https://www.afire.org/podcast/londoncallingcast/

With Brexit and pandemic resolutions coming into focus, pricing disparities could dissipate based on improved cross-border liquidity and cap rate compression in the London office market.

Because the global real estate industry is so interconnected, what happens in one part of the world affects what happens everywhere. The UK’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union (Brexit) created financial uncertainty that permeated into commercial real estate capital markets, particularly London’s office market.

London, historically a top destination for foreign capital, saw a decline in liquidity as investors fretted over the economic implications of the vote. Cross-border liquidity was further impaired by the COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing travel restrictions.

On this episode of the AFIRE Podcast, Christopher Muoio examines why cross-border liquidity has eroded, leading to higher cap rates than those of the Great Financial Crisis. As Brexit and pandemic resolutions come into focus, this divergence could dissipate.