Share your thoughts on our News & Insights section. Complete our survey to help us improve.

Fund research

First State Global Listed Infrastructure - power to the people

The managers invest in things that are essential for our daily lives. Find out what they look for when they invest in an infrastructure company.

Important information - This article isn’t personal advice. If you’re not sure whether an investment is right for you please seek advice. If you choose to invest the value of your investment will rise and fall, so you could get back less than you put in.

This article is more than 6 years old

It was correct at the time of publishing. Our views and any references to tax, investment, and pension rules may have changed since then.

Investments can go down as well as up so there is always a danger that you could get back less than you invest. Nothing here is personalised advice, if unsure you should seek advice.
  • The managers invest in companies whose services are always in demand
  • Long-term performance has been good but has stalled recently
  • The impact companies have on the world is important to the managers

Our view

Consumers can be fickle, with constantly changing tastes and trends. But no matter what preferences we have, there are things we’ll always need. Energy to power our daily lives. Satellites and towers for the never-ending flow of communication. Roads, railways and ports to get people and goods from place to place. As the global population grows, demand for these things is expected to increase rapidly.

Peter Meany and Andrew Greenup aim to take advantage of the rise in infrastructure development around the world.

In the First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund they invest in companies they think can grow steadily and are difficult to compete with. They invest fairly conservatively and make sure they get a thorough understanding of a company before considering it for the fund. They invest in a fairly small number of companies and are able to invest in emerging markets, both of which add risk.

We think the managers are supported by a strong team and like their sensible approach to investing. They’ve done a good job for investors over the long term and we expect that to continue, though nothing’s guaranteed. This is our preferred option for investing in the infrastructure sector. It's not on the Wealth 50 though because it's fairly specialist and there are other global funds that invest more broadly and are available at lower prices.

How’s the fund performed?

The fund's grown 157.6%* since it launched in 2007, while the benchmark’s grown 140.2%. The fund usually performs broadly in line with the benchmark when the market rises. When it falls, the fund’s normally held up better. There’s no guarantee it’ll keep performing like this though.

Recent performance has been a bit weaker. US electricity company PG&E, and toll-road operators Atlantia and CCR all saw big drops in their share prices. The managers think the market’s overreacted to bad news though and have stayed invested in the companies.

Performance was also held back by US utility companies. Last year President Trump cut corporate taxes, which was expected to boost the profits of US companies. But utilities companies had to pass on the benefits to their customers in the form of lower prices.

Rising interest rates haven’t helped either. Many infrastructure companies borrow money to build and maintain their projects. Higher interest rates increases the cost of paying back that debt.

First State Global Listed Insfrastructure performance since launch

Past performance is not a guide to the future. Source: Lipper IM* to 31/01/2019

Annual percentage growth
Jan 14 -
Jan 15
Jan 15 -
Jan 16
Jan 16 -
Jan 17
Jan 17 -
Jan 18
Jan 18 -
Jan 19
First State Global Listed Infrastructure 26.0% -3.7% 34.4% 3.7% 7.9%
FTSE Global Core Infrastructure 50/50 29.4% -3.9% 28.8% 3.8% 12.7%

Past performance is not a guide to the future. Source: Lipper IM to 31/01/2019

Managers’ outlook:

Many infrastructure projects cost vast sums of money, so governments often fund them. Meany and Greenup don’t pay much attention to the impact of government spending on these companies though, as it can quickly change. They prefer to focus on what they think a company’s prospects are based on other factors, such as how well-managed they are.

They’ve recently increased investment in the US, as they think there are lots of excellent companies based there. These include natural gas distributor Williams Companies, and communication towers business SBA.

They’re also positive about infrastructure that promotes renewable energy. They think companies with good environmental records are better than those that have a negative impact on the environment. The same goes for the impact they have on communities and society as a whole, and how management runs the business.

They think the more responsible and well-run a business is, the better it’ll do in the future. By investing in ‘good’ companies, in terms of their financial strength and how they behave, the managers think it’ll benefit the fund over the long run.

Find out more about the fund including charges

Key investor information

Important information - Please remember the value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest. This article is provided to help you make your own investment decisions, it is not advice. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances please seek advice. No news or research item is a personal recommendation to deal.

Want our latest research sent direct to your inbox?

Our expert research team provide regular updates on a wide range of funds.

Sign up today


Important information - Please remember the value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest. This article is provided to help you make your own investment decisions, it is not advice. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances please seek advice. No news or research item is a personal recommendation to deal.
Our content review process
The aim of Hargreaves Lansdown's financial content review process is to ensure accuracy, clarity, and comprehensiveness of all published materials
Article history
Published: 4th March 2019