The editorial team at IREI just wrapped up the editorial calendars for the second half of 2015. Each year, the process of setting the topics for feature articles begins by reviewing the discussions at our annual Editorial Advisory Board meetings, where our publication sponsors and board members get to learn what issues and objectives drive the thinking and decision making of the investors at our meetings. These investors are public and corporate pensions, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, and superannuation funds, as well as the consultants who help them plan and execute infrastructure investment policy.
One of the challenges of setting the editorial content for the same group of people each year is coming up with fresh ideas. On one hand, the market is always changing, and so the thinking of our editorial board members is always changing as well and new stories ideas are always popping up. But on the other hand, the process of institutional investing also has a lot of consistency, and many of the same issues come up each year in our board meetings.
With Institutional Investing in Infrastructure, we also look for topics for the editorial calendar that are driven by events and themes taking place in the broader infrastructure market. From the effects of declining oil prices to the opening of Mexico’s infrastructure market to foreign direct investment, there are always interesting changes taking place in the market that warrant attention.
Below is the list of the editorial features of our monthly infrastructure magazine in the second half of the year, which are suggestive of the discussions that take place at our board meetings and focus on the issues most important to the investors on the I3 editorial board. We trust these timely and pertinent topics will help you get a deeper understanding of the people and trends driving the global infrastructure investment market, and please feel free to submit article ideas either for submission or as topics our staff can pursue to d.campbell@irei.com.
The second half 2015 I3 editorial calendar
Look before you leap
The infrastructure asset class has been criticized by some investors for not producing a common benchmark that measures investment performance; however, more benchmarks are coming on line each year, and investors have more opportunities to understand how the asset class has performed.
The money talks
Get the scoop from the 2015 IREI Infrastructure Strategies conference and I3 Editorial Advisory Board meeting. Investors, consultants and managers share their perspectives on the market as well as their plans for the future.
The chase is on
A lot of capital has been raised for infrastructure investment during the past 18 months and is poised for deployment into the market. The good news for investors is they will soon be taking steps toward reaching their target allocations as capital is called and invested. What infrastructure sectors and regions are seeing capital inflows? Are prices overheating?
Regulated expectation
European regulators have issued a few surprises to investors in European infrastructure, including most recently for French toll road rates. Is this the new normal? Should investors lower expectations for rate increases on regulated infrastructure investments such as airports, water and natural gas assets?
The year of the club
Whether it is a group of like-minded investors collaborating for deals, or managers and government officials working together to make public infrastructure markets and assets more palatable to private investors, it seems a new infrastructure club is forming every other week. What is driving this trend and are more clubs coming or has the market maxed out?
Port of interest
The flow of goods and commodities through seaports can be an indicator of where we are in the economic cycle as well as the cash flows that can be expected to flow into infrastructure portfolios invested in these assets. Where are we in the cycle? Who is buying port infrastructure, and are they pleased with the results?
Mexico’s invitation to foreign investment
The first year of Mexico’s open door policy for foreign investors — including infrastructure investors — is coming to a close. What were the highlights and challenges, and what can investors expect in 2016?
Communication nations
Cell phone towers, high-speed Internet cables — some put these assets in the infrastructure bucket while others do not. Should more infrastructure investors have communications infrastructure investments? What are the investment opportunities and the characteristics of these types of investments?
Greener pastures
Greenfield infrastructure projects come with uncertainty that some investors simply do not want to take on, but does that mean all greenfield infrastructure projects should be crossed off a list of appropriate investments? Also a look at two greenfield cases studies — one that was successful and one that ran into trouble.
Recycling works
Australia has embarked on an infrastructure asset recycling program — selling government assets to private investors and recycling a portion of the proceeds into new projects. How did this program come to life and how is it progressing?
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Drew Campbell is senior editor of Institutional Investing in Infrastructure.
