The Company will invest in a combination of large, medium and smaller companies listed in the UK. We are not constrained by the weightings of any index; we focus instead on controlling absolute risk by diversifying on the basis of underlying company characteristics such as size, industry, economic sensitivity, clients and management. In normal circumstances up to half the portfolio will be invested in FTSE 100 companies; the remainder will be divided between small- and medium-sized companies. On occasions the Manager will buy shares listed overseas. The Manager may also invest a maximum of 15% in other listed trusts.
It is a pleasure to report that, after a period of disappointing performance, the portfolio bounced back in the first half of the year, with NAV increasing by 33.0% against the benchmark's 18.5%. The previous financial year had started hopefully, only for those hopes to be dashed in March 2020 by the effects of the pandemic. The portfolio's focus on the UK, particularly the industrial and financial sectors, and its value bias, were particularly punished by the pandemic. It is these same characteristics which have led our recovery, as the likely benefits of the roll-out of vaccines became apparent. This trend has continued since the end of March, the NAV having increased by 7.9% compared to the benchmark's 5.1%.