Middle East business information

According to figures by Jordan's Department of Land and Survey (DLS), real estate trading during the first 10 months of 2009 dropped by 31% to JD3.7bn from JD5.4bn during the same period of 2008, the Jordan Times has reported. Sales of residential apartments declined to 16,710 units from 18,723, but demand was higher during the third quarter of this year compared with the previous two quarters. Property purchases by non-Jordanian investors accounted for JD221m during the first 10 months compared with JD155m for the same period of 2008. Iraqi nationals ranked first with JD108m followed by American and Saudi investors, accounting for JD18m and JD17m respectively, according to DLS.