As we proceed through 2023, and I look back at my last communication to you in January this year, it is clear that our expectations from the beginning of the year, are in general, coming to fruition. The market in clearer focus As we reach near the top of the interest rate cycle, I feel …

Natgen managing director, Steven Goakes explains pro’s and con’s of staying in cash when inflation is rising. As cash interest rates have increased recently, I have been asked by a number of potential investors to explain how Natgen commercial property trusts compare, when the ‘headline rate’ does not seem to be that much higher than …

Let me take this opportunity to wish you a happy 2023, whatever the year brings for us all. After a huge 2022, we sat down to consider what 2023 was likely to bring for Natgen, our investors and the world at large. The world in 2023 When discerning the strategic direction for Natgen and our …

The central tenet of portfolio theory of investment is that various asset classes exhibit varying attributes which, when combined, provide a lower volatility for a given rate of return than the individual investments in the portfolio.  This is a concept of a diversified portfolio, as developed by Harry Markowitz in the 1950’s and  quantified by William Sharpe in his Capital Asset Pricing …

Since Natgen last wrote on the future of interest rate policy and market movements (approximately 6 months ago), the economic landscape is hardly recognisable. The world of November 2021 has now endured: the rampant spread of the Omicron strain of Covid-19 which, whilst generally less severe, is the most virulent strain.  This has resulted in mass …

November 2021 By Natgen Managing Director, Steven Goakes Speculation on the future of interest rate policy and market movements is a hot topic at the moment – both in the media and within financial circles. We at Natgen have been watching these developments closely, given the fact that we have been following our interest rate …

As the end of the financial year approached, I spent some time looking back at the position of the world and this country at the beginning of the financial year. On 1 July 2020, the following was happening: The first wave COVID-19 disasters had swamped the UK, USA, Italy and many other countries; Fortress Australia was …

When most people think of property investment, they tend to think of ‘negative gearing’ a residential home or apartment. The “negative gearing industry” has been relentlessly promoting this for many years, and their messages are well known.  Of course, negative gearing involves losing money on your investment property (ie. negative annual profit) in order to minimise …

One the aspects of commercial property which I particularly like is the analytical nature of the investment. Criteria such as population density, population growth, recorded foot traffic and proximity to services are all influential in a commercial property purchase. On the other hand, taking the emotion out of the equation does not mean we are …

For investors of all sizes and levels of sophistication, commercial property provides a very attractive investment option Negative correlation with returns in other asset classes and high levels of transparency are attributes which can hold investors’ long-term interest in commercial property.  However, as with any investment asset class, there are pitfalls to be avoided. The …