Judith MacKenzie, Head of Downing Fund Managers and Chair of the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) delivered an upbeat message at its Annual Dinner on Thursday evening.  

In her speech, she encouraged the audience of company directors, regulators, investors, government ministers, and officials to be more positive on the UK’s thriving small and mid-cap businesses - ‘We must kill the narrative that UK plc is the underdog’.

Judith explained: ‘Companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) outside London, actually those located north of Sheffield, employ over 48,000 people and generate over £18bn of revenue. These UK small and mid-sized companies are on a cheaper worldwide relative rating than they have been since the Global Financial Crisis. As a fund manager, I see world-leading niche businesses – that’s what we should be shouting about.’

The Quoted Companies Alliance Annual Dinner was held on Thursday 21 September at the Savoy Hotel in London, where Ed Balls, Former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and Marcus Stuttard, Head of AIM & UK Primary Markets at the London Stock Exchange, also delivered insightful talks.  

UK small and mid-cap market

Unlocking success: key considerations for UK small-cap investing

Judith recently spoke with William Hobbs, Chief Investment Officer at Barclays, where she discussed the challenges and opportunities that investors are facing in the UK small and medium-sized equity markets.  

Find out more.  

Has the UK market reached an attractive entry point?

Rosemary Banyard, manager of the VT Downing Unique Opportunities Fund, discusses why she believes that the UK small & mid-cap market is now trading at an attractive entry point in the FundCalibre Money on the Go podcast.  

Find out more.  

UK small & mid-cap equities: is sentiment starting to move in the right direction?

Downing’s Josh McCathie, Manager of the VT Downing Small & Mid-Cap Income Fund, visited Proactive's London studio to talk about why the value on offer in this part of the UK market could mark a turning of the tide in investor sentiment.  

Find out more.

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Risk warnings: ‍Opinions expressed represent the views of the fund manager at the time of publication, are subject to change, and should not be interpreted as investment advice. Please refer to the latest full Prospectus and KIID before investing; your attention is drawn to the risk, fees and taxation factors contained therein.

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