Securities Trust of Scotland generated a return on net assets of -10.7% over the six months ended 30 September 2015. By contrast, the fund’s benchmark, MSCI World High Dividend Yield Index, returned -9.1%. The discount widened from 5.75 to 7.5% and so the return to shareholders was -12.5%. The dividend was increased from 2.3p to […]

British Empire underperformed its benchmark over the year that ended on 30 September 2015, delivering a total return on net assets of -8.3% against a -5.6% return for the MSCI All Country World ex-US Index. The Morningstar Investment Trust Global Index rose by 3.7% over the period. The discount widened slightly from 10.3% to 11.6% (despite them […]

Empiric Student Property is paying £40m to acquire Windsor house in Cardiff. The property, which is Empiric’s fourth acquisition in Cardiff, is located directly opposite the Group’s existing Summit House property on Windsor Place, in the city centre within a ten-minute walk from the University of Cardiff.  Cardiff is also home to Cardiff Metropolitan University […]

AEW UK REIT has announced that it has secured a £40m 5 year term loan facility with RBS International. AEW UK REIT has approximately £81m invested. It will use the Facility to continue its investment process once net IPO proceeds have been fully invested and to provide gearing of up to 20% loan to Net Asset […]

Project Finance Investments has been announcing a series of deals as it deploys the money it raised in its IPO. All of the investments are made through Loan Notes issued by Project Finance Investments (UK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. On 5 November it said it had committed to subscribe for a […]

JPMorgan Overseas, managed by Jeroen Huysinga (pictured), has announced that shareholders have approved the sub-division of the company’s 25p ordinary shares, on a five for one basis, into 5p ordinary shares. The sub-division is to take place following admission of any new shares to be issued in connection with the final exercise of the Company’s subscription […]

Capital Gearing has announced interim results covering the six months to 5 October 2015. As at that date, the net asset value per share was 3,240.5p compared to 3,297.6p at the last year end on 5 April 2015, a decline of 1.7%. This compares with declines of 6.5% in the FTSE All-Share index and of […]

Stratex International plc’s 45%-owned Altintepe gold project, in Turkey, has poured its first gold. Under Stage 1 of the operation, which focuses on exploitation of the Camlik East zone, the mine is expected to deliver a minimum of 30 koz/y of gold over 34 months for a total of 110 koz of gold. Bahar will […]

Henderson Far East Income has announced its results for the year ended 31 August 2015. During the period the company’s NAV total return was -11.5%, marginally outperforming its benchmark, the FTSE All-World Asia Pacific ex Japan Index, which returned -11.8%. The company moved from trading at a 0.4% premium to a 0.9% premium during the […]

NextEnergy Solar Fund has announced plans to issue and then immediately repurchase into treasury of 30,850,000 new shares. Over time the shares can then be sold out of treasury, which the company says will give it the flexibility to raise additional capital in an “efficient and cost-effective manner”. The company says the shares will be […]

Scottish Mortgage has reported interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2015. It was a period of falling markets – the FTSE All-World Index fell by 11.8%. Scottish Mortgage did a little better, its NAV fell by 10.9% over the period and the share price fell by 9.7%. The interim dividend is being […]

Kennedy Wilson Europe is offering €300m of 3.25% senior unsecured notes due 2025 as the first part of a £2bn programme of bond issuance announced yesterday. The Euro Medium Term Note Programme allows Kennedy Wilson Europe to issue, from time to time, up to £2,000,000,000 of various types of debt securities in certain markets and currencies. Kennedy […]

Over the year to the end of August 2015, Fidelity Special Values generated a return on net assets of 7.4%, well ahead of the -2.3% return posted by its benchmark. The return to shareholders was even better at 12.4% as the discount narrowed from 6.3% to 2.0%. The dividend was increased from 3.3p to 3.35p. […]

London & St Lawrence has published results for the year ended 31 August 2015. Over that period the total return on net assets was -0.5%, which compares well with the -5.6% return on the FTSE All-Share Index. The shares moved from trading on a 2.5% premium to a 1.2% discount though and so the return to shareholders […]

3i Infrastructure has published interim results covering the six month period that ended on 30 September 2015. It generated a total return on net assets of 6.5% over the period (adjusting for the payment of a special dividend at the end of July). The interim dividend is 3.625p – in line with their objective of […]

BlackRock North American Income Trust has announced that it has reached an agreement on a revised fee basis with the trust’s manager. From 1 November 2015, the management fee will be 0.75% of the Company’s net assets. Where the Company invests in other investment or cash funds managed by BlackRock, any underlying fee is rebated. […]

Macau Property Opportunities Fund Limited, managed by Sniper Capital Limited, has announced that it has entered into a HK$282 million (US$36.3 million) five-year loan facility with Hang Seng Bank for its properties in One Central Residences. The new loan facility serves to finance the repayment of tranche 1 of the original loan which matures on 25 […]

Gresham House is to buy Aitchesse, a specialist UK commercial forestry manager, as it continues on its path of transforming itself into a specialist asset management business. A subsidiary, Gresham House Holdings Ltd. (GHHL), has agreed to acquire Aitchesse funded from a combination of cash, loan notes and Gresham House shares. On completion, the Company […]

Randgold Resources reported earnings of US$0.45/share in Q3 15, against EPS of US$0.63 in the corresponding quarter of 2014, despite record gold production of 305 koz. Attributable income fell 10% as the gold price received fell from US$1,277/oz to US$1,122/oz. Cash costs were marginally higher at US$699/oz. For the first nine months of 2015, the […]

Shareholders in British private equity firm Electra voted in favour of activist investor Edward Bramson and Sherborne’s Chairman, Ian Brindle being appointed to the board at a general meeting today. Shareholders voted 53.5 percent in favour of the resolution by Bramson’s investment vehicle Sherborne to appoint Bramson to the board. Sherborne Investors, which owns 30 per […]

Aberdeen Latin American Income Fund has announced its results for the year ended 31 August 2015. During the year the companies NAV total return was -36.8%, which is behind that of the company’s composite benchmark (a fall of 32.2%). Share price total return was -32.3%. The report cites a difficult year for Latin American markets […]

UK Mortgages Limited, which listed on the LSE on 7 July 2015 raising £250m, has announced that it has signed an agreement for its first transaction. The transaction is with the Coventry Building Society Group. Under the terms of the transaction, UK Mortgages will invest in profit participating notes (PPNs) issued by a dedicated acquisition […]

Hammerson has announced that it is to exercise its option to redeem its 5.25% Bonds, due 2016, early. The issue has a par value of £300m. This announcement follows the announcement on 21 October that Hammerson had completed a 10-year bond issue for £350m. The company says that its 5.25% 2016 Bonds will be redeemed […]

GCP Infrastructure Investments has announced that it has completed a transaction in which it has subscribed for a loan note with an expected term of approximately 35 years and an initial value of up to £25.5m (when fully drawn). The Company advanced approximately £1.4m on the completion of the transaction and the majority of the […]

SQN Asset Finance Income Fund has announced that its C-share offer has completed raising £180m for the company. The issue was oversubscribed and so the company has scaled back applications in accordance with the terms set out in the Prospectus. The company says that the proceeds will be used to invest in a pipeline of […]

Lonmin plc has guided that it will more than halve its asset value and take an impairment charge of between US$1.85-2.05 billion when it releases it results for the financial year ended 30 September 2015, on 9 November. This follows the company’s adoption of a new business plan and financial restructuring that concentrates on lower […]

Electra proceeds with mandatory conversion – Electra Private Equity announced on 23 October 2015 its intention to exercise the mandatory conversion option in its 5% subordinated convertible bonds due 2017. The exercise of the option will automatically and mandatorily convert all of the outstanding Bonds into new ordinary shares of Electra. Electra has now announce that […]

Edinburgh Dragon Trust has announced its final results for the year ended 31 August 2015. During the year the trust’s NAV fell 12.4%, in total return terms, underperforming its MSCI All Country Asia (ex Japan) benchmark which fell 9.1% (all in sterling terms). During the period, the share price fell by 12.8% to 235.8p, as […]

NextEnergy Solar Fund has announced that it has exchanged agreements to purchase three plants, Ellough Solar 2, Decoy and Hall Farm, with capacity of 18.0MWp and an investment value of £18.1m. The 8.0MWp Ellough Solar 2 will be an extension of the company’s existing Ellough plant (pictured). The plant is expected to be connected ahead […]