Blackrock World Mining Trust plc (LON:BRWM) has provided the following portfolio update:
All information is at 31 July 2020 and unaudited.
| Performance at month end with net income reinvested | |||||
| One | Three | One | Three | Five | |
| Month | Months | Year | Years | Years | |
| Net asset value | 5.6% | 25.8% | 7.7% | 27.4% | 117.4% |
| Share price | 7.4% | 29.3% | 12.9% | 30.3% | 124.3% |
| MSCI ACWI Metals & Mining 30% Buffer 10/40 Index (Net)* | 6.1% | 20.2% | 5.8% | 18.2% | 104.0% |
| * (Total return) Sources: BlackRock, MSCI ACWI Metals & Mining 30% Buffer 10/40 Index, Datastream | |||||
At month end
| Net asset value (including income)1: | 452.45p |
| Net asset value (capital only): | 447.17p |
| 1 Includes net revenue of 5.28p | |
| Share price: | 404.00p |
| Discount to NAV2: | 10.7% |
| Total assets: | £876.9m |
| Net yield3: | 5.4% |
| Net gearing: | 10.8% |
| Ordinary shares in issue: | 173,605,020 |
| Ordinary shares held in Treasury: | 19,406,822 |
| Ongoing charges4: | 0.9% |
2 Discount to NAV including income.
3 Based on two quarterly interim dividends of 4.00p per share declared on 20 August 2019 and 14 November 2019 and a final dividend of 10.00p per share announced on 27 February 2020 in respect of the year ended 31 December 2019 and a quarterly interim dividend of 4.00p per share declared on 30 April 2020 in respect of the year ending 31 December 2020.
4 Calculated as a percentage of average net assets and using expenses, excluding finance costs, for the year ended 31 December 2019.
| Country Analysis | Total Assets (%) |
| Global | 66.7 |
| Australasia | 7.8 |
| Latin America | 7.4 |
| Canada | 5.8 |
| South Africa | 3.6 |
| United Kingdom | 3.6 |
| Russia | 1.6 |
| Other Africa | 1.1 |
| United States | 0.8 |
| Indonesia | 0.8 |
| Argentina | 0.1 |
| Net Current Assets | 0.7 |
| —– | |
| 100 | |
| ===== | |
| Sector Analysis | Total Assets (%) |
| Gold | 39.3 |
| Diversified | 30.8 |
| Copper | 17.1 |
| Industrial Minerals | 2.8 |
| Nickel | 2.6 |
| Platinum Group Metals | 2.5 |
| Iron Ore | 1.7 |
| Steel | 1.6 |
| Materials | 0.4 |
| Silver & Diamonds | 0.3 |
| Aluminium | 0.1 |
| Zinc | 0.1 |
| Net Current Assets | 0.7 |
| —– | |
| 100 | |
| ===== |
| Top 10 holdings | Fund % |
| Vale | |
| Equity | 5.3 |
| Debenture | 3.2 |
| BHP | 8.1 |
| Rio Tinto | 7.6 |
| Newmont Mining | 7.2 |
| Barrick Gold | 7.1 |
| Wheaton Precious Metals | 5.9 |
| Anglo American | 5.5 |
| OZ Minerals Brazil | |
| Royalty | 2.1 |
| Equity | 1.6 |
| Franco-Nevada | 3.5 |
| Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold | 3.4 |
| Asset Analysis | Total Assets (%) |
| Equity | 92.6 |
| Bonds | 5.1 |
| Preferred Stock | 1.6 |
| Net Current Assets | 0.7 |
| —– | |
| 100.0 | |
| ===== |
Commenting on the markets, Evy Hambro and Olivia Markham, representing the Investment Manager noted:
Performance
The Company’s NAV increased by 5.6% in July, underperforming its reference index, the MSCI ACWI Metals and Mining 30% Buffer 10/40 Index (net return), which returned +6.1%. (Figures in GBP)
Despite concerns around COVID-19 cases increasing in emerging markets such as Brazil, Iran and India, global economic growth expectations improved during the month as investor confidence was boosted by encouraging news around COVID-19 vaccine research. Chinese economic data was also better-than-expected, with its manufacturing PMI rising to 51.1, up from 50.9 in June, indicating continued expansion.
Against this backdrop, mined commodity prices were up across the board in July. Copper and iron ore (62% fe.) prices were up by 7.0% and 7.9% respectively on stronger demand from China and concerns around supply disruptions in Central and South America. Elsewhere, the gold price returned +10.7% over the month, reaching a new all-time high of $1,975/oz., with declining real rates appearing to be the main positive tailwind.
Turning to mining companies, the month saw Q2 production results being announced and, in general, operational disruptions were not as bad as had been feared.
Within the portfolio, stock selection in the copper sub-sector provided the most significant drag on relative returns during the month, with our positions in Cerro Verde and Ero Copper the largest two detractors.
Strategy and Outlook
We expect continued volatility as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves and believe broader equity markets could be vulnerable to a pullback in the near-term. However, with balance sheets in strong shape, we believe the miners are relatively well positioned to weather economic weakness. Mined commodity prices have performed strongly in recent weeks, with most now up on a year-to-date basis. We expect mined commodity demand to be supported by increased infrastructure spending in China and the US, as well as coordinated green spending initiatives in Europe. The capital discipline story remains intact, with mining companies focused on shareholder returns through dividends and buybacks.
All data points are in USD terms unless stated otherwise.
For more information on this Trust and how to access the opportunities presented by mining, please visit www.blackrock.com/uk/brwm
