Faisal Durrani, head, research, Cluttons, explained, “This year looks set to be a better year for the UAE economy as a whole, with GDP expected to expand by 2.6 percent, from a seven-year low growth rate of 1.7 percent in 2017. This is, in turn, expected to help support more stable rates of job creation and increased government spending as confidence levels improve.”

Cluttons Abu Dhabi Property Market Outlook report for spring 2018 indicates that the very top of the UAE capital’s sales market has been relatively positive, and is showing signs of stabilising.

Meanwhile, rents across Abu Dhabi’s residential investment areas decreased by 2.3 percent during Q1, following the 4.3 percent drop during the final quarter of 2017.