Investment Trust Times: October 27-November 2

Fidelity China Special Situations sees strong demand, Templeton Emerging Markets manager under investigation, and more

Jackie Beard, FCSI, 3 November, 2010 | 10:44AM
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Albion Ventures
plans to raise £15 million through the Albion VCT’s Linked Top Up Offer, under which investors can acquire shares in seven mature VCTS and thus benefit from the monthly dividend stream from an established portfolio.

Aurora Russia Ltd (AURR) is holding an AGM on December 3, 2010, at which it proposes to put forward a resolution to change the Management Agreement between the company and Aurora Investment Advisers. This would see a reduction in semi-annual management fee from 1.00% to 0.75% of NAV and a change to the performance fee structure. The new structure is tiered in accordance with the value of any disposals and the managers are incentivised to bring the discount in to less than 20% of NAV, from its current 58%.

BlackRock Commodities C Shares (BRCC) have been converted into ordinary shares at a rate of 0.7454 ordinary shares for every C share. The C share was delisted on November 2 and an application approved for the ordinary shares to be listed at the same date.

Eastern European Property Fund (EEP) held its EGM on October 29 and all proposals were approved. This means the company will be adopting a new investment policy under which it will divest its holdings in Bulgaria and Romania, and focus exclusively on Turkey. They expect this to take up to nine months to complete, although there is no formal requirement for it to be done within this timeframe. The company will also be adopting a new fee arrangement, under which more emphasis is placed on performance. This will see a reduction in the AMC to 1.25% from 1.75%. The new performance fee will be linked to the value of a distribution made to shareholders upon realisation of an asset.

Fidelity China Special Situations (FCSS) has announced they have been seeing strong demand, causing the shares to trade at a premium of more than 8%, although this exceeded 12% in October. The company is looking at ways to satisfy demand, the most obvious solution to which would be the issuance of more shares. They have a block listing following the issue in June which has not yet been fully utilised.

All resolutions were passed at the EGM for Jupiter Dividend & Growth (JDT) on October 29. The company will undergo the proposed reconstruction which allows ZDP shareholders to realise some or all of their holdings should they wish to do so, while maintaining the life of the company.

US litigation specialists Juridica Investments (JIL) plans to start a share buyback programme of up to $10 million. This is its first such programme.

Max Property (MAX), the UK property company, has purchased a portfolio of 14 nightclubs for £9.4 million. This reduces the company’s cash balance to £110 million, which is more than 20% of total assets.

New City High Yield (NCYF) is seeking to raise between £15 million and £25 million through a placing and offer for subscription of new ordinary shares. The prospectus should be available by the end of this week.

A hive of activity this week at NewRiver Retail (NRR). The company has announced an EGM for November 19, at which they will be asking shareholders to vote in favour of the election to HMRC to become a Real Estate Investment Trust, to approve the issuance of up to $25 million of 5.85% Convertible Unsecured Loan Stock and the acquisition of a portfolio of properties from Standard Life for £14 milllion.

Rapid Realisation (RRF) plans to return cash to shareholders following the disposal of its equity stake in DDM Group, as well as the partial redemption of its loan note in the same company. The company expects to issue bonus B shares, which will be redeemed immediately, with settlement expected November 26.

Shareholders of Templeton Emerging Markets (TEM) should be aware of the Capital Markets Board of Turkey’s investigation into Mark Mobius, launched earlier this week. The Board has yet to comment on this. Mobius is being investigated for comments he made predicting a decline in the Turkish market of 15%-20% by year-end; the market fell sharply the next day.

Vietnam specialist VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity (VOF) is investigating ways in which to broaden its investor base. It is considering the possibility of moving its primary listing to another stock exchange to facilitate this.

It’s a similar story at Vinaland (VNL), also run by VinaCapital Investment Management. In addition, the board is seeking approval to buy back shares. They are also exploring the concept of moving the primary listing.

Vision Opportunity China (VOC) has had to delay the publication of its prospectus to move from AIM to the Official List. The UK Listing Authority has requested additional disclosures regarding the SEC’s enquiry into Vision Capital Advisors. Until the enquiries have been completed, the board is unlikely to be able to satisfy the UKLA’s disclosure requirements.

Director Appointments
Ishaan Real Estate (ISH) – Anne Couper
Utilico Emerging Markets (UEM) – Anthony Muh

Director Resignations/Retirements
Ashmore Global Opportunities (AGOE) – Tony Kane
Genesis Emerging Markets (GSS) – Christian Baillet
JPMorgan Overseas (JMO) – Dick Barfield
Utilico Emerging Markets (UEM) – Garth Milne

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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