Dry Power, Competition Fuel CRE Mega Deals

The year is not even at the half-way mark and it is already proving to be a big year for billion-dollar transactions. And there are likely more mega-deals on the horizon that could give transaction volume an added lift. The flurry of investment deals is a notable shift for an industry that appeared to be bracing for a slowdown. Transaction volume has been on a gradual downward trajectory after hitting a post-recession peak of $546 billion in 2015. Annual sales dipped to $495 billion in 2016 and $468 billion in 2017 and were forecast to slide to $450 billion this year, according to the ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast released in April.