James Mee: Keeping it real

Real assets sit within the investment universe as return-seeking 'alternatives' to traditional asset classes. They comprise an increasingly diversified universe of both tangible, asset-backed investment opportunities and capitalisable cashflow streams that can be valued with some level of confidence. Broadly, real assets can be defined as property, infrastructure (including renewable energy infrastructure), asset finance, commodities and specialist lending. As already suggested, real assets have a place in multi-asset portfolios as diversifiers of return - however, each of the five...