Edinburgh Dragon Trust reports rise in net asset value

Edinburgh Dragon Trust's net asset value (NAV) increased in the second half, the group said, buoyed by strong performance in its investments in Asia.

The British-based trust, which has investments in the Far East, said its results in the six months ended February 28th were boosted by an improvement in the Asian stock market.

NAV rose by 21.2% in sterling terms, on a total return basis, outperforming the total return of 20.3% posted by the benchmark, MSCI All Country Asia index.

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"Overall, Asian stockmarkets performed well, following quantitative monetary easing by Central Banks both in Europe and the US throughout 2012," said Chairman, Allan McKenzie.

"Markets were also encouraged by improvements in the US economy, receding worries over the European crisis, and an apparent stabilisation in economic activity in China."

A weak sterling against Asian currencies also facilitated growth, he added.

The share price gained 23.9% to 294.0p, while the discount to NAV narrowed to 7.6% from 10.4% at the start of the period.

The company said it experienced robust results from holdings that were aided by domestic consumption including Philippine property group Ayala Land and the Bank of the Philippine Islands which both reported profit growth.

Banking sector holdings, particularly in Korean regional financial groups, DGB and BS, as well as in Hong Kong's HSBC and UK-listed Standard Chartered, also added to performance.

However, the revenue account recorded a deficit on ordinary activities after taxation of £1.4m, representing 0.72p per share compared with a deficit of £0.8m a year earlier.

The deficit reflected changes in ex-dividend dates by investee companies which resulted in lower income being accounted for in the period under review.

A majority of the company's portfolio income, in line with the majority of Asian dividend income, is accounted for in the second half of the financial year. The group expects to see a positive revenue return and similar level of growth in profits for the full-year.

RD