UAE deals crater, digital rebound
UAE property transactions plunged 51% month‑on‑month since the conflict began, per Goldman Sachs — a sharp liquidity shock for investors and developers . Yet online marketplaces Bayut and dubizzle recorded a fast rebound in buyer engagement and listings within days, signalling demand can re‑ignite quickly even as Dubai overall reassesses risk .
Goldman Sachs analysts led by Harsh Mehta said overall transaction values in the first half of March were down 31% year‑on‑year. (investing.com) The bank’s note shows the secondary market slid about 59% year‑on‑year and villa transactions dropped roughly 89% year‑on‑year, while total transaction volumes fell about 38% year‑on‑year and off‑plan volumes were down around 52% year‑on‑year. (investing.com) Price data in the Goldman report put median apartment prices per square foot down 3% year‑on‑year and 8% month‑on‑month for March 1–12, with the average price per square foot up 1% year‑on‑year but down 7% month‑on‑month. (investing.com) Shares of Emaar Properties PJSC, one of Dubai’s largest developers, have fallen nearly 40% since the start of the regional conflict, the report notes. (investing.com) Platform metrics from Bayut and dubizzle show unique buyer activity initially fell to about 47% of typical levels before recovering to more than 80% of normal traffic within nine days. (mena.entrepreneur.com) Bayut/dubizzle also recorded listing impressions, views and buyer enquiries across property, motors, rentals and consumer‑goods categories returning close to year‑ago benchmarks during the rebound, a recovery that the platforms flagged as occurring amid Ramadan. (mena.entrepreneur.com)
