Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

House prices in the UK rose dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic, with growth slowing down in 2022 and turning negative in 2023. The year-on-year annual house price change peaked at 14 percent in July 2022. In April 2025, house prices increased by 3.5 percent. As of late 2024, the average house price was close to 290,000 British pounds. Correction in housing prices: a European phenomenon The trend of a growing residential real estate market was not exclusive to the UK during the pandemic. Likewise, many European countries experienced falling prices in 2023. When comparing residential property RHPI (price index in real terms, e.g. corrected for inflation), countries such as Germany, France, Italy, and Spain also saw prices decline. Sweden, one of the countries with the fastest growing residential markets, saw one of the largest declines in prices. How has demand for UK housing changed since the outbreak of the coronavirus? The easing of the lockdown was followed by a dramatic increase in home sales. In November 2020, the number of mortgage approvals reached an all-time high of over 107,000. One of the reasons for the housing boom were the low mortgage rates, allowing home buyers to take out a loan with an interest rate as low as 2.5 percent. That changed as the Bank of England started to raise the base lending rate, resulting in higher borrowing costs and a decline in homebuyer sentiment.

In this Economic Commentary , we compare characteristics of the 2000–2006 house-price boom that preceded the Great Recession to the house-price boom that began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. These two episodes of high house-price growth have important differences, including the behavior of rental rates, the dynamics of housing supply and demand, and the state of the mortgage market. The absence of changes in fundamentals during the 2000s is consistent with the literature emphasizing house-price beliefs during this prior episode. In contrast to during the 2000s boom, changes in fundamentals (including rent and demand growth) played a more dominant role in the 2020s house-price boom.

The number of home sales in the United States peaked in 2021 at almost ************* after steadily rising since 2018. Nevertheless, the market contracted in the following year, with transaction volumes falling to ***********. Home sales remained muted in 2024, with a mild increase expected in 2025 and 2026. A major factor driving this trend is the unprecedented increase in mortgage interest rates due to high inflation. How have U.S. home prices developed over time? The average sales price of new homes has also been rising since 2011. Buyer confidence seems to have recovered after the property crash, which has increased demand for homes and also the prices sellers are demanding for homes. At the same time, the affordability of U.S. homes has decreased. Both the number of existing and newly built homes sold has declined since the housing market boom during the coronavirus pandemic. Challenges in housing supply The number of housing units in the U.S. rose steadily between 1975 and 2005 but has remained fairly stable since then. Construction increased notably in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the number of construction starts steadily rising, before plummeting amid the infamous housing market crash. Housing starts slowly started to pick up in 2011, mirroring the economic recovery. In 2022, the supply of newly built homes plummeted again, as supply chain challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and tariffs on essential construction materials such as steel and lumber led to prices soaring.

We’ve examined how pandemic-related to disruption to office working, retail operations and the hospitality sector has affected the real estate market.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of house sales in the UK spiked, followed by a period of decline. In 2023 and 2024, the housing market slowed notably, and in January 2025, transaction volumes fell to 46,774. House sales volumes are impacted by a number of factors, including mortgage rates, house prices, supply, demand, as well as the overall health of the market. The economic uncertainty and rising unemployment rates has also affected the homebuyer sentiment of Brits. How have UK house prices developed over the past 10 years? House prices in the UK have increased year-on-year since 2015, except for a brief period of decline in the second half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. That is based on the 12-month percentage change of the UK house price index. At the peak of the housing boom in 2022, prices soared by nearly 14 percent. The decline that followed was mild, at under three percent. The cooling in the market was more pronounced in England and Wales, where the average house price declined in 2023. Conversely, growth in Scotland and Northern Ireland continued. What is the impact of mortgage rates on house sales? For a long period, mortgage rates were at record-low, allowing prospective homebuyers to take out a 10-year loan at a mortgage rate of less than three percent. In the last quarter of 2021, this period came to an end as the Bank of England rose the bank lending rate to contain the spike in inflation. Naturally, the higher borrowing costs affected consumer sentiment, urging many homebuyers to place their plans on hold and leading to a decline in sales.

Asian dust can be transported at least one full circuit around the globe. During the transportation, dust can interact with local air-borne dust and pollutants, and has a profound impact on the environment. A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been affecting human activities worldwide since early 2020. The Chinese government has implemented emergency control measures. Since April 2020, control measures to reduce anthropogenic emissions have been gradually reduced. The optical properties of aerosols during the dust transport were affected by meteorological conditions, local environmental conditions and human activities. Therefore, two dust weather processes in March 2018 and March 2020 were screened under similar meteorological fields and transportation paths, which were mainly affected by human activities. Based on lidar data, in East China, compared with 2018, the average aerosol optical depth (AOD) of all types of aerosols at 0–4 km in 2020 decreased by 55.48%, while the AOD of dust aerosols decreased by 43.59%. The average particle depolarization ratio and color ratio decreased by 40.33 and 10.56% respectively. Due to the reduction of anthropogenic emissions in China (detected by lidar), the concentration of surface PM2.5 decreased by 57.47%. This indicated that due to the decrease in human activities caused by COVID-19 control measures, the optical properties of aerosols were significantly reduced during dust weather process in eastern China. However, in the Pacific region, compared with 2018, the AOD values of 0–1 km layer and 1–6 km layer in 2020 increased by 56.4% and decreased by 29.2% respectively. The difference between the two contributions of dust aerosols was very small. Meanwhile, compared with 2018, China’s near surface pollutants decreased significantly in 2020, indicating that the near surface AOD of the Pacific in 2020 was mainly contributed by local pollutants. This study was of great significance to the study of long-range and cross regional transport of pollutants.

From 1 April 2018, LTT replaced Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on residential and non-residential property and land interests purchased in Wales. The tax rates and tax bands for LTT vary depending on the type of transaction. Taxpayers must notify the WRA of all land transactions with a value above £40,000. There are also circumstances where certain lease transactions are not notifiable if they are less than 7 years in duration. When filing an LTT return, the organisation paying the return has 30 days after the effective date to submit and pay the return. This dataset includes estimates of LTT notifiable transactions received by the WRA by the close of 21 July 2025. Care should be taken with any comparisons over time which involve data from spring 2020 to summer 2021. This is due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and changes to LTT rates. A national lockdown on 23 March 2020 resulted in the housing market being mainly closed from this date until 22 June 2020 when it partially re-opened. The market was re-opened more fully on 27 July, to coincide with a change in LTT rates effective until 30 June 2021. There is evidence some purchasers may have brought their transactions forward to June 2021 to benefit from the temporary tax reduction. There were some changes to LTT rates effective from 22 December 2020. Non-residential transactions and higher rates residential transactions were affected. The main residential rates and bands for Land Transaction changed for transactions effective after 10 October 2022. The dataset focuses on the transactions subject to a relief only and includes a breakdown by: - relief type: the four main categories of relief plus an ‘other’ category making up the rest - transaction type: residential, non-residential - transaction description: conveyance / transfer of ownership, granting a new lease, assignment of lease - impact on tax due: yes, no - measure: number of transactions, estimates of the value of tax relieved due, and the tax due on the transactions - effective quarter and year Reliefs can be claimed on both residential and non-residential properties. Reliefs reduce the amount of tax due when certain conditions are met. Multiple reliefs can be applied to a single transaction and reliefs may reduce the tax due to zero (known as a full relief) or by a certain percentage or amount (known as a partial relief). Reliefs are sometimes claimed where they have no impact on the tax due. These can be viewed separately in this dataset and many of them have been reported unnecessarily by the organisations completing the tax returns. As an example, some of these apply to low value residential transactions. Indications are that they are due to a perceived but mistaken need to claim first time buyer relief (which applies for the predecessor tax, but not to Land Transaction Tax). This is known following queries raised with several agents asking why tax reliefs have been claimed where there is no impact on value of the tax. Further information about this category of reliefs is provided in the example 4 in the key quality information found in the weblinks. That example also describes some adjustments that have been made to more correctly identify the value of tax relieved associated with these transactions. Further adjustments are expected in future, and so the numbers shown here for reliefs where there is no impact on tax due are likely to be revised in future. On 7 February 2025, legislation relating to multiple dwellings relief was changed so that cases where dwellings that are subsidiary (worth less than a third of the total value of the transaction) must now be treated as part of the primary dwelling in any main rates residential transaction. This means it is now very rare that multiple dwellings relief will apply in a main rates residential transaction, which we estimate will reduce the value of the relief (or increase total LTT revenues) by between £2.0 and £2.5m per year.

As per Cognitive Market Research's latest published report, the Global Caprylyl Glycol market size was $1,373.94 Million in 2024 and it is forecasted to reach $1,838.52 Million by the end of 2030. Caprylyl Glycol Industry's Compound Annual Growth Rate was 4.86% from 2024 to 2031. Market Dynamics of the Caprylyl Glycol Market

Market Drivers of the Caprylyl Glycol Market

The increasing demand for personal care products drives the caprylyl glycol market

The demand for personal care products is increasing rapidly, driven by factors such as rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyles, and increasing awareness about personal hygiene and grooming. Caprylyl Glycol is widely used in personal care products such as skin creams, lotions, shampoos, and conditioners due to its moisturizing and preservative properties.

With the increasing demand for these products, the demand for Caprylyl Glycol is also growing. The personal care segment accounted for the largest share of the Caprylyl Glycol market in 2022. This is because Caprylyl Glycol is an effective ingredient for enhancing the performance of personal care products, such as increasing their shelf life and improving their texture.

Moreover, the trend of using natural and organic ingredients in personal care products is also driving the demand for Caprylyl Glycol. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that are gentle on their skin and contain natural ingredients, which have led to a rise in demand for plant-based preservatives like Caprylyl Glycol.

In conclusion, the increasing demand for personal care products is a key driver of the Caprylyl Glycol market due to its essential role in enhancing the performance of these products.

Rising demand for natural and organic products augments the caprylyl glycol market

The rising demand for natural and organic products is a major trend in the personal care industry and is also impacting the Caprylyl Glycol market. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that are free from synthetic ingredients and chemicals, and contain natural or organic ingredients.

Caprylyl Glycol is a plant-based ingredient that is derived from coconut oil, and is therefore considered a natural and organic ingredient. It is widely used in personal care products due to its moisturizing and preservative properties. As a result, it is gaining popularity among consumers who are seeking natural and organic products.

This growth is driven by the increasing demand for natural and organic products, as well as the rising awareness about the harmful effects of synthetic ingredients.

In response to this trend, many personal care product manufacturers are now including Caprylyl Glycol in their product formulations as a natural preservative. This is because Caprylyl Glycol not only enhances the performance of the product, but also helps to extend its shelf life.

Furthermore, the growing demand for natural and organic products is also creating new opportunities for the Caprylyl Glycol market. As a result, some manufacturers are now producing Caprylyl Glycol from natural sources such as sugarcane, which is expected to further increase its popularity in the natural and organic personal care products market.

In conclusion, the rising demand for natural and organic products is a key trend in the personal care industry and is also driving the Caprylyl Glycol market. With its natural and plant-based properties,

Caprylyl Glycol is well-positioned to meet the increasing demand for natural and organic ingredients in personal care products. 

Increasing use of Versatile Ingredients in Skincare and Cosmetic Products

Restraints for Caprylyl Glycol Market

Availability of alternatives hinders the market growth of caprylyl glycol market. (Access Detailed Analysis in the Full Report Version)

Opportunities for Caprylyl Glycol Market

The rise of e-commerce and online shopping is an opportunity for the caprylyl glycol market. (Access Detailed Analysis in the Full Report Version)

Impact of COVID-19 on Caprylyl Glycol Market

The global economy has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the sudden economic slowdown all across the world. The disruption of the supply chain has caused a shortage of raw materials and components in every industry affect the trading and manufacturing of different products. Consider...

We tested a novel method for studying human experience (thoughts and affect). We utilized Cognitive-Affective Maps (CAMs)–an approach to visually represent thoughts and their affective connotations as networks of concepts that individuals associate with a given event. Using an innovative software tool, we recruited a comparative sample of (n = 93) Canadians and (n = 100) Germans to draw a CAM of their experience (events, thoughts, feelings) with the Covid-19 pandemic. We treated these CAM networks as a series of directed graphs and examined the extent to which their structural properties (latent and emotional) are predictive for the perceived coronavirus threat (PCT). Across multiple models, we found consistent and significant relationships between these network variables and the PCT in both the Canadian and German sample. Our results provide unique insights into individuals' thinking and perceptions of the viral outbreak. Our results also demonstrate that a network analysis of CAMs' properties is a promising method to study the relationship between human thought and affective connotation. We suggest that CAMs can bridge several gaps between qualitative and quantitative methods. Unlike when using quantitative tools (e.g., questionnaires), participants' answers are not restricted by response items as participants are free to incorporate any thoughts and feelings on the given topic. Furthermore, as compared to traditional qualitative measures, such as structured interviews, the CAM technique may better enable researchers to objectively assess and integrate the substance of a shared experience for large samples of participants.

As the world is severely affected by COVID-19 pandemic, the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in prevention or for the treatment of patients is allowed in multiple countries but remained at the center of much controversy in recent days. This review describes the properties of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, and highlights not only their anti-viral effects but also their important immune-modulatory properties and their well-known use in autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus and arthritis. Chloroquine appears to inhibit in vitro SARS virus' replication and to interfere with SARS-CoV2 receptor (ACE2). Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine impede lysosomal activity and autophagy, leading to a decrease of antigen processing and presentation. They are also known to interfere with endosomal Toll-like receptors signaling and cytosolic sensors of nucleic acids, which result in a decreased cellular activation and thereby a lower type I interferons and inflammatory cytokine secretion. Given the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, there is a rational to use them against SARS-CoV2 infection. However, the anti-interferon properties of these molecules might be detrimental, and impaired host immune responses against the virus. This duality could explain the discrepancy with the recently published studies on CQ/HCQ treatment efficacy in COVID-19 patients. Moreover, although these treatments could be an interesting potential strategy to limit progression toward uncontrolled inflammation, they do not appear per se sufficiently potent to control the whole inflammatory process in COVID-19, and more targeted and/or potent therapies should be required at least in add-on.

The residential properties in the categories of individual detached or terrace housing had construction costs of nearly *** thousand zloty per square meter in 2018, making these the cheapest residential buildings to construct of the building types under observation.    Building costs per square meter of internal area in Poland     There is a constant increase in new office investments in Poland. The supply has been high recently, but the demand still seems to be unmet. This is reflected in the commissioning of new office buildings, especially in the largest cities in the country. The costs of building office buildings oscillated depending on the type. Business parks had the lowest construction costs on the market. For commercial real estate, shopping centers invariably remain the dominant format in the retail space market in Poland. Building costs per square meter of a large shopping center, including a mall in Poland, amounted to over *** thousand zloty in 2018. Saturation of the market in major agglomerations, visible changes in customers' behavior, and expectations influence changes in the planned supply of retail facilities. In the coming years, the supply will be affected by the increased demand for small shopping centers, retail parks, and multifunctional facilities.   Demand for housing in Poland     Despite a growing number of flats, the prices are not falling, but on the contrary, they are continually rising. An increase in prices was recorded in every bigger city. The most significant price increase on the primary market was recorded in Katowice, while on the secondary market, Zielona Góra prevailed. Nevertheless, Poles pay the most for a flat in the Polish capital Warsaw. In January 2020, the price per square meter of an apartment on the secondary market exceeded ** thousand zloty, while the price per square meter on the primary market was close to ** thousand zloty. However, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Poland in March 2020 affected the investment plans on the real estate market. Both individual customers and developers recorded a significant drop in the number of construction projects commenced during this period.

It can be seen that the mortgage interest rate in Poland increased overall during the period under observation, reaching a value of *** percent as of the fourth quarter of 2024. Demand for mortgage loans in Poland      Despite the tightening of credit policy by banks, the demand for mortgage loans is not decreasing. The residential market has also seen increases both in sales and in the construction of new premises. The increase in salaries combined with the decrease in the mortgage loan cost results in Poles having no problems buying apartments despite high prices. Higher wages also affect their creditworthiness, which is essential when applying for a mortgage. The value of housing loans amounted to a record ***** billion zloty in 2019. Despite a decrease in 2017, the value of debt in 2019 increased by *** percent compared to the previous year. The increase in wealth has also been reflected in the average value of mortgages. In 2021, Bank Millennium granted the largest number of mortgages to Poles, although Bank ****** was the leader in terms of value.   Demand for housing in Poland      Despite a growing number of flats, the prices are not falling, but on the contrary, they are continually rising. An increase in prices was recorded in every major city. The annual rise in prices in many cities went up between ** and ** percent. The most significant price increase on the primary market was recorded in ******, while on the secondary market, Wroclaw prevailed. Nevertheless, Poles pay the most for a flat in the Polish capital Warsaw. In December 2024, the price per square meter of an apartment on the secondary market exceeded **** thousand zloty, while the price per square meter on the primary market was close to **** thousand zloty. However, the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Poland in March 2020 affected the investment plans in the real estate market. Both individual customers and developers recorded a significant decline in the number of construction projects commenced during this period.

Manhattan, NY, was the market where renting an office was most expensive in the United States in 2025. The average annual quoted square footage rent of office space was close to ***** U.S. dollars in the second quarter of the year. In Dallas, the market with the second-largest inventory, the annual rent amounted to ***** U.S. dollars per square foot. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the office real estate sector has been suffering an increase in office vacancies, affecting both downtown and suburban properties. Data on the sales prices of office property also indicates a notable decrease in office real estate valuations.

Among the major office markets in the United States, Manhattan had the lowest vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2025. Approximately *****percent of office space was vacant in that quarter, compared to **** percent in San Francisco. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the office real estate sector has been suffering an increase in office vacancies, affecting both downtown and suburban properties. Data on the sales prices of office property also indicates a notable decrease in office real estate valuations.

In the second quarter of 2025, London (West End) was the market with the most expensive prime office space worldwide. The net effective cost for a prime office in London cost close to ****** U.S. dollars annually. In second and third markets in the ranking, Hong Kong and Midtown New York, prices also exceeded *** U.S. dollars per square foot, with Hong Kong at ****** U.S. dollars and New York Midtown at ****** U.S. dollars. The global office real estate sector was severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the political and economic uncertainty that followed. With many companies placing expansion plans on hold and transitioning to hybrid working models, vacancies across many markets spiked and leasing activity slowed down.

In 2021, the investment volume in the commercial real estate market in Milan, Italy was approximately *** billion euros, down from *** billion in 2020. While investment volumes decreased, they still exceeded the ten-year average values.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a major impact on the commercial real estate sector, affecting investment activity across most countries in Europe.

In 2022, the majority of property transactions in South Africa occurred among the purchase band ranging from *********** to ************* South African rand (around ****** to ******* U.S. dollars) at ** percent. This presents a significant increasing trend since 2016. In contrast, the ************ South African rand (****** U.S. dollars) purchase band decreased considerably from a share of ** percent to ** percent in the period under review.

This indicates that the challenging economic conditions, likely exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have negatively affected those within the purchase band of ************ South African rand and under. However, it has had a rather positive effect on the *********** to ************* South African rand purchasing group.

As of December 6, 2023, the Delhi Land & Finance Limited (DLF) lead the list of Indian real estate companies for residential and commercial complexes with a market capitalization of over ***** billion Indian rupees. The National Stock Exchange (NSE) in New Delhi includes ** real estate developers under this category. The real estate industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in India and was estimated to reach a total value of ************ U.S. dollars by 2030.
Who is driving the real estate industry? With the central government tightening regulations in the residential segment in recent years and a mismatch of demand and supply for housing, the commercial, office, and retail segments have been the key drivers within the real estate industry. Nevertheless, all segments felt the impacts of the coronavirus crisis in 2020 with less transactions, less realizations, rising vacancies and falling prizes. DLF Limited The Delhi Land & Finance Limited (DLF) was founded in 1946 in New Delhi. At first, it developed residential colonies in renown neighborhoods in southern Delhi, such as Greater Kailash and Hauz Khas. When the government took control over real estates in Delhi in the mid-1950s, DLF concentrated on other locations and the commercial segment. From the 1970s onwards, it was one of the driving factors in developing the small town of Gurugram (formerly known as Gurgaon) into a vibrant city. In financial year 2020, DLF reported a consolidated revenue of nearly ** billion Indian rupees. Besides its residential projects and high-end shopping malls, DLF gained popularity as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League between 2008 and 2012.

Prime locations for shopping centers include main streets and city centers of European cities, and factors such as the main flow of customers, the amount of space to handle the sales volume expected, as well as the direct competition and neighbors all have a great impact on projected sales. Specifically, space requirements must be carefully tailored to usage requirements, as rent typically proves to be high.

Rental prices of prime shopping centers real estate in Europe

According to the data presented, the most expensive retail space in shopping centers was rented out in Frankfurt, where on average prices were 280 euros per square meter per month as of June 2021. In comparison, the most expensive cities for high street retail were London and Paris, where monthly prime rents were close to 2,000 euros per square meter.

Coronavirus and commercial real estate

Among the many impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) are the drop in foot traffic and sales at high street shops and shopping centers due to the lockdown and social distancing measures, but also the increase of e-commerce. Shopping out of the convenience of your own home increases the focus on the importance of logistical warehousing real estate.