Global Real Estate & Economy Brief — 2025-09-29

🌍 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 2025-09-26
• BoE Bank Rate: 4.00 (as of 2025-08-07)

🇺🇸 United States

• A Secret Sauce Keeps This Australian House Hot and Cool — An architect couple designed an energy-efficient mountain home using tile remnants and mismatched boards for temperature regulation.
• $1.8 Million Homes in Madrid — In Madrid, $1.8 million offers renovated two-bedroom apartments in historic buildings or newer semidetached houses.
• Can We Evict the Hoarder in Our Building? — A co-op board can evict a damaging shareholder but must adhere to its established rules.

🇪🇺 Europe

• UK graduates and healthcare workers worst hit as jobs market ‘cools’ — UK graduates and healthcare workers face declining job opportunities, while vacancies for warehouse staff and cleaners increase.
• Rachel Reeves pledges a library in every primary school in England — Rachel Reeves promises to establish a library in every primary school in England to support children's education.
• High standard of English to be required for leave to remain, Mahmood to pledge — Home Secretary Mahmood proposes stricter conditions for UK settlement, including high English proficiency and a clean criminal record.

🌏 Asia

• Reeves to guarantee paid work for young people unemployed for 18 months — Chancellor Reeves pledges to eliminate long-term youth unemployment by guaranteeing paid work for young people.
• Hackers contact Harrods after 430,000 customer records hit by IT breach — Harrods is collaborating with authorities after an IT breach exposed 430,000 customer records, primarily basic information.
• Watch: PM repeatedly asked if he will rule out VAT rise in Budget — Prime Minister faces repeated questions about potential VAT increases in the upcoming Budget ahead of Chancellor Reeves' announcement.

🎯 GPT Strategy

🇺🇸 United States

• **Positioning Idea:** Invest in energy-efficient real estate REITs focusing on sustainable building practices.
• **Risk Note:** Regulatory changes may impact operational costs.
• **Positioning Idea:** Consider European real estate ETFs targeting urban renovation projects in historic districts.

🇪🇺 Europe

• **Positioning Idea:** Invest in UK logistics and warehousing REITs to capitalize on rising demand for warehouse staff.
• **Risk Note:** Economic downturns may impact overall demand for logistics space.
• **Positioning Idea:** Consider ETFs focused on UK education and infrastructure to benefit from increased government spending on schools.

🌏 Asia

• **Positioning Idea:** Invest in youth-focused employment sectors and training programs ETFs, as government initiatives may boost job creation.
• **Risk Note:** Policy changes or funding cuts could impact sector performance.
• **Positioning Idea:** Consider REITs focused on retail properties, as data breaches may drive demand for enhanced security and tech upgrades in retail spaces.

Not financial advice. Educational insights only.