Trustnet Magazine Issue 17 April 2016 | Page 4

YOUR PORTFOLIO GOOD COME WHO W G iven his name and past reputation, it was no surprise that when Neil Woodford’s new firm took its first foray into the investment trust world, the launch received an enormous amount of attention. Having upped its initial fund-raising target from £200m to £500m, the Woodford Patient Capital Trust ended up raising £800m during an oversubscribed initial public offering in April last year, making it the largest ever launch in investment trust history. Some 12 months on and looking at some of the recent headlines, you would be forgiven for thinking the Woodford Patient Capital Trust has endured a catastrophic first year. In its results for the reporting period from launch in April to 31 December, its net asset value fell 2.6 per cent to 97.38p, which prompted the waiving of any management fees in the first year. UNCERTAINTY Having peaked at a 15 per cent premium to NAV in August 2015, falls in both global mar