Peter Meany, Head of Global Listed Infrastructure, First Sentier Investors
Recent performance has seen the global listed infrastructure asset class exhibit two of the main benefits it can offer investors. First, it has held up relatively well as global equities sold off, consistent with its history of providing most of the upside in rising equity markets but offering protection from falling ones.
This pattern of performance is underpinned by global listed infrastructure’s consistently strong pricing power, predictable cash flows, and relative immunity to economic cycles. This ability to hold up in falling markets has enabled the asset class to generate higher returns than global equities over the past 20 years, with less risk, as measured by standard deviation of returns.
Second, global listed infrastructure has outperformed global equities against a backdrop of high inflation. This is a reflection of listed infrastructure being a price maker, not a price taker. Infrastructure’s tangible assets provide essential services, using contracted or regulated business models. These assets consistently demonstrate the ability to pass though the effects higher input costs and inflation to the end user.
This can be achieved through regulated real returns for utilities, or through contracts which explicitly link tolls or fees to the inflation rate. Infrastructure’s capital intensive nature provides high barriers to entry which have allowed incumbent operators in other sectors, such as mobile towers and freight rail, to achieve similarly robust pricing results even without explicit inflation links.
Our analysis has found that more than 70% of assets owned by listed infrastructure companies have effective means to pass-through the impacts of inflation to customers, to the benefit of shareholders. Further, the value of infrastructure assets can generally be expected to rise during inflationary environments. Existing infrastructure assets become more attractive as the replacement costs increase. This factor gives infrastructure assets enhanced appeal during periods of high inflation.
Market review
The global listed infrastructure asset class held up as investors grew increasingly concerned about rising inflation and future interest rate increases. US CPI jumped by a higher-than-expected 8.5% in March compared to a year earlier, the largest annual gain since December 1981. The FTSE Global Core Infrastructure 50/50 index* dipped -2.2%, while the MSCI World index* ended the month -7.0% lower. *AUD Hedged Net TR
The best performing infrastructure sector was Toll Roads (+7%), which were supported by reduced political risk in France and M&A activity in Italy, as well as the appeal of inflation-linked tolling. The worst performing infrastructure sector was Railroads (-9%), with North American operators falling on concerns that a slowing US economy may weigh on haulage volumes.
The best performing infrastructure region was Australia / NZ (+5%), which was buoyed by strong returns from its road and rail infrastructure stocks. Japan (+5%), traditionally viewed as a safe haven during periods of market volatility, also outperformed. The worst performing infrastructure region was Latin America (-5%), which underperformed in the risk-off environment.
