BLACKROCK WORLD MINING TRUST plc
All information is at 31 May 2010 and unaudited.
Performance at month end with net income reinvested
One Three One Three Five
Month Months Year Years Years
Net asset value* (undiluted) -6.0% 1.2% 43.3% 5.0% 183.5%
Net asset value* (diluted) -6.0% 1.2% 43.3% 9.8% 179.9%
Share price* -4.6% 7.0% 41.1% 4.9% 188.2%
HSBC Global Mining Index -5.6% 2.7% 40.0% 33.4% 215.0%
Sources: BlackRock, HSBC Global Mining Index, Datastream
* Net asset value and share price performance includes the warrant
reinvestment, assuming the 2004 and 2006 bonus warrant entitlement per share
was sold and the proceeds reinvested on the first day of trading.
At month end
Net asset value: Including Income Capital only
Undiluted/Diluted: 671.37p# 668.59p
# Includes net revenue of 2.78p
Share price: 582.50p
Discount to NAV**: 12.9%
Total assets: £1,227.0m
Net yield: 0.8%
Gearing: 2.7%
Ordinary shares in issue: 177,762,242
Ordinary shares held in Treasury: 15,249,600
** Discount to NAV based on capital only.
Sector % Total Country Analysis % Total
Assets Assets
Diversified 45.7 Latin America 28.4
Base Metals 18.3 Global 23.9
Gold 13.3 South Africa 10.6
Platinum 7.7 Other Africa 9.9
Silver and Diamonds 7.0 Australasia 8.7
Industrial Minerals 6.0 Canada 6.0
Other 0.5 India 3.2
Net current assets 1.5 Indonesia 3.1
USA 2.6
Emerging Europe 1.2
Europe 0.9
Net current assets 1.5
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100.0 100.0
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Commenting on the markets, Evy Hambro, representing the Investment Manager
noted:
Performance
Equity markets experienced a significant sell-off over the month as European
sovereign debt issues continued to concern the market. The weakness in the Euro
peaked in May as fears over Europe's debt problems, the future of the Euro, and
the possibility of contagion to other countries weighed on the financial
markets. Germany introduced a ban on all short selling of European government
bonds, credit default swaps and some large cap companies in order to reduce
speculation in the market, however, volatility endured over the month.
Tensions between North and South Korea heightened over the month following an
announcement by South Korea that North Korea was responsible for sinking a
warship in late March. This has added to investor nervousness, as the
possibility of recriminations by both parties emerged.
Base metal prices fell over the month, with nickel and zinc falling 19% and 16%
respectively. The recent declines appear to be largely due to negative
sentiment in the market as a result of the sovereign debt issues and
nervousness over future demand given the steps taken by China to reign in their
economy, as strong economic data has continued to emerge from both emerging and
developed markets.
Positive news emerged over the month for miners operating in Zimbabwe as
President Robert Mugabe announced that the government has no intention of
expropriating the mining industry. Many mining companies have been reticent to
expand and invest in their business operations in parts of Africa where there
has been a lack of clarity over ownership rights. This has hindered the ability
of countries to expand their economies through the mining sector, but this new
development should alleviate some of these concerns in Zimbabwe.
Concerns over the effects of the proposed resource 'super-profits' tax in
Australia continued through May as mining companies began lobbying the
government. A number of companies with significant operations in Australia
announced decisions to place further investment in the country under review
until the decision is finalised.
The gold price performed well over the month rising to an all time high of
$1,238/oz (although it did reach higher points on intraday trading) as
investors continued their flight to 'safe haven assets'.
Strategy/Outlook
We believe that while short term volatility in the sector is likely, stock
selection and commodity selection will be key in order to take advantage of
opportunities in these markets. The recent pull back has provided potential
opportunities as valuations are now looking more attractive.
The medium to long term outlook for the mining sector appears robust, with
emerging markets continuing to exhibit strong growth and supply remains
constrained in its ability to meet demand increase in some commodities. Whilst
some investors may be fearful of monetary policy change in China, we view this
as a long term positive as it is indicative of a strong economy and a
government that is looking to manage that growth. However, in the short term,
general market sentiment is having a greater affect on equity markets.
Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.co.uk/its on the
internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV
terminal).
15 June 2010
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