Overview
Biotech Growth seeks capital appreciation through investment in the worldwide biotechnology industry. Performance is measured against the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (sterling adjusted). In order to achieve its investment objective, Biotech Growth invests in a diversified portfolio of shares and related securities in biotechnology companies on a worldwide basis.
The website can be found here.
Fundamentals
Price
Research History
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26 Apr 2024 11 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Quarterly Review – First quarter of 2024
First quarter of 2024 Investment Companies | Quarterly roundup | April 2023 Kindly sponsored by abrdn Equity rally belies difficult quarter for sector 2024 started on strong footing, with global equities (as measured by the MSCI All Countries World Index) rallying 9.2% over the first three months (in sterling terms). However, while there some standouts […]
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07 Dec 2022 64 min read
QuotedData’s Economic and Political Monthly Roundup December 2022
Economic and Political Monthly Roundup Investment companies | Monthly | December 2022 A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairs and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage […]
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13 Oct 2022 14 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Quarterly Review – Third Quarter 2022
Third quarter of 2022 Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford and Aberdeen Standard Investments Piling on the misery In the face of rising inflation, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, central bankers have condemned for their relative inaction. However, in the third quarter of 2022, they stepped up a gear. Last month’s economic and political roundup […]
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09 Oct 2020 7 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Roundup – October 2020
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford and Aberdeen Standard Investments Table of contents New research Performance data Discounts and premiums Money in and out Major news stories Events Guide Appendix – Performance by sector full list New research Here is a list of research we published over September: Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust – […]
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10 Aug 2020 7 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Roundup – August 2020
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford and Aberdeen Standard Investments Table of contents New research Performance data Discounts and premiums Money in and out Major news stories Income Events Guide Appendix – Performance by sector full list New research Here is a list of research we published over July: Seneca Global Income & Growth – […]
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14 Jul 2020 9 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Quarterly Review – Second Quarter 2020
Investment Companies Quarterly Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford and Aberdeen Standard Investments Table of contents In this issue Performance data Positive movers Negative movers Discounts and premiums Getting more expensive Getting cheaper Money in and out Money in Money out Major news stories Upcoming Events New research Guide The legal bit When the going gets […]
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08 Jun 2020 7 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Roundup – June 2020
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford and Aberdeen Standard Investments Table of contents New research In this issue Performance data Discounts and premiums Money in and out Major news stories Income Events Guide Appendix – Performance by sector full list New research Here is a list of research we published over May: GCP Infrastructure – […]
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24 Jan 2020 20 min read
QuotedData’s Investment Companies Annual Review – 2019
In this issue The sector at the end of 2019 Performance data Performance by sector and fund Money in and out of the sector Money in and out of existing funds Money coming into existing funds Money going out of existing funds Liquidations, de-listings and trading cancellations Significant rating changes Major news stories Outlook for […]
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10 Jan 2020 5 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – January 2020
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford Table of contents New research In this issue Performance data Discounts and premiums Money in and out Income Events New research Here is a list of research we published over December: An update note on BlackRock Throgmorton (THRG) “BlackRock Throgmorton continues to lead its peer group in […]
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06 Dec 2019 5 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – December 2019
Economic & Political Roundup Kindly sponsored by Polar Capital and Allianz A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you […]
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6 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – December 2019
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford Table of contents New research In this issue Performance data Discounts and premiums Money in and out Income Events New research Here is a list of research we published over November: An initiation note on Henderson High Income “We have initiated coverage on Henderson High Income (HHI). Since […]
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15 Oct 2019 7 min read
Investment companies quarterly roundup – Third quarter 2019
Investment Companies Quarterly Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford New research Over the third quarter, we published notes on India Capital Growth, Jupiter Emerging & Frontier Income, Montanaro European Smaller Companies, JLEN Environmental Assets, Civitas Social Housing, JPMorgan Russian Securities, International Biotechnology Trust, Aberdeen Emerging Markets, Seneca Global Income & Growth, Standard Life Investments Property Income […]
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07 Oct 2019 5 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – October 2019
Investment Companies Roundup Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford New research Over September, we published notes on India Capital Growth, Jupiter Emerging & Frontier, International Biotechnology Trust, JPMorgan Russian Securities, Civitas Social Housing, Montanaro European Smaller Companies and JLEN Environmental Assets. We also launched a monthly real estate roundup, beginning with reviews of August and September. In […]
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05 Jul 2019 3 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – July 2019
Investment Companies Roundup New research Over June, we published notes on CQS Natural Resources Growth and Income, Standard Life Private Equity and Shires Income. You can read all these notes by clicking on the links above or by visiting www.quoteddata.com. In this issue Performance data – there was a greater appetite for risk in June as […]
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07 Jun 2019 3 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – June 2019
Investment Companies Roundup New research Over May, we published notes on Shires Income, Standard Life Private Equity and The North American Income Trust. You can read all these notes by clicking on the links above or by visiting www.quoteddata.com. In this issue Performance data – it was notable that risk appetite was down in May as renewed […]
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5 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – June 2019
Economic & Political Roundup A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell any of the […]
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08 May 2019 3 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – May 2019
Investment Companies Roundup New research Over April, we published notes on Henderson Diversified Income, Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure, Jupiter Emerging and Frontier Income, Seneca Global Income & Growth and Polar Capital Global Financials Trust. You can read all these notes by clicking on the links above or by visiting www.quoteddata.com. In this issue Performance data – it was […]
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22 Feb 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – February 2019
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – February 2019 is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of January 2019. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. December’s sharp sell-off in technology and growth stocks reversed somewhat in January. This was […]
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18 Jan 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – January 2019
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – January 2019 is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of December 2018. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. Extract from money raised and returned in December The only new issue […]
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13 Nov 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – November 2018
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – November 2018 is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of October 2018. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. Winners and losers in October In what was generally a miserable month for equity markets, Brazil shone […]
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11 Jul 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – July 2018
QuotedData’s investment companies roundup – July 2018 is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of June 2018. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. July Investment Companies Roundup Money raised and returned in June Newcomer to the market, Yew Grove […]
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11 Jun 2018 2 min read
QuotedData’s Economic round up – June 2018
QuotedData’s Economic round up – June 2018 is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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18 Jan 2018 1 min read
QuotedData – 2017 review of the year
QuotedData – 2017 review of the year – Many commentators, including us, were wary going into 2017. In the event, economic growth and markets surprised on the upside: US markets hit new highs despite three interest rate rises. Perceived low/no growth areas such as Europe and Japan burst into life. Asia’s technology stocks surged. India’s […]
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10 Jan 2018 2 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – January 2018
QuotedData investment companies roundup – January 2018 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of December 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. January Investment Companies Roundup Winners and losers in December Infrastructure India’s share price […]
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10 Nov 2017 1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – November 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – November 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of October 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. November Investment Companies Roundup Globalworth Real Estate’s discount was eliminated after it announced […]
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12 Jul 2017 2 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – July 2017
QuotedData investment companies roundup – July 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of June 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. July Investment Companies Roundup Money raised in July Newly launched in June were […]
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14 Jun 2017 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic round up – June 2017
QuotedData’s economic round up – June 2017 – is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or […]
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07 Dec 2016 1 min read
QuotedData’s round up of views on the global economy – December 2016
QuotedData’s collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from comments made by chairman and managers of investment companies. december-economic-and-political-roundup
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08 Nov 2016 1 min read
QuotedData investment companies roundup – November 2016
Our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of October 2016. november-investment-companies-roundup-2
News
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27 Nov 2024 3 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 27 November 2024 – AGA, CORD, JARA, BIOG, PSH
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 27 November: APAX Global Alpha (AGA) has announced that it expects to invest approximately €28m in the accountancy and advisory practice of Evelyn Partners on a look-through basis. On 25 November 2024, the Apax XI Fund, in which AGA is a limited partner, announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire Evelyn […]
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05 Jun 2024 2 min read
The Biotech Growth Trust outperforms five-fold
The Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) has released the annual results for its financial year ending 31 March 2024. BIOG reported a 12 month NAV total return of 26.5% and share price total return of 27.1%, outperforming its benchmark, Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which returned 5.0%. Note that the benchmark will be changed to the Nasdaq Biotechnology […]
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15 Jun 2023 4 min read
Biotech Growth trails benchmark by miles
Biotech Growth has reported results for the 12 months ended 31 March 2023 and they aren’t good. The NAV total return for the year was -11.0%, a whopping 16.4 percentage points behind the +5.4% return on the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. The return to shareholders was -12.8%. The chairman’s statement attributes the underperformance to investors’ preference […]
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16 Nov 2022 1 min read
Biotech Growth claws back some of its underperformance
The Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) has announced its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2022. Its chairman, Roger Yates, says that after a very difficult year to 31 March 2022, during which the trust’s NAV fell substantially and underperformed its benchmark (the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index), the first six months of the current year have seen […]
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22 Jul 2022 3 min read
QD view – Is the tide finally turning for biotech?
In early 2021, it looked like the pandemic had been a breakthrough moment for the biotechnology sector. The sector had been critical in the development of Covid-19 vaccines, using new and innovation gene sequencing, while developments in oncology promised a treatment revolution. Share prices were riding high and specialist investment trusts had enjoyed two years […]
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01 Jun 2022 2 min read
Biotech Growth hit by broader market turmoil as it enters 25th year
Biotech Growth hit by broader market turmoil as it enters 25th year – Biotech Growth (BIOG) has published its final results for the year to 31 March 2022. During the period under review, the company’s NAV per share total return was down 33.8% while its share price total return was down 37%. This compares with […]
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18 Jan 2021 1 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 18 January 2021
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 18 January 2021 – AVI Japan Opportunity (AJOT) is seeking to raise up to £35m in new ordinary shares under its existing placing programme. Joe Bauernfreund, CEO and CIO of Asset Value Investors, AJOT’s manager, commented: “We want to take advantage of valuations which in many cases remain depressed despite encouraging signs […]
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04 Jun 2020 3 min read
Dramatic year for Biotech Growth
Dramatic year for Biotech Growth – as its chairman says “as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic the year to 31 March 2020 proved to be one of the most dramatic in the history of the company since its inception in 1997.” For the year to 31 March 2020, the net asset value per share […]
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29 May 2020 2 min read
Ways to thrive in a crisis
The five best performing investment companies over the past year in NAV terms are Golden Prospect Precious Metals, Biotech Growth, Pershing Square, JPMorgan China Growth and Income and Scottish Mortgage. It’s an eclectic bunch and illustrative of just how hard it is to navigate the market in the current turmoil. Golden Prospect is soaring because […]
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10 Jan 2020 2 min read
Biotech Growth tops bio-trust league with 47% NAV rise – updated
Biotech Growth tops bio-trust league with 47% NAV rise – Orbimed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) recorded the rise 47% rise in NAV in 2019, representing the best performance of the 14 specialist biotech/pharma closed end investment vehicles monitored by Marten & Co. Biotech Growth’s rise in NAV was more than double that of the benchmark […]
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28 May 2019 3 min read
Biotech Growth extends run of poor performance
Biotech Growth extends run of poor performance – On Friday, Biotech Growth Trust published results for the year ended 31 March 2019. Its net asset value per share rose by 5.3% and the share price by 4.6%, reflecting a slight widening in the discount. The benchmark (Nasdaq Biotechnology Index) returned 13.0%. Biotech Growth Trust has now […]
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21 Mar 2019 1 min read
Biogen Alzheimer’s failure drags down Biotech Growth
Biogen Alzheimer’s failure drags down Biotech Growth – Biogen, a key holding in Biotech Growth Trust and a component of most other biotech and healthcare portfolios, has lost a third of its value after trials of an Alzheimer’s drug failed to show any benefit. Biogen and its partner, Japanese drugmaker Eisai, said they would stop […]
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30 Aug 2018 2 min read
IP Group-backed Genomics raises £25m in a Series B
IP Group-backed Genomics raises £25m in a Series B Genomics plc, a University of Oxford spin-out backed by UK-based healthcare/tech VC investor IP Group (LSE: IPO), has closed a £25.0m Series B financing round led by the major US biotech, Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Woodford Investment Management – manager of the Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) – Invesco Perpetual, Oxford […]
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28 Aug 2018 2 min read
Trust favourite Alnylam gains on competitor data
Biotech trust stock favourite Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) gained more than 16% yesterday after the presentation of ostensibly highly positive clinical trial data on one of its key competitors at a scientific meeting. Alnylam is held by several of the sector’s specialist investment trusts including Biotech Growth (BIOG, 3.6% of NAV) and BB Biotech (BBB, 3.6% of NAV) […]
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14 Aug 2018 2 min read
Alnylam receives expected FDA ok for Onpattro
Alnylam receives expected FDA ok for Onpattro Biotech trust stock favourite Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) received its first FDA approval late on Friday for Onpattro (patisiran) for the treatment of polyneuropathy in adults with hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis. However, the FDA did not allow a broader label that included patients with cardiomyopathy (CM), leading to […]
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06 Aug 2018 2 min read
Trust favourite Alnylam approaches key FDA decision
Trust favourite Alnylam approaches key FDA decision Biotech trust stock favourite Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ALNY) should find out later this week whether the FDA will grant approval to its first product, Onpattro (patisiran), for hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis (or hATTR). In this case, unusually, there is relatively little concern that Onpattro may not receive US approval and the […]
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18 Jul 2018 3 min read
Trust favourite Biogen preps for detailed Alzheimer’s trial results
Trust favourite Biogen preps for detailed Alzheimer’s trial results Trust favourite Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB), the largest single holding for Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG, 11.7% of NAV) and widely held stock among other sector specialist collective vehicles – will with its joint venture partner Eisai shortly disclose detailed results from a Phase II study of the […]
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10 Jul 2018 2 min read
Celgene claims win for luspatercept in Believe trial
Celgene claims win for luspatercept in Believe trial Specialist trust favourite Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG) has reported positive result in a Phase III trial with the drug candidate luspatercept for treatment of anaemia associated with beta-thalassemia. This follows the company’s success in the Medalist Phase III trial win with the same drug in anaemia associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The unambiguous […]
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06 Jul 2018 2 min read
Key trust holding Biogen claims rare Alzheimer’s trial success
Key trust holding Biogen claims rare Alzheimer’s trial success Trust favourite Biogen saw its stock rise by 20% on Friday, after reporting a surprise apparently positive result from a Phase II study with the anti-amyloid beta protofibril antibody BAN-2401 in the notoriously tough indication of Alzheimer’s disease. However, the share price boost to Biogen probably reflects the implied […]
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29 Jun 2018 2 min read
Trust favourite Celgene claims win in Medalist trial
Trust favourite Celgene claims win in Medalist trial US biotech and specialist trust favourite Celgene (Nasdaq: CELG) has reported a positive result in a closely-watched Phase III trial that was being seen as a key step necessary in its rehabilitation with investors. The trial was of the drug candidate luspatercept for treatment of anaemia associated with a type […]
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20 Jun 2018 2 min read
Alexion files for key drug with priority review voucher
Alexion files for key drug with priority review voucher Trust favourite Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALXN) yesterday confirmed it had made a US regulatory submission for approval of ALXN1210, its long-acting C5 complement inhibitor, for the treatment of the ultra-rare condition of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Alexion is a cornerstone holding for both the OrbiMed-managed Biotech Growth Trust […]
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25 May 2018 1 min read
Biotech Growth blames large caps for 2017/18 under-performance
Biotech Growth blames large caps for 2017/18 under-performance OrbiMed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) blamed an overweight position in large cap stocks for under-performance against the benchmark Nasdaq Biotechnology index (NBI) in the six months to March 2018 and financial year as a whole, having recorded a 6.7% fall in NAV against a 2.2% fall for […]
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22 May 2018 2 min read
Biotech Growth doubles down on Biogen and Alexion
Biotech Growth doubles down on Biogen and Alexion OrbiMed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) appears to have increased its already substantial positions in Biogen and Alexion and reduced (or possibly even sold) its previously large stake in Regeneron in the last month, according to its an analysis of its top holdings by Marten & Co. The […]
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02 May 2018 1 min read
Trust stalwart Regeneron cuts Praluent price
Trust stalwart Regeneron cuts Praluent price Investment trust stalwart Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN) and its partner Sanofi yesterday announced a deal with Express Scripts, under which they will substantially lower the net price of Praluent in exchange for exclusive coverage on the US pharmacy benefit manager’s national formulary. The move deals a blow to rival Amgen, […]
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30 Apr 2018 2 min read
OrbiMed-managed trusts benefit from Alexion rise
OrbiMed-managed trusts benefit from Alexion’s rise Shares in trust favourite Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALXN) put on 12% last week on the back of a strong financial first quarter with upgraded guidance and positive top-line results from a phase III study of ALXN1210, the company’s longer-acting follow-up to its blockbuster Soliris in the ultra-rate disease of […]
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20 Apr 2018 2 min read
Biotech Growth sells Amgen, buys Regeneron and Alexion in March
Biotech Growth sells Amgen, buys Regeneron and Alexion in March OrbiMed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) sold a large proportion of its stake in Amgen last month, while increasing its holdings in Regeneron and Alexion, according to an analysis of its top holdings disclosed in its latest factsheet. The shareholding in Amgen, which accounted for just over 10% of […]
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03 Apr 2018 2 min read
Trust favourite Alnylam sees shares tank on competitor success
Trust favourite Alnylam sees shares tank on competitor success US RNAi therapeutic specialist Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ALNY) has seen its shares fall by 22% over the long Easter weekend, principally on news of a surprise positive clinical trial result for a potential competitor to its lead product patisiran, which has been developed initially for hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis […]
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22 Mar 2018 1 min read
Biotech Growth’s big-bio focus a cause of underperformance in February
Biotech Growth’s big-bio focus a cause of underperformance in February OrbiMed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) saw a 3.9% fall in its NAV in February, under-performing against a 2.6% decline in the sterling-denominated value of the benchmark NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. The value of investments held by the trust were hit in the market wide sell-off in […]
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02 Mar 2018 2 min read
Swiss trusts top performers among bio sector specialists in Feb
Swiss trusts top performers among bio sector specialists in Feb – Switzerland’s HBM Healthcare Investments (HBMN.S) and BB Biotech (BBB.S) were the best performing biotech/pharma specialist investment trusts in February and indeed were the only ones of the 13 monitored by Marten & Co to have recorded any increase in NAV (in sterling terms) in the month. However, […]
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23 Feb 2018 2 min read
Core trust holding Gilead gets the zinc finger
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 […]
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20 Feb 2018 2 min read
Biotech Growth notches up small rise in Jan, but outlook for Feb is weaker
Biotech Growth notches up small rise in Jan, but outlook for Feb is weaker Orbimed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) notched up a broadly in-line performance in the otherwise strong month of January, despite seeing a major setback for one of its top 10 holdings. However, its outlook for February is looking weaker, an analysis by Marten […]
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15 Feb 2018 2 min read
Trust favourite Biogen hit by AD trial rejig
Trust favourite Biogen hit by AD trial rejig – Shares in Biogen, the neurology-focused US biotech giant and a key holding for many of the sector specialist investment trusts, fell by more than 6% yesterday on heightened concerns over a decision to expand patient enrolment in its two large Phase III trials of aducanumab for […]
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13 Feb 2018 1 min read
Key trust holding Vertex gains US approval for new CF combo
Key trust holding Vertex gains US approval for new CF combo Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a leading US biotech specialising in cystic fibrosis (CF) and core holding for most of the sector’s collective investment vehicles, yesterday reported the US FDA approval of Symdeko, its new combination containing tezacaftor/ivacaftor for CF in patients aged 12 and over who are […]
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09 Feb 2018 2 min read
Swiss biotech trusts resilient after recent sell-off
Swiss biotech trusts resilient after recent sell-off – Swiss-listed biotech investment trusts, HBM Healthcare Investments (HBMN.S) and BB Biotech (BBB.S), have fared by far the best among all the sector specialist closed-end collective vehicles in the wake of the global market sell-off in recent days. All 13 trusts in the group monitored by Marten & Co have seen a fall […]
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24 Jan 2018 1 min read
Contrasting movements likely for Biotech Growth Trust investees
Contrasting movements likely for Biotech Growth Trust investees Orbimed-managed Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) looks set to see some contrasting fortunes for key investments in its January update, due in the middle of next month, but could nevertheless be able to offer investors a positive report. On the plus side, the trust will have seen its investment […]
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03 Jan 2018 2 min read
Biotech bellwether Celgene to report key update next week
Biotech bellwether Celgene to report key update next week Investors in the main sector specialist investment trusts should watch for an important update from Celgene early next week at the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, the largest and most important investor event in the sector. The US biotech group is expected to “pre-announce” Q4 sales […]
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02 Jan 2018 2 min read
Key guidance expected for biotech trust favourite Biogen
Key guidance expected for biotech trust favourite Biogen Biogen, the neurology-focused US biotech giant and a key holding for several of the UK’s sector specialist investment trusts, will provide a closely-watched update for investors at next week’s JP Morgan Healthcare conference that could be critical to its 2018 outlook. Biogen’s CEO will present at the conference, […]
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18 Dec 2017 1 min read
Investment Trust Insider on Biotech
Investment Trust Insider on Biotech – inspired by the launch of our biotech news service on QuotedData, I wrote something for Citywire that looks at some of the exciting stories that have been published just in the last couple of weeks. James Carthew: biotech boom boosts generalist trusts This week I am returning to the […]
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2 min read
Biotech Growth swaps out Celgene and Alexion for Amgen
Biotech Growth Trust swaps out Celgene and Alexion for Amgen OrbiMed, the manager of the UK’s Biotech Growth Trust BIOG, has boosted the trust’s investment in Amgen at the expense of previous long-term holdings in Celgene and Alexion over the last month, according to the November portfolio update. Amgen is now the trust’s joint second largest investment (at 10% […]
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15 Dec 2017 4 min read
Henderson Alternative Strategies benefits from marked discount narrowing
Henderson Alternative Strategies Trust (HAST) has announced its annual results for the year ended 30 September 2017. During the period, HAST provided an NAV total return of 10.8% and, reflecting a marked narrowing of the discount, a share price total return of 19.8%. The share price performance is superior to that of the company’s benchmark, […]
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11 Dec 2017 1 min read
Gilead reassures with CAR-T therapy durability data
Gilead reassures with CAR-T therapy durability data – Leading US biotech and investment company favourite Gilead Sciences has reassured investors with an important clinical trial update for its high profile cancer therapy Yescarta, which was obtained via the $12bn purchase of Kite Pharmaceuticals earlier this year. Longer follow-up data from 108 advanced lymphoma patients treated with Yescarta […]
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08 Dec 2017 1 min read
Gilead acquires Cell Design Labs to bolster CAR-T presence
Gilead acquires Cell Design Labs to bolster CAR-T presence Leading US biotech Gilead Sciences is to acquire privately-held Cell Design Labs in a structured buy out valued at to $567m, including the 12.2% shareholding it already holds as a result of its $12bn acquisition of Kite Pharmaceuticals earlier this year. The Kite deal propelled Gilead […]
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07 Dec 2017 1 min read
FDA OK for Alexion’s Soliris in myasthenia gravis
FDA OK for Alexion’s Soliris in myasthenia gravis US approval for Alexion’s complement inhibitor Soliris in anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive generalised myasthenia gravis could double the market for a product that is already selling $3bn/year, if some of the most optimistic sell-siders are to be believed. Soliris, which is famously one of, if not the, most […]
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06 Dec 2017 1 min read
Biotech Growth manager denies allegations
Biotech Growth manager denies allegations – The board of The Biotech Growth Trust says that it notes that the General Partners of OrbiMed Capital LLC, which acts as portfolio manager to the company, released a statement late on 5 December concerning founding partner Samuel Isaly, who is the subject of a press article containing allegations of […]
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26 May 2017 2 min read
Biotech Growth lags benchmark but shareholders still make 28%
Biotech Growth lags benchmark but shareholders still make 28%. Biotech Growth says that it produced a good return in absolute terms for the year ended 31 March 2017. The net asset value per share rose by 27.5% during the year, which compares with the benchmark, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (sterling adjusted), which rose by 29.2%. As […]
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07 Nov 2016 2 min read
Biotech Growth Trust lags benchmark in first half
Biotech Growth’s net asset value per share increased 20.5% during the six month period ended 30 September. The Company’s benchmark, the Sterling-adjusted NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, increased 23.2% during the same period. The Company’s share price increased 21.7% during the period. Currency movement contributed significantly to performance, as the Dollar appreciated 10% relative to the Pound […]
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28 Jul 2016 6 min read
F&C Managed Portfolio beats benchmark despite widening discounts
F&C Managed Portfolio reports that, for the company’s financial year to 31 May 2016, the NAV total return (i.e. adding dividends paid to capital performance) was -4.8% for the Income shares and -4.5% for the Growth shares which represented outperformance against the -6.3% total return for the FTSE All-Share Index, the benchmark index for both […]
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10 Jun 2016 1 min read
Biotech And Healthcare Funds Enjoyed Small Rally In May – QuotedData
LONDON (Alliance News) – British & American Investment Trust PLC, Biotech Growth Trust PLC, and International Biotechnology Trust PLC were among the best-performing London-listed investment companies in May, according to research firm QuotedData, which said there was a “small rally” in the biotech and healthcare sector that month. You can read the rest of the […]
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26 May 2016 2 min read
Biotech Growth’s NAV shrinks by a quarter
Over the year to 31 March 2016, Biotech Growth Trust’s net asset value per share fell by 24.8% during the year, underperforming the Company’s benchmark, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index, measured in sterling terms, which fell by 21.8%. The Company’s share price fell further, by 26.3%, as the discount of the Company’s share price to the […]
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18 Apr 2016 1 min read
Best and worst performing investment trusts: Unloved commodity, Brazil and Russia funds finally come good
Recovery in commodity prices has boosted investment trusts specialising in the sector Investors also hoping for Brazil revival if leader Dilma Rousseff is ousted Biotech and healthcare hit by fears Democrat party will squeeze drug prices if they win the US http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/investing/article-3542148/Unloved-commodity-Brazil-Russia-funds-finally-come-good.html
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21 Mar 2016 3 min read
All change again for Jupiter Global
Jupiter Global’s board has decided to seek shareholders’ approval for a change in both the company’s investment strategy and name with effect from the general meeting of shareholders which has been convened for next month. These changes are the subject of a circular which has been posted alongside the Half Year report. This is an important […]
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28 Jan 2016 2 min read
F&C Managed Portfolio beats UK market
F&C Managed Portfolio Trust has published interim results for the six months ended 30 November 2015, announcing a net asset value total return of -5.1% for the Income shares and -2.4% for the Growth shares compared to the FTSE All-Share Index return of -6.4%. The key drivers of the performance of the Growth Portfolio were […]
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20 Nov 2015 2 min read
Biotech Growth Trust shrugs off drug pricing fears
Biotech shares were weak in the six months that ended 30 September 2015. Biotech Growth Trust reports that its NAV fell by 18.6% over this period, 5% more than the 13.6% fall in the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index. The company’s shares fell by 19.3%. The Chairman said the fall in the value of many biotechnology companies […]
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27 Jul 2015 5 min read
F&C Managed Portfolio sees both pools beat the UK market
F&C Managed Portfolio has published results for the year ended 31 May 2015. The NAV total returns for the Income shares were 10.0% and for the Growth shares 12.8% compared to the FTSE All-Share Index of 7.5%. The investment company sector, as measured by the FTSE Equity Investment Instruments Index, returned 13.0%. The annual dividend increased […]
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20 Jul 2015 1 min read
Investment trusts see largest ever new issue
QuotedData reports that the investment trust sector expanded by about GBP2.4 billion over the second quarter of 2015, taking in close to GBP2.9 billion and handing back just over GBP450 million. The firm comments that many of the funds raising money are not designed to throw off high levels of income, suggesting that investors are […]
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24 Apr 2015 2 min read
JPMorgan Elect says every pool delivered in H1
JPMorgan Elect interims for the six months ended 28 February 2015 are out. The Managed Growth pool beat its bench mark by 3.2% over the period. The pool generated a return on net assets of 9.7% while their 50:50 FTSE All-Share : FTSE All-World ex UK benchmark returned 6.5%. They declared two quarterly dividends totalling 3.9p […]
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22 Jan 2015 1 min read
F&C Managed Portfolio benefits from strong investment company sector
F&C Managed Portfolio has announced results for the six months that finished on 30 November 2014. The FTSE All-Share Index returned -0.1% over that period but F&C Managed Portfolio Growth shares (FMPG) returned 4.3% and the F&C Managed Portfolio Income shares (FMPI) returned 3.0% over the period. This may be largely down to a good […]
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11 Nov 2014 1 min read
Another great period for Biotech Growth Trust
BIOG : Another great period for Biotech Growth Trust Biotech Growth Trust beat its benchmark over the six months that ended on 30 September 2014 delivering a return on net assets of 20.3% vs. a return on the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index of 19.1%. The share price return was 21.4%. Top contributors to performance in the […]
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21 Oct 2024 1 min read
Investment trust insider on annual redemption opportunities
Investment trust insider on annual redemption opportunities – James Carthew: Annual redemptions bring more problems than solutions Yearly redemption opportunities turn trusts into cash cows and don’t even keep discounts narrow, as Bellevue Healthcare has learnt. This week’s focus is on annual redemption opportunities. I made it clear earlier this month, when discussing the demise […]
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14 May 2024 2 min read
Healthcare funds roar back to life
by Dave Baxter, Investors Chronicle, May 14, 2024: Areas like biotech can be racy at the best of times and especially vulnerable to shifting investor whims. That much has become evident in recent years: the average investment trust in the AIC’s Biotechnology and Healthcare sector made a whopping 21 per cent share price total return […]
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20 Nov 2023 1 min read
Investment trust insider on RTW Biotech
Investment trust insider on RTW Biotech – James Carthew: RTW Biotech will succeed with or without Arix I was singing the praises of capital markets days last week. Last Tuesday, I managed to get along to one held by RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW). The day was planned some time ago, but the timing was great […]
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24 Oct 2023 1 min read
Investment trust insider on biotechs
Investment trust insider on biotechs – James Carthew: I’m confident my biotech casualties will recover A couple of my more disappointing investments sit in the biotech sector. I wrote about Biotech Growth (BIOG) in July last year. The investment trust had been through a rough patch, but fund manager Geoffrey Hsu was optimistic that things […]
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18 Oct 2022 1 min read
Investment trust insider opportunities in troubled times
Investment trust insider opportunities in troubled times – James Carthew: Where trust opportunities lie after another Tory regime collapse The U-turns, clumsy mistakes, muddled thinking and general ineptitude of current UK economic policy may have killed any hope of a relatively shallow recession in the UK. For investors, the way forward is hard to fathom, […]
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21 Sep 2022 1 min read
Investing experts prescribe a bargain if sickly health firms perk up
By ROSIE MURRAY-WEST, FINANCIAL MAIL ON SUNDAY, 17 September 2022: Investors are enduring a difficult spell. High inflation is eating into returns, huge volatility is creating dramatic market swings and most portfolios have lost value since the start of the year. Amid the turbulence, you might expect that healthcare companies would provide a safe port […]
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01 Aug 2022 1 min read
Investment trust insider on Biotech Growth
Investment trust insider on Biotech Growth – James Carthew: BIOG believes the biotech tide has turned Following my recent look at the biotech sector, I thought I would return to Biotech Growth (BIOG) which held its annual general meeting last week when investors got to hear from fund manager Geoff Hsu of Orbimed. The sector […]
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05 Apr 2022 1 min read
Investment trust insider on biotech – James Carthew: What’s gone wrong with biotechnology?
About a year ago, I wrote an article on biotech and said that I was minded to stick by my biotech and healthcare investments – Biotech Growth (BIOG), Worldwide Healthcare (WWH) and Syncona (SYNC). In retrospect, this doesn’t look like a great idea. Over the past 12 months, BIOG and SYNC’s shares are down by […]
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31 Jan 2022 1 min read
Investment trust insider on growth stocks
Investment trust insider on growth stocks – James Carthew: Growth is strong but still on a Blue Planet Back in early December, when the severity of the impact of the Omicron variant wasn’t clear, I finished my article by saying that US stocks were quite expensive, and I was nervous about a correction in 2022. […]
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23 Dec 2021 2 min read
Gaining exposure to biotech in times of uncertainty
Robin Davison, Investment Week, 13 December 2021 The end of November saw the largest one-day fall in stock prices globally since June 2020, as investors reacted to the potential economic impact of a possible fourth wave of Covid-19, manifest in the new and ominously named Omicron variant of the Sars-Cov-2 virus. But the panic selling […]
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24 Sep 2021 1 min read
Invest in the ‘golden age’ of biotech
Biotech Growth Trust has struggled this year but this might have created a good entry point for long-term investors September 23, 2021, Investors Chronicle, By Mary McDougall Biotechnology is an area from which some of the world’s most exciting innovations emerge. But as seasoned healthcare investors know, it’s a sector that can deliver heavy losses as well […]
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19 Jul 2021 1 min read
The investment trusts readers have been studying
The surprising investment trusts Trustnet readers have started researching By Rory Palmer, Reporter, Trustnet 16 July 2021 Baillie Gifford has dominated the most-researched investment trusts by readers in 2021 but previously unheralded names such as Geiger Counter, Miton UK MicroCap and Canadian General Investments have seen the greatest surge, according to the latest figures. Comparing page […]
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24 Mar 2021 1 min read
Investment trust insider on biotech and healthcare
Investment trust insider on biotech and healthcare – James Carthew: Why I will stick with biotech after Covid It is now a year since the market meltdown triggered by the coronavirus. Just beforehand, I wrote an article exploring Orbimed’s thoughts on the US election’s potential impact on the healthcare sector. The manager of the Biotech Growth […]
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16 Mar 2021 1 min read
Buying on the dip
Buying on the dip: investors pile in to stocks ripe for a recovery Lockdown is lifting, so why not snap up the companies that are ready to bounce back David Brenchley, Saturday March 13 2021, 12.01am, The Times Investors have been taking advantage of whipsawing markets as they buy on the dips in share prices […]
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16 Nov 2020 1 min read
How to invest in Big Pharma
A shot in the arm for your portfolio (without side effects): How to invest in Big Pharma with these shares and investment trusts By ANNE ASHWORTH FOR THE DAILY MAIL PUBLISHED: 21:50, 13 November 2020 | UPDATED: 11:53, 14 November 2020 The breakthrough on the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech this week has cheered the nation – and the […]
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25 Feb 2020 2 min read
Investment trust insider on health care
Investment trust insider on health care – James Carthew: healthcare trusts cut through US political noise Just nine months to go until the US election. If only we could lock all the candidates in a room for a year beforehand and harness the hot air. Instead we are condemned to endless opinion polls, voting shenanigans and […]
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09 Jan 2019 1 min read
Investment Trust Insider on 2018
Investment Trust Insider on 2018 – Lindsell Train leads best and worst investment trusts of 2018 (NB the headlines are devised by Citywire!!) 2018 is attracting headlines as the worst year for markets since 2008. However, for the investment trust industry, there was much to celebrate. This was certainly the case for the new issue market […]
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09 Aug 2018 1 min read
Biotech and commodity trusts top performance tables in July
After months of volatility, investment trusts in the biotech and commodity sectors were the winners in July in both price and NAV terms, according to latest figures. In its monthly investment companies round-up, trust analysts QuotedData revealed biotech and commodity investment trusts – which have had a difficult time over the last few months in […]
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17 Mar 2017 1 min read
Biotech trusts top performance charts in February
Biotech and healthcare trusts came at the top of performance tables in NAV terms in February, as the sector continues to “claw back losses” suffered prior to the US election, according to investment trust analysts QuotedData. read more here
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29 Nov 2016 1 min read
Biotech trust Trump benefit may be shortlived
Markets experienced considerable gyrations in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump as US president, and investment trusts didn’t escape the action, with trusts rising as well as falling sharply. However, these moves are not necessarily an indication of what lies ahead and some of the fallers may offer some value. read more here
