Top 20 most viewed investment companies in H1 2020

The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has revealed the 20 investment companies which were most viewed on its website www.theaic.co.uk in H1 2020. Traffic to the AIC website was 24% higher than the same period last year and April set a new record for visits to the site, with over 51,000 that month.

The top 5

Scottish Mortgage was the most viewed investment company. The FTSE 100 constituent has returned 730% over the past 10 years.¹

City of London was second. The investment company managed by Job Curtis has grown its dividend for 53 consecutive years. Murray International was the third most viewed investment company and completing the top five were Merchants and Edinburgh Investment Trust from the UK Equity Income sector.

Rising dividends

Investment companies with long track records of consecutive dividend growth attracted a lot of interest. Dividend hero investment companies, those which have raised dividends for 20 or more years in a row, made up 11 of the top 20. A further five are in the next generation of dividend heroes having raised dividends for 10 or more consecutive years but less than 20.

New joiners

Six investment companies were new this year, having not appeared in H1 2019. The new arrivals were: Allianz Technology (11^th), Scottish Investment Trust (14^th), Law Debenture Corporation (15^th), BlackRock World Mining (18^th), BlackRock Throgmorton (19^th) and RIT Capital Partners (20^th).

Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “More people than ever have used the AIC website to help inform their investment decisions during the difficult times we have seen over the past few months. April set a new record for monthly visits. The website contains a wealth of investment company information from performance and portfolio data to charges and manager details.

“The list of most viewed investment companies shows that income remains a top priority but it also demonstrates that investors have been attracted to a wide range of strategies from growth to capital preservation.”

Top 20 most viewed investment companies on www.theaic.co.uk

Source: AIC.

-Ends-

Follow us on Twitter @AICPRESS

Notes

1. Performance is % share price total return from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2020. Source: AIC/Morningstar.
2. *Denotes dividend hero investment company – 20 or more consecutive years of dividend growth.
3. #Denotes investment company in the next generation of dividend heroes – 10 or more years of consecutive dividend growth but less than 20.
4. The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) was founded in 1932 to represent the interests of the investment trust industry – the oldest form of collective investment. Today, the AIC represents a broad range of closed-ended investment companies, incorporating investment trusts and other closed-ended investment companies and VCTs. The AIC’s members believe that the industry is best served if it is united and speaks with one voice. The AIC’s mission statement is to help members add value for shareholders over the longer term. As at the end of May, the AIC had 361 members and the industry had total assets of approximately £197 billion.
5. Disclaimer: The information contained in this press release does not constitute investment advice or personal recommendation and it is not an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity. You should seek independent financial and, if appropriate, legal advice as to the suitability of any investment decision. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investment company shares, and the income from them, can fall as well as rise. You may not get back the full amount invested and, in some cases, nothing at all.
6. To stop receiving AIC press releases, please contact the communications team.