CEF Market Update: Q2 2017
Sr. Portfolio Specialist Allen Webb and Portfolio Manager Steve O'Neill discuss the closed-end fund market for Q2 2017.
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Video recorded 7.13.2017.
Produced by RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC ("RiverNorth" "we" or "us").
Opinions and estimates offered constitute our judgment and are subject to change without notice, as are statements of financial market trends, which are based on current market conditions. We believe the information provided here is reliable, but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. The views and strategies described may not be suitable for all investors. This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax, legal, or investment advice. References to specific securities, asset classes, and financial markets are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be, and should not be interpreted as, recommendations. Opinions referenced are as of the day recorded and are subject to change due to changes in the market, economic conditions, or changes in the legal and/or regulatory environment and may not necessarily come to pass.
Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against loss.
Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.
The price at which a closed-end fund trades often varies from its NAV. Some funds have market prices below their net asset values - referred to as a discount. Conversely, some funds have market prices above their net asset values - referred to as a premium.
CFA® is a trademark owned by the CFA Institute.
Definitions
Shareholder activism is a way in which shareholders can influence a corporation's behavior by exercising their rights as owners. Although shareholders don't run a company, there are ways for them to influence the board of directors and management. These can range from dialogue with management to voice their concerns about a particular issue to formal proposals that are voted on by all shareholders at a company's annual meetings.
A bear market is a condition in which securities prices fall and widespread pessimism causes
the stock market's downward spiral to be self-sustaining.
A credit spread is the difference in yield between two bonds of similar maturity but
different credit quality. Widening credit spreads indicate growing concern about the ability of
corporate (and other private) borrowers to service their debt. Narrowing credit spreads
indicate improving private creditworthiness.
Basis Points (BPS): A common unit of measure for interest rates and other percentages in finance. One basis point is equal to 1/100th of 1%, or 0.01% (0.0001), and is used to denote the percentage change in a financial instrument.
Yield is the income return on an investment. This refers to the interest or dividends received from a security and is usually expressed annually as a percentage based on the investment's cost, its current market value or its face value.
Par is a term that refers to a financial instrument that is trading at its face value.
Fed Taper Talk: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke announced that the central bank would begin paring back its $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program should the economic data continue to improve. This caused an aggressive stock market sell off and an increase in interest rates.
A tender offer is an offer to purchase some or all of shareholders' shares in a corporation. The price offered is usually at a premium to the market price.
Yield curve is a line that plots the interest rates, at a set point in time, of bonds having equal credit quality, but differing maturity dates. The shape of the yield curve is closely scrutinized because it helps to give an idea of future interest rate change and economic activity. There are three main types of yield curve shapes: normal (steep), inverted (negative), and flat. A normal yield curve is one in which longer maturity bonds have a higher yield compared to shorter-term bonds due to the risks associated with time. An inverted yield curve is one in which the shorter-term yields are higher than the longer-term yields. A flat yield curve is one in which the shorter- and longer-term yields are very close to each other.
The slope of the yield curve is also seen as important: the greater the slope, the greater the gap between short- and long-term rates.
LIBOR is the world’s most widely-used benchmark for short-term interest rates. It serves as the primary indicator for the average rate at which banks that contribute to the determination of LIBOR may obtain short-term loans in the London interbank market.
The SIFMA index is a market-based rate based upon supply and demand in the short-term, tax-exempt bond market.
CEF Index Definitions
The High Yield CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Unweighted High Yield CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a high yield investment strategy. High yield closed-end funds are defined as funds that seek high current income through investing in non-investment grade debt instruments.
The Preferred CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Unweighted Preferred CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by
Morningstar as utilizing a preferred investment strategy. Preferred closed-end funds are
defined as funds that invest primarily in preferred and/or convertible preferred stocks.
The Municipal Bond CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Municipal Bond CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds
categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a municipal bond investment strategy. Municipal bond
closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest in a diversified portfolio of investment-
grade municipal bonds in a variety of sectors and States.
The Global Income CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Un-weighted Global Income CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a global income investment strategy. Global income closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in a mixture of U.S. and foreign government and corporate debt, with an emphasis on developed countries.
The Investment Grade CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Investment Grade CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end
funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a investment grade investment strategy.
Investment grade closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in investment
grade debt instruments.
The Emerging Income CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Emerging Income CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds
categorized by Morningstar as utilizing an emerging income investment strategy. Emerging income
closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in emerging market government and
corporate debt securities.
The Multi-Sector Bond CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Multi-Sector Bond CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end
funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a multi-sector bond investment strategy. Multi-
sector bond closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest across several fixed income asset
classes, with typically less than 50% in any one of these asset classes.
The Bank Loan CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar
Unweighted Bank Loan CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by
Morningstar as utilizing a bank loan investment strategy. Bank loan closed-end funds are
defined as funds that invest primarily in collateralized senior bank loans issued by
corporations. Most of these securities are typically rated below investment grade.
The Convertible CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Unweighted Convertible CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds
categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a convertible investment strategy. Convertible closed-
end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in Convertibles bonds/Convertible
preferred stock.
The Mortgage Bond CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Un-weighted Mortgage Bond CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a mortgage bond investment strategy. Mortgage bond
closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in a variety of mortgage-backed
securities and mortgage derivatives.
The Government and Agency CEF index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Government and Agency CEF Index, which is the average of all closed-end
funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a government and agency investment strategy.
Government and Agency closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in U.S.
Treasuries and Agency debt.
The Emerging Market Equity index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Emerging Market Equity Index, which is the average of all closed-end
funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing an emerging market equity investment strategy.
Emerging Market Equity closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in emerging market government and corporate debt securities.
The Covered Call index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Unweighted Covered Call Index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a covered call investment strategy. Covered call closed-end funds are defined as funds investing in equities and generate additional income by writing calls on at least 50% of their portfolio.
The Global Equity index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Unweighted Global Equity index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a global equity investment strategy. Global equity closed-end funds are defined as funds that invest primarily in equity securities in U.S. and foreign countries, with an emphasis on developed countries. Most of these funds seek long-term capital appreciation rather than high income.
The Domestic Equity index total return and discount statistics are based upon the
Morningstar Un-weighted Domestic Equity index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a domestic equity investment strategy. Domestic equity closed-end funds are defined as funds investing their assets primarily in U.S. equity securities; generally, these funds are seeking long-term capital appreciation rather than income.
The Hybrid index total return and discount statistics are based upon the Morningstar Un-weighted Hybrid index, which is the average of all closed-end funds categorized by Morningstar as utilizing a hybrid investment strategy. Hybrid closed-end funds are funds investing in both equity and fixed income securities in U.S. and foreign countries, with an emphasis on developed countries. Funds are categorized into this peer group if they have a policy of investing no more than 70% of their assets in either equities or fixed income.
Source: RiverNorth, Morningstar, Inc.
