After a giant year in 2018, international investment in apartments slowed early this year, according to early data. : Rising interest rates and uncertainty about the economy’s prospects slowed the pace of investment in apartment properties during the first few months of 2019. “The deal activity in January and February was light,” says Jim Costello, senior vice president for Real Capital Analytics (RCA), a data firm based in New York City. Lower interest rates are expected to lure some investors back to make deals later this year.