197: Weekly Investment Trusts Podcast - with Prashant Khemka and Dan Higgins (10 Feb 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 Prashant Khemka, advisor to the Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust (AIE), and Dan Higgins, lead manager of Majadie Investments (MAJE). 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 - This week's guests 0:01:10 - Looking ahead to Episode 200 0:01:38 - Review of the week 0:02:46 - Corporate news and announcements 0:04:17 - Money Makers Circle 0:04:55 - Q&A with Prashant Khemka 0:05:13 - Background leading up to the launch of the trust 0:06:02 - The investment style 0:09:53 - Reasons to invest in India 0:20:53 - Value in the Indian stock market 0:25:38 - Macro level risks 0:30:53 - The performance of the trust 0:33:17 - Looking ahead 0:35:24 - The launch of the second WhiteOak trust 0:37:47 - Q&A with Dan Higgins 0:38:22 - The change of management 0:40:58 - The approach 0:48:27 - The dividend policy 0:49:42 - Fees 0:54:57 - Objectives 0:59:54 - Outside shareholder perceptions 1:04:21 - Volatility 1:06:31 - The position in corporate credit 1:10:15 - The driver of excess returns 1:12:50 - Close Trusts mentioned this week (with tickers): Invesco Select Trust (IVPU), Invesco Bond Income Plus (BIPS), Hipgnosis Songs Fund (SONG), Digital 9 Infrastructure (DGI9), Riverstone Energy (RSE). 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 Schroder UK Mid Cap (SCP). Future profiles include J.P.Morgan Indian (JII) and MIGO Opportunities (MIGO). Remember to look out for the latest edition of our new expanded weekly subscriber email which summarises Jonathan's latest thoughts along with a new list of his favourite funds, and includes 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 nearly 200 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.