Consolidation is a growing theme across the investment trust sector against a backdrop of stubbornly-wide NAV (net asset value) discounts and increasing pressure on sub-scale funds.2024 is already a record year for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in a sector which has just seen the eleventh such deal announced, the value-oriented Invesco Asia Trust (IAT) planning to combine with Asia Dragon Trust (

Eight months in, 2024 is already a record year for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in the investment trust sector.Trust boards are increasingly focused on value for money and shareholder returns amid persistently wide discounts to NAV (net asset value) and with activists nosing around. A major trend underway is mergers between sub-scale trusts with similar remits to create funds large and liquid en

An 8% share price discount to net asset value on JPMorgan Japanese (JFJ) presents a compelling entry point for a capital growth-focused trust with a strong long-run performance record.It has a portfolio packed with quality Japanese growth companies with good governance.Yen weakness hasn't been helpful to sterling-based investors this year, but this could be changing with the yen rallying and the f

Long-term investors in Japanese shares have endured several false dawns since the country's Nikkei 225 stock index peaked at above 38,900 points in 1989.At the time of writing, the Nikkei 225 sits at the 26,393 mark, about 15% off its autumn 2021 one-year peak of 30,670 and down 9.9% year-to-date.Yet this looks an exciting time to invest in Japan where shares are attractively valued relative to gl

JPMorgan Japanese (JFJ) 723pGain to date: 32%Original entry point: Buy at 547.92p, 2 July 2020After a patchy start to 2021, this Japanese-focused investment trust is now comfortably in the money as Tokyo shares received a boost from prime minister Yoshihide Suga announcing plans to step down.Suga's reputation had been buffeted thanksto his handling of the pandemic and his decision not to stand in

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREFind out how the JP Morgan Japanese Investment Trust has delivered a decade of growth and benchmark-beating performance.BIG IN JAPAN: JFJ'S FUND PERFORMANCE IN THE LAST DECADEWith total assets of well over £1billion[1], the JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust (JFJ) is now the largest investment trust specialising in the country. The trust has been seeking to provide s

A major sell-off in technology stocks overnight in the US has spilled over into European and UK markets, with several investment trusts tanking.The UK's largest closed-end fund and sole FTSE 100 member, Scottish Mortgage (SMT), slumped 4% in early trading to £10.95, the stock's lowest since early March. Scottish Mortgage holds big bets on Amazon, Tesla and Tencent, the Chinese social media compan

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock market index achieved a huge landmark in early 2021 as it returned to levels not seen in three decades.Japanese stocks have joined the global market recovery rally, rising 76% from March 2020's 16,552.83 point Covid-inflicted trough to trade at 29,053.97.This move has been supported by fiscal stimulus and a huge influx of capital into the market from Japan's central bank.W

Despite all the upheaval of the past year, anyone glancing at the financial markets today might find it hard to believe investors were in the throes of despair 12 months ago.Following the global markets crash in February 2020, the recovery has been spectacular. The US Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 indices are at all-time highs, Japan's Nikkei index is at a multi-decade high, China's Shanghai index is at

From a human standpoint, 2020 has proved a shocker of a year, with the unforeseen pandemic wreaking havoc on health and the associated lockdowns precipitating a global economic downturn that may take years to battle back from.Yet paradoxically, 2020 has been anything but negative from a markets perspective, with equity indices roiled by the onset of the crisis then recovering strongly with a boost

JPMORGAN JAPANESE INVESTMENT TRUST (JFJ) 688pGain to Date: 25.6%Original entry point: Buy at 547.92p, 02 July 2020Our bullish call on JPMorgan Japanese Investment Trust (JFJ) is now 25.6% in the money and we remain positive on the capital growth-focused fund, confident that managers Nicholas Weindling and Miyako Urabe will continue to find the most attractively valued Japanese investment themes an

Although the Japanese economy and its corporates haven't escaped the effects of coronavirus, the number of COVID-19 cases has been relatively contained in Japan and the government has not had to resort to the extreme lockdown measures seen elsewhere. This likely explains why the Japanese stock market has been relatively resilient compared to others globally.Yes, the pandemic-driven postponement of

Although the Japanese economy and its corporates haven't escaped the effects of coronavirus, which compounded a hit from 2019's consumption tax hike, the country has navigated the pandemicfairly well.Japan remains overlooked by many investors which is a shame since the nation is home to best-in-class innovative companies that are growing both at home and overseas.One way to gain exposure is via th

The global markets sell-off has more than doubled the average discount to net asset value on investment trusts, moving from 3.8% at the end of 2019 to 9.3% at the end of February, according to the AIC. That presents an opportunity for investors with an appetite for risk to consider buying trusts that interest them at much cheaper prices.Several sector discounts have widened by a greater amount, no

Peter from Bromley has been investing in the stock market since the 1980s when he bought shares in British Gas. Now aged 71, the former solicitor is retired and living off a pension and various other investment accounts.With his children grown up and living elsewhere, Peter and his wife downsized some years ago and used some of the proceeds from selling a bigger house to top up their retirement sa

Anyone with a long-term investment horizon should take a good look at the investment trust sector as the latest market sell-off has created plenty of opportunities.We've spotted numerous investment trusts trading on a wider discount to net asset value than their average over the past 12 months. There are also examples of investment trusts trading on lower than average premiums to net asset value.A

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is increasingly gloomy on the prospects for the UK and US (see page 7) but there is at least one major economy where it is becoming more positive - namely Japan.In its latest World Economic Outlook it projects 1.3% growth in 2017 up 0.1% from its previous forecast in April.And according to BlackRock's global chief investment strategist Richard Turnill, Japanes

The Japanese economy appears to be finally cranking back into growth mode after as 'Abenomics' and financial stimulus by the country's central bank take effect.Reforms, introduced by prime minister Shinzo Abe, are matched by improving corporate governance and are broadly supportive of Japanese shares.Companies are also flush with cash, meaning there's scope for material dividend growth and the mar

Investing in a single country fund typically involves a higher degree of risk than a more diversified alternative but it has the potential to deliver some spectacular returns.Single country investment trusts are available for the main developed markets such as the US and Japan, as well as more specialist areas like Russia, India, Qatar, Vietnam, China, and Brazil.The USEmma Bird, a research analys

The robot - an unyielding, emotionless and relentless mechanical conception - has haunted the public imagination ever since the term was first coined in Czech playwright Karel ?apek's play R.U.R. in 1921. The intervening nine decades may not have produced the kind of advances promised by science fiction but robotics is still one of today's most important long-term investment stories.According to t