The NAVigator Active Investment Company Alliance

Jonathan Mondillo, head of North American fixed income for abrdn says that record discount levels for municipal bond closed-end funds, coupled with attractive yields on those funds, are creating real opportunities for investors, though he warns about the middle of the yield curve, noting that the most compelling values are at the two ends of the barbell -- the short-term and long-duration paper -- which he expects to continue even as the rate cycle plays out and the Federal Reserve finally moves to cut rates.

John Cole Scott, President of Closed-End Fund Advisors and Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, drills into the first-quarter data for closed-end funds.  He notes that while municipal-bond funds still couldn't break out of their long-running slump, the first three months were a strong time for most closed-end funds (more than 90 percent were up for the period).
 

Bryce Doty, Senior Portfolio Manager at Sit Investment Associates, says the uptick in inflation is not enough to overwhelm the yields investors are earning, noting that real returns may be better than ever. He says investors should enjoy collecting the high yields while interest rates remain high, and while total returns should improve once cuts start, investors will have to wait for that to happen. Doty does not expect meaningful rate cuts this year -- he anticipates two reductions, one after the election -- but says that the long-term average gap between the Fed funds rate and inflation is well above its typical zero, so the central bank can cut rates and have a positive gap, meaning it can claim to be tough even as reductions start. Doty anticipates the important cuts -- the ones which narrow that gap back to near zero -- will occur in 2025.

Harin de Silva, manager of the Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity fund, says that the U.S. markets have remained among the best income-generating investment opportunities when it comes to the yields being generated relative to the risks being taken. While he favors a global allocation, de Silva noted that the fund has a surprising tilt toward the United States, helped along by the low volatility levels due to the strength of the U.S. economy. Globally, however, de Silva notes that the big surprise in recent markets has been how the bad news and headlines from Ukraine and Israel -- along with troubles at both the Suez and Panama Canal -- have not created uncertainty in the market and convinced investors to stop taking on risk.

Nicholas Marshi, editor at the BDC Reporter, talks about the struggles business development companies (BDCs) had at the end of 2023, saying he was shocked to see that more than a third of the BDCs his publication tracks  were "performing below ... reasonable expectations regarding their key metrics." He says that troubles tend to spiral for a few quarters before they get sorted out. Marshi also notes that no BDC has cut dividends yet, leaving "a really wide disparity of value between the BDCs" and making this a classic stock-picker's market in the space.

Axel Merk, chief investment officer of the ASA Gold and Precious Metals, discusses the impact that Saba Capital Management is having on the fund and on shareholders as it entered the fund as an activist, moving to change the board as it pushes for a double-digit discount to be narrowed. Merk discusses the challenge of dealing with activist investors in a junior mining fund, the potential for the fund to be liquidated, the possible outcomes and the impact of the action on shareholders.