Karthik Sankaran is our guest today at the Global Property Market Forum. He is the Senior Strategist at Eurasia Group. Karthik’s focus isn’t on real estate, but rather on geopolitical forces that impact the world economy. Still, Aaron and Adam weave Karthik’s knowledge into the context of Canadian real estate.

Karthik is asked about his approach when investors look to put money into emerging markets and explains what it means to follow capital flows. He shares his thoughts on how Canada is perceived on a global scale and how political issues can affect investment.

Topics covered include:

• What Karthik looks at when an investor wants to diversify geographically.
• Following the capital flows.
• Thoughts on the growth of various Asian markets.
• How trade wars can impact the flow of capital.
• The perception of investing in Canada.
• How population density affects political affiliation.
• Movements happening around affordability in large cities.
• Toronto’s potential as a global megacity.
• Climate change and how it ties into the infrastructure conversation.
• Why an insurance company’s liability can be a bank’s asset.
• Notable changes in the Federal Reserve since 2008.
• Changing international interest rates.

This episode of Commercial Real Estate Podcast powered by First National was recorded live at the Global Property Market Forum as part of our Forum Series.

More about our guest:

Karthik Sankaran focuses on the interactions among national politics, geopolitics, and global asset markets over a variety of forecast horizons. In this capacity, he interacts with clients through daily and weekly egX products as well as via the executive education program.

Karthik has 20 years of experience in financial markets on both the buy and sell sides and is a frequent commentator on market-moving world events in the media and at conferences. He was previously a portfolio manager at Covepoint Capital Advisors, a global macro hedge fund, as well as a currency strategist at AIG Trading Group and Bank Julius Baer.

Before entering the markets, he was managing editor of Emerging Markets, a publication distributed at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank and major regional development banks.