Alternatives

With demand for healthcare assets trending in one direction, the surging alternative asset manager has launched its second unlisted institutional fund for the calendar year.

The energy transition is full of unknown unknowns, but there are still ways to get some certainty over returns as the world changes how it generates and distributes energy.

A confluence of challenges for small caps and technology stocks has led to a dearth of companies developing into IPO candidates in the last 18 months, but that hasn’t stopped private equity teams from working hard to build up their assets.

Despite facing rising interest rates, a higher cost of capital and concerns about their borrowing base, non-bank lenders have made their place in the Australian economy in moments like this, when funding is needed and otherwise hard to get, says Thinktank’s Jonathan Street.

David Di Pilla’s group made its bones flipping unloved real assets into a sprawling network of essential retail centres. Now HMC Capital is leaning into its public/private hybrid style of management and eyeing off investment in a host of sectors.

David Di Pilla’s listed property group is shaking things up with a fund that combines the best features of private and public investing to create a pro-active management style equity fund.

With almost $600 million worth of SMSF assets held in art – up 54 per cent since 2016 – the original alternative investment is seeing a significant resurgence in popularity.

Up until recently, alternative investments were only really open to institutional investors, but with these now available at a wholesale and retail level the retirement strategy game has changed.

Digital transformation, combined with companies staying private for longer, means successful startups are scaling up faster. The next wave of development, SeedSpace’s Cathryn Lyall said, would come from larger VC fund allocation and sovereign wealth fund investment.

Cryptocurrencies may take up most of the headlines, Invesco says, but the real investment potential lies in the technology and the trading platforms behind them – despite the shocking FTX blowup.

Diversification is invaluable, and this is especially apparent during times of disruption and uncertainty. Exposure to infrastructure assets can help investors take advantage of the current volatility, but keeping asset correlation in mind is key.

Despite increased volatility emanating from the banking sector, tech stocks have been supported by falling bond yields on fears the global economy could slip into recession this year, with big-name companies leading the gains.