James Carthew: don’t bet the house on reinsurance casino 2017 was one of the worst years on record for natural catastrophes. Three massive hurricanes (Harvey, Irma and Maria), two typhoons (Hato and Tembin), cyclone Debbie, California wildfires, monsoon flooding in South Asia, earthquakes in Iran, Iraq and Mexico and landslides in Sierra Leone and Peru […]
James Carthew: ouch! Watch out for key manager risk Events of the past couple of weeks have highlighted the impact that the departure of a manager can have on the rating of a trust. First, we heard that Carlos Hardenberg is to leave Franklin Templeton and then Philip Rodrigs was ousted from River & Mercantile. […]
James Carthew: where is a US growth trust when you want it? One of the strangest things about investment companies is how under-represented the US stock market is within the sector. Dedicated listed North American funds accounted for just 1.6% of the money in investment trusts and investment companies at the end of last year, […]
HBM investee ObsEva reports successful trail of IVF drug HBM Healthcare Investments (HBMN.S) investee ObsEva (Nasdaq: OBSV) has reported positive results in the Implant2 phase III trial of nolasiban, an oxytocin receptor antagonist, for improving pregnancy rates associated with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). ObsEva is currently HMB Healthcare’s tenth largest holding, accounting for 2.3% of its […]
James Carthew: RDI’s re-defining bet on London offices When a market experiences fundamental change it can be hard to separate cyclical and secular growth drivers. Or, to put it another way, the market for offices in London is changing and I’m not sure how much of this is down to changes in the way that […]
James Carthew: doctor your portfolio with a GP landlord Primary Healthcare Properties (PHP) last week announced results for the year to 31 December 2017. It is one of three listed funds investing in GP surgeries and other primary healthcare facilities in the UK and Ireland, the others being MedicX (MXF) and Assura (AGR). Most of […]
Core trust holding Gilead gets the zinc finger Gilead Sciences took another major step in its strategy to dominate the burgeoning field of cell therapy for cancer yesterday, with a deal to secure exclusive access to Sangamo’s zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) gene editing technology for use in this field. The deal, in which Gilead paid […]
Civitas Social Housing comments on First Priority Housing Association – Civitas Social Housing leases 45 properties to First Priority Housing Association. Regulator’s report The Regulator of Social Housing released a report last week that said: First Priority Housing Association Limited (4702) is a small Registered Provider of homes for a vulnerable client group, primarily adults […]
Oakley Capital sells Parship and Verivox – Oakley Capital Investments says that Oakley Capital Private Equity II has reached an agreement to sell its 38.5% stake in PARSHIP ELITE Group and 9.9% stake in Verivox to NuCom Group, ProSiebenSat.1’s Commerce unit. The agreement is subject to approval by the responsible antitrust authorities. Oakley Capital Investments will […]
Flat 2017 for Intu despite Brexit worries – Intu has announced results for the year ended 31 December 2017. Highlights were NAV (adjusted and diluted) rising from 404p to 411p as the market value of their investment properties rose from £9,985m to £10,529m. Net rental income was up to £460m from £447m but underlying earnings per share were flat […]
