Investors Chronicle

Sam Cosh, manager of European Assets Trust (EAT), tells Leonora Walters why this trust is able to increase its dividend for 2021, and profiles some of the investments which are making this possible. He also explains how he selects stocks, and highlights holdings which should do well going forward despite the pressure of the pandemic.European Assets Trust, launched in 1983, has a market capitalisation of £518m and paid a yield of 5.5 per cent on 17 November, according to Winterflood data.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The latest episode of Connected Investor, the podcast from the Brunner Investment Trust, ponders the issue of tightening regulatory factors in China – what will that mean for China itself, the fortunes of companies and markets there and ultimately for the global economy and markets? To see the full podcast series visit https://www.brunner.co.uk/podcast/.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Iain McCombie, manager of Baillie Gifford UK Growth Trust tells Mary McDougall how he tries to source the best growth opportunities among UK stocks and divulges what he has been buying and selling most recently. He shares his thought process behind owning St James’ Place, Hargreaves Lansdown, Boohoo.com and Rightmove among other holdings and explains why the trust recently sought approval to invest in unquoted companies.  Iain has co-managed Baillie Gifford UK Growth Trust since June 2018 and is lead manager of Baillie Gifford’s UK core strategy. He is also a manager on a number of global funds and became a partner at Baillie Gifford in 2005.     See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the latest budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak opened by stating that the UK’s public finances are twice as sensitive to changes in interest rates as they were before the pandemic, and that a 1 per cent increase in inflation and interest rates would cost around £23bn.Clearly there is a political imperative to keep the cost of borrowing down, as Hamish Baillie, lead manager of Ruffer Investment Company (RICA) explains in this week’s podcast. He spells out why he thinks long-term disinflationary forces are waning and why he’s preparing for a period of enduring inflation. Speaking with the IC’s Mary McDougall, he defends putting up with -2 per cent real yields on long-dated index-linked gilts and talks through Ruffer’s thought process behind buying bitcoin in November 2020 and selling out entirely by April 2021. They also discuss the outlook for some the UK's largest banks and energy companies.Ruffer Investment Company is a multi asset “all weather portfolio” designed to deliver a positive return in all

Paul Jourdan, CEO of Amati Global Investors, tells Christopher Akers why he thinks the Alternative Investment Market is an asset of national importance and shares his thoughts on overpricing in "the year of IPOs". He explains Amati's approach to ESG and discusses the stocks that have been important for them over the last year.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Financials make up around 15 per cent of global equities, and despite a recent surge the sector remains at a significant discount to the wider market. In this interview, Nick Brind and George Barrow, co-managers of Polar Capital Global Financials Trust (PCFT), tell Mary McDougall how banks look well placed to benefit from any rise in interest rates.They discuss what impact a rise in rates might have on bad debts, what pockets of the financials sector look most attractive, why they have avoided owning Chinese banks and what their outlook is for HSBC.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Indian stock market has been on a tear this year, up 30 per cent for the year to 6 October. While this has led to some concern about lofty valuations, David Cornell of India Capital Growth Fund (IGC) says there are still plenty of attractive opportunities for stock pickers, as India emerges from years of disappointing growth in corporate profitability.He explains how a change in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies should help attract more foreign investors going forward, how retail stock market participation is growing and why he’s not worried yet about the power crunch in India.David shares how he searches for high growth, high quality small and mid cap companies which he expects to have annual earnings growth of 30 per cent over the next two years, and also why he’s not yet tempted to invest in unlisted companies.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Brewer, former chief investment officer of the European branch of Morgan Stanley, tells Mary McDougall where he thinks investors should look in a world of very low rates and the possibility of prolonged inflation.He explains why he likes UK stocks, why he is wary of private equity and questions if it is worth private investors holding bonds at all. He also spells out why he thinks China is still investible, why investors should consider gold and why he’s yet to dip his toes into the crypto world.Simon is currently senior adviser to Rothschild & Co and host of The Money Maze podcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Blake Hutchins, co-manager of Troy Income & Growth Trust and Trojan Income Fund, explains where he has been finding UK equity income in a difficult environment and how the market looks set going ahead. He explains why he prefers what he considers to be good quality companies, and highlights some stocks he thinks will be able to grow their cash flows.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Investors' Chronicle's economist Chris Dillow tells Mary McDougall why he’s not worried about prolonged inflation and why he thinks the central bank is right to keep monetary policy loose.He also shares his wisdom on lead indicators that can help you understand when you should consider buying and selling, and why thinks private equity is an important part of most investment portfolios.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Azeem Azhar is a renowned thought-leader, entrepreneur and investor in the tech industry. In this podcast, he talks to Lauren Almeida about the exponential rate of tech development and how society - and investors - can keep up.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From internet giants like Alibaba (US:BABA) to education and property companies, the recent regulatory crackdown in China has sent many leading Asia stocks into a tailspin. Is this an investment opportunity, a warning or a simple reminder of the risks in the developing world?In this chat with Dave Baxter, Asia and emerging market fund manager and Somerset Capital partner Mark Williams looks at what recent events mean for investors, and where potential winners and losers might be found.Note: some technical issues may affect the sound quality of this episode at points. Also, our guest's reference to a sell-off from 2005 was actually a reference to the Chinese equity sell-of 2015.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Active fund managers have gradually been losing market share to cheaper, passive alternatives. Yet the best active funds have significantly outperformed their benchmarks over long time periods.In this interview, Jason Hollands, managing director at Tilney Smith & Williamson discusses what we can learn from Bestinvest’s latest ‘Spot the Dog’ fund report, where active management works best and what makes a good fund manager.He also sheds light on wider asset allocation questions, such as the relative attractiveness of different equity regions, how fixed income and alternatives might sit within an investment portfolio and the optimal number of funds for an investor to own.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This podcast episode from Allianz Technology Trust, looks at the ‘new normal’ post-pandemic where remote working will mix with on-site working where possible. The team discuss how this will benefit businesses that can make this new hybrid workplace both effective and efficient. Furthermore, new generations have changing expectations of work. Combined with demographic changes globally, there will be increasing problems for companies trying to fill positions. Technology will have a crucial role to play in covering rote and mundane tasks, leaving people free to drive businesses forward. To see the full podcast series visit https://www.allianztechnologytrust.com/podcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There are lots of reasons why investment trusts swing to discounts, and spotting those that might soon tighten can significantly boost shareholder returns. That’s the business of Miton Global Opportunities (MIGO), which looks to own trusts with potential for a narrowing discount as well as net asset value growth. In this interview, manager Nick Greenwood tells Leonora Walters how he identifies trusts that might soon re-rate, where he sees the best value among investment trusts currently and how investment trusts’ expansion in alternative assets has boosted the opportunity for his fund.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chrysalis Investments (CHRY) has made considerable gains by backing a small number of rapid growth companies, with a heavy weighting in fintech.In this interview, co-managers Nick Williamson and Richard Watts tell Mary McDougall why they aim to invest in companies before flotation and why they believe the opportunity for so-called crossover investors is huge.Discussing the investment case for Klarna, Starling Bank, Wise and The Hut Group (THG), they explain why they think their holdings are attractively valued and advise on the key metrics to look out for when companies come to market.Chrysalis Investments launched in November 2018 and has grown to a market capitalisation of around £1.4bn, with the share price almost doubling in the past 12 months.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The stimulus needed to support the economy over the pandemic has caused a spike in public debt and rising inflation fears. To help make sense of what might come next, Nick Macpherson, former Treasury chief, tells Mary McDougall how he thinks the government should approach bringing the nation’s debt under control, and why it matters.Discussing the problems with austerity, the distributional consequences of quantitative easing and the fixation of every government to prop up the housing market, Macpherson explains why he has been calling for a new social solidarity charge, as a temporary tax.  Macpherson joined the Treasury in 1985 and served as Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 2005 to 2016. He is currently chairman of Hoare’s Bank and a non-executive director of both British Land (BLND) and Scottish American Investment Trust (SAIN).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Temple Bar Investment Trust (TMPL) has surged ahead in the last year but its focus on "old economy" UK stocks may be off-putting for some. In this interview RWC Partners fund managers Ian Lance and Nick Purves, who took over the portfolio last year, make the investment case for Big Oil, miners, some retail names and other stocks some investors love to hate.In this interview with Dave Baxter, they also discuss how they approach value investing, the outlook for UK dividends and which parts of the market would win - or lose - during a prolonged bout of inflation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this podcast episode from The Merchants Trust, portfolio manager Simon Gergel looks back over the five years since the Brexit referendum where many different factors combined to create a particularly extraordinary and challenging period for the UK market. However, the trick has been to look through the various market uncertainties and using that lens, many mispriced opportunities have presented themselves. To see the full podcast series visit https://www.merchantstrust.co.uk/podcast/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Creed and his colleagues certainly have their hands full, having taken over the former Woodford Patient Capital trust in 2019. They also work on a separate trust, Schroder British Opportunities (SBO), which launched late last year with a focus on the "once in a generation" demand for post-pandemic finance among listed and unlisted entities in the UK. In this interview, Creed talks to the IC's Dave Baxter about the listed and unlisted UK stocks the trusts focus on, how the portfolios differ and where his team is investing.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.