Central GoldTrust: Central GoldTrust Announces Proposed Offering
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 8, 2009) - Central GoldTrust (TSX:GTU.UN)(TSX:GTU.U)(NYSE Alternext US:GTU) of Ancaster, Ontario announced today that it plans to offer Units of Central GoldTrust to the public in Canada and the United States under its existing US$250,000,000 base shelf prospectus dated December 19, 2008 and filed with the securities commissions in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, except Quebec, and under the multijurisdictional disclosure system in the United States pursuant to a proposed underwritten offering by CIBC World Markets Inc. Central GoldTrust will only proceed with the offering if it is non-dilutive to the net asset value of the Units owned by the existing Unitholders of Central GoldTrust.
The entire amount of US$250,000,000 provided for in the base shelf prospectus is available for this offering.
Substantially all of the net proceeds of the offering will be used for gold bullion purchases, in keeping with the asset allocation provisions outlined in GoldTrust's Declaration of Trust and the related policies established by its Board of Trustees. Any additional capital raised by the offering is expected to reduce the annual expense ratio in favour of the Unitholders of GoldTrust.
Central GoldTrust has filed a base shelf prospectus and registration statement with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") which will serve as the base for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the base shelf prospectus and any other documents Central GoldTrust has filed with the securities commissions in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, except Quebec, and the SEC for more complete information about Central GoldTrust and this offering. You may obtain a copy of the base shelf prospectus filed in the United States and any prospectus supplement from CIBC World Markets Corp. 425 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York, 10017, by fax at 212-667-6303 or by e-mail at [ useprospectus@us.cibc.com ]. You may obtain a copy of the base shelf prospectus in Canada from CIBC World Markets Inc., fax 416-594-7242 or request a copy by telephone at 416-594-7270.
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Central GoldTrust's actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those risks detailed in Central GoldTrust's filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the SEC.
Central GoldTrust, founded in April 2003, is a passive, self-governing, single purpose, closed-end trust, which holds approximately 98% of its net assets in unencumbered, long-term holdings of gold bullion, substantially in physical international bars. Central GoldTrust does not actively speculate with regard to short-term changes in gold prices. Central GoldTrust's gold bullion is held unencumbered in allocated, segregated and insured safekeeping in Canada, in the treasury vaults of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The gold bullion is physically audited by Ernst & Young LLP in the presence of Central GoldTrust's Officers and Trustees as well as bank officials. Central GoldTrust Units are quoted on the NYSE Alternext US, symbol GTU and the TSX, symbols GTU.UN (Cdn. $) and GTU.U (U.S. $).