Staying the Course
Forbes Indonesia|June 2021
After a tough year at his property-focused private equity firm, Gaw Capital, GOODWIN GAW is keeping his powder dry for deals in the year ahead.
JENNIFER WELLS
Staying the Course

As Covid-19 cases began to mount worldwide early last year, Goodwin Gaw, founder, and chairman of Hong Kong-based private equity firm Gaw Capital Partners waited for the sharp drop in property prices that would signal the time to buy. It was a strategy that paid off during the SARS epidemic, when Gaw and his partners spent more than $500 million snapping up real estate as prices plunged, then recovered within a year.

But the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t followed the same playbook. Instead, its impact has varied widely from market to market, with prices in Asia holding up deceptively well and large deals scarce. “When there are no sellers in the market, there is no price correction to speak of,” says Gaw, who manages the firm’s $27 billion portfolio, which includes hotels, offices, malls and residential developments.

The setback to Gaw Capital’s hospitality assets, which represent roughly 15% of that portfolio, was painfully clear as travel bans and government restrictions pummeled income. “We did not anticipate the carnage or the widespread effect,” says Gaw. Of the 39 hotels Gaw Capital manages or owns either in part or full, fewer than half were running in December when Gaw held a virtual interview with Forbes Asia. Since then, all but six have reopened.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM FORBES INDONESIAView all
BACK ON TRACK
Forbes Indonesia

BACK ON TRACK

Collective wealth gets a 21% boost to a record $162 billion amid an economic uptick.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2021
Championing Locals
Forbes Indonesia

Championing Locals

The wave of social commerce is enabling inclusive digital economies beyond urban areas.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2021
Boys in the Bubble
Forbes Indonesia

Boys in the Bubble

Startups are supposed to specialize, but OPENSEA’s founders thrived by building a wide-open market for creating and trading all manner of NFTs, whether art, music or gaming. Now that they’re centimillionaires and poised to become billionaires, they have other worries: competitors, fraudsters and the next crypto crash.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2021
Enduring Relations
Forbes Indonesia

Enduring Relations

The implementation of IA-CEPA amid the pandemic signifies the Indonesia-Australia’s commitment to recover and counter future challenges together.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2021
Sweet Success
Forbes Indonesia

Sweet Success

Steven Erwin envisions Unifam to become a major global player in the confectionery and F&B industry.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2021
Marathon Man
Forbes Indonesia

Marathon Man

Across America, scores of municipal pension funds remain scandalously underfunded. But not the pension fund of Tampa’s police and firemen, thanks in large part to JAY BOWEN, whose no-frills approach to stock picking has protected and served them for more than 45 years.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2021
Gold Rallies on Inflation Fears
Forbes Indonesia

Gold Rallies on Inflation Fears

During September the price of gold rallied to $1,868 per ounce following the release of figures on US inflation by the Bureau of Labor Statistics which indicated that, as of September, CPI inflation had rocketed to 6.2%, above the 5.8% which economists had been predicting.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2021
Set Off to A New Start
Forbes Indonesia

Set Off to A New Start

Bank Aladin has two main ingredients for success: establish trust and offer better customer experiences.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2021
The Daily Intake
Forbes Indonesia

The Daily Intake

YOUVIT plans to invest further into marketing and grow into one of the leading vitamin brands in Indonesia.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2021
THE CROESUS OF CRYPTO
Forbes Indonesia

THE CROESUS OF CRYPTO

FTX COFOUNDER SAM BANKMAN-FRIED BUILT A $22.5 BILLION FORTUNE BEFORE HIS 30TH BIRTHDAY BY PROFITING OFF THE CRYPTOCURRENCY FRENZY—BUT HE’S NOT A TRUE BELIEVER. HE JUST WANTS HIS WEALTH TO SURVIVE LONG ENOUGH TO GIVE IT ALL AWAY.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2021