News

26 Sep 2014

Richard Plackett stepping down as manager of investment trusts

THRG, BHUE : Richard Plackett stepping down as manager of investment trusts Richard Plackett is returning from his sabbatical on 7 October but will step down as co-manager of BlackRock Throgmorton Trust and BlackRock Hedge Selector. Ralph Cox who took on the job in Richard’s absence, will now get the job permanently.

26 Sep 2014

Blackstar Group hurt by weakening Rand

BLCK : Blackstar Group hurt by weakening Rand Blackstar Group’s interims, covering the six months ended 30 June 2014, show its net asset value rising by 4.3% in Rand terms but by just 0.1% in Sterling terms as the Rand weakened vs. Sterling over the first half of 2014. Blackstar says it increased its stake […]

26 Sep 2014

Prospect Japan considers investment in its manager

PJF : Prospect Japan considers investment in its manager Prospect Japan has announced that it is considering invest 3bn Yen ($28m) into a convertible issued by the ultimate parent of its fund manager. The convertible, to be issued by Gro-Bels Co Ltd., will have a coupon of 4% and converts into Gro-Bels’ shares at 60 […]

26 Sep 2014

VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund selling stake in An Giang Plant Protection

VOF : VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund selling stake in An Giang Plant Protection An Giang Plant Protection is the leading pesticides manufacturer and distributor in Vietnam. VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund is selling its 23.6% stake in the company for $63.1m. Over the period that VOF has held the stake it has generated an IRR of 23.7%. […]

25 Sep 2014

Foresight Solar plans fund raise to expand portfolio

FSFL : Foresight Solar plans fund raise to expand portfolio Foresight Solar Fund Limited has announced that two of its projects, Bournemouth and Kencot, are now connected to the grid. It has decided to raise £100m now and is also seeking shareholders’ permission to issue a further 200m shares between now and 24 September 2015 as and when […]

25 Sep 2014

William Meadon steps down as co-manager of JPMorgan Mid Cap

JMF : William Meadon steps down as co-manager of JPMorgan Mid Cap JPMorgan Mid Cap results for the year ended 30 June 2014 have been published today. These show the total return on net assets was 18.3%, ahead of the 17.8% return on the FTSE 250 Index. The discount tightened up resulting in a return […]

25 Sep 2014

Empiric invests in Nottingham

ESP : Empiric invests in Nottingham Empiric Student Property is buying a 98 bed student accommodation property in Nottingham. Talbot Studios opened in 2012 and is a purpose built property with 98 self-contained studio apartments together with various communal facilities. Empiric is paying £8.2m for the property. They say they’ll publish a trading update next […]

25 Sep 2014

PME Africa signals delay to portfolio sales

PMEA : PME Africa signals delay to portfolio sales PME Africa has reported an unchanged NAV for the half year to 30 June 2014 of $046. As shareholders rejected its proposal to become a rail transport company, PME Africa is focused on managing its remaining assets and finding buyers for them. The property they own […]

25 Sep 2014

Flat NAV at Infrastructure India

IIP : Flat NAV at Infrastructure India Infrastructure India’s results for the year ended 31 March 2014 have been published today. As the figures are almost six months old they probably aren’t much use for investors but the company has released more detail on the progress of its investments. The net asset value decreased marginally […]

24 Sep 2014

Oakley Capital buys majority stake in Facile.it

OCL : Oakley Capital buys majority stake in Facile.it Oakley Capital, through OCPE II Master LP, is investing €27m into the acquisition of a majority stake in Facile.it, Italy’s largest car insurance broker and online price comparison website. Oakley is excited by the prospects for the business – just 10% of car insurance is bought […]