Portfolio Update

BLACKROCK FRONTIERS INVESTMENT TRUST PLC All information is at 31 December 2013 and unaudited. Performance at month end with net income reinvested One Three Six One Three Since month months months year years launch* Sterling: Share price 2.2% 4.1% 10.6% 45.9% 16.2% 24.6% Net asset value 2.3% 6.3% 8.4% 33.2% 23.7% 23.3% MSCI Frontiers Index (NR) 1.1% 4.2% 3.7% 23.6% 5.3% 6.6% MSCI EM Markets (NR) -2.5% -0.4% -1.4% -4.4% -11.2% -8.4% US Dollars: Net asset value 3.3% 8.7% 18.4% 35.7% 30.9% 31.0% MSCI Frontiers Index (NR) 2.2% 6.6% 13.3% 25.9% 11.4% 13.3% MSCI EM Markets (NR) -1.4% 1.8% 7.7% -2.6% -6.1% -2.7% Sources: BlackRock and Standard & Poor's Micropal * 17 December 2010. At month end US Dollar: Net asset value - capital only: 184.25c Net asset value - cum income: 184.22c Sterling: Net asset value - capital only: 111.29p Net asset value - cum income: 111.27p Share price: 114.50p Total assets (including income): £167.6m Premium to cum-income NAV: 2.9% Gearing: nil Gearing range (as a % of gross assets): 0-20% Net yield: 4.5% Ordinary shares in issue: 150,621,621 *Yield calculations are based on dividends announced in the last 12 months as at the date of the release of this announcement, including the 2012 final dividend per share of 2.60 cents per share (1.64557 pence per share) announced on 30 November 2012, the 2013 interim dividend of 2.00 cents per share and the special interim dividend of 3.40 cents per share announced on 30 May 2013, payable to shareholders on 5 July 2013. The interim and special dividends announced on 30 May 2013 that total 5.40 cents per share (3.45003 pence per share) are the total dividends for the financial year ending 30 September 2013. The special dividend represents the final dividend which is normally paid in March each year. Therefore, a more accurate indication of the annual yield for the year to 30 September 2013 would be 3.0% (based on the latest available share price as at the date of this announcement of 114.50 pence per share). Benchmark Sector Analysis Gross assets(%)* Country Analysis Gross assets(%)* Financials 34.2 United Arab Emirates 13.4 Energy 16.5 Nigeria 12.4 Consumer Staples 12.6 Saudi Arabia 10.9 Health Care 9.6 Qatar 9.4 Telecommunication 8.9 Bangladesh 7.3 Industrials 8.6 Kazakhstan 5.9 Materials 6.5 Kuwait 5.5 Consumer Discretionary 4.4 Pakistan 4.7 Utilities 2.0 Iraq 4.4 ----- Oman 3.8 Total 103.3 Sri Lanka 3.5 ----- Ukraine 3.2 Short positions -1.5 Vietnam 3.2 ===== Turkmenistan 3.1 Slovenia 2.3 Pan Africa 2.1 Panama 1.9 Kyrgyzstan 1.5 Romania 1.4 Estonia 1.3 Croatia 1.3 Argentina 0.8 ----- 103.3 ===== Short positions -1.5 ===== *reflects gross market exposure from contracts for difference (CFDs) Market Exposure 31.01 28.02 31.03 30.04 31.05 30.06 31.07 31.08 30.09 31.10 30.11 31.12 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 2013 % % % % % % % % % % % % Long 105.1 104.1 99.5 99.2 99.8 95.9 103.2 98.9 98.8 100.4 100.5 103.3 Short 3.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 2.5 3.0 3.3 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.5 Gross 108.6 105.3 100.7 100.4 100.9 98.4 106.2 102.2 100.2 102.0 102.1 104.8 Net 101.6 102.9 98.3 98.0 98.7 93.4 100.2 95.6 97.4 98.8 98.9 101.8 Ten Largest Equity Investments Company Country of Risk % of gross assets Zenith Bank Nigeria 5.3% Aldar Properties United Arab Emirates 5.1% Emaar Properties United Arab Emirates 3.7% Halyk Bank Kazakhstan 3.5% Qatar National Bank Qatar 3.3% Dragon Oil Turkmenistan 3.1% Qatar Gas Transport Qatar 3.1% Doha Bank Qatar 3.0% Kuwait Food Kuwait 3.0% Square Pharmaceuticals Bangladesh 3.0% Commenting on the markets, Sam Vecht and Emily Fletcher, representing the Investment Manager noted: Market overview The MSCI Frontier Market Index returned 2.2% in December, bringing the total benchmark return for 2013 to 25.9%. This outstripped mainstream Emerging Markets which fell by 1.5% in December, capping a poor year in which the index fell by 2.6%. (All calculations are on a US dollar basis with net income reinvested.) United Arab Emirates was the strongest performer over the month, rising by 17.0%, as the region continues its buoyant recovery. Investors were encouraged by Dubai winning the Expo 2020 as significant infrastructure investments will be required to host the event. The market was led by property company Emaar, which rose by 21% after reporting strong interest in its most recent project launches. Bulgaria also performed well in December, up by 10.9%, as investors shrugged off the decision of Standard & Poor's to revise its outlook for the country to negative from stable. Investors preferred to concentrate on the country's fledgling economic recovery and low levels of public debt, relative to GDP. Sri Lanka ended the year on a positive note. Recent economic data releases have shown that the economic outlook for the country is improving, GDP growth accelerated to reach 7.8% in Q3 2013, whilst inflation currently remains contained at 4.7% year-on-year in December, the lowest level since February 2012. Argentina was the weakest performer in December, falling by 8.1%. Investors took profits after the market rose by more than 20% in November. The sentiment in Buenos Aires was not helped by a wave of blackouts as the summer heat took its toll on the inadequate power infrastructure. The government, which had already imposed price freezes on the utility sector, announced further freezes on up to 200 goods and services. Portfolio The Company's NAV increased by 3.3% in December, outperforming the benchmark by 1.1%. Year to date, the Company's NAV has returned 35.7% compared to the MSCI Frontier Markets Index return of 25.9%. (All calculations are on a US dollar basis with net income reinvested.) Kyrgyzstan miner, Centerra, recovered much of the ground lost in the previous month, rising by 35.9%. Speculation that improved terms would be agreed with the Kyrgyz government drove the stock upwards. Caribbean stock, Cable and Wireless Communications rose by 19.4% on the back of speculation in the financial press that the company could be a takeover target. In the Middle East, hospital operator NMC also performed well, up by 7.8%. We have long highlighted the value discrepancy between the Middle Eastern hospital companies trading on 10-12 times earning per share and Asian peers trading on 30-50 times earnings per share. Activity The Company initiated a new position in energy producer, Afren. We believe that the company's assets in both Iraq and Nigeria are being assigned insufficient value by the market. In Iraq, we believe that the recovery factor being applied to the company's reserves is over-conservative and in Nigeria, we believe that the exploration programme that the company is embarking on looks extremely interesting. We rotated positions in the UAE reducing financial Emaar Properties and exiting First Gulf Bank (which we have held for over three years) and investing this capital into the Abu Dhabi based property company Aldar. We also took profits on two other strong performing stocks: Caribbean telecoms operator, Cable and Wireless Communications and Kyrgyzstan miner, Centerra, both of which have already been mentioned above. The Company increased its position in Americana, a Kuwaiti listed fast food chain which operates over 1,000 restaurants across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. As a result of the strong performance of a number of financials stocks over the last quarter of 2013, the weight of financials within the Company rose to 34% as at the end of December. This is a high level compared to where it has been historically. We expect this weighting to fall gradually as we continue to take profits in those stocks which have done well. A sharper decline in our weighting in this sector will take place before June 2014, as we exit positions in financial heavy Qatar and UAE which are leaving the Frontier Index at the end of May 2014. Outlook In 2013, Frontier Markets attracted increasing attention from international investors and subsequently saw substantial inflows. However, with an institutional AUM of approximately $20bn in Frontier Markets, the asset class is still small versus the approximately $1 trillion of institutional assets under management which tracks emerging markets. As a result, the typical investor base within Frontier Markets remains significantly different to more developed markets and Frontier Markets remain relatively immune from the short-term vagaries of global financial markets. Whilst Frontier Markets have shown relatively strong performance since the inception of the Company, we would highlight that the majority of the index performance has been driven by earnings growth rather than an expansion in valuation multiples. Therefore, in general, Frontier Markets are no more expensive now than they were just over 3 years ago when we launched the Company and we continue to find attractive investment opportunities across various countries. Within certain Frontier Markets, the recent performance has been exceptionally strong, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by a number of unlisted companies in these countries. We expect 2014 to be the year when both private and state owners of companies take the opportunity to crystallise the value of their holdings by listing their companies on the stock market and anticipate the start of an IPO (initial public offering) boom in Frontier Markets. 20 January 2014 ENDS Latest information is available by typing www.blackrock.co.uk/brfi on the internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV terminal). Neither the contents of the Manager's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement.
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