Alliance Trust

CONTRARIAN

Leading global equity investors cast their eye over their favourite markets for 2012, and give their outlooks for the coming year, in which several developed economies will face significant macro-level challenges.

Alliance Trust chief executive Katherine Garrett-Cox has said investment trust buyers are too fixated with discounts, urging them to look more at long term share price and NAV performance.

Alliance Trust has snapped up a £35m stake in European equities, backing Spanish banks and cash-rich eurozone corporates to re-rate significantly over the long term.

Alliance Trust snapped up a £35m stake in European equities at the end of September to take advantage of ‘compelling valuations' across the continent.

The soaring share price of Lions Gate Entertainment and Disney's $4bn acquisition of Lucasfilm demonstrate the increasing power of content providers, according to Alliance Trust Asset Management's Justin Atkinson.

In less than three months, investment trusts will sit on a level pricing playing field with open-ended products for the first time, as the industry says goodbye to trail commission.

THE BIQ QUESTION

SRI

Neil Tong, formerly head of UK equities at Alliance Trust, has joined SWIP's fixed income team as a senior credit analyst.