Real Assets

Timber and farmland investments are better able to withstand downturns and are stronger performers than traditional real estate. We investigate the reasons why more investors aren’t committing capital to these asset classes.

The state’s $15bn oil and gas endowment has established a 10% real return allocation, which could include investments in timber and infrastructure, and has begun to look for an investment officer to direct the real return group.

Philip Alfieri has left Infrastructure Management Group to help Franklin Templeton select fund managers specialising in transportation, agriculture, water, energy and timber investments.

Asset management firm Franklin Templeton’s real estate arm has established a newly dedicated business team to analyse, select and invest in real asset fund opportunities including energy, water, agriculture and timber.

The so-called ‘real asset’ class is attracting increasing attention from LPs for its inflation-hedging capabilities. That has prompted one real estate fund of funds manager to also enter the space.