Private markets: A closer look at the expanding private debt opportunity

We look at the attractions of the private debt market, historically the hunting ground of the institutional investor

NB Global Monthly Income Fund

NBMI offers a high monthly yield with less interest rate risk than conventional bonds

The complexity premium

Demand for alternative assets has soared in recent years, as investors have sought yield and low NAV volatility outside the bond market in a low interest rate world. The investment trust sector has been a major beneficiary, with many closed-ended funds offering these characteristics through their ability to invest in illiquid assets. Historically, alternative assets have offered the potential for higher returns by (in technical terms) harvesting the illiquidity premium. In more natural language

Riders on the storm

The coronavirus pandemic has had a dreadful impact on equity dividends, particularly in the UK market. Between 31 March 2020 and 31 March 2021, UK companies cut their dividends by 41.6% on an underlying basis, according to the latest Link Dividend Monitor. The cuts have continued into 2021, with a 26.7% fall on an underlying basis in Q1. That said, there was a headline increase of 7.9% thanks to the second-highest special dividends reported, thanks to large payouts from Tesco and the rallying mi

Which alternative trusts could outperform equities?

Secular stagnation refers to the economic theory that growth will be persistently low for some time to come, due to an imbalance between savings and investment. If capital is saved rather than invested productive capacity lies idle, while the drag on consumption reduces demand in the economy. As a result GDP growth is reduced. As we have previously discussed, there is no historical evidence that GDP growth has a direct impact on stock market growth – in contradiction of the theorised linkage via

NB Global Floating Rate Income - Overview

The board of NBLS is proposing a radical overhaul of the fund’s strategy which would see its mandate widened extensively in order to generate a high monthly income. In order to reflect the new mandate, the name of the fund would be changed to Neuberger Berman Global Monthly High Income Fund. NBLS currently exclusively invests in floating-rate loans. Under the proposals the investment mandate would broaden to also include conventional fixed income (both investment grade and high yield), as well a

Stairway to heaven Update

Many investors think ISA investing is all about sticking equities away for the long term and forgetting about them. However, we think there are good reasons for allocating to alternative income-generating assets in your ISA, even for those concerned with longterm capital growth. We think that many investors don’t fully appreciate the benefit of reducing the volatility on a portfolio. When thinking about long-term returns, the tendency is to think of the average return in the long run as what you

Fidante Daily Digest

Augmentum Fintech – Zopa banking licence | NB Global Floating Rate Income – EGM on share buyback author | BioPharma Credit – Statement on TESARO

Strong H1'23 results; forecasts upgraded

LIBERUM: Housebuilders: Darkest before dawn

Strategic progress drives robust growth

H1 interims are in line. Argentex has delivered strong growth (+28% yoy revenue) by driving growth initiatives. New technology-enabled products have been launched, including Alternative Transaction Banking, which are already delivering compelling growth ahead of expectations. Pressing into Europe via the Netherlands is also delivering strong growth. At the core, client KPIs remain strong. We leave our forecasts unchanged, with revenue momentum continuing into Q3. We believe the current 12.4x Dec

LIBERUM: Alpha Group International: A winning business at a cheap valuation

LIBERUM: Housebuilders: Rate peak nears & Gove less BANANAs

Equals Group (EQLS LN) - Interims justify rise in forecasts

What’s new: Equals Group has delivered outstanding interims, which have exceeded even the positive commentary at the Capital Markets Day in May and the trading update on 5 July. With trading “ahead of expectations”, we raise our 2023E revenue forecast by 7% to £95m and adj EBITDA forecast by 11% to £20m, as well as nudging up our forecasts for 2024E and 2025E.

LIBERUM: Alpha Group International: Underlying strength

H1 23: focusing on capital generation

Promising results for M&G in H1 23. The new CEO, Andrea Rossi, continues to execute the company’s new strategy, and we have confidence that he is positioning M&G to surpass its financial targets for the 2022-24 plan. The H1 23 operating capital generation results significantly outperformed expectations, exceeding the consensus by more than 50%. This substantial capital accumulation is poised to deliver strong returns to shareholders, rewarding them for their patience during this transitional per

Gore Street Energy Storage + (GSF, House Stock, 84p) - Steady NAV growth

Robust interims; small reductions to FY24 forecasts

LIBERUM: Harworth: Valuation gains reflect management actions and operational progress

LIBERUM: Pollen Street : Fundraising momentum continues

Taking the Upper Brand: Brands Sector Overview

The earliest dated brand has long been contested; the majority point to Kongō Gumi, a family run construction company that specialised in Buddhist temples in Japan; its documented record of ownership goes back to 578 AD. Like Kongō Gumi, several different brands have withstood the test of time, albeit without then same degree of longevity. The term brand originates from the 1500s and means "to burn" in Ancient Norse and was initially used to mark cattle for ownership. This practice can be consid

Interim Results

FSFL, a UK centric solar electricity generator, delivered a solid H1’23 total return (-2.4%) in a difficult environment. During the period, the fund continued with its forward sales (locking in cashflows for the next 2.5 years), increased its discount rate by c50bps to 7.5% (UK), maintained its medium term inflation (2024-2030) assumption of 3.0% and announced plans to recycle 200MW of assets into higher returning projects. During 2023 the sector has de-rated as investors, grappling with valuati

Morning Note – 6 September 2023