28 July – 1 August 2025

Summary –

Listed Investment Companies (LICs) Weekly Commentary: 28 July – 1 August 2025

The final week of July reaffirmed the bifurcation within the LIC landscape, with credit-focused vehicles continuing to attract investor interest while smaller equity LICs struggled to gain traction.

Credit LICs: Yield-Driven Stability

  • MCP Master Trust (MXT) remained the heavyweight, boasting a market cap of $2.52 billion and trading at a modest 2.54% premium to NTA, supported by a 7.67% running yield—a compelling proposition for income-focused investors.

  • Perpetual Credit Income Trust (PCI) and Qualitas Real Estate Income Fund (QRI) also held firm, with premiums of 5.88% and 1.99%, respectively. Their resilience reflects sustained demand for credit and real estate-backed income streams.

  • High-yield performers like KKR Credit Income Fund (KKC) and MCP Income Opportunities Trust (MOT) delivered yields above 8%, though both traded at slight discounts, suggesting selective optimism among investors.

Equity LICs: Deep Discounts Persist

  • Glennon Small Companies (GC1) and Acorn Capital Investment Fund (ACQ) continued to trade at steep discounts of -30.26% and -25.60%, respectively. Despite GC1 offering a 6.23% running yield, investor caution toward small-cap equities remains entrenched.

  • Low turnover and persistent valuation gaps indicate that sentiment toward smaller equity exposures remains subdued, even in the face of attractive income metrics.

 Alternatives & Diversified Strategies

  • Katana Capital (KAT) and WAM Alternative Assets (WMA) also traded below NTA, with discounts of -5.99% and -16.60%, respectively. These figures reflect mixed investor sentiment toward alternative strategies, which continue to face scrutiny despite their diversification benefits.

LICATs Weekly Summary

NameCodeClosing PriceRunning Yield NTAPremium/(discount) to NTAMarket Capitalisation (millions)Average Daily ASX turnover (000s)
Acorn Capital Investment FundACQ0.820.081.10-0.2673.4756
Glennon Small CompaniesGC10.530.060.79-0.3325.5731
Katana CapitalKAT1.2650.021.34-0.0538.877
KKR Credit Income FundKKC2.340.092.46-0.05754.73431
MCP Income Opportunities TrustMOT2.040.092.15-0.05679.24397
MCP Master TrustMXT2.040.082.010.022493.031087
Perpetual Credit Income TrustPCI1.170.071.110.06569.46505
Qualitas Real Estate Income FundQRI1.6350.081.610.02995.54283
WAM Alternative AssetsWMA1.010.071.19-0.15198.52209

 

Closing price as at the end of week.