JP Morgan is poised to announce a C share issue for the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust.

What Investment understands that an announcement is due to be made over the coming days confirming the dates for the secondary share issue.

The investment trust was launched in the summer of last year for investors looking for a diversified portfolio of companies in emerging markets that would provide an income while achieving some capital growth.

James Saunders-Watson, head of investment trust marketing at JP Morgan, says he anticipates further interest in the closed-ended fund this year because of the problem identifying a broad portfolio of good, dividend-paying companies from the West.

He explains, ‘BP highlighted the concentration of risk from buying a UK Equity Fund because around 60 per cent of your income was reliant on about 10 stocks.

‘We also saw what happened when banks cut their dividends and it made people wary as to where their income is coming from.’

Saunders-Watson admits that, historically, investment houses would never have turned to emerging markets for an income fund because it is perceived to be higher risk and most would only ever have a small proportion of their portfolio there.

He explains, ‘The number of changes over the past ten years is interesting. Most Asian markets had their credit crunch in 1998 so corporate balance sheets are much stronger than in the West – It’s a very different landscape.

‘We believe that the companies we are looking at have strong balance sheets, good cash flows and much improved corporate governance. Traditionally, the people who made money in emerging markets were the only the majority stakeholders, but that has changed.’

Saunders-Watson maintains that investment trusts are ideally suited for more illiquid markets as they are able to maintain stability within the portfolio because of their closed-ended structure.

The closed-ended structure also means the fund can build up revenue reserves of up to 15 per cent each year and use it to smooth future dividend payments when the performance has been worse than anticipated.

The closed-ended fund is managed by Richard Titherington, chief investment officer and head of the JP Morgan Asset Management emerging markets equity team.

Titherington has been with JP Morgan since 1986 and transferred to the specialist Pacific regional group in 1994.

He was appointed as managing director in April 2001 before being appointed as the head of the global emerging markets business in December 2001. He is a Politics & Economics graduate from Oxford University.