Sizzling valuations are no bar for Asia data centre deals as AI growth beckons
Investment Surge in Data Centres: Global investors are increasingly interested in data centre operators in the Asia Pacific region, driven by high demand for AI services and strong growth prospects, despite concerns over infrastructure limitations.
High Valuations and Market Dynamics: Recent transactions, such as Blackstone's acquisition of AirTrunk, have set new valuation benchmarks, with data centres commanding multiples significantly higher than the broader private infrastructure market, reflecting the sector's rapid expansion.
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- Congressional Roadblock: Trump's proposal to ban Wall Street investors from purchasing single-family homes faced a setback in Congress, failing to be included in the Housing for the 21st Century Act, highlighting divisions and challenges in the legislative process.
- Lack of Clarity: Representative French Hill cited the White House's failure to clarify definitions of 'large institutional investor' and 'single-family home' as reasons for rejecting the investor ban amendment, indicating potential legislative hurdles.
- Bipartisan Housing Concerns: While some Republican lawmakers support Trump's proposal, a significant number oppose it, reflecting bipartisan divisions over the pressing issue of housing affordability in the market.
- Housing Bill Passage: Congress passed a sweeping bipartisan housing package containing over 20 measures aimed at addressing the national affordability crisis by encouraging states and cities to build more homes, showcasing a proactive legislative approach.
- Potential Deal Size: Brookfield Asset Management is in exclusive talks to acquire Blackstone's residential real estate company Fidere in Spain, with an estimated transaction value of around €1 billion ($1.2 billion), potentially making it one of the largest deals in the Spanish real estate sector this year.
- Fidere Asset Overview: Fidere's portfolio includes approximately 5,300 properties across 47 residential buildings in Madrid and a large building in Guadalajara, with the entire portfolio valued at around €1.2 billion by the end of 2024, highlighting its significant market presence.
- Market Reaction: Although both Brookfield and Blackstone declined to comment on the report, the high level of market interest in this potential transaction reflects investor confidence in the recovery of the Spanish real estate market.
- Strategic Implications: If successful, this acquisition would further solidify Brookfield's position in the European real estate market, enhancing the diversity and income potential of its asset portfolio while potentially driving further development in the Spanish real estate sector.

Dividend Trends: Dividends are increasing for leading companies in asset management and insurance markets, with analysts indicating significant upside potential for firms like Blackstone, which has a substantial asset management portfolio.
Blackstone Performance: Despite a recent -23% total return over the past 52 weeks, Blackstone's dividend yield remains strong, with a recent quarterly dividend increase of 15%, reflecting a positive outlook from analysts.
Charles Schwab Growth: Charles Schwab has experienced impressive growth, with a 27% total return over the past year and a 19% increase in its dividend, indicating strong financial health and investor confidence.
Allstate's Financials: Allstate reported a decent total return of 10% over the past year, with a substantial 8% increase in its quarterly dividend, showcasing solid performance and a favorable outlook among analysts.
- Election Impact: Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her ruling LDP secured a supermajority in the election, controlling over two-thirds of the Lower House, which allows her to freely pursue an agenda of increased spending and suspension of certain food taxes, likely stimulating economic growth further.
- Market Surge: Following the election results, Japanese stocks reached a record high, with the yen strengthening to 156.88 per dollar, reflecting renewed investor confidence and indicating positive market expectations regarding Takaichi's policies.
- U.S. Market Rebound: Major U.S. indexes rebounded post-election, with the S&P 500 rising 1.97% and the Nasdaq Composite climbing 2.18%, driven by strong performances from tech stocks like Nvidia and Oracle, which bolstered global investor confidence.
- Private Credit Concerns: The private credit market faces renewed uncertainty as AI pressures software companies, raising investor concerns about borrower business models and potentially increasing default risks, which could impact overall financial stability.
- Massive Financing: Blackstone and Coatue Capital are providing a $10 billion loan to Australian startup Firmus Technologies, marking one of Australia's largest private credit financings, reflecting strong confidence in data center expansion.
- AI Factory Expansion: The financing will support the expansion of Firmus' artificial intelligence factory platform, leveraging Nvidia chips, which is expected to enhance its market position in the AI sector across multiple Australian sites.
- Infrastructure Scaling: Project Southgate is projected to scale up to 1.6 gigawatts of infrastructure by 2028, indicating Firmus' ambition to meet the growing demand for AI computing, potentially attracting further investor interest.
- GPU Deployment Plans: Firmus AI factories are under construction at multiple locations with plans to deploy thousands of GPUs, which not only enhances production capacity but may also drive technological advancements and innovation across the industry.
- Market Capitalization Loss: The software sector's selloff has wiped out nearly $1 trillion in market capitalization, leading the Dow Jones US Asset Managers Index to decline nearly 5% this week, reflecting investor concerns over loan and leverage exposure.
- Declining Private Equity Deal Volumes: Morgan Stanley noted that technology services deal volumes account for nearly 21% of overall private equity activity, with TPG, Carlyle, and KKR slightly above this level, indicating weakened market confidence in software-related investments.
- Rising Loan Risks: Software borrowers are shouldering an average debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 7.4 times, significantly higher than the 5.9 times average across a $1 trillion loan pool studied by KBRA, highlighting the private credit market's heavy reliance on the software sector and its associated risks.
- Portfolio Review: Companies like Ares and KKR are reviewing their portfolios to assess the impact of AI on their software investments, demonstrating a cautious approach among asset managers in the face of market volatility.









