THE fast-growing property loan stock sector of the JSE Securities Exchange SA is to record another listing when Acucap Properties debuts with property assets worth R865m next week.

Forecast return is 15,9%
Property loan stock company Shopsforafrica, which listed on the JSE Securities Exchange this week, poses a dilemma for investors. It is heavily exposed to the underperforming retail sector; on the other hand, falling interest rates are good news for the property sector.

CAPE TOWN Don Group directors Marc Wainer and Sidney Ellerine have come to the aid of the cash-strapped suite hotel group by buying and leasing back to it six properties via a vehicle called Ellwain Investments.

Hybrid property loan stock company Redefine says its business practice of combining direct property holdings and listed property instruments offers special benefits for the group.

Property loan stock company Redefine Income Fund produced headline earnings of 35c a linked unit out of revenue of R215-million during an extremely busy year which ended August.

Flurry of new listings boasting high-risk yields of more than 18% The JSE's property loan stock (PLS) sector is expanding fast and, for the first time, investors have a real choice between quality yields of 11% or high risk at more than 18%. They can also choose between office, retail and industrial subsectors.

A merger of Grayvest and Grayprop could result in a listed property fund with a market capitalisation of R2,2-billion, making it the JSE Securities Exchange SA's (JSE's) second-largest, following Liberty International.

ALL pointers suggest that the property loan stock sector of the JSE Securities Exchange SA will see an unprecedented scale of growth in the next few years.

Real estate has a bad name amongst most portfolio investors. Yet few realise that listed property trusts performed on a par with equity over the past ten years (14,5% p.a.) and outperformed financial & industrial shares by a wide margin over the past three years (27% p.a. vs 5%), says Erwin Rode of Rode & Associates, property economists and valuers.

NEW life is being breathed into the listed property stocks sector which is vying with cash and bonds for investors' attention. Bruce Kerswill, Director of Cape Town based Spire Property Services which brought the Paramount Property Fund Limited (Paraprop) to the JSE Securities Exchange earlier this month, says the property sector is fast regaining its popularity as an investment class.