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Real assets
$25B AUM*
Real assets investment strategies
What are real assets?
Real assets are tangible investments that have intrinsic value. Uncorrelated to traditional assets, real assets provide a powerful opportunity for diversification. Institutional investors favour real assets as they have historically generated above average returns independent to the market cycle. We offer a long-term perspective and commitment to investing across the following:
• Listed real assets
Our listed real assets strategy utilizes internal proprietary research to invest in the equity securities of publicly listed real estate and infrastructure companies that it views as offering the best value, relative to their underlying assets and growth prospects.
• Commodities
Commodities can be an important way to diversify an investor’s portfolio beyond traditional securities. Commodities are raw materials that are either consumed directly, such as food, or used as building blocks to create other products. Over time, commodities and commodity stocks tend to provide returns that differ from other stocks and bonds.
• Agribusiness
Agribusiness is an important subsector in agriculture investing. If a company is pulling half of its revenue directly or indirectly from agriculture, then it is generally considered an agribusiness. Our agribusiness strategy provides capital through non-controlling equity and subordinated debt to cultivate long-term growth in leading agribusinesses and food companies.
• Farmland
Direct investment into global agricultural land presents an increasingly compelling investment opportunity, as it offers potentially stable returns on investment, low correlation to other assets and a hedge to inflation. We believe that our farmland investments can help to meet global demand for food, while encouraging sustainable practices to be good stewards of the environment over the long term.
• Infrastructure
Infrastructure can be defined as any real asset, taking the form of energy, roads, communication assets, or any essential facility or service that is conducive to economic productivity of society. Our infrastructure strategy focuses on specialized investment across four major sectors: transportation, power and renewables, telecom, and social structures (like hospitals, court houses, and student housing), with a particular preference for assets with stable operations and the majority of return coming from cash yield and reasonable capital appreciation.
• Timberland
Investors who want to diversify their portfolio of equities and fixed income products can invest in timberland. There are millions of acres of timberland in the U.S. and internationally that are owned by pension funds, charitable trusts, individual investors, and universities.
Top 5
real estate manager globally1
760k acres
of managed timberland2
#1 largest
manager of farmland globally3
Top 10
manager of timber assets globally4
Our real assets platform draws upon local expertise and access in the markets where we invest, enabling informed decision-making and generating off-market deal flow. We embed ESG principles and practices in the investment process, accompanied by strong investor alignment and partnership.
Spanning over $150 billion, we have more than 900 local experts operating in areas we invest.
How to invest in real assets with Nuveen
We work closely with clients to understand their requirements and develop forward-thinking investment opportunities. We offer a variety of investment options across real assets, including third-party funds and separately managed accounts.
Featured insights
Real assets
Why should institutional investors consider real assets?
Real assets may reduce diversity portfolios, reduce volatility, enhance returns and generate yield. We discuss the benefit of investing in private real assets.
Admist unprecedented market volatility, farmland is considered a durable and consistent investment with compelling upside. We discuss why now is a compelling time to invest.
We explore three sub asset classes — real estate, farmland and infrastructure — to understand the opportunities real assets offer, the role they can play in a portfolio and the range of choices investors face.
Real asset investment specialists
*As of 30 Sep 2020, Nuveen assets under management (AUM) is inclusive of underlying investment specialists. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
1ANREV/INREV/NCREIF Fund Manager Survey 2020. Survey illustrated rankings of 140 fund managers globally by AUM as at 31 Dec 2019.
2As of 30 Sept 2019.
3 Pensions & Investments, 01 Oct 2018. Rankings based on institutional tax-exempt assets under management as of 30 Jun 2018 reported by each responding asset manager.
4Pensions & Investments, 30 Sept 2019. Rankings based on institutional tax-exempt assets under management as of 30 Jun 2019 reported by each responding asset manager.
Investors should be aware that alternative investments are speculative, subject to substantial risks including the risks associated with limited liquidity, the use of leverage, short sales and concentrated investments and may involve complex tax structures and investment strategies. Alternative investments may be illiquid, there may be no liquid secondary market or ready purchasers for such securities, they may not be required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information to investors, there may be delays in distributing tax information to investors, they are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as other types of pooled investment vehicles, and they may be subject to high fees and expenses, which will reduce profits. Alternative investments are not suitable for all investors and should not constitute an entire investment program. Investors may lose all or substantially all of the capital invested. The historical returns achieved by alternative asset vehicles is not a prediction of future performance or a guarantee of future results, and there can be no assurance that comparable returns will be achieved by any strategy.
1ANREV/INREV/NCREIF Fund Manager Survey 2020. Survey illustrated rankings of 140 fund managers globally by AUM as at 31 Dec 2019.
2As of 30 Sept 2019.
3 Pensions & Investments, 01 Oct 2018. Rankings based on institutional tax-exempt assets under management as of 30 Jun 2018 reported by each responding asset manager.
4Pensions & Investments, 30 Sept 2019. Rankings based on institutional tax-exempt assets under management as of 30 Jun 2019 reported by each responding asset manager.
Investors should be aware that alternative investments are speculative, subject to substantial risks including the risks associated with limited liquidity, the use of leverage, short sales and concentrated investments and may involve complex tax structures and investment strategies. Alternative investments may be illiquid, there may be no liquid secondary market or ready purchasers for such securities, they may not be required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information to investors, there may be delays in distributing tax information to investors, they are not subject to the same regulatory requirements as other types of pooled investment vehicles, and they may be subject to high fees and expenses, which will reduce profits. Alternative investments are not suitable for all investors and should not constitute an entire investment program. Investors may lose all or substantially all of the capital invested. The historical returns achieved by alternative asset vehicles is not a prediction of future performance or a guarantee of future results, and there can be no assurance that comparable returns will be achieved by any strategy.
