Abengoa’s expulsion from Spain’s Ibex 35, after finding itself on the brink of bankruptcy, has provoked a tough fight amongst companies and sectors which consider they have the right to belong to this exclusive index. One of the most active sectors is real estate, now recovering from its 2008 collapse.
It’s not really surprising that Spain’s real estate market has become one of the most attractive in the world, given that property prices are still only slowly recovering from an almost 40 percent decline at the height of the crisis, and the country’s economy is now back on the path to growth.
Foreign investors are pumping more money into buying, building or converting hotels in Spain, as they cash in on the positive trend in two key industries: real estate and tourism.
UBS | We remain constructive on the European real estate sector. As a bond proxy with growth , real estate benefits from current central bank stimulus, while it can also gain through rental growth in an inflationary environment, should the stimulus prove successful. For Spain, we upgrade Hispania to Buy and downgrade Merlin to Neutral.
Deutsche AWM | Capital is moving beyond Madrid and Barcelona. Yields continue to fall and are now close to historical lows. Positive yield impact is to have run its course mostly by end-2016.
The recovery in Spain’s property market is good news for the country’s banks as it will provide a boost for the economy as a whole, while helping reduce the “toxic” real estate assets on the lenders’ balance sheets, says the rating agency.
By Félix Lores Juberías and Ignacio San Martín at BBVA Research | Housing sales, which grew by approximately 8%, were shored up by increased lending, the upturn in employment and better consumer confidence.
Spain’s housing sales continue to recover in June, with 30,578 new transactions and 17.0% YoY growth.
A fourth wave of Chinese investors keen to explore growth opportunities is emerging, according to a recent report from the consultancy firm Knight Frank. And experts predict that the trend will grow further in the coming years, fostering greater synergies between Chinese real estate agents and overseas Chinese investors. The goals and strategies of this new investor are more diversified; with a special focus in new and secondary markets, and away from major cities such as London, New York. Countries like Spain and Portugal are able to provide additional perks, such as programmes through which investors can obtain residence permits.
MADRID | March 9, 2015 | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | Martinsa-Fadesa is a paradigm of Spanish real estate disaster of the last decade, a company which became synonymous with Spain’s period of boom and bust, an exemplification of the evils of the time.