Alexander's Top Picks for Reading and Listening
Welcome to the 2024-2025 Academic Year!
As we begin a new academic year at Maastricht University’s School of Business and Economics, it’s the perfect time to refresh our knowledge and dive into the latest insights in commercial real estate. Whether you're returning to campus or joining us for the first time, we’re thrilled to have you with us at the Maastricht Center for Real Estate!
To help you start the semester strong, I've compiled a list of must-read (and listen) resources that will keep you up-to-date on market developments, academic research, and industry trends. These are the resources I turn to regularly to stay informed and engaged with both the academic and professional worlds of real estate.
Let’s dive in!
- Daily Reads and Listens
The World in Brief by The Economist: I start each day with "The World in Brief" podcast from The Economist on Spotify. It's a quick 5-minute summary covering the most important global news in business, finance, and politics, providing a snapshot of what to expect for the day ahead. I enjoy this podcast because it's brief, straightforward, and focused on current events. Listen on Spotify
NAREIT’s Real Estate Investment SmartBrief: If you're keen on the latest developments in commercial real estate, I highly recommend subscribing to NAREIT’s Real Estate Investment SmartBrief. This daily email newsletter offers easy-to-read summaries of key news related to real estate investment, providing a comprehensive overview of market trends, research, and policy updates. You can sign up here.
Other daily sources worth mentioning are the FT News Briefing podcast on Spotify, which provides a quick update on global business and financial news, and IPE Real Assets (subscription required), which offers insights focused explicitly on institutional investments in real assets.
2. Monthly and Quarterly Reads
Academic Journals
For those interested in academic perspectives, there are several high-quality journals where you can find valuable research on real estate. For deeper insights into the real estate sector, I recommend regularly checking Real Estate Economics and the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics for their latest issues. Since my research primarily focuses on institutional investors' allocation to real assets, I often read the Journal of Portfolio Management and the Financial Analysts Journal for articles that provide perspectives on portfolio management and investment analysis.
Additionally, I constantly scan other top-tier finance journals, such as the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, and Review of Financial Studies, for interesting papers.
Industry Reports
Industry reports are a vital source of information for understanding broader market trends, accessing data, and staying updated on the latest legislative developments. To this end, I tend to read reports by the Urban Land Institute (ULI), the oldest and most extensive network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts. They provide comprehensive papers on urban economics, sustainability in real estate, and housing. Access there publications here. Another option is the Pension Fund Real Estate Association (PREA) Quarterly Magazine. Each issue includes insights on real estate securities, legislative issues, capital flows, market research, and feature articles on trends and issues critical to institutional real estate investors. Access their quarterly magazine here. Lastly, I check the latest news from the Global Real Estate Engagement Network (GREEN). GREEN aims to encourage the real estate sector to reduce carbon emissions effectively and manage progress against science-based targets. I like to read the latest publications by GREEN, as they complement the other industry reports by solely focusing on sustainability and climate risk in the real estate sector. Their primary focus is to provide guidance on how real estate funds and companies can address sustainability challenges.
3. Additional Weekend Reads
For the weekends, I recommend the weekend editions of the Financial Times and Bloomberg for more comprehensive reading. Both publications offer detailed insights into market trends, in-depth analyses, and commentary on the latest developments in global finance and real estate. Finally, on the weekends I enjoy listening to the podcast "In Good Company" with Nicolai Tangen, the CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management. In this podcast, Tangen interviews leaders from some of the world's largest companies, engaging in discussions on various topics. He consistently brings exciting guests to the show and covers diverse subjects. Listen to In Good Company.
I hope the recommendations I've shared, spanning daily, monthly, and quarterly reads, will provide you with valuable insights and keep you up-to-date with both practical market information and academic findings.
Happy reading and listening!
