Shares magazine
Magazine archive
Investment Trusts
BlackRock Throgmorton adopts the Whitestone way
Thursday 16 Aug 2018With a new sole portfolio manager in charge of the investment decisions and a discount that has narrowed from 15.7% at as 30 November to 6.3% at the time of writing, Shares believes this is an exciting time for shareholders in the BlackRock Throgmorton Trust ( THRG ) . Often overlooked, despite...
An introduction to REITs
Thursday 09 Aug 2018A REIT or real estate investment trust is a vehicle which owns, operates or finances income-generating property. The so-called REIT regime came into force in January 2007. By February of that year nine of the UK’s big listed property firms had converted to REIT status and more than a decade on, the...
Most loved investment trusts
Thursday 02 Aug 2018The whole investment trust space seems to be going through a resurgence in popularity. In 2017 independent financial advisers (IFAs) bought a record £990m of investment trusts through their favourite platforms, according to statistics provided by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). That’...
Lowland fund manager says portfolio diversification is essential in the current market
Thursday 26 Jul 2018A leading fund manager has warned of the importance of portfolio diversification in the current economic climate. James Henderson, who co-manages Lowland Investment Company ( LWI ) , says the UK economy is very ‘patchy’ at present and diversification is needed to get around pockets of weakness...
Why it’s all about yield for Merchants Trust
Thursday 19 Jul 2018The manager of Merchants Trust ( MRCH ) , Simon Gergel, doesn’t share the widely-held view that dividend growth is more important than dividend yield. As an example, let’s compare a hypothetical company offering a dividend yield of 8% but no dividend growth with another company offering a 2%...
How refinancing debt could unlock more dividends and value for investment trusts
Thursday 19 Jul 2018Recent activity at Brunner Investment Trust ( BUT ) helps shine a light on the expensive debt carried by some investment trusts and how refinancing these borrowings could be a catalyst for trusts to trade on higher valuations and pay out more in dividends to their shareholders. Unlike traditional...
SLI Property shrugs off property market concerns with new spending spree
Thursday 12 Jul 2018There are plenty of distractions for an investor in UK property at present as the Brexit process continues along its torturous route, yet the manager of SLI Property Income ( SLI ) Jason Baggaley likes to maintain a simple approach. In his words, ‘I like to buy things that excite me’. More...
Second time lucky for music investor Hipgnosis Songs Fund?
Thursday 05 Jul 2018It has been a year since Hipgnosis Songs Fund first announced its intention to float on London’s Main Market. After a failed attempt to float last summer the trust is back again with a lower profile listing. The investment trust, which wants to take advantage of a shift from CDs to music streaming...
Are big investors becoming more confident in UK equities again?
Thursday 28 Jun 2018The main UK stock market indices have struggled this year and many of the biggest investors rank UK stocks as the most unpopular asset class. Is now the time to go against the grain and increase exposure, buying when others are uninterested? We believe it is. A survey by Bank of America Merrill...
New managers with old habits should keep Scottish American moving forward
Thursday 28 Jun 2018The relatively new management team at global income investment trust Scottish American Investment Company ( SCAM ) have high standards to meet given its impressive 38 years straight of dividend growth. Baillie Gifford’s James Dow and Toby Ross took over management from Dominic Neary less than a...