Global Real Estate & Economy Brief — 2025-09-30

🌍 At a Glance

• US Fed Funds Rate: 4.33 (as of 2025-08-01)
• US 30Y Mortgage: 6.3 (as of 2025-09-25)
• ECB Policy Rate: 2.0 [FRED:ECBDFR] as of 2025-09-29
• BoE Bank Rate: 4.00 (as of 2025-08-07)

🇺🇸 United States

• Home Builders, and Homeowners, Brace for Impact of Kitchen Tariffs — President Trump’s import taxes on foreign-made kitchen products are significantly impacting home builders and homeowners.
• A Secret Sauce Keeps This Australian House Hot and Cool — An architect couple creatively utilized tile remnants and mismatched boards to enhance their energy-efficient home.
• $1.8 Million Homes in Madrid — Buyers can acquire renovated two-bedroom apartments or newer semidetached houses in Madrid for around $1.8 million.

🇪🇺 Europe

• Keir Starmer to tell Labour conference growth is the ‘antidote to division’ — Keir Starmer will assert that economic growth is essential to combat division and improve living standards at the Labour conference.
• Labour to tackle care sector crisis in England with pay increase and new negotiating body — Labour plans to address England's care sector crisis with a £500m pay increase and a new negotiating body for better worker conditions.
• Shabana Mahmood calls Nigel Farage ‘worse than racist’ over ‘dog-whistle politics’ — Shabana Mahmood labels Nigel Farage's rhetoric as "worse than racist," highlighting the personal abuse her family has faced.

🌏 Asia

• Faisal Islam: Reeves pre-emptively justifies tax rises — Chancellor Reeves anticipates tax rises due to global challenges and a reassessment of productivity by the OBR.
• Reeves warns of harder choices to come as she hints at tax rises — Reeves indicates that international events have complicated economic choices, leading to potential tax increases.
• Trump renews threat to impose 100% tariffs on non-US made movies — President Trump threatens 100% tariffs on foreign-made films, claiming the U.S. film industry has been undermined.

🎯 GPT Strategy

🇺🇸 United States

• **Positioning Idea:** Invest in homebuilder ETFs to capitalize on potential price adjustments from import taxes, but monitor for rising material costs impacting margins.
• **Positioning Idea:** Consider energy-efficient home improvement REITs, as sustainable renovations gain popularity; however, be cautious of fluctuating consumer demand in economic downturns.
• **Positioning Idea:** Explore international real estate funds focusing on European markets, like Madrid, for diversification; be aware of currency risks and local market volatility.

🇪🇺 Europe

• **Positioning Idea**: Consider investing in UK healthcare REITs to capitalize on increased funding and reforms in the care sector.
• **Risk Note**: Monitor potential political changes that could affect funding stability.
• **Positioning Idea**: Explore ETFs focused on UK infrastructure and social services, as government emphasis on economic growth may lead to increased public spending.

🌏 Asia

• **Positioning Idea:** Consider investing in defensive REITs focused on essential services, as tax rises may drive demand for stable income properties.
• **Risk Note:** Economic downturns could impact tenant stability.
• **Positioning Idea:** Explore ETFs in the consumer staples sector, which typically perform well during tax increases and economic uncertainty.

Not financial advice. Educational insights only.