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NSI New Star Investment Trust Plc

114.00
-1.00 (-0.87%)
25 Apr 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
New Star Investment Trust Plc LSE:NSI London Ordinary Share GB0002631041 ORD 1P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  -1.00 -0.87% 114.00 111.00 117.00 114.00 114.00 114.00 0.00 08:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Unit Inv Tr, Closed-end Mgmt 4.74M 3.25M 0.0457 24.95 80.97M

New Star Investment Trust PLC: Annual Results for the year ended 30th June 2020 (1137932)

30/09/2020 12:05pm

UK Regulatory


 
 New Star Investment Trust PLC (NSI) 
New Star Investment Trust PLC: Annual Results for the year ended 30th June 
2020 
 
30-Sep-2020 / 12:05 GMT/BST 
Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement, transmitted by EQS Group. 
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 
 
NEW STAR INVESTMENT TRUST PLC 
 
This announcement constitutes regulated information. 
 
        UNAUDITED RESULTS 
 
        FOR THE YEARED 30TH JUNE 2020 
 
New Star Investment Trust plc (the 'Company'), whose objective is to achieve 
long-term capital growth, announces its consolidated results for the year 
ended 30th June 2020. 
 
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS 
 
                                      30th June 30th June      % 
 
                                           2020      2019 Change 
PERFORMANCE 
Net assets (GBP '000)                     113,885   113,971  (0.1) 
Net asset value per Ordinary share      160.35p   160.47p  (0.1) 
Mid-market price per Ordinary share     106.00p   111.00p  (4.5) 
Discount of price to net asset value      33.9%    30.83%    n/a 
Total Return*                             0.80%     2.98%    n/a 
IA Mixed Investment 40% - 85% Shares    (0.15)%     3.66%    n/a 
(total return) 
MSCI AC World Index (total return,        5.72%    10.30%    n/a 
sterling adjusted) 
MSCI UK Index (total return)           (15.21)%     1.68%    n/a 
 
                               1st July 2019 to 1st July 2018 to 
 
                                 30th June 2020   30th June 2019 
 
Revenue return per Ordinary               1.87p            1.81p 
share 
Capital return per share                (0.59)p            2.86p 
Return per Ordinary share                 1.28p            4.67p 
TOTAL RETURN*                             0.80%            2.98% 
 
PROPOSED DIVID PER ORDINARY            1.40p            1.40p 
SHARE 
 
  * The total return figure for the Group represents the revenue and capital 
  return shown in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income divided 
        by the net asset value at the beginning of the period. 
 
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT 
 
        PERFORMANCE 
 
    Your Company generated a positive total return of 0.80% over the year to 
      30th June 2020, taking the net asset value (NAV) per ordinary share to 
160.35p. By comparison, the Investment Association's Mixed Investment 40-85% 
    Shares Index fell 0.15%. The MSCI AC World Total Return Index rose 5.72% 
        while the MSCI UK Total Return Index fell 15.21%. Over the year, UK 
    government bonds returned 11.98%. Further information is provided in the 
        investment manager's report. 
 
     Your Company made a revenue profit for the year of GBP1.32 million (2019: 
         GBP1.28 million). 
 
        GEARINGS AND DIVID 
 
    Your Company has no borrowings. It ended the year under review with cash 
  representing 9.63% of its NAV and is likely to maintain a significant cash 
position. In respect of the financial year to 30th June 2020, your Directors 
     recommend the payment of a dividend of 1.4p per share (2019: 1.4p). The 
  level of future dividends may, in the short term, be adversely affected by 
        Covid-19-related dividend cuts. 
 
        DISCOUNT 
 
 During the year under review, your Company's shares continued to trade at a 
 significant discount to their NAV. The Board keeps this issue under review. 
 
        PERFORMANCE FEE 
 
        In November 2019, your Company announced that the arrangement for 
    performance fees was not appropriate in a low interest rate environment, 
   with the result that the existing performance fee arrangement ceased from 
1st January 2020. A performance fee of GBP623,000 (2019: GBP410,000) was payable 
        in respect of the year to 30th June 2020. 
 
OUTLOOK 
 
    Over the late summer of 2020, equities appeared attractive for long-term 
  investors, supported by large-scale monetary and fiscal stimulus measures. 
     By July, leading indicators for some of the world's major economies had 
        risen significantly from their lows, implying that a global economic 
   recovery was on the horizon, and there was some positive news on vaccines 
 and treatments for Covid-19. Corporate bonds may also perform well as yield 
  spreads over sovereign bonds narrow. Resurgent Covid-19 infection rates in 
some countries, tense Sino-US relations and the approaching US election may, 
   however, lead to renewed short-term weakness. Shortly after the year end, 
  your Company took some profits from investments in equity funds because of 
        uncertainty regarding the spread of Covid-19. 
 
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 
The annual general meeting will be held on 12 November 2020. 
 
NET ASSET VALUE 
 
Your Company's unaudited net asset value per share at 31st August 2020 was 
162.94p. 
 
        INVESTMENT MANAGER'S REPORT 
 
        MARKET REVIEW 
 
  The Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of lockdowns to contain the spread of 
        the virus dominated financial markets during the second half of your 
Company's financial year. Global equities fell 25.33% in sterling from their 
        high on 20th February 2020 to their 16th March low. Global equities 
   recovered, however, during the final quarter, extending the 4.89% gain in 
 sterling at the interim stage to close the year up 5.72%. The announcements 
by central banks and governments of large-scale monetary and fiscal stimulus 
  measures softened the impact of the lockdowns on businesses and households 
        and reassured investors. 
 
        .. 
 
  Global bonds outperformed equities over the year, rising 7.35% in sterling 
      as leading central banks cut interest rates to near-zero and increased 
quantitative easing. UK government bonds were particularly strong, returning 
11.98%. Interest rates are likely to remain low for some time. In March, the 
 yield spreads of corporate and high-yield bonds widened over sovereign bond 
 yields as investors anticipated more businesses would default, particularly 
  in the hard-pressed energy, retail and travel and leisure sectors. The Fed 
expanded its asset purchase programme to include corporate bonds, leading to 
        improved liquidity and lower yields overall. Sterling corporate and 
       high-yield bonds returned 6.52% and 0.62% respectively over the year. 
 
US equities outperformed, returning 10.73% in sterling, buoyed by the 41.67% 
    rise by US technology stocks. Technology companies benefitted from their 
 strong balance sheets and an acceleration in the established trends towards 
        home working and online shopping and entertainment. 
 
UK equities lagged, falling 15.21% as the London market's heavy weighting in 
        cyclical sectors such as energy, financials and industrials proved a 
   headwind. Uncertainty regarding European Union-UK trade negotiations also 
    weighed on stocks as the government allowed the 30th June deadline for a 
      request to extend the Brexit transition period to lapse. Sterling lost 
       2.92%, 2.78% and 1.57% respectively against the dollar, yen and euro. 
 
        Equities in Europe excluding the UK underperformed, falling 3.50% in 
  sterling on fears that fiscally-prudent northern countries might oppose an 
EU rescue package that included grants rather than loans to heavily-indebted 
     southern countries. Such a deal was, however, agreed shortly after your 
   Company's year-end. Equities in Asia excluding Japan and emerging markets 
also lagged, rising 5.03% and falling 0.14% respectively in sterling despite 
 a leading indicator suggesting China would emerge strongly from the crisis. 
        Sino-US relations deteriorated as Beijing passed a new security law 
   governing Hong Kong and the US retaliated by revoking Hong Kong's special 
        status under US law. 
 
     Oil prices fell 63.66% in sterling as lower demand during the lockdowns 
   compounded the impact of the Russo-Saudi oil price war. By contrast, gold 
   rose 29.44% in sterling, benefitting from safe-haven buying and the lower 
    opportunity cost of holding this nil-yielding asset in an environment of 
        near-zero interest rates. 
 
        PORTFOLIO REVIEW 
 
     Your Company's total return over the year under review was 1.34% before 
       performance fees and 0.80% after performance fees. By comparison, the 
Investment Association's Mixed Investment 40-85% Shares sector, comprising a 
peer group of multi-asset funds that typically invest 40-85% of their assets 
   in global equities, fell 0.15%. The MSCI AC World Total Return Index rose 
    5.72% in sterling while the MSCI UK Total Return Index fell 15.21%. Your 
 Company benefitted from strong performance by investments in technology and 
        gold mining. 
 
Performance was, however, held back by poor performance by UK equities and a 
        relatively low investment in global bonds. 
 
   Polar Capital Global Technology made the biggest positive contribution to 
 your Company's performance, rising 39.78% over the year. The fund increased 
      in size from $3.4 billion to $5.8 billion, with inflows totalling $1.1 
  billion. In response, Polar Capital soft-closed the fund in July, with the 
   result that only existing investors such as your Company may add to their 
        holdings. Fundsmith Equity, your Company's largest investment, also 
  benefitted from the strong performance of technology stocks, which account 
  for a significant proportion of its portfolio, with Facebook and Microsoft 
    among its 10 largest holdings. At the year end, prospects for technology 
   companies remained bright although increasing regulatory pressures were a 
  potential headwind. In June, the European Commission opened two anti-trust 
  investigations into Apple; in July, the chief executives of Amazon, Apple, 
   Facebook and Google were invited to testify before Congress as part of an 
        anti-trust investigation. 
 
  Underperformance by UK equities detracted from performance. Investments in 
     UK equity income funds have contributed significantly to your Company's 
       income and capacity to pay dividends. The UK equity income allocation 
  increased in November 2019 through an additional purchase of Chelverton UK 
   Equity Income. In March, following market falls, the UK equity allocation 
        increased further through the purchase of the SPDR UK FTSE All-Share 
exchange-traded fund. In May, following a partial recovery by UK stocks from 
their March through, Schroder Income, which invests in UK equities, was sold 
        in favour of Baillie Gifford Global Income Growth. 
 
Higher-yielding UK stocks fell as dividends were cancelled, cut or deferred. 
       Dividends from UK stocks are expected to fall more than in the US and 
 mainland Europe because of the London market's relatively high weighting in 
    cyclical sectors such as financials and energy. In March, the Prudential 
Regulation Authority, the banking regulator, said the seven largest UK banks 
    would suspend dividends and buybacks until the end of 2020. BP and Royal 
  Dutch Shell, which accounted for a significant proportion of all dividends 
paid by UK companies, cut their dividends. In the case of Royal Dutch Shell, 
     this was for the first time since the Second World War. Aberforth Split 
Level Income was the portfolio's worst performer, falling 35.14% as declines 
  by UK stocks were compounded by the manager's out-of-favour value style of 
   investing and gearing resulting from its zero dividend preference shares. 
    Man GLG UK Income fell 15.61% but Trojan Income, down only 5.58%, proved 
more resilient as a result of its holdings in defensive consumer stocks such 
        as Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever. 
 
        BlackRock Gold & General, up 43.95%, was the second largest positive 
       contributor to your Company's returns. Gold mining profits are highly 
 sensitive to gold price movements and bullion benefitted over the year from 
safe-haven buying and fears that large-scale monetary easing might result in 
        the debasement of fiat currencies. 
 
        Amongst your Company's lower-risk investments, Aquilus Inflection, a 
 euro-hedged long/short equity fund, rose 10.21% while Trojan, a multi-asset 
   fund with investments in defensive equities, inflation-linked bonds, gold 
and cash, rose 7.52%. An investment in Chelsea Managed Monthly Income, which 
        has a multi-asset portfolio, was purchased to provide further 
        diversification and an income. 
 
        Your Company has a significant allocation to cash, held primarily in 
      dollars. It benefitted, therefore, from the dollar's 3.0% rise against 
        sterling over the year. 
 
        At the year end, your Company's private equity holdings represented 
   approaching 7.5% of its portfolio. Its investment in the Embark financial 
       services group represented more than 80% of the value of the unquoted 
       holdings. Following the completion of two successful equity issues to 
     finance two acquisitions, the Embark holding was written up by 17.5% to 
        reflect the latest external fundraising. 
 
        OUTLOOK 
 
    Over the late summer of 2020, the outlook for equities remained positive 
     given the monetary and fiscal support in place and the possibility that 
  further stimulus measures might be forthcoming, particularly in the US. By 
  July, leading indicators for some of the world's major economies had risen 
 significantly, implying that a global economic recovery was on the horizon. 
Your Company did, however take some profits from investments in equity funds 
   shortly after the year end because of uncertainty regarding the spread of 
  Covid-19. In June, the World Health Organisation warned the worst could be 
        to come. 
 
        SCHEDULE OF LARGEST HOLDINGS AT 30TH JUNE 2020 
 
              Market   Purchases/    Market   Market   % of net 
             value 30     Sales     movement value 30   assets 
               June                          June 2020 
               2019 
 
                                              GBP'000 
             GBP'000 
 
                         GBP'000      GBP'000 
Fundsmith       7,839             -      722     8,561      7.52 
Equity Fund 
Polar           5,280             -    2,101     7,381      6.48 
Capital 
Global 
Technology 
Embark Group    5,942             -    1,048     6,990      6.14 
SPDR FTSE UK        -         5,008      536     5,544      4.87 
All Share 
BlackRock       3,470             -    1,515     4,985      4.38 
Gold & 
General 
TM Crux         5,098             -    (177)     4,921      4.32 
European 
Special 
Situations 
Fund 
EF Brompton     4,222             -      136     4,358      3.83 
Global 
Consecutive 
Fund 
Aquilus         3,698             -      378     4,076      3.58 
Infection 
Fund 
BlackRock       3,794             -      137     3,931      3.45 
Continental 
European 
Income Fund 
Lindsell        3,144             -      387     3,531      3.10 
Train 
Japanese 
Equity Fund 
Artemis         3,856             -    (495)     3,361      2.95 
Global 
Income Fund 
Baillie             -         3,200      154     3,354      2.95 
Gifford 
Global 
Income 
Growth 
MI              1,487         2,500    (974)     3,013      2.65 
Chelverton 
UK Equity 
Income Fund 
EF Brompton     2,846             -      126     2,972      2.61 
Global 
Equity Fund 
EF Brompton     2,840             -       83     2,923      2.57 
Global 
Opportunitie 
s Fund 
EF Brompton     2,694             -       64     2,758      2.42 
Global 
Growth Fund 
Liontrust       2,763             -    (141)     2,622      2.30 
Asia Income 
Fund 
First State     2,750             -    (304)     2,446      2.15 
Indian 
Subcontinent 
Fund 
MI Brompton     2,669             -    (352)     2,317      2.03 
UK Recovery 
Unit Trust 
EF Brompton     2,246             -       68     2,314      2.03 
Global 
Balanced 
Fund 
Aberforth       3,747             -  (1,494)     2,253      1.98 
Split Level 
Income Trust 
Man GLG UK      2,767             -    (561)     2,206      1.94 
Income Fund 
Trojan          2,379             -    (215)     2,164      1.90 
Income Fund 
Schroder        4,795       (3,272)  (1,523)    _____-     ____- 
Income Fund 
               80,326         7,436    1,219    88,981     78.15 
 
 Balance not   13,456         2,009  (1,431)    14,034     12.32 
     held in 
 investments 
       above 
       Total   93,782         9,445    (212)   103,015     90.47 
 investments 
  (excluding 
       cash) 
        Cash   20,605       (9,769)      126    10,962      9.63 
   Other net    (416)           324        -      (92)    (0.08) 
     current 
      assets 
              113,971             -     (86)   113,885    100.00 
 
The investment portfolio, excluding cash, can be further 
analysed as follows: 
                                                        GBP '000 
Investment funds                                        83,363 
Investment companies and exchange                       10,642 
traded funds 
Unquoted investments                                     8,468 
Other quoted investments                                   542 
                                                       103,015 
 
        STRATEGIC REVIEW 
 
 The Strategic Review is designed to provide information primarily about the 
       Company's business and results for the year ended 30th June 2020. The 
Strategic Review should be read in conjunction with the Chairman's Statement 
   and the Investment Manager's Report, which provide a review of the year's 
        investment activities of the Company and the outlook for the future. 
 
        STATUS 
 
 The Company is an investment company under section 833 of the Companies Act 
        2006. It is an Approved Company under the Investment Trust (Approved 
Company) (Tax) Regulations 2011 (the 'Regulations') and conducts its affairs 
       in accordance with those Regulations so as to retain its status as an 
    investment trust and maintain exemption from liability to United Kingdom 
        capital gains tax. 
 
 The Company is a small registered Alternative Investment Fund Manager under 
        the European Union Markets in Financial Instruments Directive. 
 
        PURPOSE CULTURE AND VALUES 
 
 The Directors acknowledge the expectation under the Code that they formally 
        define a purpose for the Company. The Directors have reviewed this 
       requirement and consider that the Company's purpose is to deliver the 
   Company's stated investment objective to achieve long-term capital growth 
        for the benefit of its investors. 
 
     Similarly, the Directors have also considered the Company's culture and 
values in line with Code requirements. The Board has formed the view that as 
        the Company has no direct employees, and with operational management 
     outsourced to the Investment Manager, the Administrator and the Company 
  Secretary, the Company's culture and values have to be those of the Board. 
 Having a stable composition and established working practices, the Board is 
   defined by experienced membership, trust and robust investment challenge. 
    These are therefore the key characteristics of the Company's culture and 
        values. 
 
     STAKEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES (S.172 STATEMENT UNDER COMPANIES ACT 2006) 
 
The Directors are aware of their responsibilities to stakeholders under both 
the Code and legislation through regular governance updates from the Company 
        Secretary. As a UK listed investment trust, the Directors outsource 
   operational management of the Company, including day to day management of 
 the investment portfolio, to third parties. As a consequence, the Directors 
        consider their key stakeholder groups to be limited to the Company's 
shareholders, its third party advisers and service providers, and individual 
        board members. 
 
 The Company's Articles of Association, the Board's commitment to follow the 
      principles of the UK Corporate Governance Code issued by the Financial 
      Reporting Council in July 2018 ('the code') and the involvement of the 
 independent Company Secretary in board matters enable the Directors to meet 
      their responsibilities towards individual shareholder groups and board 
  members. Governance procedures are in place which allow both investors and 
    directors to ask questions or raise concerns appropriately. The Board is 
  satisfied that those governance procedures mean the Company can act fairly 
        between individual shareholders and takes account of Mr Duffield's 
significant shareholding. In considering the payment of the minimum dividend 
    required to maintain investment trust tax status, the recommendations to 
 vote in favour of the resolutions at the AGM, the change to the performance 
   fee arrangements and the provision of temporary liquidity facilities, the 
Board assessed the potential benefits to shareholders and the manager of the 
        investment portfolio. 
 
 The Board also regularly considers the performance of its independent third 
   party service providers. Those third party service providers in turn have 
    regular opportunities to report on matters meriting the attention of the 
        Board, including in relation to their own performance. The Board is 
therefore confident that its responsibilities to each of its key stakeholder 
        groups are being discharged effectively. 
 
  As the Company does not have any employees, the Board does not consider it 
      necessary to establish means for employee engagement with the Board as 
        required by the latest version of the Code. 
 
        INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICY 
 
        Investment Objective 
 
  The Company's investment objective is to achieve long-term capital growth. 
 
        Investment Policy 
 
  The Company's investment policy is to allocate assets to global investment 
   opportunities through investment in equity, bond, commodity, real estate, 
       currency and other markets. The Company's assets may have significant 
        weightings to any one asset class or market, including cash. 
 
      The Company will invest in pooled investment vehicles, exchange traded 
     funds, futures, options, limited partnerships and direct investments in 
     relevant markets. The Company may invest up to 15% of its net assets in 
        direct investments in relevant markets. 
 
      The Company will not follow any index with reference to asset classes, 
  countries, sectors or stocks. Aggregate asset class exposure to any one of 
the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe ex UK, Asia ex Japan, Japan or 
   Emerging Markets and to any individual industry sector will be limited to 
  50% of the Company's net assets, such values being assessed at the time of 
  investment and for funds by reference to their published investment policy 
        or, where appropriate, the underlying investment exposure. 
 
   The Company may invest up to 20% of its net assets in unlisted securities 
  (excluding unquoted pooled investment vehicles) such values being assessed 
        at the time of investment. 
 
   The Company will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in any single 
        investment, such values being assessed at the time of investment. 
 
   Derivative instruments and forward foreign exchange contracts may be used 
    for the purposes of efficient portfolio management and currency hedging. 
   Derivatives may also be used outside of efficient portfolio management to 
meet the Company's investment objective. The Company may take outright short 
 positions in relation to up to 30% of its net assets, with a limit on short 
 sales of individual stocks of up to 5% of its net assets, such values being 
        assessed at the time of investment. 
 
   Derivative instruments and forward foreign exchange contracts may be used 
    for the purposes of efficient portfolio management and currency hedging. 
   Derivatives may also be used outside of efficient portfolio management to 
meet the Company's investment objective. The Company may take outright short 
 positions in relation to up to 30% of its net assets, with a limit on short 
 sales of individual stocks of up to 5% of its net assets, such values being 
        assessed at the time of investment. 
 
    The Company may borrow up to 30% of net assets for short-term funding or 
        long-term investment purposes. 
 
  No more than 10%, in aggregate, of the value of the Company's total assets 
    may be invested in other closed-ended investment funds except where such 
  funds have themselves published investment policies to invest no more than 
    15% of their total assets in other listed closed-ended investment funds. 
 
   Information on the Company's portfolio of assets with a view to spreading 
  investment risk in accordance with its investment policy is set out above. 
 
        FINANCIAL REVIEW 
 
         Net assets at 30th June 2020 amounted to GBP113,885,000 compared with 
       GBP113,971,000 at 30th June 2019. In the year under review, the NAV per 
    Ordinary share decreased by 0.1% from 160.47p to 160.35p, after paying a 
        dividend of 1.4p per share. 
 
    The Group's gross revenue increased to GBP2,419,000 (2019: GBP2,239,000). In 
  2019 and 2020 the Company increased its investment in income focused funds 
      resulting in an increase in gross income in both years. The year under 
       review was not impacted significantly by the Covid-19 pandemic. After 
        deducting expenses and taxation, the revenue profit for the year was 
          GBP1,325,000 (2019: GBP1,285,000). 
 
      Total expenses for the year amounted to GBP1,717,000 (2019: GBP1,364,000), 
 mainly as a result of an increased performance fee becoming payable. In the 
 year under review the investment management fee amounted to GBP697,000 (2019: 
    GBP688,000). A performance fee of GBP623,000 (2019; GBP410,000) was payable in 
 respect of the year under review. The performance fee has been allocated to 
     the Capital account in accordance with the Company's accounting policy. 
     Further details on the Company's expenses may be found in notes 3 and 4 
        below. 
 
        Dividends have not formed a central part of the Company's investment 
 objective. The increased investment in income focused funds has enabled the 
   Directors to declare an increased dividend in recent years. The Directors 
 propose a final dividend of 1.40p per Ordinary share in respect of the year 
       ended 30th June 2020 (2019: 1.40p). If approved at the Annual General 
 Meeting, the dividend will be paid on 30th November 2020 to shareholders on 
 the register at the close of business on 6th November 2020 (ex-dividend 5th 
        November 2020). 
 
        The primary source of the Company's funding is shareholder funds. 
 
While the future performance of the Company is dependent, to a large degree, 
    on the performance of international financial markets, which in turn are 
 subject to many external factors, the Board's intention is that the Company 
  will continue to pursue its stated investment objective in accordance with 
 the strategy outlined above. Further comments on the short-term outlook for 
      the Company are set out in the Chairman's Statement and the Investment 
        Manager's report. 
 
 Throughout the year the Group's investments included seven funds managed by 
    the Investment Manager (2019: seven). No investment management fees were 
        payable directly by the Company in respect of these investments. 
 
        PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 
 
   In order to measure the success of the Company in meeting its objectives, 
    and to evaluate the performance of the Investment Manager, the Directors 
      review at each meeting: net asset value, income and expenditure, asset 
allocation and attribution, share price of the Company and the discount. The 
 Directors take into account a number of different indicators as the Company 
 does not have a formal benchmark, and performance against these is shown in 
        the Financial Highlights. 
 
        Performance is discussed in the Chairman's Statement and Investment 
        Manager's Report. 
 
        PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES 
 
  The principal risks identified by the Board, and the steps the Board takes 
 to mitigate them, are discussed below. The audit committee reviews existing 
  and emerging risks on a six monthly basis. The Board has closely monitored 
the societal, economic and market focused implications of the events in 2020 
      to date, and have accordingly added a new macro-economic event risk to 
        reflect these considerations: 
 
        Investment strategy 
 
 Inappropriate long-term strategy, asset allocation and fund selection could 
lead to underperformance. The Board discusses investment performance at each 
        of its meetings and the Directors receive reports detailing asset 
        allocation, investment selection and performance. 
 
        Business conditions and general economy 
 
 The Company's future performance is heavily dependent on the performance of 
  different equity and currency markets. The Board cannot mitigate the risks 
  arising from adverse market movements. However, diversification within the 
 portfolio will reduce the impact. Further information is given in portfolio 
        risks below. 
 
        Macro-economic event risk 
 
  The Covid pandemic has been felt globally in 2020. The scale and potential 
   adverse impact of a macro-economic event, such as the Covid pandemic, has 
  highlighted the possibility of a number of identified risks such as market 
  risk, currency risk, investment liquidity risk and operational risk having 
an adverse impact at the same time. The risk may impact on: the value of the 
Company's investment portfolio, its liquidity, meaning investments cannot be 
      realised quickly, or the Company's ability to operate if the Company's 
 suppliers face financial or operational difficulties. The Directors closely 
      monitor these areas and currently maintain a significant cash balance. 
 
    Portfolio risks - market price, foreign currency and interest rate risks 
 
Investment returns will be influenced by interest rates, inflation, investor 
      sentiment, availability/cost of credit and general economic and market 
conditions in the UK and globally. A significant proportion of the portfolio 
        is in investments denominated in foreign currencies and movements in 
        exchange rates could significantly affect their sterling value. The 
        Investment Manager takes all these factors into account when making 
investment decisions but the Company does not normally hedge against foreign 
currency movements. The Board's policy is to hold a spread of investments in 
   order to reduce the impact of the risks arising from the above factors by 
        investing in a spread of asset classes and geographic regions. 
 
Net asset value discount 
 
  The discount in the price at which the Company's shares trade to net asset 
   value means that shareholders cannot realise the real underlying value of 
their investment. Over the last few years the Company's share price has been 
   at a significant discount to the Company's net asset value. The Directors 
  review regularly the level of discount, however given the investor base of 
   the Company, the Board is very restricted in its ability to influence the 
        discount to net asset value. 
 
Investment Manager 
 
  The quality of the team employed by the Investment Manager is an important 
       factor in delivering good performance and the loss of key staff could 
adversely affect returns. A representative of the Investment Manager attends 
    each Board meeting and the Board is informed if any major changes to the 
        investment team employed by the Investment Manager are proposed. The 
  Investment Manager regularly informs the Board of developments and any key 
implications for either the Investment Strategy or the investment portfolio. 
 
        Tax and regulatory risks 
 
  A breach of The Investment Trust (Approved Company) (Tax) Regulations 2011 
        (the 'Regulations') could lead to capital gains realised within the 
     portfolio becoming subject to UK capital gains tax. A breach of the FCA 
   Listing Rules could result in suspension of the Company's shares, while a 
  breach of company law could lead to criminal proceedings, financial and/or 
     reputational damage. The Board employs Brompton Asset Management LLP as 
        Investment Manager, and Maitland Administration Services Limited as 
        Secretary and Administrator, to help manage the Company's legal and 
        regulatory obligations. 
 
        Operational 
 
   Disruption to, or failure of, the Investment Manager's or Administrator's 
   accounting, dealing or payment systems, or the Custodian's records, could 
    prevent the accurate reporting and monitoring of the Company's financial 
   position. The Company is also exposed to the operational risk that one or 
more of its suppliers may not provide the required level of service. How the 
    Board monitors its service providers, with an emphasis on their business 
  interruption procedures, is set out in the Corporate Governance Statement. 
 
 The Directors confirm that they have carried out an assessment of the risks 
 facing the Company, including those that would threaten its business model, 
        future performance, solvency and liquidity. 
 
        VIABILITY STATEMENT 
 
     The assets of the Company consist mainly of securities that are readily 
   realisable or cash and it has no significant liabilities and no financial 
    commitments. In the last few years investment income has exceeded annual 
 expenditure and current liquid net assets cover current annual expenses for 
 many years. Accordingly, the Company is of the opinion that it has adequate 
  financial resources to continue in operational existence for the long term 
 which is considered to be in excess of five years. Five years is considered 
a reasonable period for investors when making their investment decisions. In 
   reaching this view the Directors reviewed the anticipated level of annual 
    expenditure against the cash and liquid assets within the portfolio. The 
        Directors have also considered the risks the Company faces, and have 
        considered the economic and operational implications of third party 
   suppliers arising from the Covid-19 pandemic in finalising this viability 
        statement. 
 
        ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE ISSUES 
 
The Company has no employees, with day-to-day operational and administration 
   of the Company being delegated by the Board to the Independent Investment 
        Manager and the Administrator. The Company's portfolio is managed in 
        accordance with the investment objective and policy approved by 
     shareholders. The Company is primarily invested in investment funds and 
      exchange traded funds, where it has no direct dialogue with underlying 
        investments. Environmental, social and governance considerations of 
 underlying investee companies are not a key driver when evaluating existing 
        and potential investments. 
 
        GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS 
 
     As the Company has no premises, properties or equipment of its own, the 
   Directors deem the Company to be exempt from making any disclosures under 
        the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Reports and Directors' Reports) 
        Regulations 2013. 
 
        STREAMLINED ENERGY AND CARBON REPORTING 
 
        The Company is categorised as a lower energy user under the HMRC 
 Environmental Reporting Guidelines March 2019 and is therefore not required 
   to make the detailed disclosures of energy and carbon information set out 
   within the guidelines. The Company's energy and carbon information is not 
        therefore disclosed in this report. 
 
        MODERN SLAVERY ACT 
 
     The Directors rely on undertakings given by its independent third party 
       advisers that those companies continue to have no instances of modern 
slavery either within their businesses or supply chains. Given the financial 
services focus and geographical location of all third-party suppliers to the 
        Company, the Directors perceive the risks of a contravention of the 
        legislation to be very low. 
 
        GER DIVERSITY 
 
     The Board of Directors comprises three male directors, and currently no 
  female board members. Composition of the Board has not changed since 2017, 
      and the Board has benefitted from stable membership and strong working 
   relationships between individual directors in that time. For this reason, 
        the Board does not currently anticipate making future changes. 
 
      The Board is committed to the benefits of diversity, including gender, 
    ethnicity and background when considering new appointments to the Board, 
 whilst always seeking to base any decision on merit, measured by knowledge, 
       experience and ability to make a positive contribution to the Board's 
        decision making. 
 
        LISTING RULE 9.8.4 
 
 Listing rule 9.8.4 required the Company to include certain information in a 
 single identifiable section of the Annual Report or a cross-reference table 
     indicating where the information is set out. The Directors confirm that 
        there were no disclosures to be made in this regard. 
 
        CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME AT 30TH JUNE 2020 
 
                          Year ended            Year ended 
 
                        30th June 2020        30th June 2019 
                     Revenue Capital       Revenue Capital 
                      Return  Return        Return  Return 
                              GBP '000                GBP '000 
 
                                     Total                 Total 
                      GBP '000             GBP  GBP '000             GBP 
                                      '000                  '000 
 
               Notes 
 
INVESTMENT       2     2,169       - 2,169   1,890       - 1,890 
INCOME 
Other            2       250       -   250     349       -   349 
operating 
income 
                       2,419       - 2,419   2,239       - 2,239 
GAINS AND 
LOSSES ON 
INVESTMENTS 
(Losses)/gains 
on investments 
at fair value 
through profit 
or loss          9         -   (212) (212)       -   1,992 1,992 
Other exchange             -     414   414       -     443   443 
gains 
Trail rebates              -       4     4       -       5     5 
                       2,419     206 2,625   2,239   2,440 4,679 
EXPENSES 
Management and   3     (697)   (623) (1,32   (688)   (410) (1,09 
performance                             0)                    8) 
fees 
Other expenses   4    ( 397)       - (397)   (266)       - (266) 
                           (  ( 623) (1,71   (954)   (410) (1,36 
                      1,094)            7)                    4) 
PROFIT BEFORE          1,325   (417)   908   1,285   2,031 3,315 
TAX 
Tax              5         -       -     -       -       -     - 
PROFIT FOR THE         1,325   (417)   908   1,285   2,031 3,315 
YEAR 
 
EARNINGS PER 
SHARE 
Ordinary         7     1.87p (0.59)p 1.28p   1.81p   2.86p 4.67p 
shares (pence) 
 
   The total column of this statement represents the Group's profit and loss 
account, prepared in accordance with IFRS, as adopted by the European Union. 
        The supplementary Revenue Return and Capital Return columns are both 
        prepared under guidance published by the Association of Investment 
 Companies. All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from 
        continuing operations. 
 
     The Company did not have any income or expense that was not included in 
   'Profit for the year'. Accordingly, the 'Profit for the year' is also the 
 'Total comprehensive income for the year', as defined in IAS1 (revised) and 
        no separate Statement of Comprehensive Income has been presented. 
 
        No operations were acquired or discontinued during the year. 
 
     All income is attributable to the equity holders of the parent company. 
        There are no minority interests. 
 
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE YEARED 30TH JUNE 
        2020 
 
            Note   Share    Share    Special    Retained 
                          premium    reserve    earnings 
 
                 capital                                   Total 
                           GBP '000     GBP '000      GBP '000 
 
                  GBP '000                                  GBP '000 
 
AT 30TH              710   21,573     56,908      34,780 113,971 
JUNE 2019 
Total                  -        -          -         908     908 
comprehensi 
ve income 
for the 
year 
Dividend     8         -        -          -       (994)   (994) 
paid 
AT 30TH              710   21,573     56,908      34,694 113,885 
JUNE 2020 
 
Included within Retained earnings were GBP2,018,000 of Company reserves 
available for distribution. 
 
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE YEARED 30TH JUNE 
        2019 
 
            Note   Share    Share    Special    Retained 
                          premium    reserve    earnings 
 
                 capital                                   Total 
                           GBP '000     GBP '000      GBP '000 
 
                  GBP '000                                  GBP '000 
 
AT 30TH              710   21,573     56,908      32,175 111,366 
JUNE 2018 
Total                  -        -          -       3,315   3,315 
comprehensi 
ve income 
for the 
year 
Dividend     8         -        -          -       (710)   (710) 
paid 
AT 30TH              710   21,573     56,908      34,780 113,971 
JUNE 2019 
 
Included within Retained earnings were GBP1,687,000 of Company reserves 
available for distribution. 
 
        CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET AT 30TH JUNE 2020 
 
                                       Notes 30th June 30th June 
 
                                                  2020      2019 
 
                                                GBP '000    GBP '000 
NON-CURRENT ASSETS 
Investments at fair value through        9     103,015    93,782 
profit or loss 
 
CURRENT ASSETS 
Other receivables                       11         137       220 
Cash and cash equivalents               12      10,962    20,605 
                                                11,099    20,825 
 
TOTAL ASSETS                                   114,114   114,607 
 
CURRENT LIABILITIES 
Other payables                          13       (229)     (636) 
 
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES          113,885   113,971 
 
NET ASSETS                                     113,885   113,971 
 
EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO EQUITY HOLDERS 
Called-up share capital                 14         710       710 
Share premium                           15      21,573    21,573 
Special reserve                         15      56,908    56,908 
Retained earnings                       15      34,694    34,780 
 
TOTAL EQUITY                                   113,885   113,971 
 
NET ASSET VALUE PER ORDINARY SHARE      16     160.35p   160.47p 
 
        CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENTS AT 30TH JUNE 2020 
 
                          Year ended Year ended  Year Year ended 
                                                ended 
 
                           30th June  30th June        30th June 
                                                 30th 
                                                 June 
 
                                2020       2020             2019 
 
                                                 2019 
 
                               Group    Company          Company 
 
                                                Group 
 
                    Notes     GBP '000     GBP '000           GBP '000 
 
                                                    GBP 
                                                 '000 
NET CASH INFLOW 
FROM OPERATING 
ACTIVITIES 
 
                                 382        382 1,334      1,334 
INVESTING 
ACTIVITIES 
Purchase of                 (12,725)   (12,725) (4,34    (4,340) 
investments                                        0) 
Sale of investments            3,280      3,280 8,851      8,851 
NET CASH 
(OUTFLOW)/INFLOW 
FROM INVESTING 
ACTIVITIES 
                             (9,445)    (9,445) 4,511      4,511 
FINANCING 
Equity dividends      8        (994)      (994) (710)      (710) 
paid 
 
NET CASH OUTFLOW               (994)      (994) (710)      (710) 
AFTER FINANCING 
(DECREASE)/INCREASE         (10,057)   (10,057) 5,135      5,135 
IN CASH 
RECONCILIATION OF 
NET CASH FLOW TO 
MOVEMENT IN CASH & 
CASH EQUIVALENTS 
(Decrease)/Increase 
in cash resulting 
from cash flows 
 
                            (10,057)   (10,057) 5,135      5,135 
Exchange movements               414        414   443        443 
Movement in net              (9,643)    (9,643) 5,578      5,578 
funds 
Net funds at start            20,605     20,605 15,02     15,027 
of the year                                         7 
CASH & CASH          17       10,962     10,962 20,60     20,605 
EQUIVALENTS AT                                  5 
OF YEAR 
RECONCILIATION OF 
PROFIT BEFORE 
FINANCE COSTS AND 
TAXATION TO NET 
CASH FLOW FROM 
OPERATING 
ACTIVITIES 
Profit before                    908        908 3,315      3,315 
finance costs and 
taxation* 
(Losses)/Gains on                212        212 (1,99    (1,992) 
investments                                        2) 
Exchange                       (414)      (414) (443)      (443) 
differences 
Capital trail                    (4)        (4)   (5)        (5) 
rebates 
Net revenue gains 
before finance 
costs and taxation 
 
                                 702        702   875        875 
Decrease in debtors               81         81    43         43 
(Decrease)/Increase            (407)      (407)   402        402 
in creditors 
Taxation                           2          2     9          9 
Capital trail                      4          4     5          5 
rebates 
NET CASH INFLOW 
FROM OPERATING 
ACTIVITIES 
 
                                 382        382 1,334      1,334 
 
*Includes dividends received in cash of GBP1,977,000 (2019: GBP1,599,000), 
accumulation income of GBP245,000 (2019: GBP278,000) and interest received of 
GBP270,000 (2019: GBP408,000). 
 
        NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEARED 30TH JUNE 2020 
 
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES 
 
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International 
        Financial Reporting Standards ('IFRS'). These comprise standards and 
    interpretations approved by the International Accounting Standards Board 
     ('IASB'), together with interpretations of the International Accounting 
    Standards and Standing Interpretations Committee ('IASC') that remain in 
effect, and to the extent that they have been adopted by the European Union. 
 
    These financial statements are presented in pounds sterling, the Group's 
 functional currency, being the currency of the primary economic environment 
        in which the Group operates, rounded to the nearest thousand. 
 
  (a) Basis of preparation: The financial statements have been prepared on a 
  going concern basis (see 1 (p)). The principal accounting policies adopted 
        are set out below. 
 
       Where presentational guidance set out in the Statement of Recommended 
    Practice 'Financial Statements of Investment Trust Companies and Venture 
  Capital Trusts' ('SORP') issued by the Association of Investment Companies 
 ('AIC') in November 2014 and updated in February 2018 and October 2019 with 
   consequential amendments is consistent with the requirements of IFRS, the 
        Directors have sought to prepare the financial statements on a basis 
        compliant with the recommendations of the SORP. 
 
   (b) Basis of consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include 
the accounts of the Company and its subsidiary made up to 30th June 2020. No 
    statement of comprehensive income is presented for the parent company as 
        permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006. 
 
    The Company is an investment entity as defined by IFRS 10 and assets are 
    held at their fair value. The consolidated accounts include subsidiaries 
        which are an integral part of the Group and not investee companies. 
 
 Subsidiaries are consolidated from the date of their acquisition, being the 
  date on which the Company obtains control, and continue to be consolidated 
    until the date that such control ceases. The financial statements of the 
 subsidiary used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements 
   are based on consistent accounting policies. All intra-group balances and 
        transactions, including unrealised profits arising therefrom, are 
eliminated. Subsidiaries are valued at fair value, which is considered to be 
        their NAV, in the accounts of the Company. 
 
   (c) Presentation of Statement of Comprehensive Income: In order to better 
reflect the activities of an investment trust company and in accordance with 
    guidance issued by the AIC, supplementary information which analyses the 
   consolidated statement of comprehensive income between items of a revenue 
  and capital nature has been presented alongside the consolidated statement 
        of comprehensive income. 
 
       In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association, net capital 
  returns may not be distributed by way of a dividend. Additionally, the net 
       revenue profit is the measure the Directors believe is appropriate in 
   assessing the Group's compliance with certain requirements set out in the 
        Investment Trust (Approved Company) (Tax) Regulations 2011. 
 
  (d) Use of estimates: The preparation of financial statements requires the 
   Group to make estimates and assumptions that affect items reported in the 
       consolidated and company balance sheets and consolidated statement of 
comprehensive income and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities 
 at the date of the financial statements. Although these estimates are based 
    on the Directors' best knowledge of current facts, circumstances and, to 
      some extent, future events and actions, the Group's actual results may 
    ultimately differ from those estimates, possibly significantly. The most 
  significant estimate relates to the valuation of unquoted investments (see 
        note 18(h)). 
 
(e) Revenue: Dividends and other such revenue distributions from investments 
        are credited to the revenue column of the consolidated statement of 
 comprehensive income on the day in which they are quoted ex-dividend. Where 
  the Company has elected to receive its dividends in the form of additional 
shares rather than in cash and the amount of the cash dividend is recognised 
   as income, any excess in the value of the shares received over the amount 
 recognised is credited to the capital reserve. Deemed revenue from offshore 
        funds is credited to the revenue account. Interest on fixed interest 
        securities and deposits is accounted for on an accruals basis. 
 
   (f) Expenses: Expenses are accounted for on an accruals basis. Management 
  fees, administration and other expenses, with the exception of transaction 
 charges, are charged to the revenue column of the consolidated statement of 
  comprehensive income. Performance fees and transaction charges are charged 
to the capital column of the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. 
 
  (g) Investments held at fair value: Purchases and sales of investments are 
   recognised and derecognised on the trade date where a purchase or sale is 
        under a contract whose terms require delivery within the timeframe 
     established by the market concerned, and are initially measured at fair 
        value. 
 
 All investments are classified as held at fair value through profit or loss 
    on initial recognition and are measured at subsequent reporting dates at 
        fair value, which is either the bid price or the last traded price, 
      depending on the convention of the exchange on which the investment is 
quoted. Investments in units of unit trusts or shares in OEICs are valued at 
    the bid price for dual priced funds, or single price for non-dual priced 
funds, released by the relevant investment manager. Unquoted investments are 
       valued by the Directors at the balance sheet date based on recognised 
valuation methodologies, in accordance with International Private Equity and 
    Venture Capital ('IPEVC') Valuation Guidelines such as dealing prices or 
        third party valuations where available, net asset values and other 
        information as appropriate. 
 
    (h) Taxation: The charge for taxation is based on taxable income for the 
   year. Withholding tax deducted from income received is treated as part of 
    the taxation charge against income. Taxation deferred or accelerated can 
   arise due to temporary differences between the treatment of certain items 
   for accounting and taxation purposes. Full provision is made for deferred 
        taxation under the liability method on all temporary differences not 
       reversed by the Balance Sheet date. No deferred tax provision is made 
       against deemed reporting offshore funds. Deferred tax assets are only 
        recognised when there is more likelihood than not that there will be 
        suitable profits against which they can be applied. 
 
        (i) Foreign currency: Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
    currencies are translated at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance 
    sheet date. Foreign currency transactions are translated at the rates of 
  exchange applicable at the transaction date. Exchange gains and losses are 
     taken to the revenue or capital column of the consolidated statement of 
        comprehensive income depending on the nature of the underlying item. 
 
       (j) Capital reserve: The following are accounted for in this reserve: 
 
      - gains and losses on the realisation of investments together with the 
        related taxation effect; 
 
- foreign exchange gains and losses on capital transactions, including those 
        on settlement, together with the related taxation effect; 
 
        - revaluation gains and losses on investments; 
 
        - performance fees payable to the investment manager; and 
 
    - trail rebates received from the managers of the Company's investments. 
 
        The capital reserve is not available for the payment of dividends. 
 
    (k) Revenue reserve: This reserve includes net revenue recognised in the 
        revenue column of the Statement of Comprehensive Income. 
 
        (l) Special reserve: The special reserve can be used to finance the 
        redemption and/or purchase of shares in issue. 
 
   (m) Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents comprise current 
 deposits and balances with banks. Cash and cash equivalents may be held for 
        the purpose of either asset allocation or managing liquidity. 
 
  (n)Dividends payable: Dividends are recognised from the date on which they 
        are irrevocably committed to payment. 
 
(o) Segmental Reporting: The Directors consider that the Group is engaged in 
     a single segment of business with the primary objective of investing in 
       securities to generate long term capital growth for its shareholders. 
        Consequently no business segmental analysis is provided. 
 
 (p) Going concern basis of preparation: The Directors considered the impact 
        of Covid-19 pandemic and the impact this may have on the Group, in 
    particular noting that, in addition to its significant cash balances the 
   Group holds a highly liquid portfolio, which could be sold. The Directors 
    also reviewed scenarios of a significant drop in value of the assets and 
   falls in income received. They have also considered the resiliency of the 
       Group's key service providers and are satisfied that they have worked 
 adequestly during the Covid-19 pandemic and are sustainable. Therefore, the 
     going concern basis has been adopted in preparing the Group's Financial 
        statements. 
 
 (q) New standards, interpretations and amendments effective for the periods 
beginning on or after 1 July 2019: There are no new standards, amendments to 
  standards and interpretations that are relevant to the Group and should be 
        disclosed. 
 
  (r) New standards, interpretations and amendments issued which are not yet 
 effective and applicable for the periods beginning on or after 1 July 2020: 
  The following amendments to standards issued but are not yet effective are 
   relevant and applicable to the Group, although they have no impact on the 
        financial statements of the Group: 
 
        - IFRS 3: Definition of a Business 
 
  - Amendments to IFRS 9, IAS 39 and IFRS 7 - Interest Rate Benchmark Reform 
 
        - Amendments to IAS 1 and IAS 8 - Definition of Material 
 
2. INVESTMENT INCOME 
 
                            Year ended Year ended 
 
                             30th June  30th June 
 
                                  2020       2019 
 
                                GBP '000     GBP '000 
INCOME FROM INVESTMENTS 
UK net dividend income           1,844      1,691 
Unfranked investment income        325        199 
                                 2,169      1,890 
OTHER OPERATING INCOME 
Bank interest receivable           250        336 
Loan interest income                 -         13 
                                   250        349 
TOTAL INCOME COMPRISES 
Dividends                        2,169      1,890 
Other income                       250        349 
                                 2,419      2,239 
 
The above dividend and interest income has been included in the profit 
before finance costs and taxation included in the cash flow statements. 
 
3. MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE FEES 
 
                   Year ended                Year ended 
 
                 30th June 2020            30th June 2019 
             Revenue  Capital   Total  Revenue  Capital   Total 
                       GBP '000                    GBP '000 
 
              GBP '000           GBP '000   GBP '000           GBP '000 
 
Investment       697        -     697      688        -     688 
management 
fee 
Performance        -      623     623        -      410     410 
fee 
                 697      623   1,320      688      410   1,098 
 
   At 30th June 2020 there were amounts accrued of GBP177,000 (2019: GBP177,000) 
    for investment management fees and GBPnil (2018: GBP410,000) for performance 
        fees. 
 
4. OTHER EXPENSES 
 
                                   Year ended Year ended 
 
                                    30th June  30th June 
 
                                         2020       2019 
 
                                       GBP '000     GBP '000 
 
Directors' remuneration                    65         50 
Administrative and secretarial fee         95         95 
Auditors' remuneration 
- Audit                                    32         32 
- Interim review                            8          8 
Other                                     197         81 
                                          397        266 
 
Allocated to: 
- Revenue                                 397        266 
- Capital                                   -          - 
                                          397        266 
 
5. TAXATION 
 
(a) Analysis of tax charge for the year: 
 
                    Year ended                Year ended 
 
                  30th June 2020            30th June 2019 
             Revenue  Capital          Revenue  Capital 
              Return   Return           Return   Return 
                       GBP '000                    GBP '000 
 
                                 Total                     Total 
              GBP '000            GBP '000  GBP '000            GBP '000 
 
Overseas           1        -        1       3        -        3 
tax 
Recoverable      (1)        -      (1)     (3)        -      (3) 
income tax 
Total              -        -        -       -        -        - 
current tax 
for the 
year 
Deferred           -        -        -       -        -        - 
tax 
Total tax          -        -        -       -        -        - 
for the 
year (note 
5b) 
 
(b) Factors affecting tax charge for the year: 
 
The charge for the year of GBPnil (2019: GBPnil) can be reconciled to the profit 
per the consolidated statement of comprehensive income as follows: 
 
                                           Year ended Year ended 
 
                                            30th June  30th June 
 
                                                 2020       2019 
 
                                               GBP '000     GBP '000 
Total profit before tax                           908      3,315 
 
Theoretical tax at the UK corporation tax         172        630 
rate of 19.00% (2019: 19.00%) 
Effects of: 
Non-taxable UK dividend income                  (350)      (321) 
Gains and losses on investments that are         (38)      (463) 
not taxable 
Excess expenses not utilised                      249        154 
Overseas dividends which are not taxable           33          - 
Overseas tax                                        1          3 
Recoverable income tax                            (1)        (3) 
Total tax for the year                              - - 
 
 Due to the Company's tax status as an investment trust and the intention to 
continue meeting the conditions required to maintain approval of such status 
  in the foreseeable future, the Company has not provided tax on any capital 
        gains arising on the revaluation or disposal of investments. 
 
There is no deferred tax (2019: GBPnil) in the capital account of the Company. 
        There is no deferred tax charge in the revenue account (2019: GBPnil). 
 
     At the year-end there is an unrecognised deferred tax asset of GBP929,000 
  (2019: GBP520,000) based on the enacted tax rates of 19% for financial years 
        beginning 1st April 2020, as a result of excess expenses. 
 
6. COMPANY RETURN FOR THE YEAR 
 
    The Company's total return for the year was GBP908,000 (2019: GBP3,315,000). 
 
7. RETURN PER ORDINARY SHARE 
 
       Total return per Ordinary share is based on the Group total return on 
    ordinary activities after taxation of GBP908,000 (2019: GBP3,315,000) and on 
   71,023,695 (2019: 71,023,695) Ordinary shares, being the weighted average 
        number of Ordinary shares in issue during the year. 
 
   Revenue return per Ordinary share is based on the Group revenue profit on 
  ordinary activities after taxation of GBP1,325,000 (2019: GBP1,285,000) and on 
   71,023,695 (2019: 71,023,695) Ordinary shares, being the weighted average 
        number of Ordinary shares in issue during the year. 
 
Capital return per Ordinary share is based on net capital (losses)/gains for 
          the year of GBP(417,000) (2019: GBP2,031,000) and on 71,023,695 (2019: 
  71,023,695) Ordinary shares, being the weighted average number of Ordinary 
        shares in issue during the year. 
 
        8. DIVIDS ON EQUITY SHARES 
 
        Amounts recognised as distributions in the year: 
 
                                            Year ended      Year 
                                                           ended 
 
                                             30th June 
                                                       30th June 
 
                                                  2020 
                                                            2019 
 
                                                GBP '000 
                                                          GBP '000 
 
Dividends paid during the year                     994 710 
 
Dividends payable in respect of the year 
ended: 
30th June 2020: 1.4p (2019: 1.4p) per share        994       994 
 
 It is proposed that a dividend of 1.4p per share will be paid in respect of 
        the current financial year. 
 
9. INVESTMENTS AT FAIR VALUE THROUGH PROFIT OR LOSS 
 
                  Year ended Year ended 
 
                   30th June  30th June 
 
                        2020       2019 
 
                      GBP '000     GBP '000 
 
GROUP AND COMPANY    103,015     93,782 
 
ANALYSIS OF INVESTMENT 
 
PORTFOLIO - GROUP AND COMPANY 
 
                                        Quoted* Unquoted   Total 
 
                                         GBP '000   GBP '000  GBP '000 
Opening book cost                        60,372    8,448  68,820 
Opening investment holding               26,024  (1,062)  24,962 
gains/(losses) 
Opening valuation                        86,396    7,386  93,782 
Movement in period 
Purchases at cost                        12,725        -  12,725 
Sales 
- Proceeds                              (3,272)      (8) (3,280) 
- Realised (losses)/gains on sales      (2,094)        8 (2,086) 
Movement in investment holding gains        792    1,082   1,874 
for the year 
Closing valuation                        94,547    8,468 103,015 
Closing book cost                        67,731    8,448  76,179 
Closing investment holding gains         26,816       20  26,836 
Closing valuation                        94,547    8,468 103,015 
 
* Quoted investments include unit trust and OEIC funds and one monthly 
priced fund. 
 
                                           Year ended Year ended 
 
                                            30th June  30th June 
 
                                                 2020       2019 
 
                                               GBP '000     GBP '000 
 
ANALYSIS OF CAPITAL GAINS AND LOSSES 
Realised (losses)/gains on sales of           (2,086)      4,175 
investments 
Increase/( Decrease) in investment holding      1,874    (2,183) 
gains 
Net (losses)/gains on investments               (212)      1,992 
attributable to ordinary shareholders 
 
        Transaction costs 
 
   The purchase and sale proceeds figures above include transaction costs on 
       purchases of GBP2,002 (2019: GBP3,260) and on sales of GBPnil (2019: GBP638). 
 
        10. INVESTMENT IN SUBSIDIARY UNDERTAKING 
 
         The Company owns the whole of the issued share capital (GBP1) of JIT 
        Securities Limited, a company registered in England and Wales. 
 
        The financial position of the subsidiary is summarised as follows: 
 
                           Year ended Year ended 
 
                            30th June  30th June 
 
                                 2020       2019 
 
                               GBP '000     GBP '000 
 
Net assets brought forward        506        506 
Profit for year                     -          - 
Net assets carried forward        506        506 
 
11. OTHER RECEIVABLES 
 
                         30th June 30th June 30th June 30th June 
 
                              2020      2020      2019      2019 
 
                             Group   Company     Group   Company 
 
                            GBP '000    GBP '000    GBP '000    GBP '000 
Prepayments and accrued        133       133       214       214 
income 
Taxation                         4         4         6         6 
                               137       137       220       220 
 
12. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS 
 
                          30th June 30th June     30th 30th June 
                                                  June 
 
                               2020      2020               2019 
                                                  2019 
 
                              Group   Company            Company 
                                                 Group 
 
                             GBP '000    GBP '000             GBP '000 
                                                GBP '000 
 
Cash at bank and on          10,962    10,962   20,605    20,605 
deposit 
 
13. OTHER PAYABLES 
 
                         30th June 30th June 30th June 30th June 
 
                              2020      2020      2019      2019 
 
                             Group   Company     Group   Company 
 
                            GBP '000    GBP '000    GBP '000    GBP '000 
Accruals                       229       229       636       636 
Amounts owed to                  -       506         -       506 
subsidiary undertakings 
                               229       735       636     1,142 
 
14. CALLED UP SHARE CAPITAL 
 
                                             30th June 30th June 
 
                                                  2020      2019 
 
                                                GBP '000    GBP '000 
 
Authorised 
305,000,000 (2019: 305,000,000) Ordinary         3,050     3,050 
shares of GBP0.01 each 
 
Issued and fully paid 
71,023,695 (2019: 71,023,695) Ordinary             710       710 
shares of GBP0.01 each 
 
15. RESERVES 
 
                                          Share Special Retained 
 
                                        Premium Reserve earnings 
 
                                        account 
 
                                         GBP '000  GBP '000   GBP '000 
GROUP 
At 30th June 2019                        21,573  56,908   34,780 
Increase in investment holding gains          -       -    1,874 
Net losses on realisation of                  -       -  (2,086) 
investments 
Gains on foreign currency                     -       - 414 
Performance fee                               -       -    (623) 
Trail rebates                                 -       -        4 
Retained revenue profit for year              -       -    1,325 
Dividend paid                                              (994) 
At 30th June 2020                        21,573  56,908   34,694 
 
                                          Share Special Retained 
 
                                        Premium Reserve earnings 
 
                                        account 
 
                                         GBP '000  GBP '000   GBP '000 
COMPANY 
At 30th June 2019                        21,573  56,908   34,780 
Increase in investment holding gains          -       -    1,874 
Net losses on realisation of                  -       -  (2,086) 
investments 
Gains on foreign currency                     -       -      414 
Performance fee                               -       -    (623) 
Trail rebates                                 -       -        4 
Retained revenue profit for year              -       -    1,325 
Dividend paid                                              (994) 
At 30th June 2020                        21,573  56,908   34,694 
 
The components of retained earnings are set out below: 
 
                              30th June 30th June 
 
                                   2020      2019 
 
                                 GBP '000    GBP '000 
GROUP 
Capital reserve - realised        5,686     7,977 
Capital reserve - revaluation    26,836    24,962 
Revenue reserve                   2,172     1,841 
                                 34,694    34,780 
 
COMPANY 
Capital reserve - realised        5,333     7,625 
Capital reserve - revaluation    27,343    25,468 
Revenue reserve                   2,018     1,687 
                                 34,694    34,780 
 
16. NET ASSET VALUE PER ORDINARY SHARE 
 
       The net asset value per Ordinary share is calculated on net assets of 
GBP113,885,000 (2018: GBP113,971,000) and 71,023,695 (2098: 71,023,695) Ordinary 
        shares in issue at the year end. 
 
17. ANALYSIS OF CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT THE END OF THE YEAR 
 
                    At 1st Cash flow         Exchange    At 30th 
                 July 2019                   movement  June 2020 
 
                    GBP '000                                GBP '000 
GROUP 
Cash at bank        20,605  (10,057)              414     10,962 
and on deposit 
 
COMPANY 
Cash at bank        20,605  (10,057)              414     10,962 
and on deposit 
 
18. FINANCIAL INFORMATION 
 
2020 Financial information 
 
     The figures and financial information for 2020 are unaudited and do not 
   constitute the statutory accounts for the year. The preliminary statement 
 has been agreed with the Company's auditors and the Company is not aware of 
any likely modification to the auditor's report required to be included with 
        the annual report and accounts for the year ended 30th June 2020. 
 
A copy of the Annual Report will be posted to the Company's website and will 
also be submitted to the FCA's National Storage Mechanism and will be 
available for inspection. 
 
2019 Financial information 
 
     The figures and financial information for 2019 are unaudited and do not 
   constitute the statutory accounts for the year. The preliminary statement 
 has been agreed with the Company's auditors and the Company is not aware of 
any likely modification to the auditor's report required to be included with 
        the annual report and accounts for the year ended 30th June 2019. 
 
Annual Report and Accounts 
 
 The accounts for the year ended 30th June 2020 will be sent to shareholders 
   in October 2020 and will be available on the Company's website or in hard 
      copy format at the Company's registered office, 1 Knightsbridge Green, 
        London SW1X 7QA. 
 
The Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on 12th November 2020 
        at 11.00am at 1 Knightsbridge Green, London SW1X 7QA. 
 
30th September 2020 
 
ISIN:           GB0002631041 
Category Code:  ACS 
TIDM:           NSI 
OAM Categories: 1.1. Annual financial and audit reports 
Sequence No.:   85172 
EQS News ID:    1137932 
 
End of Announcement EQS News Service 
 
 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

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