially considering its vast transport capacity.