Jupiter European Opportunities Trust PLC
Interim Management Review for the three months ended 28 February 2011
The Board of Jupiter European Opportunities Trust PLC (the "Company") is pleased
to announce its interim management review for the quarter ended 28 February
2011.
During the period from 1 December 2010 to 28 February 2011, the Company's net
asset value per share excluding income and expenses rose by 10.2 per cent. to
300.71p, which compares with a rise of 13.1 per cent. for the Company's
benchmark, the FTSE World Europe ex UK Total Return Index, over the same
period.
Investment Manager's Report for the Quarter Ended 28 February 2011
European equities performed strongly during the three months under review. The
Company's benchmark, the FTSE World Europe ex UK, returned 13.1 per cent in
sterling terms, comparing favourably with developed markets and emerging markets
alike. In the emerging markets the MSCI Asia ex Japan Index returned -3.8 per
cent and the MSCI Latin America returned -0.6% while the S&P 500 returned 8.3
per cent, all in sterling terms.
The strong performance of European equities was principally driven by financials
as concerns over the Eurozone debt crisis eased temporarily in December 2010 and
January 2011. The Company's comparative underperformance in terms of net asset
value can largely be attributed to the fund's structural underweight exposure to
financials.
The oil and gas sector also performed strongly as political turmoil in the
Middle East and North Africa drove oil prices over $100 for the first time in
two years. Rising oil prices contributed to a rise in inflation, which reached
a rate of 2.4 per cent in February in the Eurozone. However, despite rising
inflation and the ongoing sovereign debt concerns in the peripheral Eurozone
countries, the International Monetary Fund raised World 2011 growth forecasts
from 4.2 per cent to 4.4 per cent and for the European Union from 1.6 per cent
to 1.7 per cent.
Full year corporate results for 2010 tended to exceed analysts' expectations.
The Company saw strong results from Aixtron, the manufacturer of LED making
equipment, Marine Harvest, the world's largest salmon farmer and Novo Nordisk,
the world's largest and most profitable insulin manufacturer.
Detractors from performance included Kudelski, a leader in digital security and
De La Rue, the bank note producer, which rebuffed a takeover approach from
Oberthur, a French rival.
Company borrowings increased from £24.9 million to £32.4 million over the
reporting period. As at 28 February 2011 the Company's borrowings equate to
13.5 per cent. of the Company's total assets.
We remain focused on trying to identify world-beating companies which have
strong business models with differentiated products or services that are well
placed to weather these macroeconomic vicissitudes. There are always 'special'
cases where companies are able to prosper because of long-term, secular trends.
Our holdings tend to be dominant operators in niche areas.  Their exposure to
fast-growing economies around the world should continue to prove beneficial in
helping to sustain their profitability.
Alexander Darwall
Fund Manager, Jupiter Asset Management Limited
Total Assets as at 28 February 2011: £240,022,350
Shares in Issue on 28 February 2011: 79,819,523
+------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------+--------+
|Â |Net Asset Value per |Net Asset Value per |Market |Discount|
| |share excluding |share including |Price (p) | |
| |income/expenses(p) |income/expenses(p) | | |
+------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------+--------+
|Ordinary |300.71 |300.03 |275.00 |(9)% |
|Shares* | | | | |
+------------+----------------------+----------------------+----------+--------+
Portfolio Distribution on 28 February 2011 Percentage of Total Assets
Country %
United Kingdom 29
Denmark 17
Germany 16
France 14
The Netherlands 11
Norway 11
Switzerland 9
Sweden 7
Others 1
Cash and fixed interest (15)
 100
The Company's exposure to other UK listed investment companies was nil on 28
February 2011.
Top Ten Holdings on 28 February 2011
Company Country of Listing %
Novo-Nordisk Denmark 6.8
Experian United Kingdom 6.5
Novozymes Denmark 6.3
Croda International United Kingdom 5.8
Neopost France 5.5
Syngenta Switzerland 5.2
Johnson Matthey United Kingdom 5.1
Marine Harvest The Netherlands 4.7
Aixtron Sweden 4.5
Elsevier The Netherlands 4.2
  _____
54.6
Comparative Performance to 28 February 2011
+------------+---------+---------+-------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
|Â |1 Month %| 3 Months| 1 Year| 3 Years| 5 Years| Since| Since|
| | | %| %| %| %| Launch %| Last|
| | | | | | | | Annual|
| | | | | | | | Report %|
+------------+---------+---------+-------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
|Total | 2.1| 10.2| 31.5| 39.1| 77.4| 176.9| 29.4|
|Assets* | | | | | | | |
+------------+---------+---------+-------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
|FTSE World | | | | | | | |
|Europe ex UK| Â | Â | Â | | | | Â |
|Index | 1.2| 13.1| 13.7| 10.5| 32.5| 54.1| 20.0|
+------------+---------+---------+-------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
|Ordinary | | | | | | | |
|Share NAV | 2.1| 10.2| 31.5| 39.1| 79.7| 217.7| 29.4|
+------------+---------+---------+-------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
|Ordinary | | | | | | | |
|Share Price | -| 13.2| 42.3| 32.5| 65.2| 170.9| 42.3|
+------------+---------+---------+-------+--------+--------+---------+---------+
*Adjusted for changes to share capital and amounts borrowed.
OBJECTIVE OF THE COMPANY
The objective of the Company is to invest in securities of European companies
and in sectors or geographical areas which are considered by the investment
manager to offer good prospects for capital growth, taking into account economic
trends and business development.
INVESTMENT POLICY
The Investment Manager adopts a stock picking approach in the belief that a
thorough analysis and understanding of a company is the best way to identify
long-term superior earnings prospects. This understanding begins with
identifying those companies where the ownership structure and incumbent
management are conducive to the realisation of the aim of achieving superior
long-term earnings growth. The Investment Manager will seek to identify
companies which enjoy certain key business characteristics including some or all
of the following:
- a strong management record and team, and the confidence that the Investment
Manager has in that management's ability to explain and account for its actions;
- proprietary technology and other factors which indicate a sustainable
competitive advantage;
- a reasonable expectation that demand for companies' products or services will
enhance long-term growth; and
- an understanding that structural changes are likely to benefit that company's
prospects rather than have a negative impact on them.
It is intended that the Company will have some exposure to most of the major
sectors of the European economy. There may be sectors which do not enjoy the
business characteristics described above and in such circumstances the
Investment Manager will seek to identify companies that are expected to generate
superior earnings growth within that sector.
In analysing potential investments, the Investment Manager will employ differing
valuation techniques depending on their relevance to the business
characteristics of a particular company. However, the underlying feature will be
the sustainability and growth of free cash-flow in the long-term.
Material Events
During the period under review there were no material events.
Availability of Monthly Fact Sheets
Monthly fact sheets for the Company are available for download from
www.jupiteronline.co.uk and by post or fax on request from the company
secretarial department.
The Company's Ordinary shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and the
prices are published in the Financial Times and The Times under `Investment
Companies'.
The Net Asset Values of the Company's ordinary shares are calculated weekly and
can be viewed on the London Stock Exchange website at
www.londonstockexchange.com (under the heading 'Market News').
For further information, please contact:
Richard Pavry
Director of Investment Trusts
Jupiter Asset Management Limited
rpavry@jupiter-group.co.uk
020 7314 4822
Jenny Thompson
Company Secretarial Department
Jupiter Asset Management Limited
jthompson@jupiter-group.co.uk
020 7314 5565
The Company's Registered office is at 1 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7JJ.
This interim management statement has been prepared solely to provide
information to meet the requirements of the UK Listing Authority's Disclosure
and Transparency Rules.
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Jupiter European Opportunities Trust PLC via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1507469]
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