Fiona Waters, Managing Director of Waters Economics, recently spoke at the PERE Asia Summit, an international conference on the future of Asian real estate, attended by more than 450 industry leaders.

Fiona spoke on the panel session on ‘Xi, Abe and Modi- the impact of economic reform on private real estate’. As the only economist on the panel, Fiona provided an alternative, macro-economic viewpoint on the impact of Premier Xi, Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Modi’s reformist economic policies on real estate markets.

"Whilst short-medium term economic policies, as well as local demand and supply are important factors influencing the market; when looking at investments, I would also be focusing on long term trends and structural change to identify niche opportunities" said Fiona. For example in India, where the urban population is only 30%, compared to China at 55% and Japan at over 90%, and where the median age is only 27, the long term structural demand for residential units for young families is strong. Don't fight the tidal flow, find the strong current and go with it.

Images courtesy of PEI Hong Kong

Fiona Waters and other speakers at PERE Asia Summit 2016