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20 May 2022
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In theory, unlisted infrastructure should be priced at discounts to listed assets due to their illiquidity. In fact, the opposite has been the case, but both types are positioned to withstand the inflation threat.
There's a common misconception that as a 'bond proxy', infrastructure asset prices will fall as bond prices do when rates rise. But these hard assets have sufficient inflation protection to drive a more robust outcome.
Looking back over the major economic downturns the world's markets have experienced, airports have shown their ability to bounce back from short-term passenger shocks.
Infrastructure assets range widely from toll roads, ports, airports, power distribution, communications, etc, but there are common risk factors to consider in all of them.
When deciding between listed and unlisted infrastructure securities, the focus should be on the cashflows, the risks associated with those cashflows and the entry price to buy the assets.
Policy proposals allow young people to access their super for a home bought from older people who put the money back into super. It helps some first buyers into a home earlier but it may push up prices.
In this environment, safe-haven assets like Government bonds act as a diversifier given the uncorrelated nature to equities during periods of risk-off, while offering a yield above term deposit rates.
A key attribute of great investors is the ability to abstract away the specifics of a particular domain, leaving only the important underlying principles upon which great investments can be made.
The Transfer Balance Cap limits the tax concessions available in super pension funds, removing the need for large, compulsory drawdowns. Plus there are no requirements to draw money out of an accumulation fund.
Companies tend to pre-position weak results ahead of 30 June, leading to earnings downgrades. The next two months will be critical for investors as a shift from ‘great expectations’ to ‘clear explanations’ gets underway.
We may have been extremely unlucky with the unforgiving weather plaguing the East Coast of Australia this year. However, on the economic front we are by many measures in a strong position relative to the rest of the world.
Discounts on LICs and LITs vary with market conditions, and many prominent managers have seen the value of their assets fall as well as discount widen. There may be opportunities for gains if discounts narrow.