Investment Insights

Institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals diligently search for alternative investments that can produce genuinely different patterns of returns. Emerging managers must pursue profitable niches, new technologies, and financial arrangements that are not accessible in public markets.

We believe that the Russian economy and stock market, which is highly fossil fuel and resource dependent, should not have passed basic ESG screening criteria. The country has high levels of corporate and political corruption, and the linkages between the government and the oligarchs further increases the risk for investors.

The most common transactions in India's venture debt market are revolving credit facilities, revenue-linked loans, accounts receivables factoring, and equipment financing. The loans are typically short-term, with returns ranging from 10% to 18% depending on the sector and the borrower.

Depending on the strategy, a manager can receive a preliminary term sheet within a month after speaking with an investor. A seed capital transaction can typically be closed in less than 90 days after receiving an offer from one or more of our capital providers.

Strained public budgets mean that local, state, and national governments must turn to alternate sources of financing from investors to complete water infrastructure projects. The need for these investments remains strong, with over half a million premature deaths due to inadequate and unsanitary water each year.

There is a growing market for providing litigation funding because it gives investors a socially responsible way to generate returns that are not correlated with other markets. The merit of the case itself is the key factor for litigation funders.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing is a relatively new approach that continues to evolve. ESG criteria developed gradually over the last few decades, and private fund managers must keep adapting their interpretations to meet changing investor demands.

Emerging managers substantially outperform other hedge fund managers because they are more nimble and can invest in ideas that are often overlooked by large fund managers.

Gaining access to managers with true alpha is perhaps the most crucial practical problem associated with private equity, but there are other issues as well. Some of the most successful manager strategies do not scale well, so investment opportunities are limited.

Emerging managers must provide investment opportunities that are clearly differentiated from well-established funds. Emerging managers must also pursue profitable niches, new technologies, and complex strategies that are not accessible in public markets.

As an emerging manager builds a fund into a more mature organization, it becomes increasingly vital to establish policies that promote growth and protect investor interests. We share best practices for reporting, annual meetings, and other ways to boost operational efficiency.

Public debt and equity markets in the United States recovered from the coronavirus crisis so quickly that many institutional investors did not have a chance to react. However, less liquid private credit still offers opportunities to participate in the recovery. 

One of the most innovative ideas in private infrastructure funding is to scale and package financing in ways that appeal to investors. Many nations in Latin America had considerable success in building infrastructure through alternative arrangements with private investors.

Distressed debt offers the highest potential return of any type of debt security. Using all the available information can turn the danger of bankruptcy into the opportunity to gain control of the company.

By tapping into the markets abandoned by banks, private credit investors are able to obtain higher yields than bonds, more stability than stocks, and greater portfolio diversification.

Ashton Global has historically used ESG factors which are vital when valuing companies in emerging and frontier markets. We utilize the Five Forces Model from Michael Porter when applying ESG analysis to our investments.

Opportunity zones have significant tax advantages for investors and were designed to revitalize parts of the country left behind during the decade-long economic recovery in the US.

The idea of investing in healthcare real estate is intuitively appealing. The healthcare and real estate sectors often outperform the S&P 500. When we look closer, a combination of demographic and economic factors supports the growth of healthcare real estate.

Bhutan combines a strong record of economic growth with an equally impressive commitment to the environment, society, and good governance. Bhutan also enjoys a favorable location between India and China, two of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

Kenya already has an impressive record for developing its infrastructure and power system. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Report, Kenya has the most competitive economy in East Africa. 

Stock markets in Latin America are like the US markets of the late 20th century in many respects. The Latin American equivalent of the post-WWII baby boom occurred decades later, which suggests that stock valuations could increase substantially.