LOS ANGELES—CBRE Global Investors is looking across 2015 with nearly $6 billion worth of dry powder, thanks to a 47% increase in capital raises in 2014 compared to the year prior. That builds on a total of $17.3 billion worth of transactions globally last year, including $9.2 billion in acquisitions and $8.1 billion worth of dispositions.

“In conjunction with our strong 2014 capital raising, we were very successful sourcing and executing on compelling strategic opportunities to invest that capital,” says CEO Matt Khourie. “At the same time, we also took advantage of a healthy sales environment with strong buyer demand to effectively dispose of assets for the benefit of our investors.”

Acquisition volume last year was up 55% over 2013 and marked the company's highest tally since 2007. The lion's share of transaction volume—acquisitions and dispositions—occurred in Europe, which saw $10 billion worth of activity, more than half in the retail sector. In December, for example, CBRE Global Investors sold 14 retail assets in the Netherlands on behalf of the CBRE Dutch Retail Funds to Blackstone Real Estate Partners Europe IV. The assets are being added to Blackstone's European retail platform, Multi Corp.

US activity represented $5.6 billion for '14, with the remaining $1.7 billion of transactions taking place in Asia. CBRE Global Investors attributes much of the bump in capital raising to considerable growth in commitments among clients in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The company expects to maintain the momentum this year. “We are well-positioned to continue taking advantage of opportunities that meet the criteria of our various investment vehicles globally as we see most markets continue to recover,” says Khourie.