APN Outlook with Executive Chairman Chris Aylward, Australian Retail Real Estate and More…

2016 Outlook with Executive Chairman Chris Aylward

It is seven years since the depth of the GFC. The Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates having spent the last seven years, along with other Central Bankers, implementing growth strategies. Markets remain unconvinced of the efficacy of those strategies, concerned about the emergence of China and the stagnation in Europe.

It is time to keep your head whilst others around you lose theirs.

Volatility is a euphemism for downward movements and there are plenty of downward movements over the past few years, wages, interest rates, oil, currencies. Should we be fighting the Fed? Is there incipient inflation in the wings? We are steadfastly in the “lower for longer” camp. If so, only two investments possess a growth opportunity in this environment: equities and property; and equities are more volatile.

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Australian Retail Real Estate

The Australian retail market is a highly dynamic one and appears to evolve almost in perpetuity alongside changing consumer trends and preferences. As a developed nation, the sector’s relative importance to the economy is significant with retail trade employing 10.7% of the total population1 and household final consumption accounting for 55.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)2 . It comes as little surprise then that due to this sector’s maturity, scale and relative importance, retail real estate makes up 64% of the total AREIT market. It is also unsurprising that competition for expenditure from the Australian consumer is also fierce, with retailers now more than ever forced to ensure their products are relevant and operations remain profitable.

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APN Asian REIT Fund Remains Resilient Amid the Volatility

2016 took off to a less than stellar start with global markets closing sharply lower in the first week of the New Year. The Chinese stock market’s circuit breaker was triggered twice in a short span of two weeks. The Chinese Renminbi nosedived in the first week. $100 billion was wiped from the ASX in 11 days. Oil prices continued to slide having plummeted 75% since mid 2014. The Dow and S&P 500 also had their worst five-day starts in history. With this chaos plaguing the stock market, it is understandable that many investors are becoming increasingly anxious about their portfolios – especially those with exposure to the Asian markets.

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