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Darius McDermott: Be ready to hedge your bets on undervalued UK
‘Trying to figure whether growth, value or income is the best horse to bet on is no easy task’
As a big horse racing fan, Christmas comes in March for me when the best jumpers in Britain and Ireland go head to head at the Cheltenham festival.
The last time I was there, I remember talking to someone who won big on the day. With his shoulders back, he confidently told me his approach: “You can either bet to win or bet not to lose”. The latter, he reassured me, is just a defensive option when you feel there are simply too many variables in play to make a confident decision (essentially, he bet on several horses to win his money back with a bit of profit).
Dividends paid by “equity income” investment trusts have provided a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing year.
While almost half of FTSE 100 firms have reduced or suspended their dividends since the start of the pandemic, the full force of these cuts has not been felt by trusts that hold their shares.
Only three of the 24 UK equity income trusts have cut their divis this year: British & American, Temple Bar and Investment Company.
By comparison, 50 of their 82 “open-ended” equivalents reduced their dividends by more than a quarter over the six months to the end of July, according to data compiled by Citywire, the specialist publisher, and Morningstar, the data firm.