Insights

Opinion pieces from the team, and uses cases covering private markets, infrastructure investment, climate change, social risk, and more.

Featured image for “Infra unknowns – key questions that need to be answered”

Infra unknowns – key questions that need to be answered

May. 30, 2020
As someone who straddles both the academic and finance worlds I’m always interested in research that can help better inform asset managers. My main interest is in infrastructure finance, having been involved in the field in some way or another over the last 15 years.  So, I’m always interested in reading new research on infrastructure finance, hoping it might provide
Featured image for “Superannuation Fund and unlisted assets, why the fuss?”

Superannuation Fund and unlisted assets, why the fuss?

Apr. 30, 2020
There has been a lot of commentary in the Australian financial press about superannuation funds exposure to unlisted assets and how this is putting retirement incomes at risk.  Grant Wilson in the AFR ($) wrote that: “The failure by super funds to write down unlisted assets appropriately has created a dangerous instability(sic) that could cost ordinary Australians their life savings
Featured image for “Do unlisted infrastructure investors live dangerously?”

Do unlisted infrastructure investors live dangerously?

Apr. 25, 2020
Infrastructure businesses are usually impacted by the tail end of recessions as demand for essential services flags or public counterparty risks increase. But from the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, it was clear that infrastructure was going to be impacted before every other business. The initial phase of this crisis was not an economic shock but a state of emergency
Featured image for “Q1 2020 Index Release: Covid-19 lockdown highlights the importance of understanding risk in unlisted infrastructure investments”

Q1 2020 Index Release: Covid-19 lockdown highlights the importance of understanding risk in unlisted infrastructure investments

Apr. 15, 2020
Q1 2020 Release of the EDHECinfra Indices Infrastructure businesses are usually impacted by the tail end of recessions: demand for essential services flags, public counterparty risks increase and even long-term financing may become hard to come by. This crisis is different. Like a well-prepared military assault, it began by taking out all key transport infrastructure. The impact of the oncoming
Featured image for “UK Water Utilities: Why the negative returns in 2019Q4?”

UK Water Utilities: Why the negative returns in 2019Q4?

Jan. 26, 2020
[mathjax] In this note, we provide some details and clarifications about our 2019Q4 index release with a focus on the performance of UK water utilities. Our 16th January release mentions that upward movements in gilt rates in the last months of 2019 led to negative returns for numerous infrastructure companies in that quarter, especially firms with very long-term cash flow
Featured image for “An asset class is born”

An asset class is born

Jul. 17, 2019
New indices, better benchmarks The next generation of EDHECinfra indices is ready. Computed quarterly, they use meticulously curated private data on hundreds of companies in the 25 most active global markets. They utilise cutting-edge fair value asset pricing methods to gauge value in private infrastructure investments. A key element in this project’s success was accurately defining the investment universe. Infrastructure