Can large economies drive international real estate markets?

Abstract

There is continuing interest in the inter-relationships among real estate markets. This includes research suggesting that international linkages in real estate market returns are partly driven by the inter-relatedness between changes in local GDP and ‘world’ GDP. The current study continues this line of inquiry by examining securitised real estate market integration among six economies. By investigating long-run trends, this study suggests that not only are international real estate markets inter-linked, but that some large economies, such as the US and Japan, may have a significant influence over smaller markets. This in turn provides information that can be utilized by property investment managers for asset allocation and design.