Investment

Real estate capital markets and investment insight: connecting capital to opportunity.

Our global capital markets research provides an insightful, data-led view of capital flows, pricing dynamics and property investment activity across global real estate markets.

We track investment volumes, liquidity, yield movements, pricing trends, debt conditions and investor sentiment, supported by analysis of macroeconomic drivers, policy shifts and capital allocation strategies. Our work spans all major commercial property sectors and residential investment markets, linking global capital themes to on-the-ground transactional evidence. Our flagship Active Capital research, surveying 119 global investors with over $1.4 trillion in AUM, explores how capital is being deployed worldwide, and what is coming next.

We work across geographies, with comprehensive UK coverage supported by insight from our international research network. Our analysis serves a broad range of stakeholders, including investors, funds, lenders, developers, asset managers and occupiers seeking to understand how capital is shaping real estate markets.

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Investment Yield Guide

A monthly update on prime yields and market sentiment across all commercial property sectors.

Explore the guide

Active Capital

Capturing the views and investment intentions of 119 of the world’s largest global real estate investors, tracking $144bn of capital.

Explore Active Capital

Active Capital

Active Capital: Halftime notes through a UK lens

At the halfway point in the year, we revisit our 2026 conclusions through a UK lens, set against the resignation of PM Keir Starmer.

26 June 2026

Active Capital

Welcome to the Knight Frank Active Capital Survey 2026

Investor sentiment is shifting from caution to conviction following higher interest rates, pricing uncertainty and constrained liquidity.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

Top themes: Seven forces shaping capital decisions in 2026

The Active Capital Survey 2026 identifies seven tightly clustered forces that will define investment decisions in the year ahead.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

The Knight Frank Active Capital Survey 2026: How investors plan to deploy $144bn

The survey reveals how capital flows, sector priorities and strategic positioning will shape 2026.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

Sector strategy for 2026: Offices to anchor allocations as demographics and technology drive diversification

Offices will be the top targeted sector in 2026. Investors will likely focus on prime assets in core CBDs where there is income resilience.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

Investor opportunities: Prime offices, repricing plays and structural growth sectors

Respondents to the survey identify three dominant opportunity clusters shaping investor strategy for the year ahead.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

From core to complexity: What investor hurdle rates tell us about 2026

Investor hurdle rates follow a hierarchy across strategies. The gap shows liquidity, complexity, execution risk and market volatility.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

Core capital returns: The outlook for core liquidity, recovery and strategy in 2026

Core investment is set to regain momentum, driven by stabilising debt, narrowing bid–ask spreads and improving return profiles.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

Capital strategies: Defensive anchors, opportunistic plays and the rise of partnerships

The Active Capital Survey 2026 indicates an investor base delicately balanced between caution and conviction.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

Capital on the move: How optimistic investors are targeting direct commercial real estate in 2026

How optimistic investors are targeting direct commercial real estate in 2026.

20 January 2026

Active Capital

What are the capital trends shaping commercial real estate?

Our Knight Frank Active Capital research forecasts global cross-border capital flows across key sector and investor types, tracking opportunities for 2024.

25 March 2024

Energy & Sustainability

ESG strategies differ among investor types

Here we delve deeper into the results of our ESG Property Investor Survey and analyse nuances among investor types and focus.

01 November 2023

Active Capital

Regional outlooks: real estate capital flows in 2023

We analyse the effects of the current market volatility on capital flows, region by region.

26 January 2023

Data Centres

Future trends and innovation in real estate investment

Investors must be primed for the sixth innovation wave. From data centres to flexible working spaces, opportunities abound.

26 January 2023

Active Capital

Forecasting global cross-border capital flows

The Capital Gravity model forms a cornerstone of our Active Capital research. Now in its sixth year, we’ve employed the latest machine learning and regression techniques alongside unique datasets to predict where real estate capital will flow in 2023 and beyond.

26 January 2023

Active Capital

The global rise of sustainable finance

A year on since we highlighted the rise of sustainable financing as a fundamental driver of investment resilience, sustainable lending has continued to develop at pace across the globe.

22 November 2021

Active Capital

The search for sustainably led cities

Investors are increasingly mindful of ESG considerations, whether at an individual building, portfolio, or corporate level. This is the result of both a rapid uptick in the benchmarking of ESG metrics and a desire to mitigate exposure to climate risk.

22 November 2021

Active Capital

Forecasting global cross-border capital flows

Our Capital Gravity model forms one of the cornerstones of our Active Capital research. Now in its sixth year, we have used the latest machine learning techniques and unique datasets to predict where real estate capital will flow in 2022 and beyond.

22 November 2021

Active Capital

Why now is a good time to invest in real estate; the fund management view

This article originally featured in Active Capital 2019.Tom Bill, Head of London Residential Research talks with a number of funds to gauge their view on the market and the evolving role of real estate

15 October 2021

Active Capital

Active Capital in 60 seconds

This time last year, we introduced Active Capital through the lens of immense uncertainty and unprecedented shock. Now, thanks to the rollout of a global vaccination programme, markets are cautiously optimistic. Indeed, our forecasts show that cross-border investment is back with a bang.

29 September 2021

Explore Active Capital

Regular updates on investment across real estate sectors

Offices

UK Cities Office Market Report

Our report provides a concise synopsis of occupier and investor activity in the UK’s 10 largest regional office markets.

21 August 2026

Student Housing

UK Student Housing

This series of reports analyse the current health of the UK student housing market taking into account student numbers, investment and rental change, as well as our outlook for the coming year.

07 August 2026

Offices

South East & Greater London Offices

A quarterly report providing accurate and comprehensive information for occupiers, developers and investors. The report provides an overview of the development of the office market alongside quarterly supply and demand data and local market commentary.

31 July 2026

Offices

The London Office Market Report

A quarterly report examining the performance of London's office leasing and occupier markets across the City, West End and Docklands.

31 July 2026

Industrial and logistics

LOGIC: UK

A quarterly update on occupier and investment market trends in the UK logistics and industrial sector.

29 July 2026

Build-to-rent and Multifamily

Build to Rent Market Update

Knight Frank’s quarterly review of the key investment themes in the UK Build to Rent (BTR) market.

20 July 2026

Healthcare

Healthcare Capital Markets

Knight Frank’s annual assessment of the latest investment trends and performance in the UK Healthcare property sector.

15 June 2026

Retail & Leisure

Retail Investment Update

A retail report where we cover the year so far, along with our outlook for what is to come.

23 December 2025

Our major research series exploring commercial property investment

Energy & Sustainability

From Real Estate to Real Assets: Infrastructure in the spotlight

Traditional commercial real estate investors are widening their universe to real assets, with infrastructure, and particularly energy, moving centre stage.

02 June 2026

Offices

The London Series

The 2025 edition of the London Series examines the intersection of momentum, polarisation and volatility.

20 January 2026

Future Gazing

Manufacturing evolution and implications for industrial and logistics.

22 January 2026

Our latest research

Occupiers

The New Frontier - Your weekly science and innovation update - 18th August 2026

Your weekly pulse check on science and innovation. Those on the supply side of real estate can track the trends set to drive demand, while occupiers gain fresh perspective on competitor activity and sector dynamics.

18 August 2026

Land & Development

Residential Development Land Index Q2 2026

Residential development land values continued to decline during Q2 as higher borrowing costs, elevated build costs and weaker sales rates weighed on scheme viability. Developers increasingly favour lower-risk sites and deferred payment structures that reduce upfront capital commitments.

12 August 2026