New benchmark, same focus on income/growth

The Merchants Trust (MRCH) aims to generate a high and growing level of income with the potential for long-term capital growth from a relatively concentrated, actively managed portfolio of UK equities. At end-January 2017, the benchmark was changed from the FTSE 100 index to the FTSE All-Share index, reflecting the evolution of the portfolio over several years towards a lower exposure to large-cap equities, giving the manager the opportunity to select from a broader range of dividend-paying companies. MRCH has a competitive yield compared to the UK stock market and also versus its peers. It has a progressive dividend policy and has increased its annual dividend for the last 35 consecutive years.