The City of London Investment Trust Fund Manager Commentary – June 2022

Job Curtis, Portfolio Manager of The City of London Investment Trust, provides an update on the Trust, highlighting factors currently affecting the UK market, key drivers of performance in June, and recent portfolio activity.

Macro backdrop

The UK equity market fell by 6.0% in June, as measured by the FTSE All Share Index. Economic data reported during the month was poor with UK inflation -as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) - for May rising to 9.1% and GDP growth for April falling by 0.3%.¹ The Bank of England raised its bank rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%. As fears of recession grew, defensive sectors such as pharmaceuticals and tobacco outperformed. Conversely, cyclical sectors, such as travel and leisure, underperformed. The industrial metals and mining sector was also a laggard, with fears of slowing global economic growth leading to falls in the prices of iron ore and copper. Sterling declined over the month against the US dollar from an exchange rate of 1.26 to 1.22. The FTSE 100 Index's greater exposure to defensive sectors and overseas earners helped it outperform with a return of -5.5% compared to the FTSE All Share Index (-6.0%) and the FTSE 250 Index of medium-sized companies -8.3% return.¹

Trust performance and activity

The portfolio outperformed during the month, with a negative total return of 5.1% compared with a negative return of 6.0% for the FTSE All Share Index.¹

Overall, the portfolio has a defensive bias and notable contributors were BAE Systems, the UK's leading defence contactor, and Imperial Brands, the tobacco company. The portfolio is underweight to the mining sector but does hold Anglo American, which was a notable detractor. A holding in Woodside Energy entered the portfolio through the spin-off from BHP; Woodside's assets are predominantly in Australia and the Gulf of Mexico and we made an addition to the position given the stock's leverage to liquefied natural gas (LNG) which accounts for some 50% of its production. Elsewhere, we exited the holding in Berkeley Group, the housebuilder, given the cost pressures facing housebuilders and the potential for demand to dampen.

Outlook/strategy

A new Prime Minister could loosen UK fiscal policy, which might lead to further upward pressure on interest rates. In the forthcoming second quarter results season, it will be interesting to see how companies are coping with inflationary pressures and how they view the outlook for demand for their goods and services. The dividend yield of the UK equity market remains attractive relative to the main alternatives.