Overview
The European Smaller Companies Trust (formerly TR European Growth : TRG) aims to achieve capital growth, aiming for a net asset value total return greater than its benchmark index. It invests in smaller and mid cap companies, across all of Europe and has a stock picking approach. They say risk is controlled through diversity of holdings and that they are more interested in stocks than the fortunes of economies.
you can access the trust’s website here
Fundamentals
Price
Research History
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06 Apr 2023 82 min read
QuotedData’s Economic and Political Monthly Roundup April 2023
Economic and Political Monthly Roundup Investment companies | Monthly | April 2023 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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03 Nov 2022 50 min read
QuotedData’s Economic and Political Monthly Roundup November 2022
Economic and Political Monthly Roundup Investment companies | Monthly | November 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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12 Nov 2020 5 min read
QuotedData’s Economic Roundup – November 2020
Economic and Political Monthly Roundup Kindly sponsored by 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 to buy or […]
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10 Mar 2020 6 min read
QuotedData’s Economic Roundup – March 2020
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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12 Nov 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2019
Economic & Political Roundup
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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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22 Mar 2019 2 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – March 2019
QuotedData’s economic roundup – March 2019 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 sell […]
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13 Nov 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 2018
QuotedData’s economic roundup – November 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 sell any […]
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13 Mar 2018 1 min read
QuotedData’s Economic round up – March 2018
QuotedData’s economic round up – March 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 sell […]
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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 Nov 2017 2 min read
QuotedData’s economic round up – November 2017
QuotedData’s economic round up – November 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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15 Mar 2017 1 min read
QuotedData’s round up of views on the global economy – March 2017
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 companies mentioned. Kindly sponsored […]
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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
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1 min read
QuotedData’s round up of views on the global economy – November 2016
QuotedData’s collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from comments made by chairman and managers of investment companies. november-economic-and-political-roundup
News
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05 Feb 2025 2 min read
Saba hit for six as ESCT shareholders say NO
In what is now the sixth successive defeat for Saba Capital Management in its bid to take control of seven London listed investment companies, shareholders in The European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) have voted down Saba’s proposals to remove all of the existing board and replace them with just two of its own representatives, by […]
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31 Jan 2025 2 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 31 January 2025 – LBOW, ESCT, THRG, IEM, ORIT
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 31 January 2025: ICG-Longbow Senior Secured UK Property Debt (LBOW) has issued an update in which it says it continues to make progress in exiting its three final investments in what remain challenging market conditions. The asset securing the Affinity loan has been placed under offer for sale following a competitive bidding […]
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29 Jan 2025 1 min read
ISS recommends shareholders VOTE AGAINST ALL of Saba’s requisitioned resolutions for ESCT
The independent proxy adviser ISS has published its voting recommendation in relation to the general meeting of The European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) in which it recommends that ESCT shareholders VOTE AGAINST ALL of the proposed resolutions that have been put forward by Saba Capital, at the general meeting that is to be held on […]
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24 Jan 2025 1 min read
Glass Lewis recommends shareholders vote against Saba’s proposals for The European Smaller Companies Trust
The independent proxy adviser, Glass Lewis, has published a voting recommendation in relation to The European Smaller Companies Trust’s upcoming requisitioned general meeting in which it recommends that shareholders VOTE AGAINST ALL of resolutions proposed by Saba Capital. So far, all of the recommendations that have been issued by all of the independent proxy advisers […]
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20 Jan 2025 2 min read
European Smaller Companies updates on “Saba’s Damaging Proposals”
The European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) has issued a statement this morning in which its board reiterates that it unanimously recommends shareholders vote against what it refers to as “Saba’s Damaging Proposals”. ESCT’s board says that it has noted the announcement by Saba on 13 January 2025, the webinar it held on 14 January 2025 […]
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17 Jan 2025 4 min read
Saba: the view from the boards
Boaz Weinstein, head of New York-based hedge fund Saba Capital, pulled no punches when discussing the boards of investment trusts in his recent webcast. They were “obstinate”, a “boys’ club”, protecting their own interests, “part of an ecosystem of greed taking fees away from the pensioners.” Their actions verged on “almost malpractice”, distributing misinformation to […]
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16 Jan 2025 3 min read
Fight back against Saba! – let us show you how
Saba Capital, a US-based hedge fund, has been on the offensive against the UK’s investment trust sector. Having built substantial stakes in seven investment trusts, ranging from 20% to just shy of 30% of the trusts’ outstanding shares (a key level that would require them to make a bid for the trust), it is using […]
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08 Jan 2025 2 min read
The European Smaller Companies Trust introduces three-yearly conditional tender offer
The European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) which holds a continuation vote every three years has been giving consideration to additional liquidity opportunities for shareholders, both periodic events and ongoing market liquidity, and has determined to introduce a three-yearly performance conditional tender offer and to enhance its discount management policy to target a mid-single-digit discount. Performance […]
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2 min read
The European Smaller Companies Trust adds to chorus against “self-serving” Saba
Following the receipt of a requisition request from Saba Capital Management, L.P. (click here to see our original coverage of this) The European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) has published a notice for the requisitioned general meeting alongside a unanimous board recommendation to vote against all of the requisitioned resolutions, which ESCT describes as being “self-serving”. […]
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23 Dec 2024 1 min read
ESCT – “Saba’s claims of underperformance are inaccurate”
The European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) has published its initial response to the requisition for a general meeting issued by Saba Capital Management, L.P. (‘Saba’) on 18 December 2024. ESCT’s board says that, having taken legal advice, it deems the requisition to be valid but that it “does not believe there to be any merit […]
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19 Dec 2024 3 min read
Trusts acknowledge Saba requisitions – aim to see off vulture investor
Baillie Gifford US Growth says: “The board considers these proposals to be fundamentally without merit, and in contravention of shareholder interests as a whole. A further announcement will be made in due course by the company accordingly, relating to the posting of a notice of a general meeting and an accompanying circular in which the […]
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18 Dec 2024 10 min read
Saba Capital launches campaign “to deliver value” to shareholders of seven UK-listed investment trusts
Saba Capital Management has announced that it has requisitioned the boards of directors of Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust USA), CQS Natural Resources Growth & Income (CYN), Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust (EWI), European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT), Henderson Opportunities Trust (HOT), Herald Investment Trust (HRI) and Keystone Positive Change Investment Trust (KPC) to convene general […]
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10 Oct 2024 3 min read
European Smaller Companies Trust reports decent results
The European Smaller Companies Trust has published results covering the 12 months ended 30 June 2024. The NAV total return of 12.0% was 1.9% ahead of the benchmark MSCI Europe ex UK Small Cap Index. The share price total return was 19.5%, reflecting a narrowing of the discount. The company repurchased a total of 6.4m […]
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10 Oct 2023 2 min read
Bounce back year for European Smaller Companies Trust
European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) has announced its annual report for the period ended 30 June 2023. NAV total return for the period was 16.4%, ahead of the benchmark Euromoney Smaller European Companies (ex UK) Index, which was up 10%. Share price total return was 13.6% with the discount now sitting at 14%. Following a […]
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05 Oct 2022 5 min read
A “disappointing” year for the European Smaller Companies Trust
European Smaller Companies Trust (ESCT) has published its annual results for the year ended 30 June 2022. SCT’s chairman, Christopher Casey, says that “NAV total return performance for the year to 30 June 2022 has been disappointing at negative 21.0%, lagging the benchmark performance of negative 17.3%. Share price total return for the year was […]
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18 Jan 2022 2 min read
QuotedData’s morning briefing 18 January 2022
In QuotedData’s morning briefing 18 January 2022: TR European Growth Trust (TRG) is changing its name. With effect from 17 January 2022, the trust is now The European Smaller Companies Trust. The ticker will change to ESCT from tomorrow. [And so a chapter of investment trust history edges closer to closure. The TR (short for […]
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14 Oct 2021 2 min read
Dramatic recovery for TR European Growth
Dramatic recovery for TR European Growth Over the year ended 30 June 2021, the NAV total return per share for TR European Growth was 63.5%, an outperformance against the benchmark of 27.0%. The share price total return per share was even better at 79.5%. Despite COVID, the revenue generated by the portfolio rose from £9.1m […]
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08 Oct 2020 2 min read
TR European let down by widening discount
TR European let down by widening discount – TR European Growth has published results for the year ended 30 June 2020. Over the period it delivered a return on NAV of 3.0%, ahead of the 0.3% return posted by its benchmark (Euromoney European Smaller Companies (ex UK) Index), but the share price fell as the discount […]
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03 Oct 2019 2 min read
TR European lags benchmark as micro caps struggle
TR European lags benchmark as micro caps struggle – over the year ended 30 June 2019, the trust returned -7.3% in NAV terms against a 0.6% positive return for the Euromoney Smaller Companies Index (ex UK). A widening of the discount left shareholders with a return of -10.4%. The dividend was upped from 19p to 22p. […]
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08 Aug 2019 1 min read
QuotedData’s other news 8 August 2019
In QuotedData’s other news 8 August 2019 Assura has raised £107m of debt through the issue of private placement notes with maturities in 10 and 15 years – £47m issued now and £60m on 25 October – with a weighted average interest rate of 2.3%. Discount-driven investor, City of London, now has a 5% stake […]
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11 Oct 2018 2 min read
TR European Growth pauses for breath
TR European Growth pauses for breath – over the year to the end of June 2018, TR European Growth‘s net asset value total return per share was 0.6% compared to a total return for its benchmark of 6.9%. The share price total return for the year was -3.2%. This year of underperformance and discount widening followed a […]
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03 Oct 2017 2 min read
Phenomenal year for TR European Growth shareholders
Phenomenal year for TR European Growth shareholders – TR European Growth says that, for the year ended 30 June 2017, its net asset value total return was 54.0% compared to a total return from the benchmark index of 35.8%. The share price total return was 75.5%. They are proposing an increased final dividend of 11.5p and also […]
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13 Jul 2017 1 min read
Investment Trust Insider on TR European Growth
A year ago, how many of you would have thought about investing in European smaller companies? At the time, we were trying to work out the impact of Brexit on the UK and the EU. Commentators were also looking ahead to votes in the Netherlands, France and Germany and worrying whether we were on the […]
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11 Oct 2016 2 min read
TR European Growth hit by Brexit
For the year ended 30 June 2016, TR European Growth’s net asset value total return was 13.6% compared to a total return from the benchmark index (Euromoney European Smaller Companies Index (ex UK)) of 14.2%. The share price total return for the period was 1%. The Board plan to pay a total dividend of 11.50p. This […]
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23 Feb 2016 2 min read
TR European Growth just fails to match benchmark
TR European Growth underperformed its benchmark over the second half of 2015 – the net asset value total return (including dividends reinvested) was 6.7% compared to a total return from the benchmark index (The Euromoney Smaller Companies Index ex UK) of 8.2%. The share price total return was 7.0%. The discount increased from 7.6% to 8.0% compared with […]
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06 Oct 2014 1 min read
TR European Growth discount narrows as fund outperforms
TRG : TR European Growth discount narrows as fund outperforms TR European Growth’s results for the year ended 30 June 2014 show the fund delivering a 34.3% total return on net assets for the year – well ahead of the 26.8% return on the fund’s benchmark (The Euromoney Smaller Companies Index excluding the UK). TR European […]
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27 Feb 2014 1 min read
TR European Growth : TRG – interim figures
TR European Growth outperformed its benchmark over the second half of 2013, generating a total return of 24.8% on its net asset value against an 18.9% return on the HSBC Smaller Europe (ex UK) Index. Shareholders did even better as the discount narrowed to 10.2% – helping push the total return in the shares to […]
Upcoming Events
Videos
In The Press
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25 Jan 2025 1 min read
How YOU can cash in on the investment trust revolution
By ANNE ASHWORTH, Daily Mail, 25 January 2025: The investment trust sector, the custodian of £269 billion of the nation’s savings, can trace its history back to 1868. But 2025 is set to go down in the annals of this industry as the year when it faced what some saw as an existential threat. The […]
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21 Jan 2025 2 min read
Retail Votes The Key To Deciding Investment Trusts’ Future
By Najiyya Budaly, Law360, 21 January 2025: Investment trusts on the London stock market should work at persuading retail investors that they have viable plans to increase value for shareholders if they want to defend against activist shareholders moving in to seize control, lawyers say. Analysts in the sector are watching after moves by a […]
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1 min read
Saba Capital: Does the US hedge fund have a point on UK investment trusts?
By: Elliot Gulliver-Needham, Investment Reporter, CityAM, 21 January 2025: US hedge fund Saba Capital triggered fury and an industry-wide defensive effort when it launched an activist campaign against seven UK investment trusts last month. The Manhattan-based hedge fund, led by Boaz Weinstein, has laid siege to the trusts, accused them of failing to perform, and […]
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1 min read
Investment trust insider poses 10 questions to Saba
Investment trust insider poses 10 questions to Saba – James Carthew: 10 questions Saba ignored at ‘scripted’ seminar Saba’s recent webinar was no more than a choreographed attempt to pull the wool over investors’ eyes. Here are the key questions Boaz Weinstein refused to answer Last Tuesday, Saba held a webinar attended by a raft […]
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16 Jan 2025 1 min read
Investment trusts at crunch point
James Crux, Shares Magazine, 16 January 2025: The normally sleepy world of investment trusts received a wake-up call just before Christmas with the publication (18 December 2024) of a shareholder letter by activist investor Saba Capital Management calling for change at no fewer than seven well-known funds.. ‘Initially Saba is proposing to replace the current […]
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10 Jan 2025 1 min read
Friday Briefing: Where does activism end and independence begin?
Cristian Angeloni, Investment Week, 13 January 2025: As the financial services world was getting ready to shut their laptops, bring out the mince pies and get ready to celebrate the Christmas holidays and the New Year, US-based hedge fund Saba Capital had different plans in mind, as it unveiled some last-minute activism to end an […]
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09 Jan 2025 1 min read
Questor on The European Smaller Companies Trust
Questor on The European Smaller Companies Trust – Europe is in a mess – here’s how to take advantage An activist investor adds risk, but could mark a buying opportunity if defeated There are many reasons why investors might shy away from Europe. Ukraine continues to cast a shadow and the European political scene is […]
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07 Jan 2025 1 min read
Investment trust insider on Saba
Investment trust insider on Saba – Carthew: My objections to Saba’s plan and approach Our columnist says he is far from convinced by Saba’s activist campaign against seven trusts, many of which could see incipient recoveries frustrated. US arbitrageur Saba Capital has been investing in the UK investment companies market for a while now. It […]
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19 Dec 2024 1 min read
Why one US hedge fund is taking aim at the UK’s biggest investment trusts
By: Elliot Gulliver-Needham, Investment Reporter, CityAM, 19 December 2024: A shake up could be coming for the UK’s investment trust industry after US hedge fund Saba Capital launched a campaign to topple the boards of seven different companies yesterday.. The New York-based hedge fund has been stalking the sector for some time but, despite attempts […]
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1 min read
Activist Saba launches board and management coup at seven London-listed investment trusts
By MIKE SHEEN, This is Money, 19 December 2024: An activist investor is hoping to seize control of seven underperforming London-listed investment trusts after urging shareholders on Wednesday to sack their respective boards.. Saba has built stakes of 19 to 29 per cent in each of the trusts, which have suffered yawning discounts to their […]
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18 Dec 2024 1 min read
Activist Saba unleashes campaign against seven investment trusts
Gavin Lumsden, Investment Trust Insider, 18 December 2024: After months of mystery over its intentions, activist Saba Capital today launched campaigns for change at seven investment trusts in which it is the leading shareholder with stakes of 19-29%. The New York based hedge fund manager has requisitioned general meetings at three Baillie Gifford trusts: Baillie […]
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1 min read
US hedge fund takeover of investment trusts may be ‘positive’
David Thorpe, FT Adviser, 18 December 2024: US hedge fund Saba Capital is attempting to remove the boards of seven UK investment trusts, a move which could be positive for advisers’ clients, according to Iain Scouller, analyst at Stifel.. Each of those trusts has suffered performance issues in recent years and traded at wide discounts […]
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1 min read
US activist looks to oust boards at seven investment trusts
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor,18th December 2024: US activist investor Saba Capital has called for the removal of board members at seven investment trusts in which it is the largest shareholder, owning stakes between 19% and 29%.. Saba Capital has called for general meetings to take place for each trust by early February, and […]
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1 min read
Saba Capital launches campaign to replace seven investment trust boards
Christian Mayes, Portfolio Adviser, 18 December 2024: After months of curiosity around its intentions for the investment trust sector, activist investor Saba Capital has launched a campaign to replace seven investment trust boards. The US hedge fund has requisitioned the boards of Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust, CQS Natural Resources Growth & Income, Edinburgh Worldwide […]
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1 min read
Saba slammed for ‘obvious flaw’ in strategy to oust boards of seven investment trusts
Linus Uhlig, Investment Week, 18 December 2024: Analysts have slammed hedge fund manager Saba Capital after it launched campaigns to oust the boards of seven investment trusts of which it is a major shareholder. Activist New York-based hedge fund Saba has requisitioned general meetings of shareholders at seven UK investment trusts to reconstitute their respective […]
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1 min read
The gloves are off: Saba reveals its hand
By Emma Wallis, News editor, Trustnet, 18 December 2024: Saba Capital Management has published a letter proposing dramatic changes to seven investment trusts in which it is the largest shareholder. Its targets include three trusts managed by Baillie Gifford (Edinburgh Worldwide, Keystone Positive Change and Baillie Gifford US Growth) and two from Janus Henderson Investors […]
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2 min read
US activist moves to oust seven investment trust boards
by Dave Baxter, Investors Chronicle, December 18, 2024: Saba Capital wants to remove the boards of seven investment trusts and enact measures it claims will deliver better shareholder value. The activist investor, which has built stakes for several months, called for general meetings to be held at Baillie Gifford vehicles Baillie Gifford US Growth (USA), […]
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1 min read
US hedge fund targets Baillie Gifford in swoop on British trusts
Alex Ralph, Chief Business Correspondent, The Times, December 18 2024: An American activist investor has launched a campaign to remove the boards of seven UK-listed investment trusts, accusing some of delivering “disastrous” returns. Saba Capital, the New York-based hedge fund firm, issued an open letter on Wednesday calling on the boards to call a shareholder […]
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09 Dec 2024 1 min read
Investment trust insider on discounts on European trusts
Investment trust insider on discounts on European trusts – James Carthew: Grab the value in Europe before the discount players do Political and economic uncertainty is piling up in Europe and that is creating investment opportunities, particularly among smaller company investment trusts. A year ago, I wrote an article about Saba Capital’s dealings with European […]
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15 Jul 2024 1 min read
Investment trust insider on small caps
Investment trust insider on small caps – James Carthew: The world can’t be mean to small-caps forever The dominance of mega-cap tech stocks has exacerbated the underperformance of smaller company funds, but history suggests this should change. Mean reversion, the tendency for asset prices to return to their long-term average, is a wonderful thing. However, […]
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18 Dec 2023 1 min read
Bagging a bargain: 13 investment trusts pros say offer great value
by Jennifer Hill from interactive investor, 18th December 2023: Investors looking to bag a bargain need look no further than the investment trust sector where risk-off sentiment has this year sent discounts to levels not seen since the financial crisis. At the end of 2021 – before the war in Ukraine fuelled energy and food […]
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12 Jun 2023 1 min read
Bargain Hunter: sizing up ‘cheap’ investment trusts on 5%-plus yields
by Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor, 8 June 2023: For investment trust fans now is one of the best opportunities over the past decade to try and pick up a bargain, as the chart below from stockbroker Numis shows. The average equity investment trust is trading on a discount a smidge over 10%, while those […]
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20 Mar 2023 1 min read
Deep Dive: Banking worries add to already sour European small-cap outlook
Eve Maddock-Jones, Investment Week, 17 March 2023: The ramifications of the biggest banking failure in 15 years, combined with the woes faced by Credit Suisse, have done nothing to help the already grey outlook for European small-caps in 2023. While the US regional banking crisis is not directly a European issue, Peter Kraus, head of […]
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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 […]