Your guide to investing in commercial property

Guy Morrell, head of multi-manager at HSBC Global Asset Management, examines why and how to invest in commercial property

Two years or so after the start of the financial crisis, it is timely to reassess the rationale for holding commercial property as part of a balanced portfolio and review how private investors can access the market. It is also worth considering, in light of the turbulent experience of recent years, how investors’ property portfolios might be structured in future. Commercial property markets typically comprise retail (such as shopping centres, retail warehouse parks or shop units), offices or industrial premises. Property markets are characterised by large, ‘lumpy’ assets. The average ...