The Merchants Trust (MRCH) invests in a portfolio of primarily large-cap UK equities aiming to generate income and long-term capital growth. MRCH differentiates itself from its peers due to its high income and dividend growth – its dividend yield is consistently above the benchmark FTSE 100 index – and has 34 years of consecutive annual dividend growth. Near-term investment performance has improved; this is partly a function of rising bond yields as investors are starting to rotate away from expensive bond proxies and towards more cyclical, higher-yielding sectors of the UK stock market. MRCH is now outperforming its benchmark over five years. Gearing of up to 25% of net assets is permitted.