Optimistic outlook for the UK economy

Neil Hermon, fund manager for Henderson Smaller Companies Trust, discusses the Trust’s “excellent” performance in 2019, which Neil attributes to the team’s stock selection and the positive impact of gearing. Neil also discusses the latest buys and sells within the Trust’s portfolio and how he believes UK smaller companies will fare in the year ahead.

Find out more about Henderson Smaller Companies Trust at janushenderson.com

Glossary

Net Asset Value (NAV): The total value of a fund's assets less its liabilities.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A): Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a general term used to describe the consolidation of companies or assets through various types of financial transactions

Gearing: A measure of a company’s leverage that shows how far its operations are funded by lenders versus shareholders.

These are the views of the author at the time of publication and may differ from the views of other individuals/teams at Janus Henderson Investors. Any securities, funds, sectors and indices mentioned within this article do not constitute or form part of any offer or solicitation to buy or sell them.

Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment and the income from it can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount originally invested.

The information in this article does not qualify as an investment recommendation.

For promotional purposes.

Glossary

Important information

Please read the following important information regarding funds related to this article.

 The Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc

Before investing in an investment trust referred to in this document, you should satisfy yourself as to its suitability and the risks involved, you may wish to consult a financial adviser.

Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment and the income from it can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Tax assumptions and reliefs depend upon an investor’s particular circumstances and may change if those circumstances or the law change.

Nothing in this document is intended to or should be construed as advice. This document is not a recommendation to sell or purchase any investment. It does not form part of any contract for the sale or purchase of any investment.

Issued in the UK by Janus Henderson Investors. Janus Henderson Investors is the name under which investment products and services are provided by Janus Capital International Limited (reg no. 3594615), Henderson Global Investors  Limited (reg. no. 906355), Henderson Investment Funds Limited (reg. no. 2678531), AlphaGen Capital  Limited (reg. no. 962757), Henderson Equity Partners Limited (reg. no.2606646), (each registered in England and  Wales at 201 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3AE and regulated by the Financial  Conduct Authority) and Henderson Management S.A. (reg no. B22848 at 2 Rue de Bitbourg, L-1273, Luxembourg and regulated by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier). We may record telephone calls for our mutual protection, to improve customer service and for regulatory record keeping purposes

Specific risks

• If a trust's portfolio is concentrated towards a particular country or geographical region, the investment carries greater risk than a portfolio diversified across more countries.
• Most of the investments in this portfolio are in smaller companies shares. They may be more difficult to buy and sell and their share price may fluctuate more than that of larger companies.
• This trust is suitable to be used as one component in several in a diversified investment portfolio. Investors should consider carefully the proportion of their portfolio invested into this trust.
• Active management techniques that have worked well in normal market conditions could prove ineffective or detrimental at other times.
• The trust could lose money if a counterparty with which it trades becomes unwilling or unable to meet its obligations to the trust.
• Shares can lose value rapidly, and typically involve higher risks than bonds or money market instruments. The value of your investment may fall as a result.
• The return on your investment is directly related to the prevailing market price of the trust’s shares, which will trade at a varying discount (or premium) relative to the value of the underlying assets of the trust. As a result losses (or gains) may be higher or lower than those of the trust’s assets.
• The trust may use gearing as part of its investment strategy. If the trust utilises its ability to gear, the profits and losses incured by the trust can be greater than those of a trust that does not use gearing.
• Derivatives use exposes the trust to risks different from, and potentially greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and may therefore result in additional loss, which could be significantly greater than the cost of the derivative.