Global Property Market Edges Towards Recovery

Jones Lang LaSalle releases global property update for Q3 2012

SINGAPORE, 7 August 2012 – Jones Lang LaSalle has released its quarterly Global Market Perspective, which captures in-depth data and analysis on the global property market in the year to date.

Following a lull in activity during Q1, the global property market has resumed a steady recovery path. Investment volumes recovered to US$108 billion in Q2, 24% up q-o-q, signaling that capital markets are on track to achieving US$400 billion volumes for full-year 2012.

Other key highlights on the quarter include:

• The global economic outlook has weakened as euro strains re-emerges. Asia Pacific markets will continue to drive global growth this year, however, a deceleration is increasingly apparent.
• In a climate of uncertainty, corporate occupiers have adopted a ‘wait and see’ approach to expansion as global take-up volumes have fallen year-on-year. Corporates are trending towards sale and lease back transactions as they look to release capital.
• Leasing activities have improved from the Q1 lull, but is still below 2011 levels due to weak jobs growth, slow corporate hiring and the downward reset of global growth projections. Gross leasing volumes for fullyear 2012 expected to be 10% lower than in 2011.
• On the other hand, vacancy continues to edge downwards, with the global office vacancy rate falling to 13.3% in Q2, the lowest since 2009. Regionally, the Americas and Asia Pacific regions have continued to see vacancy rates fall, while they have remained unchanged in Europe.
• With global office supply still falling, the Jones Lang LaSalle Global Office Index, which tracks the rental performance of prime office space across 90 major markets, has continued to grow, up by a further 0.6% during Q2 2012.
• In residential, high trading volumes have been recorded for Germany, while momentum has been maintained in the U.S. rental apartment market. In Asia, residential sales have improved in China and Hong Kong and remain resilient in Jakarta, driven by investor interest, low lending rates and rising rental returns.
• Retail exhibited a mixed picture. While Greater China recorded strong demand and healthy rental growth, market conditions were relatively flat in the US. In Europe, demand is expected to drive rents in the top retail locations in London, Moscow and Paris in the second half of 2012, while most other European markets will remain broadly stable.

About Jones Lang LaSalle

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE:JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2011 global revenue of $3.6 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 70 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 200 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 2.1 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company’s investment management business, is one of the world’s largest and most diverse in real estate with $47.2 billion of assets under management.

Jones Lang LaSalle has over 50 years of experience in Asia Pacific, with over 22,200 employees operating in 79 offices in 14 countries across the region. The firm was named ‘Best Property Consultancy’ in nine Asia Pacific countries at the International Property Awards Asia Pacific 2012, in association with HSBC, and was highly commended in a further three countries.