At AlbaCore, we focus on the long-term. As one of Europe’s leading alternative credit specialists, we invest in private capital solutions, opportunistic and dislocated credit, and structured products.
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Specialist in Asia Pacific, Japan, China, India and South East Asia and Global Emerging Market equities.
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Our philosophy is very simple. We are constantly searching for high quality businesses and when we acquire them, we will work relentlessly with them to create long-term sustainable value through innovation, ESG-led and proactive asset management.
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formerly Realindex Investments
Leader in active quantitative equities across Australian equities, global equities, emerging markets and global small companies.
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Stewart Investors manage investment portfolios on behalf of our clients over the long term and have held shares in some companies for over 20 years. They launched their first investment strategy in 1988.
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A monthly review and outlook of the Global Listed Infrastructure sector.
Market review - as at September 2023
Global Listed Infrastructure fell in September as persistent concerns for higher bond yields weighed on financial markets. The FTSE Global Core Infrastructure 50/50 index returned -4.7% while the MSCI World index^ ended the month -4.3% lower.
Energy Midstream (-2%) held up relatively well, supported by a rising oil price and a positive demand outlook for energy storage and transportation services. The worst performing infrastructure sector was the interest rate-sensitive Towers / DCs (-8%) sector, which came under pressure as the US 10-year treasury yield increased from 4.1% to 4.6% during the month.
The best performing infrastructure region was Japan (+1%) as the country’s passenger rail companies continued to report favourable demand / passenger volume trends. The worst performing infrastructure region was the United States (-5%), reflecting underperformance from its large cap utility and tower stocks.
^ MSCI World Net Total Return Index (USD) is provided for information purposes only. Index returns are net of tax. Data to 30 September 2023. Source: First Sentier Investors / Lipper IM. All stock and sector performance data expressed in local currency terms. Source: Bloomberg.
Market outlook and fund positioning
The Portfolio invests in a range of listed infrastructure assets including toll roads, airports, railroads, utilities and renewables, energy midstream, wireless towers and data centres. These sectors share common characteristics, like barriers to entry and pricing power, which can provide investors with inflation-protected income and strong capital growth over the medium-term.
Having held up well in 2022 against a backdrop of falling global equities, global listed infrastructure has underperformed during 2023. This appears to be primarily a reflection of macro factors; rising interest rates have weighed on infrastructure valuations, while inflation (which listed infrastructure assets can typically pass through to the end user) has subsided.
Performance in 2023 also reflects some more sector-specific headwinds. While passenger / traffic volumes for transport infrastructure have recovered to pre-pandemic levels in most cases, airports have yet to see a full recovery in Chinese overseas passengers, and business travel remains below 2019 levels. Toll roads face regulatory challenges in France and Australia, with a tax on concessions (toll roads, airports) being proposed in France, and Australia’s competition authority opposing Transurban’s proposed acquisition of EastLink. Towers have flagged the prospect of lower growth as telecom companies (towers’ main customers) ease back on their mobile network investment plans.
However, the fundamentals of infrastructure have not changed. Infrastructure companies are still delivering essential services to millions of people every day, generating stable and predictable earnings via regulated or contracted frameworks. The theses for a number of long term, structural growth drivers remain largely intact.
Source : Company data, First Sentier Investors, as of 30 September 2023.
Important Information
Investment involves risks, past performance is not a guide to future performance. Refer to the offering documents of the respective funds for details, including risk factors. The information contained within this material has been obtained from sources that First Sentier Investors (“FSI”) believes to be reliable and accurate at the time of issue but no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to the fairness, accuracy or completeness of the information. To the extent permitted by law, neither FSI, nor any of its associates, nor any director, officer or employee accepts any liability whatsoever for any loss arising directly or indirectly from any use of this. It does not constitute investment advice and should not be used as the basis of any investment decision, nor should it be treated as a recommendation for any investment. The information in this material may not be edited and/or reproduced in whole or in part without the prior consent of FSI.
This material is issued by First Sentier Investors (Hong Kong) Limited and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong. First Sentier Investors, FSSA Investment Managers, Stewart Investors, Realindex Investments and Igneo Infrastructure Partners are the business names of First Sentier Investors (Hong Kong) Limited.
First Sentier Investors (Hong Kong) Limited is part of the investment management business of First Sentier Investors, which is ultimately owned by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (“MUFG”), a global financial group. First Sentier Investors includes a number of entities in different jurisdictions.
To the extent permitted by law, MUFG and its subsidiaries are not responsible for any statement or information contained in this material. Neither MUFG nor any of its subsidiaries guarantee the performance of any investment or entity referred to in this material or the repayment of capital. Any investments referred to are not deposits or other liabilities of MUFG or its subsidiaries, and are subject to investment risk, including loss of income and capital invested.
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