2013-03-20 12:09:08 - New Business research report from Business Monitor International is now available from Fast Market Research

The Qatar Real Estate Report examines the commercial office, retail, industrial and construction segments throughout the country in the context of a robust economy and an optimistic outlook for the construction industry, which support the expansion potential of the commercial real estate market.

With a focus on the principal cities of Doha, Al-Khor and Al-Wakra, the report covers the rental market performance in terms of rates and yields over the past 24 months and examines how best to maximise returns in the commercial real estate market, while minimising investment risk and exploring the impact of the government fed construction boom on a market which is moving its way up the regional ranks.


Full Report Details at
- www.fastmr.com/prod/552379_qatar_real_estate_report_q2_2013.aspx


The 2022 World Cup

presents an obvious bonanza for the sector, although it stands to reason that much growth will be organic Qatari demand, as flows of retail-minded tourists are more likely to be directed to the UAE (primarily Dubai). Despite our in-country sources having limited information on vacancy rates, it is clear that the current effect of hosting the 2022 World Cup is an increase in demand and an improving construction pipeline.

In spite of the seemingly overwhelming optimism for the market, it is not without its hurdles. In particular the market dynamics of the office sector have the potential for oversupply to become a dominant trend as with other states in the region. In addition, Qatari dependence upon the hydrocarbon sector has the potential to result in an uninspiring industrial real estate sector without diversification.

Key Points

* Qatar's residential and commercial construction segment is going to be among the clear outperformers in the Middle East, bolstered by the Vision 2030 and World Cup projects. It is also going to be buttressed by a business environment that has drawn all the major engineering, services, banking and real estate Gulf and Middle East players to the market. Following the release of revised construction industry statistics by Qatar's central bank, last quarter we revised down our forecast for growth in the country's residential and non-residential construction industry. The revision comes as two costly non-residential projects - Lusail City and Doha Festival City - reach significant milestones in their development, and we thus note that we see our downgrading as reflecting more a lag in construction timeframes than a dampening of conditions. As such, we believe that fundamentals for growth in the sub-sector remain strong, but as we have previously highlighted development will likely be slower than previously expected.
* The gradual slowdown in overall GDP growth has done little to alter our bullish outlook for Qatar's construction sector. In fact, to support the build-up for Qatar's mammoth 2030 Vision and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there are currently construction and energy projects worth US$150bn in the pipeline. With vast hydrocarbon wealth inflating public coffers and a business environment offering stability at a time of wider regional unrest, we expect Qatar's construction market to be regarded as a safe haven for the region's investors. However, we note that due to long lead-times the majority of awarded projects have yet to take off, meaning the impact will not be notable on construction sector growth until 2013, and only make a considerable impact by 2016 and beyond. Furthermore, we note the potential risk of decreasing margins due to continuously rising construction costs as a result of a surge in infrastructure investment.
* Although Qatar is set to remain one of the region's star performers in the near term, slowing growth in the hydrocarbon sector (with a plateau forming in oil production) and signs of a deceleration in bank lending mean we expect 2013 growth to be more moderate than in previous years. Consequently, we have revised our GDP growth forecasts downward, to 6.0% and 5.0% for 2012 and 2013 respectively, from 7.8% and 6.8% previously.

About Business Monitor International

Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets. BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports. Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports. View more research from Business Monitor International at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1010

About Fast Market Research

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