After decades of quiescence, inflation appears to be rearing its head once again. With interest rates likely to remain well below inflation for many years, savers face the dismal prospect of ever-diminishing purchasing power.
At Capital Gearing Trust, we focus on protecting the value of our clients’ wealth in real (after inflation) terms. There are a number of tools that we use in pursuit of that aim, including substantial investments in inflation-linked bonds. We also focus on specialist equities, typically investment trusts and real estate investment trusts (Reits), which benefit from long-term inflation-linked revenue streams. These are three examples from the infrastructure and specialist property trust sectors.
Long-term cashflow from infrastructure
International Public Partnerships (LSE: INPP) is an FTSE 250 investment trust that holds stakes in over 100 public infrastructure projects in a range of sectors. Its areas of focus include electricity transmission, transport and education. Recent new projects include subsea transmission cables linking UK offshore windfarms to the electricity grid.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Project revenues are regulated or backed by government contracts, and are long term with a weighted average life of 32 years. The portfolio enjoys substantial inflation protection: the managers estimate that portfolio returns increase by 0.8% for every 1% of inflation. This results in a well-underpinned 4.2% dividend that has historically grown by at least 2.5% per annum regardless of the economic environment. If inflationary concerns start to escalate, these secure inflation protected cashflows should be valued at a significant premium.
Affordable inflation-linked rents
Residential Secure Income Reit (LSE: RESI) has two principal assets within its portfolio: retirement flats and shared ownership accommodation. The retirements flats are let to elderly residents on affordable rents which rise in line with the retail price index (RPI) each year.
Shared ownership accommodation involves the trust selling a share of residential properties to homebuyers and then renting to them the balance of the house. The purpose is to help house buyers take ownership of properties they would otherwise be unable to buy.
The trust is able to secure grant funding from the government which it uses to ensure the rental charge is affordable. These rents also rise in line with RPI. The combined effect results in a high-quality income stream that enables it to pay a 4.7% dividend that should rise in-line with inflation.
Uncapped RPI-linked leases
Secure Income Reit (LSE: SIR) holds a portfolio of high-quality assets on long leases including leisure assets leased to theme parks, private hospitals and hotels. Other similar trusts trade on significant premium to their underlying asset value, but Secure Income Reit trades at only a modest premium. A majority of its long leases are linked to RPI without any caps, which could prove very valuable in the event of a serious surge in inflation.
-
House prices are falling in London but how does it compare to the rest of the UK?Advice The capital remains the most expensive part of the UK to buy a property, but it isn’t being as badly hit by the housing market slump. Where are London house prices heading?
-
Will a Santa Rally provide festive cheer for investors this year?
News Equities often get a seasonal boost during December - will there be a Santa Rally in 2023?
-
Crypto is “Monopoly money”
FTX won't be the last crypto scandal, because cryptocurrencies mirror the worst aspects of the finance industry.
-
OpenAI – corporate drama unleashed
OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, was in uproar as its boss was booted out, briefly snapped up by Microsoft and then brought back again.
-
Can Lidiane Jones be Bumble's perfect match?
Dating app Bumble is taking on Lidiane Jones, a well-regarded leader in tech, as its new boss. Can she work her magic in a new arena?
-
Are corporate bonds a good bet?
Corporate bonds pay a slightly higher yield than governments, but spreads aren’t generous by past standards.
-
SoftBank’s shares slump on quarterly loss
Japanese investment group SoftBank’s technology funds have struggled, not least because of an investment in WeWork.
-
M&S shares shift from frumpy to fabulous as pre-tax profits are up by 56%
M&S is performing strongly and has announced it will pay a dividend for the first time since the pandemic.
-
The rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried – the “boy wonder of crypto”
Why the fate of Sam Bankman-Fried reminds us to be wary of digital tokens and unregulated financial intermediaries.
-
Three defence stocks set to flourish in an era of instability
A professional investor tells MoneyWeek where he’d put his money. Tom Bailey highlights three defence stocks that look promising.
