Hipgnosis buys six Shawn Mendes songs – Hipgnosis Songs (SONG) has bought a music catalogue of Teddy Geiger’s copyright interest in six global hit songs written for the multi-platinum selling, Canadian singer and artist Shawn Mendes. Shawn became the first artist to have four number 1 songs on the billboard adult Top 40 radio airplay […]

Mercantile Investment underperforms benchmark – The UK-focused £1.6bn market cap trust, Mercantile Investment (MRC), has reported an 8% decline in total return NAV for the year to January 31, 2019, underperforming its benchmark by 1.3%. The fund invests in medium-sized and smaller companies outside of the FTSE 100 index. Portfolio review Winners: Evraz, the producer […]

Woodford Patient Capital discount widens despite NAV growth – Woodford Patient Capital, which mainly invests in early-stage unquoteds, delivered an NAV return of 6.9% in 2018, with several of its more mature holdings potentially being able to seek a listing.  The shares performed less well as the discount increased by 8.4% to 15.9% at year-end. […]

Light China exposure helps Aberdeen Asian Income in 2018 – Following a difficult year for Asian stocks, it comes as little surprise that Aberdeen Asian Income (AAIF) has reported a single-digit decline in its NAV. Unlike in 2017, where the fund’s light exposure to China saw it miss out on the technology-fuelled buying spree, it […]

Funding Circle throws in the towel – in a surprise move, Funding Circle SME Income Fund has announced that it will wind up. “Following consultation with shareholders accounting for over two thirds of the register, the board hereby acknowledges their preference to cease investment in new credit assets and commence a process to return capital […]

Regulator issues report on social housing sector – The Regulator of Social Housing has published a report on ‘Lease-based providers of specialised supported housing’ – the sorts of registered providers that are the counterparties to leases provided by Civitas Social Housing and Triple Point Social Housing REIT. You can read the report here Civitas had this […]

Key AEW UK Long Lease REIT tenant enters administration – It has been announced today that AEW UK Long Lease REIT’s (AEWL) largest tenant by rental income, Meridian Metal Trading (Meridian), has fallen into administration.  Meridian occupies two industrial assets within the AEWL portfolio located in Dudley, West Midlands and Sheffield. The annual passing rental […]

Difficult year for high yield funds like City Merchants – High yield investors like City Merchants High Yield (CMHY) operated in choppy waters over the second half of 2018 as investors went on the defensive. Spreads between high yield and investment grade bonds widened and, by association, prices on these securities fell. The company’s NAV […]

Gresham House Strategic delivers 20.4%  return to shareholders – Gresham House Strategic (GHS) uses a more involved private equity style of investing to take positions (no more than 10-15) in mainly UK-based small-cap stocks (it can also invest upto 30% in unquoteds). GHS has been one of the best performing small-cap funds over the three […]

Globalworth Real Estate announces €170m Poland deals – In a further sign of strength in the Polish economy, Globalworth Real Estate (GWI) has completed two deals in Poland, which were identified, for a combined €169.9m. The deals are being carried out by GWI’s Polish subsidiary. Key takeaways from the two deals: Warsaw trade tower Acquired […]

Sareum (SAR) has noted the presentation by its partner Sierra Oncology of preclinical data showing “profound synergy” for the triple combination of the CHK1 inhibitor SRA737 in combination with low-dose gemcitabine (LDG) and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in a mouse model of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The data were reported in a late-breaking oral presentation at the […]

AXA Property proposes investment policy and name change – Following on from the appointment of Blake Nixon to the board last week (click here to read to more on this story) and consultation with shareholders, AXA Property (APT) is proposing a change in its investment policy today. APT’s board is proposing the company becomes an […]

Sirius Real Estate completes non-core asset sale programme – Sirius Real Estate (SRE), a leading operator of branded business parks providing conventional and flexible workspace in Germany, has completed the sale of its Bremen Dötlinger Strasse Business Park, to a private investor, for €6.3m. The sale is in line with the book value at 30 September […]

Pacific Assets outperforms benchmark in a turbulent 2018 – Pacific Assets Trust has announced its results for the year ended 31 January 2019. The trust was able to outperform the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index. NAV total return was +4.7%, with the benchmark returning -7.7%. NAV total return was down 8.1% from the year […]

Tufton Oceanic buys two cargo ships for $13.5m – Tufton Oceanic (SHIP) is growing its vessel fleet to 14 after striking a deal to acquire two general cargo ships for $13.5m. They will be the first investments made from the proceeds of a placing announced in March, where $50m was raised. Click here to read […]

Dolphin Capital asset disposals gather pace in 2018 – Dolphin Capital (DCI), the Mediterranean focused developer and investor in luxury residential and resort projects, made a number of sales in 2018 as part of ongoing efforts to fully divest its portfolio. Taking into account deferred tax liabilities, NAV was down 14% in the year to […]

F&C agrees long-term fixed rate funding – F&C Investment Trust has agreed to issue a number of fixed rate senior unsecured private placement notes: EUR42 million for seven years at a coupon of 0.93% GBP57m for 23 years at a coupon of 2.59% GBP37m for 30 years at a coupon of 2.69% GBP20m for 40 years […]

Menhaden baled out by X-ELIO write up – Menhaden has released results for the year ended 31 December 2018. In an environment of falling markets, the NAV slipped again to 90.6p from 92.1p and the share price fell to 67p from 68.5p, with no sign of any narrowing of the discount. The NAV total return was […]

EJF Investments delivers 19.1% NAV total return in 2018 – EJF Investments (EJFI) outperformed its total return target of 8-10% in the year to December 31, 2018, delivering a NAV total return of 19.08%. Through its subsidiaries, the fund invests in opportunities created by regulatory and structural changes impacting the financial services sector. These opportunities […]

Change of guard at Value and Income – Value and Income Trust has announced the retirement of Angela Lascelles and Matthew Oakeshott, with effect from 1 April 2019. Angela and Matthew have managed the trust’s portfolio since August 1986 when, as the founder directors of OLIM Limited, they led the reorganisation of the trust, raising its […]

Infrastructure India reaches $105m loan agreement – Infrastructure India (IIP) has agreed a conditional proposed financing worth up to $105m with IIP Bridge Facility, an affiliate of GGIC. The loan is expected to provide capital to allow distribution logistics infrastructure private (DLI), a subsidiary of IIP, to complete, commission and ramp up all of its […]

INPP buys BeNEX Rail stake – International Public Partnerships Limited has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to acquire a further 51% shareholding in BeNEX GmbH from Hamburger Hochbahn AG, the City of Hamburg’s municipal public transportation company. The company has agreed to invest up to approximately EUR54 million of which part will be subscribed […]

Syncona/Woodford investment Autolus reports positive data – Claire Roddie MB, PhD, FRCPath, honorary senior lecturer, Cancer Institute, University College London, has presented initial data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of AUTO1 in adult acute lymphoblastic B cell leukemia (ALL). the presentation was made at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019 in Atlanta, […]

Jupiter’s Alexander Darwall to focus on European Opportunities – will hand over £7.7b open-ended funds – Investors in Jupiter European Opportunities trust (JEO) are likely to welcome today’s announcement that the trust’s manager, Alexander Darwall, is relinquishing control of Jupiter’s £5.3b and £2.4b European and European Growth open-ended funds to focus on JEO. Jupiter are […]

Renewables Infrastructure Group buys Burgundy wind farm for €30 million – Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) has announced the acquisition of 100% of the Tille et Venelle (T&V) wind farm in Burgundy, central France. T&V will be a 40MW onshore wind farm once construction is complete. T&V was developed by Paris-based Velocita Energies and they are […]

Residential Secure Income announces £60m investment in London shared ownership project – Residential Secure Income (RESI) has exchanged contracts to acquire 132 new build London apartments for £60mn. Located at Clapham Park, in the borough of Lambeth, the apartments will be converted into affordable shared-ownership units, utilising grant funding from the greater London authority’s homes […]

Schroder European bolsters French logistics portfolio with €17.3m buy – Schroder European Real Estate Investment (SERE) has announced it has completed deals to acquire two logistics warehouses near Rennes, in Brittany, France, for €17.3m. The deals reflect a net initial yield of 5.9% and have been part funded with a new loan facility worth €8.6m. […]

EP Global Opportunities appoints Tom Walker to its board – The value focused growth fund, EP Global Opportunities (EPG), has confirmed the appointment of Tom Walker to its board of directors effective today. Tom takes on the role of independent non-executive director. He brings with him extensive experience in investment management, including in investment trusts […]

AXA Property appoints Blake Nixon to the board following January EGM – The European commercial property investor AXA Property (APT) has announced a change of directors following a shareholder-directed extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held on 23 January 2019, where the resolution to appoint Blake Nixon to the board was passed by 56.7% majority. We looked […]