Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust - China’s recovery well worth the wait

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust (BGCG) invests in China, focusing on innovative, rapidly growing companies best positioned to benefit from China’s still favourable long-term economic outlook and the structural trends that should drive equity markets for years to come. Key portfolio themes include e-commerce, food delivery, domestic brands, semiconductors, robotics and automation, and renewable energy. The trust’s relaunch in September 2020 coincided with a series of challenges for the Chinese

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust - Finding big trendsetters amid ‘little giants’

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust (BGCG) invests in China, aiming to capture current trendsetters and spot future potential market leaders, for a long-term time horizon (typically over five years). Despite negative newsflow about China over the last year and a half and the recent political changes, interpreted by the world investment community as the prevalence of ideology over economic principles, the investment manager, Baillie Gifford (BG), believes that the investment case stands firm. A gr

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust - Year of a bull in motion

Baillie Gifford China Growth (BGCG) is a recent entrant to Ballie Gifford’s (BG) house philosophy of investing alongside current trendsetters and future large-scale potential winners. It emerged in September 2020 as BG took over management of the trust, changing the strategy from broader Asia Pacific equities to a mandate of pure Chinese equities (see our initiation note on BGCG). Despite negative newsflow on China over the past few months clouding last year’s euphoria around investing in Chines

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust - China – we are only at the beginning

The handover of Witan Pacific (WPC) to Baillie Gifford (BG) on 16 September 2020, following the board’s decision and favourable shareholders’ vote, marks the trust’s transition to the new asset manager. BG won the mandate with its proposal to transform the Asia Pacific growth and income trust into a pure China equity growth strategy. The manager considers that ‘still misunderstood and underinvested’ China (a c 2.5% allocation in 2019 global portfolios) is the key global growth market of the 21st

Witan Pacific Investment Trust - Better investment performance or return of cash

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) offers broad exposure to the Asia Pacific region (including Japan), employing a multi-manager strategy. The board remains confident that the current line-up of four complementary managers is capable of good long-term outperformance; however, it has a contingency measure in place. If WPC does not outperform its benchmark in the two years ending 31 January 2021, investors will be given the opportunity to realise their holdings close to NAV, so either relative p

Witan Pacific Investment Trust - Commitment to improve performance

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) employs a multi-manager strategy, offering investors broad exposure to pan-Asian equities. The board recently announced a renewed commitment to improving the trust’s investment performance. If WPC’s NAV total return lags its benchmark over the period from 31 January 2019 to 31 January 2021, the board will put forward proposals that include a full cash exit at close to NAV. As a result, shareholders should enjoy NAV performance ahead of the benchmark or share

Witan Pacific Investment Trust - Diversified exposure to pan-Asian equities

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) offers investors broad exposure to Asian equities, including Japan. While global equities, and emerging markets in particular, have sold off in recent months, the trust’s managers consider that this has created an attractive buying opportunity, and they remain very constructive on the outlook for WPC’s holdings. They believe that there is a disconnect between Asian equity prices and corporate earnings, which continue to grow at a healthy pace. The managers ar

Witan Pacific Investment Trust - Board enthusiastic about revised manager line-up

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) has outperformed its MSCI AC Asia Pacific Free benchmark since adopting a multi-manager strategy at end-May 2005. However, following a period of relative weakness (particularly since mid-2016), the board has changed the external manager line-up (effective from end-September 2017). It is enthusiastic about the two new managers: Dalton Investments and Robeco Institutional Asset Management (and has continued confidence in incumbent managers Aberdeen and Matthews

Witan Pacific Investment Trust - Changes to the multi-manager line-up

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) employs an active multi-manager strategy, aiming to generate long-term growth in capital and income from a diversified portfolio of Asia Pacific equities, which includes Japan, Australia and India. Since adopting the multi-manager approach in 2005, WPC has outperformed its benchmark, the MSCI AC Asia Pacific Free index, in eight out of 12 financial years, but has lagged since mid-2016. The board changed the manager line-up from end-September 2017, dropping Ga

Multi-manager Asia-Pacific/Japan investment

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) has a multi-manager approach, aiming to generate capital and income growth from a diversified portfolio of primarily Asian equities, including Japan and Australia. WPC currently has three external managers: Aberdeen, GaveKal and Matthews; they follow different investment strategies but are all unconstrained versus the benchmark (MSCI AC Asia Pacific Free Index). WPC has a competitive fee structure and aims to generate real growth in annual dividends; its curr

Broad Asian exposure from multi-managers

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) offers broad exposure to Asian markets including Japan and Australia, adopting a multi-manager approach which tends to smooth the performance fluctuations of individual managers. Current managers Aberdeen, Matthews and Gavekal, all invest across the region pursuing distinct, unconstrained strategies. Although weaker over six months, NAV total returns have been largely consistent with the MSCI AC Asia Pacific Free index benchmark over three years and WPC has o

Long-term outperformance from multi-managers

Witan Pacific Investment Trust (WPC) is a well-established investment trust differentiated by its broad Asian exposure and multi-manager approach adopted in 2005.The three investment managers – Aberdeen, Matthews and Gavekal – employ different investment styles but all have a remit to invest in the Asia-Pacific region including Japan and Australia. WPC has outperformed its benchmark over the longer term and achieved its aim of growing annual dividends at a higher rate than UK inflation. Investor

Morning Note – 22 April 2024

Benefits of scale set to materialise

Frenkel Topping - Resilient with strong growth potential

FY 2023 was a challenging year for Frenkel with higher interest rates encouraging clients to place money into lower margin money market funds. Despite this, sales grew +32% (supported by recurring revenue +9% and +51% in non-recurring), EBIT margins remained strong at 22% and adj. EPS grew +17% (taking into account the higher number of shares). FY 2024 has seen a solid start to transactional business and there is a strong pipeline of new FUM opportunities both of which support further growth. Wi

S&U - PBT ahead, encouraging volume trends

S&U reported FY24 PBT of £33.6m, down from £41.4m in FY23 on higher funding and regulatory costs and higher impairments in Advantage in H2. PBT was 2% ahead of our forecast as stronger revenues – up 12% to £115.4m – and better costs offset higher-than-expected impairments. Net receivables grew to a record at both Advantage and Aspen and management noted particular strength in Q4 and a good trading environment in the current year. Having absorbed a significant rise in funding cost as well as addi

Hardman & Co Insight: 2023 was an annus horribilis for Quoted UK Infrastructure and Renewable Energy

The focus of Hardman & Co Research is on the nine quoted Infrastructure Investment Companies (IICs) and on the 22 Renewable Energy Infrastructure Funds (REIFs): the stocks analysed are all members of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). We are updating our publication of January 2023, assessing both the lacklustre share price performances during 2023 and the key issues, including interest rates, inflation and power prices. As a 31-strong group, its combined market capitalisation is no

Foresight Solar Fund - Termination of coverage

Edison Investment Research is terminating coverage on ABC Arbitrage (ABCA), paragon (PGN), Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL), Kendrion (KENDR), Lithium Power International (LPI), Triple Point Energy Transition (TENT), 4iG (4IG), e-therapeutics (ETX), Pharnext (ALPHA) and Shield Therapeutics (STX). Please note you should no longer rely on any previous research or estimates for this company. All forecasts should now be considered redundant. Previously published reports can still be accessed via our web

International Public Partnerships - Consistently and responsibly delivering

International Public Partnerships’ (INPP’s) FY23 results show that it continues to deliver consistent and predictable returns for investors, while delivering environmental and social benefits for the individuals and communities that are served by its assets. Despite this strong performance and a substantial need for private infrastructure funding, the macroeconomic environment has weighed on INPP’s share price, in common with the wider sector. Regardless, attractive returns are available from th

Regional REIT - Performing as expected ahead of refinancing

In a challenging market, Regional REIT’s (RGL’s) FY23 operational and financial performance was robust, in line with expectations and previous guidance. Investor focus remains on the company’s loan to value (LTV) reduction and bond refinancing plans, explored in detail in our previous note and RGL will provide an update on this in due course.

LIBERUM: PayPoint: On track for £100m of EBITDA in FY 26

LIBERUM: Speedy Hire: Weakness in FY 24 but recovery in FY 25

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 22 April 2024

22nd April 2024 * A corporate client of Hybridan LLP ** Arranged by type of listing and date of announcement *** Alphabetically arranged **** Potential means Intention to Float (ITF) has been announced Dish of the day Admissions: Delistings: What’s baking in the oven? ** Potential**** Initial Public Offerings: Reverse Takeovers: 16 April 2024: Electric Guitar (ELEG.L) Concurrent with its Admission to trading on AIM, Electric Guitar is proposing to acquire the entire issued share capital of 3radi

Witan

Business as usual for WTAN’s executive team, while the board reviews investment management arrangements…

Foxtons Group (FOXT LN) - 1Q24 IMS shows real momentum

Foxtons Group plc first quarter revenue rose 9% to £35.7m (1Q23: £32.9m) with growth delivered across all business segments. Trading is in line with management's expectations.

The Hardman & Co Monthly: April 2024

Feature article: Steady as she goes, but could be better: A review of investment company liquidity since 2016 Liquidity is the lifeblood of equity markets. The measurement of liquid asset availability to a market or company is a way of gauging a market’s health. This article builds on our previous work, which analysed the liquidity data for non-financial trading companies, by applying the same analytical techniques to the investment companies (IC) space. We analyse liquidity for ICs as a whol

H&T Group (HAT): Core franchise build, short-term retail noise

In our 15 March 2023 initiation, 'Pawnbroking royalty, with strong, profitable growth', and subsequent notes, we have highlighted the strong market for pawnbroking and why H&T, as the market leader, is uniquely placed to take advantage of these opportunities. These results reconfirmed both, with the pledge book up 28% and net pawnbroking revenue up 36%. Like many in the retail space, H&T faced the challenge of customers focusing on lower-value, lower-margin items in the key run-up to Christmas 2