The NAVigator

Michael Ordonez, director of client portfolio management at Thornburg Investment Management, says that the biggest issue income investors face today is economic dynamics that are leading to a 'very difficult sustained income demand landscape, with less and less opportunities to generate that income.' That situation led Thornburg to enter the closed-end fund space for the first time with the Thornburg Income Builder Opportunities Trust, a new fund that uses the new, commonplace pricing structure, which Ordonez describes as 'Closed-End Fund 2.0' thanks to enhancements that should make the investing experience better for investors.

Daniel Wildermuth, chief investment officer for the Wildermuth Endowment Fund -- an interval fund that uses an endowment-like investment strategy built around alternative investments -- discusses how private equity investments have not only weathered the storm of the pandemic, but have largely outperformed the broad stock market over the longer term, and how they can spark and diversify a portfolio.

The right mix of closed-end funds creates a quasi-bond, delivers steady ionJohn Cole Scott, chief investment officer at Closed-End Fund Advisors -- the founder/executive chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance -- discusses what is involved in turning portfolios of closed-end funds into 'synthetic bonds,' delivering consistent returns above what is available in the fixed income markets, during times of concerns over inflation interest rates and possible tax hikes.

Roxanna Islam, associate director of research for Alerian and S-Network Global Indexes, discusses why her firm's indexes of closed-end funds show particularly high yields right now, but suggests that investors keep an eye on distribution coverage ratios -- which look at whether a fund's earnings can cover its payouts -- to identify issues where distribution cuts are more likely in the future.

Mike Taggart, founder of Taggart Fund Intelligence, joins the NAVigator to discuss current trends in closed-end fund mergers, and while he says that most deals benefit shareholders and management alike, he raises concerns about those times when consolidations and investment-mandate changes aren't great for a fund's owners. Taggart cites two affiliated funds that have been going through transitions, NexPoint Strategic Opportunities and Highland Income, as examples, noting that the former has been in the process of converting to a REIT for year, while Highland Income is currently proposing to morph into a diversified holding company, a move that has drawn scrutiny from activist investors; Taggart says the cases highlight the importance of shareholders reading their fund's documents, to learn the benefits and downsides before approving a fund's change.

Portfolio manager Brian Kessens of Tortoise Ecofin, who oversees the closed-end Tortoise Pipeline and Energy, and the Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, says he expects double-digit total returns from midstream and other energy companies based on current high yields, supported by stock buybacks and debt paydowns. The energy sector had a rocky time through 2020 and has rebounded sharply, but Kessens says valuations generally remain reasonable and that 'as the market starts to appreciate some of these growth opportunities, there's further upside ahead.'

Nicholas Marshi, editor of the BDC Reporter says that business development companies are heading into 'a bit of a golden age' over the few years as a result of low interest rates continuing to help with the cost of capital, improved credit conditions generally, and thanks to mergers that have swallowed up some of the weaker players in the field. It all combines to make Marshi's take on the BDC sector as good as it has ever been in his two decades covering the field. Marshi also gives his take on the sector's second-quarter earnings picture, which looks like it will see nearly all BDCs return to record NAV levels, completing the strong bounceback from a disastrous fall early in 2020.

Jerry Paul, senior vice president of fixed income for ICON Advisors -- manager of the ICON Flexible Bond Fund -- says that fears of rising interest rates and inflation haven't made reasonable yields on closed-end investments dry up. Paul continues to look at closed-end activism situations, which has brought him to bank-loan funds; he worries about decreased investor activism but thinks they will always play a role in closed-end fund investing.

Patrick Galley, chief investment officer at RiverNorth Capital Management -- which runs four municipal bond closed-end funds that invest in both individual bonds and in other muni closed-end funds -- says that as tax-equivalent yields in the muni space have become relatively attractive, the supply-demand picture has changed, narrowing discounts. That doesn't diminish the tax edge provided by the bonds, but makes selective buying critical for investors looking for tax advantages now.

Dan Omstead, chief executive officer at Tekla Capital Management -- which sponsors four health-care oriented closed-end funds -- says that the pandemic proved the promise of health care and biotech companies as it helped vaccine maker Moderna grow from a small form to one of the largest health-care companies in the world, and now he is looking at 'a new generation of companies that are well funded and developing very innovative products against every health-care target you can imagine.'