Investment
Property investors are holding back as the global economy sours, says Singapore’s CapitaLand Investment – CNBC
Real estate investors are now being “careful and prudent” about deploying capital in the face of growing economic uncertainty around the world, said leading Singaporean property investment manager CapitaLand Investment.
Its half-year financial results on Thursday revealed that CapitaLand Investment’s profit fell 38% to $433 million Singaporean dollars ($316 million) for the first half of the year owing to a lower pace of “capital recycling” this year, which the firm had adopted as a cautionary stance against a troubled global economy.
“We’re being very careful, patient and prudent, as I think many of our peers … are,” the company’s chief financial officer Andrew Lim told “Squawk Box Asia” on Thursday.
“There is a lot of uncertainty out there. We are seeing interest rates rising rapidly across many countries in reaction and response to supply side and demand side inflation, which is something we haven’t seen in a very long time.”
“And I think many real estate and capital managers are being very careful about deploying capital and underwriting returns, just because we are just so uncertain about what the next six to 12 months will hold on the macroeconomic side.”
Lim said the firms’ capital deployment this year should hit a more “normalized” SG$3 billion, down from last year’s SG$11 billion.
A recession signal?
One warning sign of an economic downturn or a recession is the restraint that investors exercise over deploying capital for new investments, economists said.
In a note about recessions last month, Oxford Economics said falling investments are often a “key driver” of downturns.
“In the recessionary periods since the 1980s, around half of the decline in the Group of 7 gross domestic product in negative quarters came from investment, even though investment only averaged 20% to 22% of GDP,” Oxford Economics lead economist Adam Slater said in the note.
“As a result, near-term trends in investment are of particular importance given the current concerns about a possible global recession.”
“An investment freeze in the coming quarters is a significant risk.”
We can’t be a leading Asian real estate investment manager if we are not significantly invested in China. And we remain very constructive on China … over the long term.Andrew LimCapitaLand Investment
Though some indicators showed investment activity in the United States, Germany and Japan still looked strong, business sentiment about future expansions in investments in those places have weakened, Slater said.
The desire to invest in other economies such as China, the U.K. and South Korea has tailed off, he added.
Other indicators that hint at investment appetites, such as the strength of the stock markets, corporate liquidity and profits, indicate “an investment freeze in the G7 later this year looks to be very real,” Slater said.
But while a downturn seems likely, a recession can be avoided, Slater said.
“Investment might be cushioned (for a while at least) by the recent unusual build-up of backlogged capital goods orders caused by supply bottlenecks,” he said.
“Some of the indicators we have looked at also may be less worrying than they first seem. For example, the drop in U.S. corporate profits we forecast for 2022 comes after a very strong rise in 2021, which may act as a cushion.”
China’s case
As for China, CapitaLand Investment’s Lim said while revenue from properties has come off the boil —particularly after pandemic lockdowns gripped major city centers like Shanghai in the second quarter of the year — the company remains committed to investing in Chinese property.
In the first half of the year, the company’s returns from China suffered not just from slower asset recycling, but also from having to extend rental rebates to its retail property tenants.
“I think we’re starting to see a gradual normalization of operations and the environment in China. We remain very confident, and we are ‘long China’ in the long term,” Lim said.
“We can’t be a leading Asian real estate investment manager if we are not significantly invested in China. And we remain very constructive on China, again, over the long term.”
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A new committee of Greater Sudbury city council is being set up to find the “best way of streamlining and of encouraging investment in Sudbury.”
So described Mayor Paul Lefebvre, who used Thursday’s Fireside Chat event with the Northeastern Ontario Construction Association to announce the new five-member committee.
“It’s a big exercise, but I think it’s a positive way of affecting change,” he told Sudbury.com after delivering his address at Verdicchio Ristorante, adding that his goal is for the committee to present recommended changes to municipal bylaws by the end of the year.
The committee would host five to seven meetings this year to learn from local industry leaders, with priority given to those with experience working for other municipalities.
“What is going on elsewhere?” Lefebvre asked. “How are they doing things different from what’s going on here, and why is that the case, so we have a better understanding.”
Lefebvre said that with many regulations provincially mandated, he wants the committee to narrow in on what the municipality can actually accomplish.
In concert with the committee’s work, Lefebvre said an internal team at city hall will work with their counterparts in other municipalities to dig out best practices for Greater Sudbury to adopt.
Reflecting on Lefebvre’s address, Northeastern Ontario Construction Association executive director Mark Kivinen told Sudbury.com he is “very optimistic,” and that Lefebvre has “hit the ground running” since he was elected to head city council on Oct. 24, 2022.
“He is so engaged with the community and understands what the community wants and needs, and also has the ability to not stay stagnant, to open up and don’t be just locked in your little bubble,” Kivinen said, adding that the upcoming committee should aid in this effort.
“There are other municipalities that are doing things better than us, and we are doing some things better than them,” he said. “I think we understand now that if we’re going to promote growth, we’ve got to open up the city a little more.”
Thursday night’s speech and subsequent question and answer period highlighted an ongoing concern within the local construction industry of so-called “red tape” at city hall, which Lefebvre said city council’s upcoming committee will strive to suss out.
Ward 5 Coun. Mike Parent has also addressed “red tape” in a motion greenlit by city council in February, which will see the city partner with the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce to investigate ways of streamlining processes for businesses.
During his speech, Lefebvre cited recent progress on the Employment Land Strategy and a $1.25-million interim fix approved for Fielding Road, which services one of the city’s industrial hubs, as recent signs of city council support for tackling economic growth.
“We’re serious about this,” Lefebvre said, adding that the work on Fielding Road is a solid investment that will help ensure clients and those working in the area won’t have to wear a mouthguard while navigating the pothole-filled road.
Earlier this week, city council approved a public consultation plan for a new tax incentive called the Employment Land Community Improvement Plan, which Lefebvre cited as another recent move toward spurring economic activity. Sudbury.com will be publishing an in-depth report on the proposal soon.
Tapping into the value-added market when it comes to battery-electric vehicles, the city’s infrastructure deficit, its collection of aging facilities, a need for housing across the continuum, and a need for employees in a local economy in which there are approximately 3,500 unfilled jobs right now, were also hot topics during tonight’s speaking engagement.
Lefebvre said all of these issues and more will need to be dealt with to help meet his ultimate goal of increasing Greater Sudbury’s population to 200,000 within 20 years.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
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The Canadian Press
Gold breaking above 2000 is likely a 2023 event: CEO
VIDEO SIGN OUT
The precious metals sector could stand to benefit from renewed exploration, particularly at a time when investors are undervaluing several companies within the space, one financial expert says.
In a Thursday interview with BNN Bloomberg’s Amber Kanwar, David McAlvany, chief executive officer of McAlvany Financial Companies, said precious metals companies that specialize in mining commodities such as gold and silver are well-positioned to capture new growth through exploration, and are showing sustainable cost production.
He recommended Orla Mining Ltd. (ORLA), I-80 Gold Corp. (IAU) and MAG Silver Corp. (MAG) as his top picks in the precious metals sector.
McAlvany, his family and his firm own shares of all three companies mentioned above, however his investment banking clients do not.
Check out the full video at the top of the article to learn more.
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MONTREAL, Québec — BRAVO READY, creator of BR1: INFINITE, the world’s first pay to spawn, kill to earn shooting game, today announced a new strategic investment from Magic Eden, adding to its expanding list of investors, which includes Krafton (owners of PUBG), 6th Man Ventures, and Solana Ventures. The funding provided by this investment will be directed towards the further development and mass adoption of BR1: INFINITE.
“With the support of Magic Eden, BRAVO READY is now better positioned to provide liquidity to gamers,” said CEO and Co-Founder, Evan Ryer. “Delivering innovative and exciting gameplay experiences that leverage a risk-based model is what keeps players coming back – we are excited to keep onboarding strategic partners like Magic Eden.”
“We are excited to support BRAVO READY and their vision to bring intense competitive gameplay to Web3.” said Chris Akhavan, Chief Gaming Officer, Magic Eden. “We believe the combination of Web3 technology and skill-based player economics will create thrilling experiences for gamers.”
About BRAVO READY
BRAVO READY is a Montreal-based game publisher. In addition to producing AAA and WebGL titles like BR1:INFINITE & Mini Arena, BRAVO READY offers a range of products & services to help align games and game companies for success.
About Magic Eden
Magic Eden is the leading cross-chain NFT platform driving the next billion users to web3. Led by former crypto, tech, and hospitality leaders, Magic Eden is building a user-friendly platform powered by market-leading minting and trading solutions. Magic Eden brings dynamic cultural moments onto the blockchain, empowering users across thousands of digital communities to create, discover and collect unique NFTs. For more information, please visit www.magiceden.io
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230330005710/en/
Contacts
Corey Herscu for BRAVO READY
corey@herscu.ca
+14163003030
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