3i Infrastructure was a well-deserved winner in this year’s QuotedData Investors’ Choice Awards, and it won an award last year too. What is it that makes it a popular choice for investors who want to diversify their portfolio with exposure to alternative assets and who also want income? We talked to James Dawes, chief financial […]
The road ahead Chrysalis Investments (CHRY) is now seven years old, with a more mature portfolio. Since our last update, strong performance from Starling and signs of recovery at wefox have boosted NAV. Recent asset sales have provided enough liquidity for CHRY to meet its capital allocation commitments, and Klarna’s IPO increases the chance of […]
Dual-use SpaceTech: a strategic shift, not a short-term trend Rising global defence spending, with many NATO countries now meeting or exceeding previous commitments, has made SpaceTech a higher priority for governments and major contractors. This shift in priorities is feeding directly into the commercial market. Investment in SpaceTech is also rebounding, with $10.4bn raised in […]
The flotation of Mexican gas pipeline operator Esentia Energy has proven a disappointment for Partners Group Private Equity (PEY) which has had to write down the value of what was its 11th biggest holding. The £708m London-listed fund invests in the private equity funds of Switzerland’s Partners Group, the majority owner of Esentia, which cut […]
Macau Property Opportunities (MPO) has plunged to a new all-time low after shareholders in the specialist property fund refused to support its emergency fund raising. Shares in the company, which owns residential properties in Macau, a special administrative region on the south coast of China, crashed 55%, or 7.3p, to just over 6p after MPO […]
In another effort to support London’s moribund capital markets, the chancellor announced a three-year stamp duty exemption on trading in shares in companies listing in the UK. The relief from 0.5% stamp duty reserve tax applied to the value of purchases in newly listed companies begins tomorrow. In her speech, Rachel Reeves made it sound […]
Top performer as Asia regains momentum Pacific Horizon (PHI) has rebounded strongly over the past year, outperforming its benchmark and peers as sentiment towards Asia has improved. The trust’s growth-focused approach, which had been out of favour during the period when global interest rates were rising, is once again delivering results. Despite the obvious challenges, […]
AEW UK (AEWU) real estate investment trust says commercial property capital values are “at their lowest point” in its 10-year history, providing the £165m top performer, which won a QuotedData Investors’ Choice award last month, with plenty of attractive opportunities if only it could raise more money. At the end of September, AEWU had £13.2m […]
Firing up the cylinders RIT Capital Partners’ (RIT’s) performance has improved after last year’s leadership changes and a shift to a more focused strategy. All three investment pillars – quoted equities, private investments, and uncorrelated strategies – have delivered strong results. The private portfolio, which had previously held back performance, has seen some profitable exits […]
Saba Capital is to finally begin offloading some of its 26% stake in fellow activist Crystal Amber (CRS) after its fund manager Richard Bernstein said he would resign to pursue other ventures. The board of £95m Crystal Amber, which Saba forced into a lengthy wind-down four years ago, is in talks with Tarncourt Capital about appointing it as the new fund manager to run […]
The £439m JPMorgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust (JEMI) reported strong results for the year to 31 July with an underlying net asset value (NAV) total return of 14.1%, outperforming its MSCI Emerging Markets index benchmark, which returned 13.7% in sterling terms, and underpinned a total shareholder return of 16.8%. The trust stands on a […]
Looking oversold Rights and Issues Investment Trust (RIII) is battling a number of headwinds. UK small caps face a lacklustre UK economy, a looming budget that is creating market uncertainty, and seemingly indifferent domestic and international investors. To this we can add a large shareholder who appears to be actively frustrating efforts by RIII’s board […]
Bluefield Solar Income (BSIF) and its fund manager Bluefield Partners have put themselves up for sale after a majority of the investment company’s shareholders objected to a proposal floated last month for them to merge. The £414m renewables fund has launched a “coordinated” strategic review and formal sales process after shareholders stated their clear preference […]
Seraphim is the world’s leading specialist investor in SpaceTech, backing technologies that strengthen global security, enable resilient infrastructure, and address the planet’s most urgent challenges. Our platform spans the full innovation lifecycle, from idea to IPO: Seraphim Space Investment Trust PLC – our growth-stage listed fund, Seraphim Space Venture Fund II – our early-stage venture […]
Baron Rothschild once advocated investing when there was ‘blood on the streets’. It may be a gruesome metaphor, but there is wisdom in buying investments when they appear a little scary. It suggests the risks are well understood, and the price may be appealing. This Halloween, we look at three investment trusts that may seem […]
Difficult conditions make for better vintages Patria Private Equity (PPET) has been able to build up an enviable long-term track record, with returns towards the top end of peer group tables and well-ahead of equivalent listed equities. It is clear that PPET’s bias to European mid-market deals has served it well despite lacklustre economic growth […]
Aquila European Renewables (AERI), a £176m investment company two years into a difficult wind-down, has agreed to sell its Danish and Greek wind assets (Holmen II, Svindbaek and Desfina) to its fund manager Aquila Capital for €61.9m, a 17% discount to their valuation at 30 June. Together with the €16.5m sale of its minority investment in […]
Manchester and London (MNL), the £303m technology forced to suspend share buybacks last month in a bid to protect its investment trust status, has announced a dramatic hike in its dividends to shore up shareholder returns. Chair Dan Wright said the company would pay at least 40p in annual dividends for the next five years […]
Macau Property Opportunities (MPO), the £34m real estate fund trying to complete a lengthy wind-up in the China region’s prolonged slowdown, is considering an emergency share issue to resolve a cash flow crisis. The company, which in August reported a 23.5% slump in net asset value in the three months to 30 June, said the […]
Manchester & London (MNL) fund manager Mark Sheppard has responded positively to a suggestion from QuotedData’s James Carthew that taking over another investment trust might be the solution for its problematic small free float. Sheppard and his company M&L Capital Management own 62% of the £331m closed-end fund which he has wholly committed to investments […]
Infrastructure Capital, a New York boutique, has bypassed the buoyant market in London-listed debt funds to launch the first actively managed Dublin-based exchange traded fund (ETF) investing in US preferred shares. The Infrastructure Capital Preferred Income Ucits ETF has been listed by ETF provider HANetf on the London Stock Exchange under the PFFI ticker as […]
Henderson Smaller Companies (HSL), the £549m underperforming UK small-cap investment trust whose fund manager Neil Hermon retired last month after 23 years, has passed its triennial continuation vote. At the annual general meeting yesterday it gained the support of 95% of votes on turnout of 38.6%. Riverstone Energy (RSE) is to return £190m in a […]
The £300m flotation of the Beauty Tech Group (TBTG) on Thursday not only cheered the London stock market after a dearth of listings, it has also boosted the three venture capital trusts (VCTs) run by Mercia Fund Management. From a 271p offer price, shares in TBTG rose 5% to 285p on Friday and have softened […]
The managed wind-down of Schroders Capital Global Innovation (INOV), the former Woodford Patient Capital Trust, has caught the attention of financier Hugh Osmond and the senior private equity team at Sun Capital Partners (SunCap). A stock market filing this week showed that Osmond, a veteran deal-maker who bought Pizza Express and helped consolidate the pub […]
The $15bn (£11bn) US flotation of Fermi (FRMI), a data centre real estate investment trust, has given the UK market a new REIT launch after three years in which the number of listed property funds has halved. Shares in the Texan company, which was co-founded by former US energy secretary and Texas governor Rick Perry […]
TwentyFour Income Fund (TFIF) has become the second debt fund to launch a fund raise this week in response to strong investor demand for high-yielding asset-backed securities (ABS). The £883m investment company, whose shares yield 9.7% after consistently beating its dividend targets since launch in 2013, has announced a two-week share placing and open offer […]
The Board of CVC Income & Growth Limitedis pleased to announce a placing and retail offer of both Euro and Sterling denominated redeemable ordinary shares of no-par value in the capital of the Company. The retail offer will be undertaken via the Winterflood Retail Access Platform. In connection with the Fundraising and WRAP Retail Offer, […]
Manchester and London (MNL), the tech-laden global fund spectacularly riding the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, has halted share buybacks and share purchases by insiders in an effort to preserve its investment trust status and avoid a damaging tax bill. In its annual report issued yesterday evening the £331m company said the free float of shares […]
A 100 for 1 share split at Lindsell Train, half-year results from Baillie Gifford China Growth and North American Income, update from HarbourVest Global Private Equity and a fund raise from Yellow Cake, the uranium investor. Lindsell Train (LTI) investment trust has implemented the 100 for 1 share split announced at its annual results in […]
European winners, global exposure European Opportunities Trust (EOT) remains the most growth-focused fund in its peer group. This is at a time when there are increasing signs of this style of investing coming back into favour, as inflation remains under control and interest rates trend down. More widely, Europe seems to be coming back on […]