Booming Aberdeen is unfazed by poll buzz

"I tend to look at what the bookies are saying, not the opinion polls — and they are all going for a hung parliament," Martin Gilbert, chief executive of one of Britain's biggest fund managers Aberdeen Asset Management, said today.

"If that is the result there might be some short-term disruption in the market but the City is adaptable and will carry on working whatever the outcome."

Certainly clients have been willing to invest ahead of the general election. The majority of Aberdeen's funds come from institutions and they have helped to boost funds under management from £146.2 billion to £170.9 billion in the six months to end-March.

"There have been big inflows into equities, global emerging markets and even Asian fixed interest," said Gilbert.

"Property is also on the buy list. While trophy London properties are still overpriced there's good value in regional commercial property and the UK is leading Europe in property price recovery."

Aberdeen's first-half results bust all analysts' predictions with a near-trebling of headline pre-tax profits from £33 million to £92.3 million.
Numis Securities said the figures would lead to 10% to 20% upgrades for the full year.

The shares rose 7.1p, or 5%, to 145.2p. The dividend is up 14% to 3.2p a share.