Henderson Far East Income - Access to Asian growth with solid 6% yield

Henderson Far East Income (HFEL) performed strongly in 2019, unusually outperforming a rising market while continuing to achieve a well-covered dividend and a yield in excess of 6%. The trust, managed by Mike Kerley and Sat Duhra at Janus Henderson Investors, has a relatively concentrated (c 50 stock) portfolio that is split roughly equally between high-yielding stocks and those offering superior dividend growth prospects. Drivers of positive performance during the year included stocks from both sides of the portfolio, with limited impact from the US-China trade dispute given HFEL’s focus on domestic rather than export stocks. The managers are optimistic for a recovery in earnings and continued growth of dividends in the Asia Pacific region during 2020.