Portfolio Update

BLACKROCK GREATER EUROPE INVESTMENT TRUST plc All information is at 31 May 2012 and unaudited. Performance at month end with net income reinvested One Three One Three Since launch Month Months Year Years (20 Sep 04) Net asset value* (Undiluted) -8.2% -8.6% -21.6% 34.3% 96.0% Net asset value* (Diluted) -8.0% -8.4% -19.2% 34.4% 96.0% Share price -8.9% -12.4% -20.1% 40.1% 86.4% FTSE World Europe ex UK -7.7% -13.1% -24.2% 7.7% 50.8% Sources: BlackRock and Datastream * Net asset value and share price performance includes the subscription share reinvestment, assuming the subscription share entitlement per share was sold and the proceeds reinvested on the first day of trading. At month end Net asset value (capital only): 165.30p Net asset value (including income): 169.85p Net asset value (capital only)**: 165.30p Net asset value (including income)**: 169.85p Share price: 160.75p Discount to NAV (including income): 5.4% Discount to NAV (including income)**: 5.4% Subscription share price: 4.00p Gearing: 0.01% Net yield: 2.2% Total assets (including income): £206.9m Ordinary shares in issue: 121,802,604 Subscription shares in issue: 23,500,217 ** Diluted for subscription shares. *** Excluding 2,734,952 shares held in treasury. Benchmark Sector Analysis Total Assets (%) Index (%) Country Analysis Total Assets (%) Consumer Goods 17.7 20.3 Switzerland 20.5 Industrials 13.6 14.4 France 16.1 Basic Materials 13.4 8.4 Germany 13.4 Oil & Gas 13.3 7.0 Russia 6.7 Financials 12.0 18.7 Denmark 5.7 Health Care 10.6 12.7 Italy 5.4 Consumer Services 8.2 5.1 Netherlands 5.3 Telecommunications 4.2 4.9 Spain 5.2 Technology 3.3 3.6 Sweden 5.1 Utilities 1.1 4.9 Finland 2.9 Net current assets 2.6 - Ireland 2.2 ----- ----- Belgium 2.0 100.0 100.0 Luxembourg 1.8 ===== ===== Portugal 1.5 Other 3.6 Net current assets 2.6 ----- 100.0 ===== Ten Largest Equity Investments (in alphabetical order) Company Country of Risk BASF Germany Eni Italy LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton France Novo Nordisk Denmark Pernod Ricard France Roche Switzerland SAP Germany Swiss Re Switzerland Syngenta Switzerland Zurich Insurance Switzerland Commenting on the markets, Vincent Devlin, representing the Investment Manager noted: During the month, the Company's NAV fell by 8.2% and the share price decreased by 8.9%. For reference, the FTSE World Europe ex UK Index fell 7.7% during the same period. The month of May was marked by growing political uncertainty around the Eurozone's future, which was the biggest factor weighing negatively on equity markets. The risk of Greece's potential exit from the Eurozone, combined with concerns about the recapitalisation of Spanish financial institutions, added to the ongoing concerns of a weakening economic momentum across the US, Europe and China, in particular. In that context, and with markets dropping significantly in May, defensive areas of the market fared better than cyclicals and financials. The Company's negative performance can be primarily attributed to stock selection within the oil & gas, health care and technology sectors. Within oil & gas, positions in CGG Veritas, Saipem and Technip detracted from returns as investor sentiment towards cyclicals deteriorated, although this was somewhat offset by a successful position in KazMunaiGas. Health care proved the strongest performing sector in the market during the month and the decision to not own 'defensive' megacap names Sanofi and Novartis contributed to the negative returns on a relative basis. Within the technology sector, a position in Infineon Technologies suffered from the rotation away from companies with exposure to global growth trends. Offsetting that, many of the most successful individual stock positions proved to be in general, high quality businesses with a higher degree of exposure to emerging markets consumers. These included spirit producer Pernod Ricard and brewer Anheuser-Bush InBev. The Company's holdings in defensive industrials Kone and Vopak also continued to perform in the 'risk off' environment. Portfolio positioning generally proved more successful at a sector level than at a stock level, however, with the decision to implement less exposure to financials and utilities proving successful. At the end of the month, the Company had higher weights (when compared with the FTSE World Europe ex UK Index) in oil & gas, basic materials and consumer services and lower weights in financials, utilities, consumer goods, health care, industrials, telecoms and technology. Outlook Market sentiment continues to be dominated by the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone, with growing uncertainty around political decisions that need to be taken to solve the crisis. The upcoming political events in Europe in June/ July will be important in determining the shape and form of the Eurozone in the years to come, which will in turn determine the direction equity markets might take. Market conditions are likely to remain volatile over this period. The ongoing political uncertainty is likely to weigh on business and consumer sentiment, which will further contribute to the deteriorating European economic momentum. The global economic conditions are also weakening, driven by a loss of momentum in the US and China in particular. In this uncertain economic and political context, it is worth highlighting that European equity valuations are very low and provide an attractive upside potential for investors with a long term time horizon. A successful resolution to the Eurozone crisis and a lifting of the political uncertainty could lead to the unlocking of that valuation discount. 18 June 2012 ENDS Latest information is available by typing www.brgeplc.co.uk 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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