Schiehallion discount doubles in 2023 as buybacks slow pace of new investments

Another year of NAV losses

Persistent sentiment against growth stocks and private company investments led to a further widening of Baillie Gifford’s Schiehallion fund's discount in 2023, as the £1.2bn trust reported another year of net asset value losses.

In the twelve months to 31 January 2024, the trust's NAV fell 0.9%, while the share price dropped by 22.3% as the discount widened from 23% to 40% during the period.  The overall negative return was the result of a weak first half of the year, followed by a recovery in the second half, with performance driven by a mix of public market uplift and increased valuations in private holdings, according to the trust. Within the listed holdings, fintech Affirm, foreign exchange fintech Wise and health insurance firm Oscar Health all experienced significant price increases, particularly in lat...