Wednesday 26 August 2009

August 2009 German Ifo Business Climate Improved again

Ifo Business Climate Brightens Again
Results of the August 2009 Ifo Business Survey

The Ifo Business Climate for industry and trade in Germany improved once again in August. For the second time in succession the firms have assessed their current business situation clearly less negatively. However, in comparison to conditions one year ago, the situation of the firms is still considerably worse at the moment. With regard to business developments in the coming half year, the survey participants are less sceptical than in July. The German economy is slowly recovering from its descent.

In manufacturing the business climate is less unfavourable than in the previous month. Some easing of the difficult business situation has occurred, according to the survey responses. Nevertheless, on the whole the firms are dissatisfied with current business, but they no longer expect a worsening in the coming half year. The manufacturing firms have also given less sceptical assessments of their export opportunities. Planned reductions of their staff levels are no longer quite so sharp. Still, their plans remained clearly geared towards cuts in employment.

The business climate in wholesaling has clearly improved. The current business situation has been assessed noticeably less sceptically by the firms than in the previous month. The wholesalers are also less reserved with regard to the six-month outlook. In retailing the business climate index has risen somewhat. Although the retailers are again slightly more dissatisfied with their current business situation, they are less pessimistic regarding business developments in the coming six months.

In construction the business climate has brightened somewhat. The survey participants have assessed their present business slightly more favourably than in the previous month. With regard to future business, their caution remains largely unchanged.

Hans-Werner Sinn
President of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich

Detailed material including Graphs and Tables are available on the ifo-website.


The overall picture for the developments in Germany in July 2009 looks promising continues on in August:
Business Climate July 2009- up link
Consumer Climate July 2009 - up link
Unemployment July 2009 - lower than feared link

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .

Uwe Falkenberg


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Tuesday 18 August 2009

RICS: Global Distressed Property Monitor August 2009

According to a study conducted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the number of distressed property sales has increased worldwide.

In 75% of the 27 countries examined, the number of so-called distressed properties put on the market went up during the second quarter, according to the poll. South Africa is at the top of the list of countries showing the largest increase, with the U.S.A. and New Zealand hot on its heels. The exceptions are China and Brazil, where the number of such objects on the market went down compared to the previous quarter.

There was little change in the German Property Market, Czechia, Hong Kong, Japan, Italy and Switzerland. On the other hand, Germany is among the favourite target countries for funds specializing in opportunities created by the crisis. Bargain hunters are also scrutinizing Italy, Great Britain, the U.S.A., Hungary, Spain and Ireland.

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .

Uwe Falkenberg



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Friday 14 August 2009

Further Reduction in New Built Apartments in Berlin 2009

After a sharp drop in new built apartments in Berlin and Brandenburg in 2008 numbers for building permits have gone down even more. During the first six months of 2009 only 1,335 building permits for residential and non residential projects were issued. Another drop by 17,7 % compared to the same period of the previous year.

These building permits include 2.571 new apartments mostly in Pankow, Friedrichhain-Kreuzberg and Treptow-Köpenick, another 20% below the previous year.

In Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, the reduction was "only" 6.5 %.

With Berlin attracting more and more businesses and maturing in its role as capital 20 years after the wall fell and 15 years after the move of the "Bundestag" (German parliament) this development in reduced new production of housing due to the credit crunch will put an upward pressure on existing rents.

It is time to get into this Berlin property market!

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .

Uwe Falkenberg


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Thursday 13 August 2009

German Economy is Growing Again!

According to Destatis the Federal Statistical Office the German Economy has grown in the second quarter 2009 for the first time since 1.Q of 2008. Up by 0.3 % compared to 1.Q 2009.

Household and government final consumption expenditureand also capital formation in construction exerted a positive impact compared with the previous quarter. As price-adjusted imports declined far more sharply than exports, the balance of exports and imports also had a positive effect on GDP growth. However, declining inventories had a negative effect on growth.
The economic performance in the second quarter of 2009 was achieved by 40.2 million persons in employment, which was a decrease of 25,000 persons or 0.1% on a year earlier. (Destatis)
These results have duped many experts in their pessimistic forecasts and shows the strength and stability of the German Economy and its outstanding position as an investment destination:

The overall picture for the developments in Germany in July 2009 looks promising:
Business Climate - up link
Consumer Climate - up link
Unemployment - lower than feared link

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .

Uwe Falkenberg


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Friday 7 August 2009

Bullish Tendency in the German Investment Market July 2009

Bullish Tendency in the German Investment Market July 2009
In the German investment market, real estate valued at €1.2bn was transferred in July 2009. Helge Scheunemann, director of research at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) in Germany, declared, “In just one month, 63% of the entire transaction volume of the preceding three months has thus already been reached.” He attributed this mainly to transactions in the retail sector with shopping centers, retail parks and retail buildings in city centers, especially the sale in Berlin of the shopping center called “Die Mitte” to Commerz Real for €126.6mn. Andreas Quint, JLL’s CEO for Germany, called predicted sales of €3bn for the third quarter realistic. “After all, several transactions with large volumes are in the pipeline,” he elaborated. According to JLL, as previously reported, the transaction volume on the German investment market reached €3.7bn during the first six months of 2009, €1.9bn of it during the second quarter.

These deals show that there is big trust in the stability of the German Economy and the investment environment especially in the Real Estate Market.

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .


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Real Estate Investment Climate in Germany - Positive Trend in July 2009


The monthly publication of the Real Estate Investment Climate Index in Germany for July 2009 increased for the 8th consecutive month by 7.5% from 58.9 to 63.3. This is mainly based on the investment climate whereas the second part of the index measuring the earnings climate remained nearly unchanged compared to June 2009.

Looking at the real estate market segments the residential market is the only one with index values above 100 at 116.2 rising from 111.2 in the previous month. The highest increase was in the office market by 12.6% now at 43.2. Retail grew by 5.4% to now 61.3.

This index is published by King Sturge monthly parallel to those from ifo and Gfk which can be found in this blog as well.

The overall picture for the developments in Germany in July 2009 looks promising:
Business Climate - up link
Consumer Climate - up link
Unemployment - lower than feared link

Experts are still expecting for these market perceptions to take some time to produce real recovery in the economy.

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .


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Wednesday 5 August 2009

Residential Market: Lowest number of new built apartments in Germany since 1990

New construction of residential units is still declining in Germany. It is at the lowest level since the reunification 1990. This is a phenomenon across Europe and is not likely to change at the short term due to the difficulties financing new projects.

Despite decreasing unemployment, economic recovery and moderate interest rates in 2008 there were only 152.000 new units built in Germany. There are regional differences as pointed out by the Munich based ifo Institute and in most regions there are no shortages to be expected, but attractive locations with influx through new jobs this development might cause shortages in the rental market.

An analysis of the regions can help to identify investment targets in the German residential market with potential for rent increases supported by the still robust state of the German economy (see other recent posts in this blog).

For support in the identification of the right investment targets please visit our website at www.berlin-portfolio.com. Especially for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.

We provide independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal. (Also see our free property market Research Service)

Please use this link to the contact facilities provided there to place any requests .


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Tuesday 4 August 2009

Investment Barometer on the assets of private investors in Europe and the USA

The top priority for private investors in Europe and the USA is the safety of their investments. To achieve this, they are willing to accept moderate returns. Approximately half of the Europeans and almost seven in ten Americans have invested money in savings deposits. At the same time, the proportion of non-savers has decreased on both continents. These are the findings of the Investment Barometer survey carried out by GfK Custom Research on behalf of The Wall Street Journal Europe.

One of the safest investments is into the German Property Market with its stable legal and commercial system. Provided a technical, legal and just as important financial due diligence is performed independently the robust economic environment provides ideal conditions for a safe and prosperous investment.

As a Home Base in the German Property Market for international Private Investors and Property Funds we provide a task force service for quick reaction to interesting opportunities.
Independent support for the property search including foreclosure or auction properties and their valuation or appraisal.

For the purchase phase we provide an Investment Management Service supporting the gathering and submission of any project related information to banks and act as local contact for the investor and the bank. We also assist in finding local finance institutions and possible government subsidies for renovations.

Last but not least we provide support finding the appropriate arrangements for the management of the investment and Asset Management Services.

For more information please visit our website http://www.berlin-portfolio.com/.

Uwe Falkenberg


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