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Luxury yachts - holed below the waterline?

Monday, November 17, 2008
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This is one of the ultimate ‘big red ticket items’!

Is the luxury yacht market showing signs of being holed below the waterline? The Daily Telegraph reports on fire-sales of some of the most expensive yachts that money can buy - the owner of the 164ft Alibella – is offering a €9.5m (£8.1m) discount to a buyer prepared to complete a deal within the next 30 days - a reflection of a dramatic switch in the balance of power in the market from seller to buyer. A broker at Edmiston reflects that there is now a surplus of yachts on the international market and many owners, desperate for cash (perhaps to meet margin calls on their stock market investments) are offering deep discounts on prices in a bid to find a prospective buyer. Something approaching forty of the larger yachts are now said to be available for sale. Demand from wealthy Russian billionaires and from middle-eastern investors seems to have floated away.

A hat tip to colleague Mo Tanweer for alerting me to this story.

When it comes to income elasticity of demand, surely these highly expensive yachts must count as an ultra luxury product for the vast bulk of consumers - but to their owners they may not be a luxury at all. The private marginal benefit of a long weekend sailing a huge yacht is likely to be sizeable but not one that owners will give up lightly if their financial circumstances change. There are some who argue that the hefty price discount for an early sale is simply a marketing gimmick - the owner may have no intention of selling and just wants people to admire their yacht!


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