Fund of the week: A good source of income for the brave
This high-income investment trust is great value and offers an inflation-busting 5.1% yield.
With the eurozone crisis still hanging over global markets, and data from China confirming that growth in the world's second-largest economy is slowing, it's unsurprising that investors continue to flock to the relative safety of income-paying investment trusts. Unfortunately, that's made some of them look expensive, says Investors Chronicle. However, a cheaper, if riskier, option for income-seekers is available: high-income investment trusts.
Take the City Merchants High Yield (LSE: CMHY) investment trust. It trades at a 3.32% discount to net asset value (NAV the value of its underlying investments), despite offering an inflation-busting 5.1% yield and a solid record of long-term returns. Including reinvested income, it is up 38.5% over three years and 28.5% over five years. Managed by Invesco Perpetual's co-heads of fixed income Paul Read and Paul Causer, the trust invests in a mix of high-yield bonds and shares in dividend-paying blue-chip firms.
"We continue to favour higher credit quality, high-yield issuers as well as higher-yielding investment-grade names," say the managers in a recent note. "Their yields remain at relatively high levels and we believe we can find opportunities, most notably in banks and other financials."
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
As a bonus the fund has "relatively low levels of debt", says Investors Chronicle and a "very reasonable" ongoing charge of 1.08%. Over the last year the trust is up just 2%. However, the managers have proved themselves in the past, so "if you have a higher risk appetite and can invest for at least five years, City Merchants High Yield trust could be a good source of income".
City Merchants HighYieldtop ten holdings
LBG Capital | 5.4% |
Premier Farnell | 3.5% |
Socit Gnrale | 2.8% |
Vedanta Resources | 2.7% |
Aviva | 2.3% |
Balfour Beatty | 2.2% |
Citigroup | 2.2% |
Intergen | 2.2% |
General Motors | 2.1% |
Cemex | 2.0% |
Sign up to Money Morning
Our team, led by award winning editors, is dedicated to delivering you the top news, analysis, and guides to help you manage your money, grow your investments and build wealth.
-
Christmas at Chatsworth: review of The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow
MoneyWeek Travel Matthew Partridge gets into the festive spirit at The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow and the Christmas market at Chatsworth
By Dr Matthew Partridge Published
-
Tycoon Truong My Lan on death row over world’s biggest bank fraud
Property tycoon Truong My Lan has been found guilty of a corruption scandal that dwarfs Malaysia’s 1MDB fraud and Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto scam
By Jane Lewis Published