Jupiter's Heslop on how he is positioning the recently launched small-cap vehicle

Firm's first foray into the European small-cap space

Jupiter Asset Management's maiden European smaller companies venture will look to take advantage of the recent "dislocation in [share] prices" caused by coronavirus worries, according to manager Mark Heslop.

Jupiter launched the £5m Jupiter European Smaller Companies fund at the end of February as it builds out its European stable of funds headed by Heslop and his former Columbia Threadneedle colleague Mark Nichols. The team is completed by assistant manager Sohil Chotai, but Heslop said Jupiter plans one or two more hires "over time". Heslop said he sees "an awful lot of opportunity in the small-cap space", with that dislocation "providing opportunity for us to buy some great businesses at much more attractive prices than were available just a month or two ago". "Shares [are] being hi...