NORTHERN 3 VCT PLC DISCLOSURE

Market Risk

18. Financial instruments The Company’s financial instruments comprise equity and interest-bearing investments, cash at bank, investments in money market funds and liquid resources including debtors and creditors. The Company holds financial assets in accordance with its investment policy of investing mainly in a portfolio of VCT-qualifying unquoted and AIM-quoted securities whilst holding a proportion of its assets in cash or near-cash investments in order to provide a reserve of liquidity. Fixed asset investments (see Note 8) are valued at fair value. For quoted investments this is either bid price or the latest traded price, depending on the convention of the exchange on which the investment is quoted. Unquoted investments are carried at fair value as determined by the Directors in accordance with current venture capital industry guidelines. The fair value of all other financial assets and liabilities is represented by their carrying value in the balance sheet, due to the short term nature of these instruments . In carrying on its investment activities, the Company is exposed to various types of risk associated with the financial instruments and markets in which it invests. The most significant types of financial risk facing the Company are market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. The Company’s approach to managing these risks is set out below together with a description of the nature and amount of the financial instruments held at the balance sheet date. Market risk The Company’s strategy for managing investment risk is determined with regard to the Company’s investment objective, as outlined in the Strategic Report on page 14. The management of market risk is part of the investment management process and is a central feature of venture capital investment. The Company’s portfolio is managed in accordance with the policies and procedures described in the Corporate Governance Statement on pages 39 to 44, having regard to the possible effects of adverse price movements, with the objective of maximising overall returns to shareholders. Investments in unquoted companies, by their nature, usually involve a higher degree of risk than investments in companies quoted on a recognised stock exchange, though the risk can be mitigated to a certain extent by diversifying the portfolio across business sectors and asset classes. The overall disposition of the Company