Monthly Archives: April 2015

The Bankers Investment Trust PLC

The Bankers Investment Trust is a £700m London listed investment fund, managed by Henderson Global Investors. It was established in 1888.

[https://www.henderson.com/ukpi/fund/168/the-bankers-investment-trust-plc]

It pays a 2.3% yield on the shares

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=10127&record_search=1&search_phrase=bank]

Its largest holdings are in:-

BP
Catlin Group
Walt Disney Co
Delphi Automotive PLC
Galliford Try Plc
Apple, Inc.
British American Tobacco
Sports Direct International Plc
Itv Plc
BorgWarner, Inc.

With over 100 years of previous performance, it is an incredible little fund.

The Monks Investment Trust

The Monks Investment Trust PLC is a £947m London listed investment trust.

Managed by Ballie Gifford from Edinburgh,

[http://www.bailliegifford.com/individual-investor/fund-selector/monks-investment-trust.aspx]

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?csi=10244]

A major shareholder is Investec Wealth Management

Launched in 1929, today it’s investment is global:-

United Kingdom 16.5%
Europe 14.7%
North America 34.5%
Japan 9.4%
Developed Asia 2.5%
Emerging Markets 10.5%
Fixed Interest 7.1%
Net Liquid Assets 4.8%

Its top 10 holdings are:-

Holdings % of Total Assets
1 US Treasury 0.625% 4.7%
2 IP Group 3.9%
3 Anthem 2.2%
4 Restaurant Brands International 2.2%
5 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing 2.1%
6 Alnylam Pharmaceuticals 2.0%
7 Visa 1.8%
8 The Priceline Group 1.7%
9 First Republic Bank 1.7%
10 Martin Marietta Materials 1.7%

This makes up 24.0% of the portfolio.

Shell and BG Group PLC

On the 8th April 2015, Shell 8 April 2015, announced the takeover for BG plc. The cost to Royal Dutch Shell is £47 billion

[http://www.shell.com/global/aboutshell/investor/news-and-library/2015/recommended-cash-and-share-offer-for-bg-group-plc.html]

To put things into context, Royal Dutch Shell plc one has to understand the size of Shell.
Royal Dutch Shell’s share capital is made up of two types of shares: Shell A and Shell B

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=133655&record_search=1&search_phrase=shell]

Shell A is worth £78 Billion

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=133755&record_search=1&search_phrase=shell]

Shell B is worth £50 Billion

BG Group is the exploration and production arm of the 1986 new floated British Gas

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=10017&record_search=1&search_phrase=BG]

BG plc is worth £40 Billion

Anglo American PLC

Anglo American PLC, is the London listed mining giant, that is the majority shareholder in the diamond producer De Beers.

It is based in South Africa, and produces gold, platinum, diamonds, coal, base and ferrous metals, industrial minerals to timber and coal.

http://www.angloamerican.com/

Paying 5.7% yield, it is an incredible payment to shareholders.

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=10001&record_search=1&search_phrase=aa]

Interesting to see that the giant money manager BlackRock owns over 5%.

[http://otp.investis.com/clients/uk/anglo-american/rns/regulatory-story.aspx?cid=49&newsid=501699]

in 2014 its outstanding debt was £12,871 million (£12.8 billion).

[http://www.angloamerican.com/investors/fixed-income-investors/credit-ratings-and-ratios]

At first glance, this seems high, but then one has to consider its revenues.

[http://www.angloamerican.com/investors/financial-results-centre/key-financial-information]

Total revenues of £30,988m (£30.9 billion), so with such huge cash flow, servicing debt on £12.8 billion is not that difficult.

A massive company with a diversified portfolio of raw materials.

April 6th: UK Pension Freedom

Today, Monday 6th April the UK liberates defined contribution pension schemes. What this means is that funds that were destined to buy annunities can now be used by the pension investors for whatever they want to do.

So how much money is currently in pension funds?

1,800 billion pounds. That figure is larger than the annual GDP of the UK wbich is 1,500 billion pounds.

The F&C Global Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC

The F&C Global Smaller Companies investment trust, is a £500m listed investment fund, that gives exposure to smaller companies all over the world.

[http://www.shareshop.hsbc.co.uk/shareshop/security.cgi?username=&ac=&csi=11839&record_search=1&search_phrase=FC]

A fund, that has paid a dividend that has grown in 44 years in a row.

[http://www.fandc.com/fandc-global-smaller-companies/]

Its top ten holdings are:-

Aberdeen Global Japanese Smaller Companies
M&G Japan Smaller Companies Fund
Manulife Global Asian Smaller Companies
Scottish Oriental Smaller Cos Investment Trust
Aberdeen Global Asian Smaller Companies
Utilico Emerging Markets
Intl FCStone
Wellcare Health Plans
Microsemi
Mercury Systems

The portfolio is broken down:-

North America 40.2%
UK 28.3%
Continental Europe 11.3%
Rest of World 10.6%
Japan 8.0%
Cash & Fixed Interest 1.6%

A great little fund.

UK HM Government March 2015 borrowings…

Another month, guess what, take a lucky guess, it is the same old story, HM Government, spends more money than it receives via taxes and duties. Another deficit month, thus to bridge the gap, needs to borrow on the bond market.

In March 2015, the HM Government had to borrow money to meet the difference between tax revenues and public sector expenditure. The term for this is The PSNCR: The Public Sector Net Cash Requirement.

There were “only” 4 auctions of Gilts (UK Government Bonds) by the UK Debt Management Office (http://www.dmo.gov.uk/) to raise cash for HM Treasury :-

19-Mar-2015 2% Treasury Gilt 2025  £3,024.8740  million
12-Mar-2015 1 1/8% Index-linked Treasury Gilt 2037  £933.2100 million
10-Mar-2015 3½% Treasury Gilt 2068  £1,649.9850 million
03-Mar-2015 2% Treasury Gilt 2020  £3,500.0000 million

When you add the cash raised:-

∑(£3,024.8740  million + £933.2100 million + £1,649.9850 million + £3,500.0000 million) =  £9,108.07 Million.

£9,108.07 Million = £9.108 Billion

On another way of looking at it, is in the 31 days in March, HM Government borrowed:-

£293 million each day for the 31 days. We are fortunate, while the global banking and financial markets still has the confidence in HM Government to buy the Gilts (Lend money to the UK), the budget deficit keeps rising. What is also alarming, is the dates these bond mature 2020, 2034 and 2045. All long term borrowings, we are mortgaging our futures, but at least “we are in it together…