Bahraini

As rents rise in major European cities due to a shortage in housing supply, investors are preparing to pour their money into new homes, but they are stumbling into a confusing set of obstacles. While office and retail properties suffer from the impact of remote working and online shopping trends, property investors have allocated an additional €82 billion ($90 billion) to housing projects in Europe through 2025, according to a Savills survey. But the quagmire of rules, regulations, and bureaucracy stands in their way, according to “Al Sharq Bloomberg.” “Although there is an abundance of capital looking to enter Europe, there are obstacles in terms of scarcity of supply and shortages,” said Mark Allnutt, CEO of Greystar Real Estate Partners, a private equity firm that specializes in leasing properties. Current stock. Housing has become a thorny political issue in Europe, where difficulties in finding affordable living space raise social tensions and voter discontent. But there is no quick fix. The obstacles vary across Europe, from rent controls to planning hurdles, and will require sustained government efforts to enable the investments needed to finally ease the pressure on cash-strapped households. UK A reference to Britain’s planning system is usually enough to elicit a disapproving glance from property investors. Development decisions are in the hands of overworked local councils, and public contributions can stifle ambitious projects. Allnut said, “Some councils understand the obstacles, others do not understand them… and the number of those who do not understand these obstacles exceeds those who understand them.” Local authorities usually have up to eight weeks to make a decision, or 13 weeks for major projects. But only two in ten applications for large housing developments were considered in the period between July and September last year, according to government statistics. The potential for new rules is also a problem. The Labor Party, which leads in opinion polls, has pledged a series of reforms to address the problem of housing shortages in Britain, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan has repeatedly called for restrictions on rent increases. London Crisis Although rent caps may be welcome for renters, they may perpetuate a housing shortage in the long term by suppressing incentives for new construction. This is what happens in Scotland, where landlords can only raise rents by up to 3% per year, according to the Scottish Property Federation. “The sector has faced challenges due to what investors perceive as high levels of political risk,” said John Boyle, lead author of the research. Germany Less than half of Germans own their own homes, one of the lowest proportions in Europe, but while this means there are investment opportunities in the rental sector, buying existing homes carries renovation risks. Germany has a large number of rental homes, but a large portion of them are “very old and unlivable,” according to Faith, of Gray Star. The ruling coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz failed to meet the target of building 400,000 new homes a year, and so suspended tougher efficiency rules for new buildings in September in an attempt to boost construction. But the move does not address rising interest rates and rising construction costs, and investors remain concerned about when the rules will return. Nordic The ongoing real estate crisis in Sweden, which has echoes of the 1990s crash when there was a complete financial collapse, has led to falling real estate prices and rising financing costs, affecting the Scandinavian country’s economy. But in Stockholm, there are not enough homes on offer, and national rent controls hinder investment in property development. For those who do not have the money to buy or the ability to wait years for a formal lease, they have almost no alternative but to sublet. Such issues are of concern to many seeking to invest in new supply across Europe, amid the risk that all property owners will face the same charge.

Just in time for the end-of-year holidays, Edmunds has presented the latest installment of its annual list of the most interesting new cars that will debut in the new year. A handful are already on sale including the Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Grand Highlander, but many more will be making their way into dealer showrooms over the next 12 months. Here are the most notable cars coming in 2024, from Acura’s first electric car to a silent three-row SUV: Electric cars, SUVs, and trucks will make up a large portion of the new cars expected for 2024, and one is drawing more attention than the rest: the Kia EV9 model. The all-electric take on the Kia Telluride (a perennial Edmunds favorite), the EV9 recently scored an 8.6/10 on the Edmunds rating scale, making it one of the highest-rated cars ever. The site is also enamored with the Tesla Cybertruck. After years of delays, the first batch of reservations has just received the electric truck, which competes with the electric Leviathan and this year’s Chevrolet Silverado EV and Ram 1500 Rev, as well as the Cadillac Escalade IQ. As for the car site’s choices for less-large electric cars, it chose from the Honda Prologue, Volvo EX30, and Mini Cooper EV. In addition to electric, the site selected a number of noteworthy hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars, most recently Toyota, which made waves at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, when it announced the latest version of the powerful Camry, which will become a hybrid only for its next generation, and Toyota returns Prado for 2024 has a stunning new look, and it is also powered only by a hybrid engine. Also on the list is the fastest Corvette ever, the new E-Ray, which packs 655 horsepower from its V8 hybrid powertrain. The “Edmunds” website chose cars that do not depend on electricity, led by the Chevrolet Traverse, which is one of the largest three-row crossovers on the market, and has been completely redesigned for the year 2024. Among the luxury cars, it chose the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in its list of the best cars of the year. It provides the latest and greatest technology for a mid-sized sedan. The site announced that trucks will also have a big year in 2024, as the Jeeps Gladiator and Wrangler have been updated, as well as the Ford F-150, the Ford Ranger has been redesigned, and the Ineos Grenadier, an all-new vehicle centered around off-roading and recalling the spirit of the classic Land Rover Defender.

The value of deals fell globally during 2023 below the levels of $3 trillion for the first time since 2013. This decline was caused by a combination of high interest rates and escalating geopolitical tensions, as deal makers found themselves forced to deal with multiple fronts and at several levels, according to the Eastern News Agency. Middle East, Friday. Data from the London Stock Exchange Group revealed that the total value of deals concluded this year amounted to $2.9 trillion, which represents a decline of about 17% from 2022 levels. This is the first time since the global financial crisis that the value of deals has declined by more than 10% over two years. respectively. The largest decline came from Europe, which witnessed an annual decline of 28%, while deals fell by 25% in the Asia Pacific region, and by about 6% in America.