News

08 Apr 2025
a headshot of gary channon cio of phoenix asset management partners above its logo

Aurora UK Alpha faces continuation vote after disappointing year for returns

Aurora UK Alpha’s first set of annual results since the merger with Artemis Alpha has been published. The report covers the 12 months ended 31 December 2024. Over that period, the NAV total return was -4.3%, which the chair describes as disappointing. As the discount widened from 10.0% to 11.4%, the share price return was […]

08 Apr 2025

QuotedData’s morning briefing 8 April 2025

In QuotedData’s morning briefing 8 April 2025: Did you see from yesterday?

07 Apr 2025

Further outperformance from AVI Japan Opportunity as corporate reform momentum grows

AVI Japan Opportunity Trust (AJOT) has published its annual results for the year ended 31 December 2024, marking another strong year of performance for the £243m market cap trust, which continues to benefit from Japan’s accelerating wave of corporate governance reform. AJOT delivered NAV total returns of 20.9% in sterling terms, outperforming its benchmark by […]

07 Apr 2025

QuotedData’s morning briefing 7 April 2025 – GMP, LMP

In QuotedData’s morning briefing 7 April 2025: [QD comment: Although GMP’s announcement makes no mention of it, we note that the name change also reflects the fact that GMP is no longer an investment trust.] We also have: Stories you may have missed from Friday

04 Apr 2025

The Great Wave (of returns) – Is now the time to invest in Japan?

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a seminal piece of Japanese artwork. Created by Katsushika Hokusai in 1831, it depicts three ships struggling against the seas off the coast of Japan – and has been argued to be one of the most recognisable pieces of art ever made. In some ways it has also, until […]

04 Apr 2025

Scottish Mortgage interviews Nubank CEO

In the latest episode of the Invest in Progress podcast, Lawrence Burns speaks with CEO David Vélez about how Nubank’s digital, fee-free banking experience could impact the financial landscape globally. Capital at risk.

04 Apr 2025

Chrysalis announces InfoSum sale at premium to NAV

Chrysalis Investments (CHRY) has announced the sale of its entire holding in Cognitive Logic, Inc. (InfoSum) to WPP Plc, generating proceeds of approximately US$63m (£48m). The disposal delivers a 16.4% uplift to the asset’s most recent carrying value as at 31 December 2024, equating to a NAV increase of around 1.23p per share. Importantly, the […]

04 Apr 2025

JPMorgan Global Emerging Markets Income outlines new performance-based tender offer

JPMorgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust (JEMI) has reported its unaudited half-year results for the six months ended 31 January 2025, delivering a NAV total return of +5.9%, ahead of the 4.9% total return provided by its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, while JEMI’s share price total return was more muted at +3.4%, as […]

04 Apr 2025
03 Apr 2025

Cautious stance holds back Invesco Bond Income Plus but it remains popular

Invesco Bond Income Plus results for 2024 show NAV and share price total returns for the year of 8.5% and 8.8% respectively. The NAV return was below the 10.2% achieved by the ICE Bank of America Merrill Lynch European Currency High Yield Index (hedged to GBP) but above the average return of 4.6% for funds […]

03 Apr 2025

PHP makes merger offer for Assura

Primary Health Properties has made an indicative cash and share proposal for Assura, based on a NAV for NAV exchange ratio. Under the terms of the combination, shareholders of Assura would receive 0.3848 new PHP shares and 9.08p in cash. PHP said it will make a mix and match facility available to Assura shareholders in […]

03 Apr 2025

Columbia Threadneedle announces succession plan for Peter Hewitt

Peter Hewitt has been responsible for the management of CT Managed Portfolio’s Income and Growth portfolios since their inception in April 2008. Peter has given notice of his desire to retire. The board and Columbia Threadneedle Investments have been planning for this for some time, while acknowledging that managing Peter’s succession would be no easy […]

03 Apr 2025

European Assets board dissatisfied with performance as it lags benchmark yet again

European Assets has published results for 2024. Its NAV total return was -0.8% and share price return -3.6%. These compare to a 2.4% return for its MSCI Europe excluding United Kingdom Small Mid Cap (Net Return) Index benchmark. The chairman observes that the longer-term performance of the company has been disappointing. The sterling NAV total […]

03 Apr 2025

JPMorgan American cements impressive year to extend its lead over the S&P500

JPMorgan American has published results covering 2024 which show it beating the S&P500 Index in both NAV and share price terms. The trust posted a NAV total return of 30.6% compared with 27.0% for the S&P 500 Index and a share price total return 32.6%. Since the company changed its investment approach on 1 June […]

03 Apr 2025

AVI Japan Opportunity wants to merge with Fidelity Japan, largest shareholder onside

AVI Japan Opportunity is proposing to merge (via a s110 scheme) with Fidelity Japan to create a more liquid, larger fund, targeting highly attractive investment opportunities in the Japanese equities space. The idea is supported by Fidelity Japan’s largest shareholder, City of London Investment Management, which holds approximately 23% of FJV’s issued share capital. Fidelity […]

03 Apr 2025

Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon disappoints again, appoints new deputy manager

Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon’s results for the 12 months ended 31 January 2025 make grim reading. The NAV fell by 5.0% and the share price by 5.1%. By contrast, the benchmark was up 8.9%. This extends a the trust’s run of underperformance and, over five years, leaves it trailing the benchmark by 42 percentage points […]

03 Apr 2025

Cordiant Digital Infrastructure says Emitel has secured new mobile tower contract

Cordiant Digital Infrastructure says that its Polish portfolio company, Emitel, has signed a long-term agreement with Orange Polska S.A. a leading mobile network operator in Poland, to expand mobile network coverage in the country. Under a built-to-suit model, Emitel will construct hundreds of new telecommunications towers for Orange over the next few years. Orange, as […]

03 Apr 2025

VH Global Energy Infrastructure kicks off strategic review

VH Global Energy Infrastructure has published results for 2024. The NAV fell by 11.4% to 103.21p. The dividend for the year was up 2.7% to 5.71p and this was covered by cash flow 0.96x. The target for 2025 is 5.80p, up 2.1%. The statement avoids any direct mention of share prices. For reference, it fell […]

03 Apr 2025

Impax Environmental Markets pleads case for continuation after difficult year

Impax Environmental Markets has announced results covering the 12 months ended 31 December 2024. Over the period, the NAV total return was -0.4% and the share price total return was -2.6%. These compare to a 19.6% return on the MSCI All Countries World Index and a 16.8% return on the FTSE ET100 Index. The dividend […]

03 Apr 2025
02 Apr 2025

Value and Indexed Property Income outperforms as it enters REIT regime

As highlighted in our morning briefing earlier today, Value and Indexed Property Income Trust (VIP) has formally entered the UK REIT regime as of 1 April 2025, following shareholder approval at its 20 March general meeting. The move brings a shift in tax treatment and positions the trust alongside peers in the listed property sector. […]

02 Apr 2025

ICG Enterprise Trust banks £62m from secondary sale

ICG Enterprise Trust (ICGT) has completed a secondary sale of eight mature primary fund investments, raising net proceeds of £62m. The transaction, which ICGT says attracted strong buyer interest, was completed at a 5.5% discount to the 30 September 2024 valuation and delivered a 1.6x multiple on invested capital (equivalent to a 15% IRR). The […]

02 Apr 2025

Volta Finance’s focus on CLOs pays off

Volta Finance (VTA) has announced its interim results for the six months ended 31 January 2025, which saw its NAV per share increase by 7.0% to €7.63 and the share price jump 18.3% to €6.15 over the six months to 31 January 2025. The company’s chairman, Dagmar Kershaw, noted that the rebound in the share […]

02 Apr 2025

QuotedData’s morning briefing 2 April 2025 – VIP, GPE, CRT

In QuotedData’s morning briefing 2 April 2025: Value and Indexed Property Income Trust (VIP) has formally entered the UK REIT regime, effective 1 April 2025. The move sees the company transition from investment trust status to that of a real estate investment trust (REIT), a change that brings with it a new tax treatment. The […]

01 Apr 2025

Baillie Gifford China beats China’s bounce

Baillie Gifford China’s results for the 12 months ended 31 January 2025 saw its NAV total return recover to 35.4%, ahead of its benchmark which returned 32.4%. Unfortunately, a wider discount meant that the share price return was 29.4%. However, the trust still has some way to go to make up earlier underperformance. Over the […]

01 Apr 2025

Great year for Pantheon Infrastructure followed by first exit

Pantheon Infrastructure’s annual results cover the year ended 31 December 2024. It was a good year for the trust with a NAV return of 14.3% and a share price return of 11.5%. The dividend was raised to 4.2p from 4.0p. That was not covered by cash flow – cash cover was 0.7x [but that reflects […]

01 Apr 2025

QuotedData’s morning briefing 1 April 2025 – AJOT, GSF, WINV

In QuotedData’s morning briefing 1 April 2025: AVI Japan Opportunity (AJOT) has expanded its debt facility with the Bank of Nova Scotia to JPY 6.6bn (about £34.5m) from JPY 2.93bn. Maximum gearing is expected to be approximately 15% of its net assets, based on the total net assets as of 28 March 2025, and within […]

31 Mar 2025

Petershill Partners announces special dividend following premium asset sales

Petershill Partners (PHLL), the listed GP-stakes platform operated by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, has published robust results for the year ended 31 December 2024. Partner distributable earnings rose by 11% to US$323m, driven by strong fee-related income, realisations at premiums to carrying value, and an active year for capital allocation. The company completed four acquisitions […]

31 Mar 2025

BlackRock Latin American hit hard by tough year for the region’s equities

BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust (BRLA) has reported annual results for the year ended 31 December 2024, reflecting a particularly tough year for Latin American markets. The trust’s NAV total return fell by 35.7% in US dollar terms, underperforming its MSCI EM Latin America Index benchmark, which declined 26.4% over the period. The share price […]