Investment trusts with a record on continuous dividend increases were the most viewed on the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) website in 2017.
The most viewed trusts on the companies website have all increased their dividends for at least 20 years.
The most looked at trust was the £6.8bn Scottish Mortgage investment trust.
The manager of this trust, Tom Slater has said in the past that investments are never made with a dividend in mind, and the consistent dividend increases are the consequence of paying income from the retained earning of the trust.
The Murray International investment trust was next most viewed.
The £1.78bn trust has a yield of 3.9 per cent.
It is run by Bruce Stout, who has been scathing of global monetary policy.
Top 20 most viewed investment companies on the AIC website in 2017 | | | | |
Company | AIC sector | Most viewed on AIC website | % SPTR over 1yr to 31/12/2017 | Dividend yield (%) at 29/12/2017 |
Scottish Mortgage | Global | 1 | 41.07 | 0.67 |
Murray International | Global Equity Income | 2 | 11.04 | 3.9 |
Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust | Global | 3 | 21.05 | 1.61 |
City of London | UK Equity Income | 4 | 12.56 | 3.92 |
Finsbury Growth & Income | UK Equity Income | 5 | 21.48 | 1.83 |
Edinburgh Investment | UK Equity Income | 6 | 1.72 | 3.66 |
European Assets | European Smaller Companies | 7 | 35.95 | 5.43 |
JPMorgan Global Growth & Income | Global Equity Income | 8 | 24.1 | 3.68 |
Bankers | Global | 9 | 28.89 | 2.1 |
Independent Investment Trust | Global | 10 | 71.34 | 0.76 |
F&C Global Smaller Companies | Global | 11 | 13.06 | 0.91 |
Alliance Trust | Global | 12 | 19.19 | 1.84 |
Temple Bar | UK Equity Income | 13 | 10.98 | 3.17 |
Merchants | UK Equity Income | 14 | 15.72 | 4.96 |
Witan | Global | 15 | 22.09 | 1.76 |
Caledonia | Global | 16 | 14.83 | 1.96 |
Aberdeen Diversified Income & Growth | Flexible Investment | 17 | 21.2 | 4.77 |
Henderson Far East Income | Asia Pacific excl. Japan | 18 | 16.86 | 5.49 |
Perpetual Income & Growth | UK Equity Income | 19 | 7.21 | 3.62 |
Monks | Global | 20 | 35.02 | 0.16 |
Source: AIC and Morningstar | | | | |
The investment trust with the longest history of increasing the dividend is the £1.3bn City of London investment trust, which has increased its dividend every year for 51 consecutive years.
James Pigot, who runs intermediary Pigotts Investments in Dorking, said: "Investment trusts are great for income as they can smooth any bumps when companies fail to pay dividends, and we have had plenty of those recently."
He described the City of London investment trust as one you "can't fault."
david.thorpe@ft.com