Debt repayment rising as share buybacks decrease

Debt repayment by investment trusts accelerated in September as trust managers continued to de-gear their portfolios. However, the acceleration in share buybacks also seen in September fell off in October, dropping from £53.4m to just £32m, although this was still higher than the low of £23.4m recorded in August. Figures from Cazenove's monthly investment trust report show a total of £361.2m of bank debt was repaid in September, more than double the £158.8m repaid in August. The number of trusts repaying debt in September was also up from August, from 13 to 19. Iimia head of investm...