193: Weekly Investment Trusts Podcast - with Alastair Laing and Ken Wotton (13 Jan 2024)

In this week's edition of the Weekly Investment Trust Podcast, Jonathan Davis, editor of the Investment Trusts Handbook, reviews the week in the markets and speaks to Alastair Laing, CEO of CG Asset Management, and Ken Wotton, manager of Strategic Equity Capital (SEC). We are grateful for the support of J.P. Morgan Asset Management, which enables us to keep the podcast free. Section Timestamps: 0:00:39 - Review of the week 0:02:48 - Cost disclosure rules 0:04:00 - This week's guest 0:04:40 - Summary of results 0:05:49 - Money Makers Circle 0:06:28 - Q&A with Alastair Laing 0:06:37 - Characterising 2023 0:15:21 - Looking ahead and the impact of elections 0:19:46 - Portfolio changes 0:30:11 - General infrastructure sector 0:33:52 - Property sector 0:37:21 - Private equity sector 0:39:59 - Opportunities in 2024 0:41:46 - Q&A with Ken Wotton 0:42:11 - An overview of the strategy 0:50:45 - Differences to other similar trusts 0:55:26 - Ambitions for the trust 1:04:05 - Looking forward 1:05:55 - Close Trusts mentioned this week (with tickers): Seraphim Space Investment Trust (SSIT), Hydrogenone (HGEN), Biopharma Credit (BPCR), Geiger Counter (GCL), Digital 9 Infrastructure (DGI9), Henderson Diversified Income (HDIV), Pershing Square Holdings (PSH), Rockwood Strategic (RKW), Ashoka India Equity Investments (AIE), Abrdn New India (ANII), Invesco Select (IVPU), Abrdn Diversified Income and Growth (ADIG), Atrato Onsite Energy (ROOF), LXi REIT (LXI), LondonMetric (LMP), Gore Street Energy Storage (GSF), HOME REIT (HOME), Caledonia Investments (CLDN), Alliance Trust (ATST), Hipgnosis Songs Fund (SONG), BBGI Global Infrastructure (BBGI), 3i Infrastructure (3IN), International Public Partnerships (INPP), HICL Infrastructure (HICL), Greencoat UK Wind (UKW), Tritax Big Box (BBOX), PRS REIT (PRSR), Literacy Capital (BOOK), Oakley Capital (OCI), HgCapital Trust (HGT), Odyssean Investment Trust (OIT). If you enjoy the weekly podcast, you may also find value in joining The Money Makers circle. This is a membership scheme that offers listeners to the podcast an opportunity, in return for a modest monthly or annual subscription, to receive additional premium content, including interviews, performance data, market/portfolio reviews and regular extracts from the editor's notebook. This week, as well as the usual features, the Circle features a profile of the Witan Investment Trust (WTAN). Future profiles include Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income (SEQI) and J.P.Morgan Japanese (JFJ). Remember to look out for the latest edition of our new expanded weekly subscriber email which summarises Jonathan's latest thoughts and all the regular features available in the Circle. For more information about the Money Makers circle, please visit money-makers.co/membership-join. Membership helps to cover the cost of producing the weekly investment trust podcast, which will continue to be free. We are very grateful for your continued support and the enthusiastic response to our over 190 podcasts since launch. You can find more information, including relevant disclosures, at www.money-makers.co. Please note that this podcast is provided for educational purposes only and nothing you hear should be considered as investment advice. Our podcasts are also available on the Association of Investment Companies website, www.theaic.co.uk. Produced by Ben Gamblin.