The amount of money invested in commercial real estate around the world has reached new highs.

Global direct commercial real estate investment transaction volumes reached a new record high in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to JLL. Volumes in the fourth quarter totaled $218 billion, taking total 2014 volumes to $700 billion, an increase of 18 percent over 2013. qatar west bay

In Q4 2014, global direct commercial real estate transactional volumes hit $218 billion, up 28% from Q3 and 4% from Q4 2013.

Volumes in 2014 totaled $700 billion (USD), up 18% from 2013.

In Q4 compared to Q3, Asia Pacific and EMEA both increased by 40%, while the Americas increased by 15%.

Arthur de Haast, JLL's Lead Director of International Capital Group, says, "The Americas and Europe have been the driving forces behind global expansion, with economic recovery in the United States and the United Kingdom playing a key role. For the majority of 2014, Asia Pacific lagged behind, but a solid final quarter took it back up to 2013 levels."

"Despite the fact that the world is more volatile than it was a year ago," he added, "we expect direct real estate to continue to appeal in a low-interest rate setting, so we are forecasting transactional volumes of between US$730 and US$750 billion in 2015, which would be the sixth year of volume growth."

JLL's Global Capital Markets Research Director, David Green-Morgan, added: "Following such a quick run-up in transactional activity over the previous six years, growth in 2015 appears to be a little more modest as investors consider their next steps. With shifting monetary policies in the United States, the Eurozone, and Japan, crucial elections in the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, and Greece, and a Chinese economy adjusting to lower GDP growth, the global economy faces new challenges. The macro drivers of real estate investment remain, however: fund raising was strong in 2014, institutions continue to allocate more money to direct real estate, and emerging economies are loosening capital export laws."

The Americas: The Americas continued to outperform the rest of the world in 2014, with volumes of US$298 billion, up 24% from 2013. This figure was helped by another solid final quarter in the United States, where volumes hit nearly US$85 billion, up 6% from the same quarter last year. The United States, Brazil, and Mexico have all retained strong transactional momentum this year, while Canada has marginally underperformed in 2013.

Volume growth in Europe nearly matched that of the Americas, growing 21% to US$267 billion for the full year. Although the UK, France, and Germany saw strong growth of 17%, some of the smaller markets saw even higher growth: the Nordics (up 41%), Central and Eastern Europe (up 51%), Benelux (up 61%), and Southern Europe (up 61%). (up 70 percent).

Asia Pacific: A better-than-expected fourth quarter has brought the region's activity back in line with that of 2013. The US$42 billion posted in Q4 is the highest quarter on record for Asia Pacific, nearly 40% higher than Q3, thanks to a spike in operation in China and South Korea, both of which had lagged the region in 2014. Despite a solid final quarter, full-year 2014 volumes are at US$128 billion, with Australia (+17 percent) and Japan (+4%) up on 2013, but China down 20%.