Ep 64: Chris Bedingfield - Is property defensive in a COVID world?

How has COVID-19 affected property? In this episode, Chris and David discuss the impact of COVID-19 on property asset prices. Chris is a portfolio manager for the Quay Global Real Estate Fund. The fund itself has returned 11.7% p.a. since inception in July 2014 till March 2020. Post-March the global REIT market has not recovered to the same extent as global equities. Chris puts this down to the number of sectors within real estate that are socially driven. This includes Retail, Office/Commercial, Hotels and Hospitality. As these sectors see reduced activity from the impact of COVID-19, we are seeing overall REIT index's weighed down significantly when compared to equities. Chris and David also discuss the dislocation that has risen from the COVID crisis as a result of people working from home, leading businesses to renew their perceptions on such arrangements and the ongoing cost of office workspaces.