Institutional investors from all over Asia had placed the Dubai market in its crosshairs as a place to invest nearly USD150 billion. The investors are expected to put their money into the market for the next five years, according to a recent report.

According to the latest report from CB Richard Ellis, the low interest rates and weak global markets have allowed Asian investors to choose real estate investments as the means to keep returns at an optimum level.

These investors presently allocate 1.7% for property assets compared to between 6% and 8% for North American and European institutional investors. The CBRE report assessed other key locations such as Sydney, New York, London and Dubai as well as other gateway cities.

According to CBRE Middle East Managing Director Nick Maclean said, "Dubai's strategic location between the East and the West and its rapidly developing real estate market is gaining strong investor appetite from Asia, specifically from China, Malaysia and South Korea, During the past 12 months, we have witnessed a significant increase in enquiry levels particularly focused on Dubai income producing assets, driven by an expectation of further growth in rental and capital values,"