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The UAE Real Estate report examines the commercial office, retail, industrial and construction segments in the context of an increasingly positive macroeconomic perspective, which may well see the tide turning on a market which has spent the last four years suffering from over-supply; and the legacy of the property bubble.

With a focus on the three principal emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, the report covers market performance in terms of rental rates and yields over the past 18 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-led growth on a market already characterised by oversupply and historically low rates. The key potential growth areas driven by increasing activity on the part of international investors and the potential of the domestic consumer market are also explored, with corporate growth strategies looking to the emirates for expansionary opportunities.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia’s various real estate sectors are developing in different directions and at varying rates. The commercial market in general suffers from oversupply and is forecast to undergo limited growth in the short term; however, BMI believes that there is light at the end of the tunnel; that the market will reach its nadir over the course of 2012 and that positive sentiment growing around the sector (as evidenced by our newly collected data covering H112) will see its first few shoots rise above the surface, if the positive economic fundamentals remain on course.

Due to the emirates’ relative stability over the course of the Arab Spring, tourism has received a real boost. As such we see a bright spot developing in related real estate projects.

The macroeconomic outlook for the UAE has brightened considerably over the past several quarters, as the country's prolonged recovery from 2009's slump gradually gathers steam. BMI estimates real GDP expanded by 4.2% in 2011, which would mark the fastest pace of growth in five years. In addition to higher oil production, the economy is also benefiting from an uptick in the trade, tourism and services sectors.

Deleveraging will remain a prominent theme well into 2013, as corporations continue to focus on repairing their balance sheets.