Intelligence Talks

The pandemic has contributed to sharp house price growth across the globe. In the UK, despite the end of the stamp duty holiday, demand for residential property remains strong. So, what will take the heat out of the market? To get a sense of what might be coming next, we look at what’s going on in New Zealand and Australia: both countries which have also seen significant house price growth during...

Net zero has come into sharp focus in recent weeks in the run up to COP26. As well as a string of government strategy announcements, actress Joanna Lumley has called for wartime rationing to fight climate change. So what are the key takeaways for property? On this week's Intelligence Talks podcast, Anna speaks to Imperial College London professor Richard Templer&...

The London rental market is booming as students and office workers return to the city. There is now upwards pressure on rental values in an undersupplied market. Anna is joined this week by Gary Hall, head of lettings and Sacha Hawkins, who heads up our relocation agent team, to discuss the future prospects of the market. How long will rents keep on rising? The trio look at how fast...

New York was hard hit by the pandemic as businesses closed and the wealthy moved upstate for more space. But it’s now in recovery mode and, like global cities around the world, revitalising its centre will be key. This week, we speak to Dan Tubb, senior director of sales at the Towers of the Waldorf Astoria Residences, about the future of Manhattan and whether the boom in suburban home s...

This week, we look at what is happening behind the scenes in government on three key issues for the property sector: the return to the office, future of retail and net zero targets. Anna speaks to Andrew Smith, head of public affairs at Weber Shandwick to find out how he is navigating these long term policy agendas and how they are impacting property occupiers.    Andrew stresses that th...

  With the government’s net zero policies in flux, how can the property sector ensure buildings are fit for the future?    This week, Anna speaks to Graham Cooley, CEO of hydrogen specialist ITM Power, which is based in Sheffield, and has the world's largest electrolyser facility.    Anna is also joined by David Goatman, head of energy and sustainability across EMEA a...

This week, we look at the UK government’s plan to overhaul the planning system. How realistic are their proposals and why are residents and backbench Tory MPs increasingly concerned? Anna is joined by David Cooper, planning specialist and lawyer, best known for his involvement with Arsenal FC's move from Highbury to Holloway, as well as   Knight Frank co-head of residential developm...

This week, we learnt both British and US inflation rates accelerated unexpectedly in June, challenging the view that high inflation during the post-Covid recovery will be temporary. Joining Anna on the podcast to discuss the impact of rising inflation on property markets is David Bailin, Chief Investment Officer at Citi Global Wealth, and Knight Frank research partner Flora Harley. David says...

The UK housing market has moved on quickly from a seven-week freeze last year to a lengthy stamp duty holiday. But what happens now that the holiday on the first half a million pounds of a property price has ended? Will prices cool and is tax reform on the cards? As of Thursday this week, the threshold has fallen back to £250,000 where it will remain until 1 October when it reverts back to £125,00...

As concerns mount this week around rising house prices, with Bloomberg claiming the UK housing market is among the world’s bubbliest, our latest guest on the podcast to weigh in on this debate is Toscafund’s chief economist, Savvas Savouri. He tackles whether the current UK house price boom looks like a bubble and how the Bank of England is likely to respond.   Anna also chats to Tom Bill, ou...

Anna heads to Manhattan to find out how the ‘race for space’ is driving New York’s prime housing market and how London’s experience compares, as well as how they will cope with governments dialling back economic support.   She speaks to Jonathan Miller, expert on prime housing markets across the US and President and CEO of real estate appraisal firm, Miller Samuel, as well as Kate Everet...

This week, Anna Ward is joined by urban planning and retail specialists to discuss how the UK can revive its towns and what successful urban centres will look like in the future.   Ben Bolgar, Senior Design Director for The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, and Cameron McDonald, senior geospatial analyst at Knight Frank, kick things off by looking at the importance of creating...

This week Patrick Gower is joined by residential development specialists Oliver Knight and Anna Ward to explore how house-builders are trying to predict the future.  They cover the impact of the pandemic on London’s pipeline of tall buildings, the challenge faced by London borough’s with big housing targets and what on earth the government means by ‘gentle density’.   They also ask why t...

This week Patrick Gower is joined by Global Head of Research Liam Bailey and Global Wealth Analyst Flora Harley to explore why solving housing's pollution problem could be a step too far for the government and how green mortgages might revolutionise lending. We also ask; where are the world's billionaires looking to buy their next homes? How has London leapfrogged rivals as the top destinatio...

This week, the UK has been preparing for the first significant easing of the third national lockdown. After over three months for some parts of the UK, pub gardens and hairdressers will be reopening on Monday. As cities prepare to reopen, how are UK residential markets changing and what’s coming next? Is a ‘normal’ property market still some way off? UK head of research Tom Bill and senior re...

With new economic data pointing to a sharp recovery, Patrick Gower speaks to head of UK residential research, Tom Bill, to find out; is the UK housing market really out of the woods? They cover what could still go wrong, variants, sentiment, the absence of foreign buyers and the plight of the City of London. Patrick also speaks to Flora Harley about New Zealand's plan to target speculators, runawa...

In this episode, Anna Ward, senior research analyst, talks to head of international residential research Kate Everett Allen and Lee Elliott, global head of occupier research, about the future of the office and residential across the world. The absence of the office and the return to work was notable in Boris Johnson's road map announcement. Since then, there have been divergent views abo...

This week Patrick Gower speaks to  The Wealth Report ’s editor Andrew Shirley and deputy editor Flora Harley to dissect the findings of the 15th annual edition. What is the fate of cities across the globe as they move to reopen? And what does the prospect of inflation mean for governments with growing deficits? The team also explore what part wealth taxes are likely will play in paying for th...

Knight Frank's research podcast is back after a brief hiatus and re-launching as a weekly podcast out each Friday co-hosted by Anna Ward and Patrick Gower. Each week, we'll look at the biggest stories impacting property.  This week Rishi Sunak delivered a budget heavily focused on Covid-19 support measures, and for the property sector we saw a number of very well trailed i...

Classic cars have been one of the top performers in our Luxury Investment Index, but how are they faring now, and what does the future hold as environmental regulations tighten?  Andrew Shirley speaks to His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent GCVO to find out how the world of classic cars has changed. He reminisces with Andrew about his early memories of driving and most memorable experien...

As coronavirus fuels huge lifestyle shifts, with many seeking to upsize, we speak to the authors of new book  Broken Homes  to find out new housing policy could result in bigger, better spaced homes.    Journalist and former Editor of EG and Building Magazine, Peter Bill, and urban regeneration specialist and former government advisor, Jackie Sadek, talk about issues in housing...

Despite Boris Johnson telling the country last week to get ready for a no-deal, Toscafund Chief Economist Savvas Savouri believes an agreement will be reached. Here, he explains why he thinks the UK will exit the EU on friendly terms, while also analysing two other global issues: the upcoming US election and US-China currency trade tensions. Against this backdrop our Head of Residential Research,...

This week our Head of Asia Pacific Research, Nicholas Holt, catches up with The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Tom Rafferty, who is regional director for Asia and an expert on politics and economics in the region. Tom believes the worst is over for Asia Pacific economies, and expects GDP across the region to bounce back to 5% growth in 2021. For property investors, he says exposure to the region ma...

This week we take a look at the future of design in the rental sector, specifically build to rent: homes designed for rent instead of sale. Our 2020 multihousing report forecasts that this year will be a record year for investment into UK build to rent stock, with a figure topping £4bn for the whole year. But at this pivotal moment, how will current developments need to adapt and what will future...

This week we focus on the sustainability agenda, looking at the key findings from our Active Capital report and speaking to a leader in the field – Richard Walker, Managing Director of Iceland Foods. Richard has been setting an example across both the retail sector – with Iceland having just published its own plastic footprint and called on other grocery chains to do the same – and property. Anna...