Future Returns: Investing In the Soaring Energy Sector
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    HOUSE MEDIAN ASKING PRICES AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $1,677,085 (-0.93%)       Melbourne $1,028,394 (+0.20%)       Brisbane $1,078,151 (+0.22%)       Adelaide $982,804 (+0.73%)       Perth $947,007 (+0.76%)       Hobart $769,694 (+0.31%)       Darwin $778,577 (+0.74%)       Canberra $976,606 (-1.97%)       National $1,098,248 (-0.36%)                UNIT MEDIAN ASKING PRICES AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $770,018 (+0.09%)       Melbourne $498,343 (+0.14%)       Brisbane $674,039 (+1.49%)       Adelaide $497,663 (-0.64%)       Perth $533,094 (+0.17%)       Hobart $533,129 (-0.01%)       Darwin $387,696 (+0.22%)       Canberra $494,947 (+1.38%)       National $571,202 (+0.42%)                HOUSES FOR SALE AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 12,026 (-343)       Melbourne 13,686 (-445)       Brisbane 8,305 (-28)       Adelaide 2,909 (-44)       Perth 7,828 (-177)       Hobart 1,264 (-5)       Darwin 160 (-2)       Canberra 1,151 (-20)       National 47,329 (-1,064)                UNITS FOR SALE AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 9,357 (-106)       Melbourne 7,800 (-121)       Brisbane 1,675 (-19)       Adelaide 458 (+11)       Perth 1,675 (+20)       Hobart 227 (-16)       Darwin 303 (+3)       Canberra 1,194 (+9)       National 22,689 (-219)                HOUSE MEDIAN ASKING RENTS AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $800 ($0)       Melbourne $590 ($0)       Brisbane $650 ($0)       Adelaide $630 (-$10)       Perth $700 ($0)       Hobart $585 (+$5)       Darwin $700 (-$30)       Canberra $700 ($0)       National $676 (-$5)                UNIT MEDIAN ASKING RENTS AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney $750 ($0)       Melbourne $590 (-$5)       Brisbane $645 (-$5)       Adelaide $540 (+$20)       Perth $650 ($0)       Hobart $500 ($0)       Darwin $595 (-$20)       Canberra $575 (-$5)       National $614 (-$2)                HOUSES FOR RENT AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 5,747 (+44)       Melbourne 7,595 (-48)       Brisbane 3,812 (-42)       Adelaide 1,418 (+23)       Perth 2,254 (+18)       Hobart 203 (-5)       Darwin 83 (+6)       Canberra 481 (-21)       National 21,593 (-25)                UNITS FOR RENT AND WEEKLY CHANGE     Sydney 7,827 (+22)       Melbourne 5,470 (+50)       Brisbane 1,798 (-46)       Adelaide 388 (+11)       Perth 738 (-5)       Hobart 101 (+13)       Darwin 101 (-9)       Canberra 561 (-1)       National 16,984 (+35)                HOUSE ANNUAL GROSS YIELDS AND TREND       Sydney 2.48% (↑)        Melbourne 2.98% (↓)       Brisbane 3.13% (↓)       Adelaide 3.33% (↓)       Perth 3.84% (↓)     Hobart 3.95% (↑)        Darwin 4.68% (↓)     Canberra 3.73% (↑)        National 3.20% (↓)            UNIT ANNUAL GROSS YIELDS AND TREND         Sydney 5.06% (↓)       Melbourne 6.16% (↓)       Brisbane 4.98% (↓)     Adelaide 5.64% (↑)        Perth 6.34% (↓)     Hobart 4.88% (↑)        Darwin 7.98% (↓)       Canberra 6.04% (↓)       National 5.59% (↓)            HOUSE RENTAL VACANCY RATES AND TREND       Sydney 2.0% (↑)      Melbourne 1.9% (↑)      Brisbane 1.4% (↑)      Adelaide 1.3% (↑)      Perth 1.2% (↑)      Hobart 1.0% (↑)      Darwin 1.6% (↑)      Canberra 2.7% (↑)      National 1.7% (↑)             UNIT RENTAL VACANCY RATES AND TREND       Sydney 2.4% (↑)      Melbourne 3.8% (↑)      Brisbane 2.0% (↑)      Adelaide 1.1% (↑)      Perth 0.9% (↑)      Hobart 1.4% (↑)      Darwin 2.8% (↑)      Canberra 2.9% (↑)      National 2.2% (↑)             AVERAGE DAYS TO SELL HOUSES AND TREND       Sydney 29.8 (↑)      Melbourne 29.2 (↑)        Brisbane 33.4 (↓)     Adelaide 28.1 (↑)      Perth 38.7 (↑)      Hobart 31.9 (↑)      Darwin 28.8 (↑)        Canberra 30.7 (↓)     National 31.3 (↑)             AVERAGE DAYS TO SELL UNITS AND TREND       Sydney 28.5 (↑)      Melbourne 29.8 (↑)        Brisbane 31.8 (↓)       Adelaide 25.9 (↓)       Perth 39.2 (↓)     Hobart 42.5 (↑)      Darwin 43.9 (↑)      Canberra 38.8 (↑)      National 35.0 (↑)            
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Future Returns: Investing In the Soaring Energy Sector

The sector came roaring back to life late last year on positive vaccine news.

By Karen Hube
Wed, May 19, 2021 10:47amGrey Clock 4 min

Energy has transitioned from the worst- to best-performing sector in a matter of months. How long is it likely to outperform? And which companies are most promising for investors?

Serious difficulties for the energy sector began in April 2020. Demand screeched to a halt under pandemic lockdowns, and the futures prices on the global benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) cratered to negative territory for the first time. The per-barrel price plummeted from US$18 to negative US$37 due to oversupply as Covid-19 crippled industry and mobility around the globe.

But the sector came roaring back to life late last year on positive vaccine news and surged through this year’s first quarter, as successful vaccine rollouts enabled relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions and economic activity rekindled.

In the first quarter, many big oil companies banked a profit for the first time since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, investors have been soundly rewarded. Through last week, the energy sector was up 35% this year compared to 9.5% for the S&P 500.

Bull or Bear?

Sam Halpert, Philadelphia-based chief investment officer at Macquarie Investment Management who oversees the firm’s natural resources equity strategy, views the recent outperformance as a cyclical bull market in the context of a secular bear market for the sector.

“The bull market could last two or three years, but there are still long-term issues around hydrocarbon and the energy transition that will impact the sector,” Halpert says.

The energy sector was under pressure even prior to the pandemic as investors were increasingly hesitant to commit capital as an inevitable transition from fossil fuels to greener choices loomed.

Lack of capital flowing into energy companies focused on shale technology is a hindrance to oil production. “Investors have not been willing to finance shale, there’s been a decrease in investment and production,” Halpert says. “Production was 11 million barrels a day last week, and we peaked at 13.1 million barrels a day in March 2020.”

Pressure on the sector isn’t likely to let up. In fact, the transition from the U.S.’s reliance on fossil fuels to low-carbon energy alternatives has renewed political momentum under President Joseph Biden, who supports policies that elevate greener alternatives and aims for the U.S. to have a 100% clean energy economy and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Investors’ decline in interest in energy has been steady and notable. In 1980, the sector accounted for almost 30% of the index. By 2019 the percentage was 5.3% and this it slipped to 2.33%.

While energy will clearly be impacted over the long term by fundamental changes, “there are a lot of companies that can benefit during the transition and are changing the way they do things,” Halpert says. “They’re becoming more environmentally friendly or changing business slightly to areas that have more growth, and the market is rewarding that.”

Consolidation Boom

Some of the best opportunities are among companies that are not only accommodating environmental factors in the way they do business, but that are sound enough to be gobbling up smaller players in what has been a highly fragmented industry.

The consolidation has been rapid: For example, in late 2019, Parsley Energy of Midland, Texas, acquired Denver-based Jagged Peak. Since then, Parsley was acquired by Pioneer Natural Resources of Irving, Texas, which in May completed the acquisition of Midland, Texas-based DoublePoint Energy.

A central region for the consolidation boom is the Permian Basin, a 75,000-square-mile region from West Texas to Southeastern New Mexico. With rich oil reserves discovered some dozen years ago, it now accounts for more than one-third of oil production in the U.S. Just two years ago the Permian Basin unseated Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar oilfield as the biggest producer in the world.

“There have been too many players, many with marginal acreage or fields they’re developing,” says Geoffrey King, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Macquarie. As investor capital has declined, many of the smaller players have struggled.

King looks for opportunities among companies with sustainable practices that are in position to buy the smaller players. They’re benefiting from strengthened commodity prices and a perked-up demand.

“They have the ability to not only develop and maintain a growth rate comparable to the overall average S&P 500 growth rate, but to deliver excess cash to shareholders,” King says. “The model is being proven out and we’re in inning two or three.”

Veteran Industry Players

Among biggest holdings in Halpert’s and King’s institutional strategy is Plano, Texas-based Denbury (DEN), one of their few small-cap names that focuses on producing carbon negative barrels oil through carbon sequestration, which is the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide.

“As people talk more about carbon sequestration, this is the game in town,” King says. “A lot of industrial companies don’t want to deal with the complexity of storing carbon. We think this is a very unique small-cap story that’s underappreciated.”

Another is Valero, the San Antonio-based largest independent refiner in the U.S.

“It has best-in-class assets and best-in-class management team,” Halpert says. “They’ve done a really good job returning capital to shareholders over the last several years.”

The company recently entered into an agreement with Darling, which processes waste such as from meat processing plants and the leftover oil from restaurants and food businesses. Valero transforms the waste into the fuel equivalent of ethanol.

“It has the identical chemical properties as ethanol, but ethanol has constraints around usage. It’s tough in the cold weather because it can cause engines to clog,” Halpern says. “Valero’s product is a low carbon fuel and low cost to produce.”

Another noteworthy holding is the big oil service company Schlumberger (SLB), based in Houston but with a global reach. “It’s involved in lithium, carbon sequestration, and a number of technologies that will be important in the energy transition,” Halpert says.

While there are numerous new entrants to the energy transition play, “we prefer to play it with a company with a balance sheet like Schlumberger and the technology of Schlumberger.”

Reprinted by permission of Penta. Copyright 2021 Dow Jones & Company. Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Original date of publication: May 18, 2021



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Foreign Home Buyers Craving a Piece of the Swiss Alps Finally Have a Way In

The government in Switzerland has waived residency requirements in a handful of locations, including one that’s growing fast.

By MICHAEL KAMINER
Tue, Apr 22, 2025 3 min

While golden visa schemes proliferate, Switzerland remains famously protective about buying property in the country.

Rules known as Lex Koller, introduced in 1983, prohibit foreigners from buying homes in cities like Geneva and Zurich. And in the few locations where foreigners can buy, purchase permits come with rules around size and occupancy.

But non-Swiss buyers who have coveted an Alpine home now have a pathway to ownership, and it’s likely to come with financial upside. The Swiss government has waived residency requirements in a handful of locations where developers have negotiated exemptions in exchange for billions of dollars of investment in construction and improvements.

Andermatt, a village 4,715 feet above sea level in the centre of the Swiss Alps, is the largest municipality to open up to foreign buyers.

Its main investor, Egyptian magnate Samih Sawiris, “believed Andermatt could become a full-town redevelopment when he first visited in 2005, but the key was to offer real estate to people outside of Switzerland,” said Russell Collins, chief commercial officer of Andermatt-Swiss Alps, Sawiris’s development company.

“We became the only large-scale real estate development in Switzerland with an exemption from the Lex Koller regulations.”

In the ensuing decades, Andermatt has become a major draw for high-net-worth buyers from around the world, said Alex Koch de Gooreynd, a partner at Knight Frank in London and head of its Swiss residential sales team.

“What the Andermatt-Swiss Alps guys have done is incredible,” he said. “It’s an impressive resort, and there is still a good 10 years’ worth of construction to come. The future of the resort is very good.”

Andermatt’s profile got another boost from the 2022 acquisition of its ski and resort operations by Vail Resorts, which runs 41 ski destinations worldwide.

“Vail has committed to 150 million Swiss francs (US$175 million) in investments, which is another game-changer,” de Gooreynd said.

“If you’d asked me about Andermatt 10 years ago, I would have said the ski areas weren’t good enough of a draw.”

Along with the five-star Chedi Andermatt hotel and residences, which opened in 2013, residential offerings include the Gotthard Residences at the Radisson Blu hotel; at least six branded residences are planned to open by 2030, according to Jeremy Rollason, director for France, Switzerland, and Austria at Savills Ski.

“Most of these are niche, boutique buildings with anywhere from eight to 14 units, and they’re releasing them selectively to create interest and demand, which has been a very successful approach,” he said.

“Andermatt is an emerging destination, and an intelligent buy. Many buyers haven’t heard of it, but it’s about building a brand to the level of Verbier, Courchevel or Gstaad.”

The Alpinist, Andermatt’s third hotel residence, is slated to open in 2027; with 164 apartments, the five-star project will be run by Andermatt-Swiss Alps, according to Collins.

Other developments include Tova, an 18-unit project designed by Norwegian architects Snohetta, and La Foret, an 18-apartment building conceived by Swiss architects Brandenberger Kloter.

Prices in Andermatt’s new buildings range from around 1.35 million francs for a one-bedroom apartment to as much as 3.5 million francs for a two-bedroom unit, according to Astrid Josuran, an agent with Zurich Sotheby’s International Realty.

Penthouses with four or more bedrooms average 5 million-6 million francs. “Property values have been increasing steadily, with an average annual growth rate of 7.7% in the last 10 years,” she said.

“New developments will continue for the next 10 years, after which supply will be limited.”

Foreign buyers can obtain mortgages from Swiss banks, where current rates hover around 1.5% “and are declining,” Josuran said.

Compared to other countries with Alpine resorts, Switzerland also offers tax advantages, said Rollason of Savills. “France has a wealth tax on property wealth, which can become quite penal if you own $4 million or $5 million worth of property,” he said.

Andermatt’s high-end lifestyle has enhanced its appeal, said Collins of Andermatt-Swiss Alps.

“We have three Michelin-starred restaurants, and we want to create a culinary hub here,” he said. “We’ve redeveloped the main shopping promenade, Furkagasse, with 20 new retail and culinary outlets.

And there is a unique international community developing. While half our owners are Swiss, we have British, Italian and German buyers, and we are seeing inquiries from the U.S.”

But Andermatt is not the only Swiss location to cut red tape for foreign buyers.

The much smaller Samnaun resort, between Davos and Innsbruck, Austria, “is zoned so we can sell to foreigners,” said Thomas Joyce of Alpine property specialist Pure International.

“It’s high-altitude, with good restaurants and offers low property taxes of the Graubunden canton where it’s located.”

At the Edge, a new 22-apartment project by a Dutch developer, prices range from 12,000-13,500 francs per square metre, he said.

As Andermatt’s stature grows, this is a strategic time for foreigners to invest, said Josuran of Sotheby’s.

“It might be under the radar now, but it’s rapidly growing, and already among Switzerland’s most attractive ski locations,” she said. “Now’s the time to buy, before it reaches the status of a St. Moritz or Zermatt.”

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