Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Asia Dragon shares surge on Ashoka merger proposal

(Sharecast News) - Shares in the Abrdn-run Asia Dragon Trust spiked on Tuesday after the £35m Ashoka Whiteoak Emerging Markets made a merger approach for its much larger rival. Ashoka said it had put forward a proposal to merge the two trusts, with the option of a cash exit of up to 50% for Asia Dragon shareholders, who saw their investment jump by 7% in London Stock Exchange trade.

"The board of AWEM believes that the proposed transaction should deliver AWEM shareholders a vehicle of materially enlarged scale, with improved secondary market liquidity and a reduced ongoing charges ratio," Ashoka said in a stock exchange filing.

It added the deal would give Asia Dragon shareholders "significant uplift in the market value" of their investment "due to the superior rating at which AWEM's shares are trading and have historically traded compared with Asia Dragon's shares over the recent past".

Ashoka chair Martin Shenfield said the offer had the support of 56% of his trusts' investors but "sadly, we have not received any meaningful engagement with the board of Asia Dragon".

In response, Asia Dragon confirmed the approach, but urged shareholders "to take no action at this time in relation to the AWEM proposals".

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

RBC Capital lifts Centrica to 'outperform', shares rally
(Sharecast News) - RBC Capital Markets upgraded Centrica on Friday to 'outperform' from 'sector perform' and lifted the price target to 170p from 145p.
Jefferies reiterates 'buy' on National Grid, trims price target
(Sharecast News) - Jefferies trimmed its price target on National Grid on Friday as it reiterated its 'buy' rating on the energy infrastructure firm.
JPMorgan reiterates 'overweight' on Whitbread
(Sharecast News) - JPMorgan Cazenove reiterated its 'overweight' rating on Whitbread on Friday as it said it continues to be one of its key convictions, and sees the recent pullback - the shares are down 20% year-to-date - as "an opportunity to revisit the story".
Short-lived sunny spell helps boost UK supermarkets
(Sharecast News) - UK supermarket sales pushed higher in May, industry data showed on Friday, boosted by a brief spell of warmer weather.

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.