SCT investments bouncing back as markets adjust
SHETLAND Charitable Trust’s (SCT) investment funds are recovering from market turbulence generated by the first months of Donald Trump’s second US presidency, the trust reports.
The latest valuation reported to trustees last week was £458.8 million, up from £432.6 million since the beginning of the financial year.
January to the end of March saw what SCT described as “escalating trade tensions” which triggered a sharp sell-off in US markets.
In contrast, the markets in Europe performed well, “buoyed by increased defence spending and fiscal stimulus”.
The overall result for 2024/25 was a low return on investments of 2.6 per cent or £11.3 million – sufficient to cover last year’s grant spending of £9.4 million.
SCT said it assesses investment performance over the longer term and points out that over the past five years it has achieved a return of 61.8 per cent, equivalent to 10.1 per cent annually.
SCT chair Robert Leask said: “Despite the volatility we are seeing the external investments starting to creep back up.”
Meanwhile, Andy Turnbull, an environmental consultant and a nature-based investment advisor who now lives in East Voe, Scalloway, has joined the board of trustees.
Turnbull has a background in green sustainable real-asset investments in the UK and globally, focused on timber and food production as well as landscape-scale nature restoration.
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