Josh Duitz, head of global income at Abrdn -- manager of the Aberdeen Global Infrastructure Income Fund -- says that private infrastructure investments have attracted so much money that valuations have gotten off-kilter, creating an 'illiquidity premium' that 'makes no sense.' Duitz explains that publicly listed companies should have higher valuations -- because investors value the liquidity and ability to trade them easily -- meaning that current conditions are making public infrastructure investments particularly attractive right now. Duitz -- who says that politics isn't likely to impact infrastructure as much as headlines suggest -- makes a broad case for infrastructure investing now, but particularly likes the renewable space.

Eric Boughton, chief analyst at Matisse Capital and portfolio manager for the Matisse Discounted Closed-End Fund Strategy, says that while the stock market has roared this year, things haven't changed much with the closed-end fund space this year, meaning there are plenty of highly discounted issues, particularly in muni bonds and some other fixed-income spaces, as well as international funds. He notes that many closed-funds that were good deals based on discounts a year ago haven't narrowed those bargains but now deliver improved yields, which is why he is buying certain issues now 'hand over fist.'

Mark Asaro, director of investments at Noble Wealth Management, says investors should not think that a traditional open-end mutual fund is a good replacement for individual bonds. Without a maturity date, bond funds don't have the pull toward par of an individual bond. Closed-end funds, however, are immune to dilution from cash flows into the fund, thereby providing a stable yield that investors can bank on, making them a better portfolio mix with individual bonds. Asaro notes that closed-end bond funds work best when the yield curve is upward sloping -- as opposed to today's heavy inversion -- but notes that there are selective opportunities looking strong now, notably in funds which buy municipal bonds.

Kenneth Burdon, an attorney in the investment management group at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom says that rules proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission that would dramatically change liquidity requirements on traditional mutual funds could result in a boom for interval funds. While noting that the proposals still have a ways to go before approval, Burdon says that they would, if passed, make it so that many bank loans and other 'less liquid securities,' couldn't be held in traditional funds. Some funds may convert to closed-end status, he says, while other firms will plan more interval offerings if the rule passes.

Kimberly Flynn, managing director of alternative investments at XA Investments, says that demand for alternative investments as a means of adding diversification to a portfolio has spurred tremendous growth in interval funds, whose limited liquidity makes them an ideal vehicle for many types of less-liquid securities. Flynn notes that there are 190 interval- and tender-offer funds in existence today, but that 27 new funds are in registration, many from companies just entering the interval-fund space. Flynn says it's still very early -- 'maybe the second inning' -- in the current interval-fund growth cycle, which will force investors and advisers to do heightened due diligence to make sure the new issues can perform up to expectations.

John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors, discusses what he is seeing in the market now by delving into four of the investments he is using the most and weighing heavily in client portfolios. He notes that the recent bank collapses actually made a few of his favorites more attractive -- because the market got angry at the financial sectors, driving prices down -- but he also explains that his favorites have more going for them than just a big discount.

Mickey Schleien, managing director for equity research at Ladenburg Thalmann and Co, says that business-development companies have seen the rising interest-rate environment lead to higher yields, which has helped to offset declines in net asset value that BDCs have suffered as a result of the Federal Reserve's tightening monetary policy. He says that middle market companies have seen revenues and earnings grow about 11 percent at the start of this year, without endangering their distribution or suffering through a lot of defaults. Schleien says that BDCs have managed credit trends well enough to now represent an attractive opportunity even as the economy heads toward a recession and despite the sector broadly being fully valued.

Chris Marangi, co-chief investment officer for value at the Gabelli Funds, says 'the new normal' is one where inflation is higher than the Federal Reserve's target of 2 percent and growth is below trend, but it is creating an opportunity for active management to shine to find the opportunities that exist beyond the seven stocks that have been carrying the market to gains this year. He particularly likes the live-entertainment and sports-related businesses, and dislikes the path for banks where higher interest rates and a potential recession are pressuring balance sheets and the fallout from the spring's headline-making bank collapses is not yet played out.

Doug Baker, head of preferred securities at Nuveen, says that while it is relatively common now to find preferreds with yields above 7 percent, the real opportunity for investors at the moment comes from looking beyond the yield. He says that preferred prices right now are at 'meaningful discounts' that are uncommon in the preferred industry, creating attractive entry points, particularly on preferreds with adjustable coupon rates. He also discusses how the banking crisis, interest rate environment and inflation picture are impacting the preferred market now.

Rob Shaker, portfolio manager at Shaker Financial Services, says that economic conditions -- the debt-ceiling debate, troubled banks, higher interest rates and persistent inflation -- have created a situation where the market isn't climbing the proverbial wall of worry, but rather a 'Wall of Meh,' and says that there is opportunity in the unimpressive current conditions, noting that long-term investors in closed-end funds can use lagging investor sentiment to capture discounts as early as the second half of this year, when he expects a 'generalized recovery' from today's worrisome issues.