Interim Results

SchroderJapan Growth Fund PLC 30 March 2006 30 March 2006 Press Release Unaudited Interim Results The Directors of Schroder Japan Growth Fund plc announce the unaudited interim results for the six months ended 31 January 2006. For the six months ended For the six months ended 31 January 2006 31 January 2005 (Restated) Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Gains on investments - 37,541 37,541 - 3,036 3,036 Realised exchange rate (losses)/gains - (135) (135) - 135 135 Unrealised exchange gains/(losses) on - 1,287 1,287 - (765) (765) the loan facility Income 844 - 844 680 - 680 Investment management fee (849) - (849) (644) - (644) Administrative expenses (170) - (170) (225) - (225) Net (loss)/return before finance (175) 38,693 38,518 (189) 2,406 2,217 costs, taxation and gain on expiry of warrants Interest payable (56) - (56) (77) - (77) Net (loss)/return on ordinary (231) 38,693 38,462 (266) 2,406 2,140 activities before taxation Tax on ordinary activities (58) - (58) (47) - (47) Net (loss)/return attributable to (289) 38,693 38,404 (313) 2,406 2,093 equity shareholders Net (loss)/return per ordinary (0.23)p 30.95p 30.72p (0.25)p 1.93p 1.68p share-pence Reconciliation of Movements in Shareholders' Funds Share Share Share Warrant Capital Revenue capital premium purchase exercise reserve reserve account reserve reserve £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Balance at 31 July 2005 12,501 7 97,205 3 17,108 (7,381) Net profit from operating - - - - 38,693 (289) activities Realised gain on expiry of - - - - - - warrants Issue of shares on exercise - - - - - - of warrants Balance at 31 January 2006 12,501 7 97,205 3 55,801 (7,670) Share Share Share Warrant Warrant Capital Revenue capital premium purchase exercise reserve reserve reserve account reserve reserve £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Balance at 31 July 2004 12,500 3 97,205 1 9,639 (907) (7,182) Net profit from operating - - - - - 2,406 (313) activities Realised gain on expiry of - - - - (9.637) 9,637 - warrants Issue of shares on 1 4 - 2 (2) - - exercise of warrants Balance at 31 January 2005 12,501 7 97,205 3 - 11,136 (7,495) Share Share Share Warrant Warrant Capital Revenue capital premium purchase exercise reserve reserve reserve account reserve reserve £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Balance at 31 July 2004 12,500 3 97,205 1 9,639 (907) (7,182) Net profit from operating - - - - - 8,378 (199) activities Realised gain on expiry of - - - - (9,637) 9,637 - warrants Issue of shares on 1 4 - 2 (2) - - exercise of warrants Balance at 31 July 2005 12,501 7 97,205 3 - 17,108 (7,381) Six months ended Six months ended 31 January 2006 31 January 2005 restated Abridged Cash Flow Statement £'000 £'000 Net cash outflow from operating activities (158) (335) Net cash outflow from investing activities (4,776) 48 Net cash outflow before financing (4,934) (287) Net cash inflow from financing 4,918 0 Net cash outflow (16) (287) Net debt at beginning of period (18,554) (15,727) Realised exchange gains/(losses) on currency balances (135) 135 Movement in bank loan to finance investments (4,918) 0 Exchange movement on loan facility 1,287 (768) Net debt at period end (22,336) (16,647) As at 31 January 2006 As at 31 July 2005 Assets £'000 £'000 Listed investments 180,581 139,144 Net current liabilities (22,734) (19,701) Creditors: amounts falling due after one year - - Net Assets 157,847 119,443 Net asset value per share - undiluted pence 126.27p 95.55p The Board of Directors approved this statement on 30 March 2006. Notes 1.The above financial information is unaudited and does not amount to statutory accounts under Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985 (as amended). The information given for the financial year ended 31 July 2005 does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for that financial year. Statutory accounts for the financial year ended 31 July 2005 have been reported on by the Company's auditors and delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The report of the auditors was unqualified and did not contain a statement under Section 237(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985. 2. This announcement is prepared on the basis of the accounting policies as set out in the most recent published set of annual financial statements with the following exceptions, which have arisen from the adoption of new accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice 'Financial Statements of Investment Trust Companies' ('SORP') issued in January 2003 and revised in December 2005. a) FRS26 (Financial Instruments: Measurement) - The Company has designated its assets and liabilities as being measured at 'fair value through profit or loss'. The fair value of listed investments is deemed to be the bid value of those investments at the close of business on the relevant date. Previously, listed investments were valued at last traded price basis. There was no difference between the last traded price basis and the bid value of the investments at 31 January 2006, 31 January 2005 and 31 July 2005. Transaction costs have been included within capital account. Purchase transaction costs amounted to £21,000 for the period to 31 January 2006 and sales transaction costs amounted to £16,000. b) FRS25 (Financial Disclosure and Presentation) - Warrants issued by an Investment Trust Company (ITC) should be classified as equity and the net proceeds shown as a warrant reserve and included as part of equity holders' funds. If warrants issued by an ITC lapse unexercised then the amount previously recognised in respect of the warrant should be reclassified as a realised gain. This is not reflected in the profit or loss but reported as a movement in the Reconciliation of Movement in Shareholders' Funds. The accounts for the period ended 31 January 2005 and the year ended 31 July 2005 have been restated to reflect these changes. c) FRS 23 (The effects of changes in Foreign Exchange Rates) - The financial statements of a company are presented in currency of the primary economic environment in which it operates (its functional currency). The functional and presentational currency of this Company is deemed to be sterling and the financial statements presented accordingly. Chairman's Statement Performance I am very pleased to report that your Company has experienced a strong period of growth over the six months ended 31 January 2006. The Company's net asset value increased by 32.2%, whilst the share price increased by 38.4%. The Tokyo Stock Exchange ('TSE') First Section produced a Total Return in sterling terms of 35.3% over the same period. An analysis of the performance of the portfolio can be found in the following Investment Manager's Review. Director Changes Mr. Yoshindo Takahashi has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company with effect from 19 December 2005. Mr. Takahashi, aged 65, is currently Director of the Office of Pharmaceutical Industry Research, a research arm of Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association. He is also a member of the Management Committee of Executive Partners Inc, a consulting firm for small and emerging companies and a statutory auditor (Independent) of Netprice Corp, an internet shopping company based in Japan. He was previously Executive Director and Dean of Nomura School of Advanced Management (1996 - 2000) and Executive Vice President of Nomura Research Institute Ltd (1994 - 1996). He served as President and then Chairman of Nomura Research Institute Europe Ltd and Nomura Research Institute America Inc. between 1980 and 1991. Mr. Takahashi will be proposed for election at the 2006 Annual General Meeting. Mr. Keisuke Egashira retired as a Director of the Company on 19 December 2005 on accepting the Chairmanship of a major motor-vehicle manufacturer in Japan. He served as a Director of the Company since its launch in 1994 and has made an invaluable contribution to the deliberations of the Board. He leaves with the thanks and best wishes of all the Directors. Accounting Standards The Accounting Standards Body has implemented a convergence programme with International Accounting Standards and has introduced a number of new and revised Accounting Standards, which have been adopted in these interim accounts. In addition the Company has also complied with the revised Statement of Recommended Practice issued by the AITC in December 2005. These changes have had no financial impact in our interim accounts other than presentational changes and additional disclosures. Gearing During the six-month period ended 31 January 2006, the Company increased total borrowings to Yen 5.5 billion (from Yen 4.5 billion) in line with the increase in asset values. All of the borrowings continue to be obtained via a revolving credit facility with variable draw-down periods, providing flexibility to the Board and the Manager. Jonathan Taylor Chairman Investment Manager's Review Performance The Company's net asset value rose 32.2% in sterling terms during the six months to 31st January 2006. Over this period, the benchmark Index rose strongly in local currency terms, by 42.6% and slightly less so in sterling terms, by 35.3%. Rising expectations for economic growth and corporate earnings and a resounding victory for Prime Minister Koizumi in parliamentary elections provided a positive impetus to the market. Commodity-related sectors, such as steels, metals and resources, performed strongly against a backdrop of strong global and, in particular, regional demand and pricing. At the same time, high-beta domestic stocks, such as real estate, brokers, banks and insurance warmed to the prospect of asset inflation. Toward the end of 2005, the market became increasingly momentum - and thematically driven, throwing out exceptional value in some neglected stocks at the end of the period. Underperformance came from an underweight position in commodity sectors, with the exception of trading companies, and in higher-beta domestic sectors, such as banks, where valuations look stretched. Outlook We are expecting real GDP growth above 2% for the third successive fiscal year. Indeed, real GDP growth is likely to grow at this rate again in the next fiscal year ending March 2007. The outlook for next year is dependent on inflation and interest rates. The core CPI turned positive in November (+0.1%) and is likely to continue rising for the next few months. Although we do not expect higher interest rates until the beginning of 2007, the Bank of Japan may feel obliged to act earlier if inflation rises above 1%. Overall, we expect a relatively positive environment for companies with profits growth of around 10%. A greater focus on improving return on equity by using excess capital appropriately would lead to higher valuation multiples. The chief threats to this scenario are premature tightening of fiscal/monetary policy by the authorities and potential political upheaval as Prime Minster Koizumi steps down. Investment Policy The market has maintained a strong focus on domestic reflation. Whilst trends in nominal GDP have been supportive, an important medium term driver of the market will be a further rise in return on equity driven more by balance sheet restructuring. This will benefit cash-generative companies able to use excess cash to reinvest or return to shareholders. The portfolio continues to include exposure to such situations, for example Takeda Pharmaceutical and Nissan Motor. There is growing evidence that profits momentum is beginning to peak, particularly if one isolates from market earnings those segments which have enjoyed strongly favourable tailwinds, such as trading companies, or banks, where provisions have been written back. Having said that, nominal growth should be sufficiently strong to sustain reasonable levels of profits growth. A concern would be that this proves insufficient to sustain multiples in many segments of the market and we believe, therefore, that stock selection, rather than the sector themes, which have driven the market forward over recent periods, will be increasingly important. We are particularly positive on stocks like Astellas Pharmaceutical, Omron and T&D Holdings and would add to positions on any weakness. Effective net gearing at the end of January was 14.1%. Schroder Investment Management Limited Interim Report The Interim Report will be mailed to registered shareholders at their registered addresses. Copies of the Interim Report will be made available from the date of release at the Company's registered office, 31 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7QA. Enquiries: Schroder Investment Management Limited John Spedding (020 7658 3206) 30 March 2006 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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