Who's Emerging From the Shadows?

HAUNTED HOLDINGS PART 3: In our final venture into the shadows, we look at funds investing in emerging economies

Jackie Beard, FCSI, 29 October, 2010 | 10:48AM
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In our final venture into the shadows, having already reviewed open-ended and closed-end couples in the UK equity space, as well as pairings in the Specialist arena, we now take a look at funds investing in emerging economies.

JP Morgan is no stranger to ghosts. It’s said that the manifestation of their founder, J. Pierpoint Morgan himself, can be seen at the Jekyll Island Club in Georgia, USA. His is not a troubled spirit; rather, it haunts the place he enjoyed for its quiet reflection (according to www.hauntedhouses.com).

Likewise, investors in the JPMorgan Emerging Markets Investment Trust (JMG) shouldn’t be troubled by performance over the last five years (September 30, 2005 to September 30, 2010). The investment trust has beaten its open-ended equivalent on both a price and NAV basis by a healthy margin.

Richard Titherington and Austin Forey are long-standing JPM employees. They have built a successful team and proven process over their time at the firm. The open-ended fund carries our Superior rating, and we think they’ve done an excellent job for their investors.

Although the team is running over $4 billion in this strategy, the investment trust isn’t affected by flows in the same way the open-ended fund has been. The outperformance by the investment trust hasn’t been driven by gearing, either; in fact, the team decided to stop gearing in mid-2003 as they felt emerging markets were risky enough already. That decision has paid dividends here and the investment trust has outshone its sister fund over the long term.

Our last stop is in Latin America, home to a variety of haunted locations. It’s even alleged that the souls of some British pirates who battled for the silver being exported to Spain from Honduras can still be heard in the Central American country.

Our sparkling jewel (or garlic bearer) is BlackRock Latin American Trust (BRLA), alongside the BGF Latin American SICAV. Will Landers and his team have sent vampires flying into the night with their returns over the last five years.

Landers has not only produced significant outperformance in the investment trust on a price basis, compared with both the SICAV and benchmark, he’s also brought the discount to NAV right in--so much so that the fund now trades on a premium. While this isn’t unheard of in the fund’s history, just five years ago (September 2005) the discount stood at nearly 13%.

Landers is a fan of gearing but has used it selectively over that time. In 2006 he geared the investment trust for a handful of months only, and then didn’t start up again until September 2008; that’s the kind of manager you want--fearless in the face of adversity.

BGF Latin American, the SICAV, carries our Superior rating. But these results show the investment trust has been a valid contender for this specialist exposure.

We think it’s time for investment trusts to step out from the shadows and overcome their scary image. Fear often stems from a lack of knowledge. This is where Morningstar can help you.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Catch up on Haunted Holdings Parts One and Two at our Investment Trust Centre.

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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