The environmental failures of water utilities across the UK and the financial failure of Thames Water, has rightly led to increased scrutiny of the entire water sector.

As we pass the halfway mark of 2024, the UK, and European asset-backed securities (ABS) markets continue to demonstrate robust performance and resilience. We review H1 2024 here and expectations for the rest of the year.

Private credit is attracting a lot of attention. A combination of higher base rates, a credit margin and illiquidity premium are appealing to investors looking for income.

Private credit is a relatively new asset class in Australia and has grown considerably in recent years. While the private credit opportunity may be moderating in the US interest among Australian investors may not yet have peaked. Private credit offers a number of benefits to investors, including attractive risk-adjusted returns, an illiquidity premium and diversification out of public markets.

Private securitisation warehouses, the pre-curser to public asset-backed securities, present a compelling opportunity for investors. Offering a substantial yield pickup over public markets due to their illiquidity and complexity, investors can gain attractive risk-adjusted returns and meaningful portfolio diversification benefits from this sub-asset class. Given its complex nature, it is critical to choose a manager with extensive experience in this market to ensure risks are managed appropriately.

London, 26 June 2024 – Fidante the global multi-affiliate investment management business, reveals the key findings of its survey assessing European institutional investor attitudes to allocating to specialist investment management businesses.

ESG integration within the securitised debt market is not as widely discussed relative to other asset classes and yet there are significant considerations in this space. Identifying ESG issues is important not only when reviewing transactions and the underlying loan portfolios themselves, but also when reviewing the origination processes used by the lender to market these loans and agree terms with customers.

Financial markets are at an interesting juncture, with equity indices at an all-time high and forecast central bank cuts promising relief to wary fixed income investors. Inflationary pressures are moderating, and fears of a major economic downturn seem to have evaporated. For many, the much-desired Goldilocks scenario appears to be playing out.

Dr Joseph Lai, from Ox Capital talks about the global franchises that are attractive right now and why he thinks that China’s equity market is flashing green.