Direct commercial real estate investment in Europe will reach close to EUR 70 bn in 2009, according to new research from Jones Lang LaSalle. The fourth quarter of 2009 will be the third consecutive quarter of increasing volumes and also the strongest quarter of the year, with almost EUR 25 bn transacted. However, despite the increase in transactional activity throughout the year, full year volumes are down 40% on 2008, JLL said.