S&P
Australasian retail REITs: pandemic leaves lasting pain
The fallout from COVID-19 will linger beyond lockdowns for rated retail REITs, according to S&P Global Ratings senior director, corporate ratings, Craig Parker, and associate, corporate ratings, Rhys Corry. In Australasia, COVID-19 containment measures are eroding retail REIT earnings and reducing asset value amid unprecedented structural disruption.
KangaNews Awards Gala Dinner 2025
The leading social event for the fixed income market in Australasia, the KangaNews Awards Gala Dinner, returned to the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney on 19 March. The dinner celebrated the achievements of the winners of the KangaNews Awards 2023, including the announcement of the KangaNews Market People of the Year 2023.
A growing market in a troubled world
Two themes emerged most clearly from discussions at the KangaNews Debt Capital Market Summit 2025: the overall healthy state of Australia’s fixed-income market, and the increasingly turbulent world in which it operates. Taking place less than 24 hours before the latest big blow against global free trade taken by the US government, the Trump administration and its consequences were not far from every conversation.
Money talks and so does climate change
The KangaNews Sustainable Debt Summit took place in Sydney on 3 April at a time in which the sustainable finance sector is being forced to reiterate its value and purpose. Market leaders say incorporating sustainability considerations into investment decisions is a necessity, not a choice – and the politicisation of the sector does not change why markets decided to address the issue in the first place.
Securitisation industry shifts focus to capacity
One of the best-received panel sessions at the Australian Securitisation Forum’s 2024 conference reviewed the limits of growth in Australian dollar securitisation. The back end of a record year for supply volume is an appropriate juncture to discuss the upper limit of capacity – but views diverge on where this might be or what steps should be taken next.
Clouded issuance prospects for Australian universities
The university sector has become a political football in Australia, creating an uncertain operating environment especially when it comes to forecasting growth. Sources suggest the sector is well-equipped to manage the impact on revenue even the more deleterious policies could have, with little impact on credit quality. But there is a question mark over capex and thus capital market activity in the medium term.
