Markets

U.K. REITs So Ready for Hard Brexit That Soft One May Hurt More

Published

7 years ago

March 28, 2017

U.K. REITs So Ready for Hard Brexit That Soft One May Hurt More

The U.K.’s biggest real estate investment trusts are so well prepared for a rough Brexit, they could suffer if it doesn’t turn out to be all that bad.

The six largest London-focused REITs, including Land Securities Group Plc, British Land Co., and Great Portland Estates Plc, have hoarded cash equal to about a third of the total spent annually on central London office buildings, Bloomberg Intelligence senior industry analyst Susan Munden wrote in a note Tuesday. Spending it wisely will be a challenge if Brexit doesn’t cause prices to drop as much as expected, she wrote.

The U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union triggered panic withdrawals from property funds amid concerns that demand for commercial buildings would fall. Deal volumes recovered in the last quarter of 2016 as demand for office space held up better than expected and investors kept their faith in real estate and the premium returns it offers over stocks and bonds.

“The outlook for London offices remains a challenge, but losses of about 50,000 workers phased over several years could be absorbed with modest rent and value declines,” Munden wrote. “Some U.K. REITs are so well positioned for the downside that they face re-engagement risks if a crash doesn’t materialize.”

Land Securities, the U.K.’s largest REIT, announced in 2014 it would not start any new London offices without securing tenants in advance. Like many of its rivals including British Land and Great Portland Estates, it has also been selling large buildings to reduce debt and raise cash for purchases when prices fall.

Brexit’s impact on the London office market has been exaggerated, with deals and rents gradually declining from a 2015 peak, according to a note published by fund manager Fidelity International Tuesday. Banks haven’t been a significant source of demand for new office space for several years and the loss of some jobs will therefore have less impact than cyclical factors like the rising supply of new buildings in the City of London financial district, the fund manager said in an email.

Offices in the City will generate total returns, value increases combined with rent revenue, of 5.3 percent a year from 2017 through 2021, Fidelity head of research Matthew Richardson said in an email. “Medium-term performance will be driven largely by property market fundamentals rather than fallout from Brexit,” he wrote.

Developers like Shaftesbury Plc, Derwent London Plc and Workspace Group Plc will find it easier to navigate the uncertainty caused by Brexit as they typically focus on small or medium developments, which are lower risk, according to Munden. Large buildings usually require leasing agreements prior to construction or venture partners to reduce risk, she wrote.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Crude Oil

Oil Prices Rebound on OPEC+ Output Delay Talks and U.S. Inventory Drop

Published

2 days ago

September 5, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Oil prices made a modest recovery on Thursday on the expectations that OPEC+ may delay planned production increases and the drop in U.S. crude inventories.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigerian oil is priced, rose by 66 cents, or 0.9% to $73.36 per barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude appreciated by 64 cents or 0.9% to $69.84 per barrel.

The rebound in oil prices was a result of the American Petroleum Institute (API) report that revealed that the U.S. crude oil inventories had fallen by a surprising 7.431 million barrels last week, against analysts 1 million barrel decline projection.

The decline signals better than projected demand for the commodity in the United States of America and offers some relief for traders on global demand.

John Evans, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates, attributed the rebound in crude oil prices to the API report.

He said, “There is a pause of breath and light reprieve for oil prices.”

Also, discussions within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+, are fueling speculation about a potential delay in planned output increases.

The group was initially expected to increase production by 180,000 a day in October 2024.

However, concerns over softening demand in China and potential developments in Libya’s oil production have prompted the group to reconsider its strategy.

Despite the recent rebound, analysts caution that lingering uncertainties around global oil demand may continue to weigh on prices in the near term.

Energy

Power Generation Surges to 5,313 MW, But Distribution Issues Persist

Published

3 days ago

September 4, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Nigeria’s power generation continues to get better under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the latest statement released by Bolaji Tunji, the media aide to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, power generation surged to a three-year high of 5,313 megawatts (MW).

“The national grid on Monday hit a record high of 5,313MW, a record high in the last three years,” the statement disclosed.

Reacting to this, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, called on power distribution companies to take more energy to prevent grid collapse as the grid’s frequency drops when power is produced and not picked by the Discos.

He added that efforts would be made to encourage industries to purchase bulk energy.

However, a top official of one of the Discos was quoted as saying that the power companies were finding it difficult to pick the extra energy produced by generation companies because they were not happy with the tariff on other bands apart from Band A.

“As it is now, we are operating at a loss. Yes, they supply more power but this problem could be solved with improved tariff for the other bands and more meter penetration to recover the cost,” the Disco official, who pleaded not to be named due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, said.

On Saturday, the ministry said power generation that peaked at 5,170MW was ramped down by 1,400MW due to Discos’ energy rejection.

Crude Oil

Again NNPC Raises Petrol Price to N897/litre

Published

3 days ago

September 4, 2024

Investors King

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has once again increased the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N855 per litre on Tuesday to N897 on Wednesday.

The increase was after Aliko Dangote, the Chairman of Dangote Refinery, announced the commencement of petrol production at its refinery.

The continuous increase in pump prices has raised concerns among Nigerians despite the initial excitement from the refinery announcement.

According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the 650,000 barrels per day refinery will supply 25 million litres of petrol to the Nigerian market daily this September.

This, NMDPRA said will increase to 30 million litres per day in October.

However, the promise of increased fuel supply has not yet eased the situation on the ground.

Tunde Ayeni, a commercial bus driver at an NNPC station in Ikoyi, said “I have been in the queue since 6 a.m. waiting for them to start selling, but we just realised that the pump price has been changed to N897. This is terrible, and yet they still haven’t started selling the product.”

The price hike comes as NNPC continues to struggle with sustaining regular fuel supply.

On Sunday, the company warned that its ability to maintain steady distribution across the country was under threat due to financial strain.

NNPC cited rising supply costs as the cause of its difficulties in keeping up with demand.