Prices and Markets

QuotedData’s economic round up – December 2017 – is a collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken from the comments made by chairmen and investment managers of investment companies – have a read and make your own minds up. Please remember that nothing in this note is designed to encourage you to buy or sell any of the companies mentioned. Kindly sponsored by Martin Currie December Economic and Political Roundup A collation of recent insights on markets and economies taken...

QuotedData investment companies roundup – December 2017 – is our latest roundup of news; price, NAV and discount movements; flows in and out of the sector and report on full year dividends announced over the month of November 2017. Kindly sponsored by Baillie Gifford. December Investment Companies Roundup Money raised and returned in November There were no new issues in November, in fact it seems as though many new funds are struggling to launch at the moment. Nevertheless, existing funds raised considerable amounts...

QuotedData is publishing a new update note on a company in the private equity sector. Standard Life Private Equity - A good year; more to come? With its recent results announcement, Standard Life Private Equity (SLPE) has posted decent returns (an NAV total return of 14.9% and share price total return of 31.9%). SLPE has benefitted from strong trading in its underlying companies, a healthy market for exits, improving sentiment towards the private equity sector and a narrowing discount as more investors have...

Herald Investment Trust - Who wants to be a billionaire? Herald, the small cap technology, communications and multimedia trust, recently passed a remarkable milestone. It has created more than £1bn for investors since it launched in 1994. Katie Potts, who has managed the fund over its entire life, points out that £98m was raised from investors (at launch and in subsequent issues). All of this and more has been returned via share buy-backs, yet Herald still has net assets of...

BioPharma secures second deal for up to $200m - BioPharma Credit PLC has announced that it and BioPharma Credit Investments IV, S.àr.L., entered into a definitive term loan agreement for up to US$200 million with Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: LXRX), a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with a current market capitalisation of approximately US$1.0bn. Lexicon markets XERMELO® (teloristat ethyl) for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome diarrhoea in the United States and has licensed XERMELO® to Ipsen Pharma SA for commercialisation in territories outside...

Here is an obscene fact for you: Bitcoin uses more electricity than 159 of the planet's countries. The cryptocurrency worth under $1 in 2011 hit a new record this week, making headlines as it soared above $11,000 on Wednesday morning, after which its value has been going up and down like a rollercoaster.   But the other record that Bitcoin is breaking is as the world's most obscenely energy-guzzling currency. Bitcoin is the world's first payment network that's completely decentralized,...

Jupiter Emerging & Frontier Income - A very successful fundraise Jupiter Emerging & Frontier Income (JEFI) offers investors access to the potentially exciting long-term growth prospects of emerging and frontier markets (see page 3) and one of the highest dividend yields in its peer group. Its portfolio is relatively focused, with just 44 holdings, yet it offers exposure to a diverse range of industries, geographies and sizes of companies. JEFI is differentiated too by the change-based philosophy (see page 6) that...

Premier Global Infrastructure Trust - Evolution, not revolution Premier Global Infrastructure Trust (PGIT), formerly Premier Energy & Water, has announced a change of investment emphasis within its portfolio. PGIT’s investment objectives remain unchanged (high income and long-term capital growth - see below) but fuller use is now being made of the existing authority to invest in non-utility infrastructure – areas such as ports and roads. A more concentrated portfolio is also to be revised into three distinct areas: income equities, growth...

Hg gets bid for Ullink - Hg, the Manager of HgCapital Trust plc, has announced that it has received a definitive binding offer from Itiviti, a company backed by Nordic Capital, to acquire Ullink, a leading global provider of electronic trading and connectivity solutions to the financial community. This proposed sale is subject to French workers' council consultations, and customary approvals, such as regulatory clearances. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Hg Capital would realise estimated cash proceeds of...