Form 486BPOS Palmer Square Opportunis
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 26, 2024
Securities Act File No.
Investment Company Act File No.
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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FORM
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(CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX OR BOXES)
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(Address of principal executive offices)
Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code:
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Chief Compliance Officer and Legal Counsel
(Name and address of agent for service)
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COPY TO:
Christopher D. Menconi
Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP
1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20004-2541
APPROXIMATE DATE OF PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING:
OF THIS REGISTRATION STATEMENT.
| | Check box if the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans. | |||
| | Check box if any securities being registered on this Form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 (“Securities Act”), other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan. | |||
| | Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction A.2 or a post-effective amendment thereto. | |||
| | Check box if this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction B or a post-effective amendment thereto that will become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act. | |||
| | Check box if this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction B to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act. |
| It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box): | ||||
| | when declared effective pursuant to section 8(c) | |||
| | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 486. | |||
| | on | |||
| | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 486. | |||
| | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a) of Rule 486. | |||
| If appropriate, check the following box: | ||||
| | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. | |||
| | This Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462 (b) under the Securities Act and the Securities Act registration number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is (date). | |||
| | This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: ______. | |||
| | This Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is: ______. | |||
| Check each box that appropriately characterizes the Registrant: | ||||
| | Registered Closed-End Fund (closed-end company that is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”)). | |||
| | Business Development Company (closed-end company that intends or has elected to be regulated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act). | |||
| | Interval Fund (Registered Closed-End Fund or a Business Development Company that makes periodic repurchase offers under Rule 23c-3 under the Investment Company Act). | |||
| | A.2 Qualified (qualified to register securities pursuant to General Instruction A.2 of this Form). | |||
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| Well-Known Seasoned Issuer (as defined by Rule 405 under the Securities Act). | |||
| | Emerging Growth Company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”). | |||
| ☐ | If an Emerging Growth Company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of Securities Act. | |||
| | New Registrant (registered or regulated under the Investment Company Act for less than 12 calendar months preceding this filing). | |||
PALMER SQUARE OPPORTUNISTIC INCOME FUND
PROSPECTUS
The Fund. The Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end investment company that continuously offers its shares.
Investment Objectives. The Fund seeks a high level of current income. As a secondary objective, the Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Investment Strategy. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities and/or income-producing securities (the “80% Policy”). The Fund may invest in debt securities of any maturity and credit quality, including securities rated below investment grade and unrated securities. Investment grade securities are those rated in the Baa3 or higher categories by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or in the BBB- or higher categories by Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw Hill Companies Inc. (“S&P”), or Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) or, if unrated by S&P, Moody’s, Fitch or another Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”), determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality. Securities rated below investment grade by at least one of Moody’s, S&P or Fitch (or if unrated, determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality), commonly referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds,” have predominately speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield securities may also be difficult to value and illiquid.
The types of debt securities in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, (i) collateralized debt obligations, (ii) corporate bonds, notes and debentures, (iii) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored entities, (iv) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt, and (v) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in one or more investment types. The Fund may invest in both U.S. dollar denominated and non-U.S. dollar denominated loans and securities, as well as securities of foreign issuers. For the purposes of achieving the Fund’s investment objectives, hedging risks, and enhancing liquidity, the Fund may also employ derivatives, such as: puts and calls on U.S. Treasury futures; options, swaps and other interest rate derivatives; and credit default swaps on selected entities or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives and other synthetic instruments that have economic characteristics similar to debt securities and/or income-producing securities will be counted toward satisfaction of the 80% Policy.
Investment Adviser. The Fund’s investment adviser is Palmer Square Capital Management LLC (the “Advisor”). As of July 31, 2024, the Advisor managed approximately $32.5 billion of assets.
The Offering. This Prospectus applies to the offering of shares of beneficial interest (“Shares”) in the Fund. The Fund is generally sold to (i) registered investment advisers (“RIAs”) that meet certain qualifications; (ii) clients of such RIAs; (iii) clients of brokers, dealers and other financial intermediaries; and (iv) certain other investors. The minimum initial investment is $250,000, subject to certain exceptions, and minimum subsequent investments are $2,500. See “Investment Minimums.” The Shares will be offered on a continuous basis at the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) per Share. No arrangement has been made to place investors’ funds in an escrow, trust or similar account. Foreside Fund Services, LLC (“Foreside” or the “Distributor”) is the exclusive distributor for Shares on a best efforts basis. The Fund commenced operations on August 29, 2014. See “The Offering.”
Interval Fund. The Fund has an interval fund structure pursuant to which the Fund will conduct quarterly repurchase offers, typically for between 5-10% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares at NAV per Share, subject to applicable law and to approval of the Board of Trustees of the Fund. In all cases such repurchases will be for at least 5% and not more than 25% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares. In connection with any repurchase offer, the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. A repurchase offer may be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their Shares repurchased. The Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares for trading on any national securities exchange and does not expect any secondary trading market in the Shares to develop. The Shares are, therefore, not readily marketable. Even though the Fund will make quarterly repurchase offers to repurchase a portion of the Shares to try to provide liquidity to shareholders, you should consider the Shares to be illiquid.
Risks. Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s risks and investment objectives, as an investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors and is not designed to be a complete investment program. An investment in the Fund involves a high degree of risk. Investing in the Fund may result in a loss of some or all of the amount invested.
Before making an investment/allocation decision, investors should (i) consider the suitability of this investment with respect to an investor’s or a client’s investment objectives and individual situation and (ii) consider factors such as an investor’s or a client’s net worth, income, age, and risk tolerance. Investment should be avoided when an investor/client has a short-term investing horizon and/or cannot bear the loss of some or all of his or her investment. Before investing in the Fund, an investor should read the discussion of the risks of investing in the Fund in the “Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks” section beginning on page 15 of this Prospectus.
An investment in the Fund should be considered a speculative investment that entails substantial risks, including but not limited to the following:
• You will not have access to the money you invest for an extended period of time.
• You will not be able to sell your shares regardless of how the Fund performs.
• Because you will be unable to sell your Shares, you will be unable to reduce your exposure to Shares upon any market downturn.
• The Fund does not intend to list its Shares on any securities exchange and the Fund does not expect a secondary market in its Shares to develop.
• The Fund has implemented a share repurchase program, but the Fund is required to repurchase only 5% of its outstanding Shares per quarter.
• Fund distributions may also be funded from the waiver or payment of certain expenses by the Advisor that will be subject to repayment in the future. The repayment of any amounts owed to the Advisor will reduce the future distributions to which you would otherwise be entitled.
This Prospectus concisely provides the information that a prospective investor should know about the Fund before investing. Read this Prospectus carefully and retain it for future reference. Additional information about the Fund, including a statement of additional information (“SAI”) dated November 30, 2024, has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. The SAI, annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund, are available upon request and without charge by writing to the Fund at 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, KS 66205, by calling 1-800-736-1145 or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.palmersquarefunds.com.
The table of contents of the SAI appears on page B-1 of the SAI. The SAI, and other information about the Fund, is also available on the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov). The address of the SEC’s Internet site is provided solely for the information of current and prospective investors and is not intended to be an active link.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Shares of the Fund do not represent a deposit or obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depositary institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
You should not construe the contents of this Prospectus as legal, tax or financial advice. You should consult with your own professional advisors as to the legal, tax, financial or other matters relevant to the suitability of an investment in the Fund.
You should rely only on the information contained in this Prospectus. The Fund has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information provided by this Prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this Prospectus.
The date of this Prospectus is November 30, 2024.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CONTROL PERSONS, PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP |
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SUMMARY
This is only a summary and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund (the “Fund”). Before investing in the Fund, you should carefully read the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this Prospectus and the Fund’s statement of additional information (the “SAI”), each of which should be retained for future reference by any prospective investor.
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The Fund |
The Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that continuously offers its Shares. The Fund is operated as an “interval fund” (as defined below). An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors. |
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Palmer Square Capital Management LLC is the Fund’s investment adviser. |
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The Offering |
Shares of the Fund are being offered on a continuous basis at NAV per Share. |
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The Fund’s Shares are offered through Foreside as the exclusive distributor. The minimum initial investment is $250,000, subject to certain exceptions. The Advisor may waive the minimum investment requirement for one or more investors in its sole discretion. The Fund reserves the right to reject a purchase order for any reason. See “Purchase of Shares.” Shareholders will not have the right to redeem their shares. However, as described below, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders the Fund will conduct periodic repurchase offers for a portion of its outstanding shares. |
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Periodic Repurchase Offers |
The Fund is an “interval fund,” a type of fund which, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, has adopted a fundamental investment policy to make quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV per Share. Subject to applicable law and approval of the Board of Trustees of the Fund (the “Board” or “Board of Trustees”), the Fund will seek to conduct such quarterly repurchase offers typically for between 5-10% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares at NAV per Share. In connection with any repurchase offer, the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. Written notification of each quarterly repurchase offer will be sent to shareholders at least 21 days and not more than 42 days before the repurchase request deadline (i.e., the date by which shareholders can tender their Shares in response to a repurchase offer) (the “Repurchase Request Deadline”). The Fund’s Shares are not listed on any securities exchange, and the Fund does not anticipate that a secondary market will develop for its Shares. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire. Thus, the Shares are appropriate only as a long-term investment. In addition, the Fund’s repurchase offers may subject the Fund and shareholders to special risks. See “Principal Risks of the Fund — Repurchase Offers Risk.” |
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Investment Objectives |
The Fund seeks a high level of current income. As a secondary objective, the Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. |
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Investment Strategies |
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities and/or income-producing securities (the “80% Policy”). The Fund may invest in domestic and foreign debt securities of any maturity and credit quality, including securities rated below investment grade and unrated securities. Investment grade securities are those rated in the Baa3 or higher categories by Moody’s, or in the BBB- or higher categories by S&P, or Fitch or, if unrated by S&P, Moody’s, Fitch, or another NRSRO, determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality. Securities rated below investment grade by at least one of Moody’s, S&P or Fitch (or if unrated, determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality), commonly referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds,” have predominately speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield securities may also be difficult to value and illiquid. The types of debt securities in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, (i) collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) and other similar types of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, (ii) corporate bonds, notes and debentures, (iii) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored entities, (iv) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt, and (v) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in one or more investment types. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be “covenant lite” loans, which means the loans contain fewer or no maintenance covenants than other loans and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. The Fund may invest in various classes or tranches of CDOs and other similar types of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. The Fund may invest in both U.S. dollar denominated and non-U.S. dollar denominated loans and securities, as well as securities of foreign issuers. The Fund’s investment strategy may involve active and frequent trading of portfolio securities. |
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The Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities may be comprised of loans or leases secured by motor vehicles or other equipment, consumer receivables from sources such as credit cards or student loans, or cash flows from operating assets such as royalties and leases. Mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest include those issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and/or U.S. Government sponsored instrumentalities, such as the Government National Mortgage Administration (“Ginnie Mae”), the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”), the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”). The Fund may also invest in commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) and collateralized mortgage-backed securities (“CMOs”) issued or guaranteed by private entities. |
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For the purposes of achieving the Fund’s investment objectives, hedging risks, and enhancing liquidity, the Fund may also employ derivatives, such as: puts and calls on U.S. Treasury futures; options, swaps and other interest rate derivatives; and credit default swaps on selected entities or indexes (where the Fund may act as either buyer or seller). As it pertains to the Advisor’s use of derivatives for hedging, risks that can be quantitatively measured and managed (and therefore can potentially be hedged) include interest rate risk (duration and convexity), prepayment risk, spread risk and volatility risk. The Advisor’s goal is not to eliminate all risk, but to assume only those risks the Advisor views as offering a strong risk/return profile. Additionally, the Fund may employ the types of derivatives referenced above in order to achieve its investment objectives by, among other practices, replicating a certain type of credit exposure, obtaining short or long exposures to credit and/or interest rates, or taking a position in light of a potential appreciation or depreciation in value of a company’s securities. The Fund’s investments in derivatives and other synthetic instruments that have economic characteristics similar to debt securities and/or income-producing securities will be counted toward satisfaction of the 80% Policy. |
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When making investment decisions for the Fund, the Advisor employs a blend of top-down and bottom-up analysis. The top-down approach has three components: (1) macro analysis whereby the Advisor’s investment team undertakes frequent dialogues regarding macro items including the economic outlook, financial and credit markets, new and secondary issues, regulatory changes, mergers and acquisitions environment, and valuation levels; (2) cross-asset relative value analysis which consists of analyzing the credit spectrum for strong relative value opportunities (e.g., analysis of valuation metrics across loans, bonds, convertibles, CLOs and mortgage credits to identify and monitor optimal risk/reward opportunities); and (3) active monitoring by the investment team of the major sectors within the credit universe. With regard to the bottom-up approach, the investment team undertakes frequent dialogue regarding key analyses including items such as determining an issuer’s ability to service debt, measuring past performance and understanding the approach of the manager team and their ability to meet goals, deal structure model analysis, document analysis and other financial modeling and scenario testing. Finally, the bottom-up approach includes trade refinement. For example, within the credit spectrum, the investment team also seeks to evaluate many trade specifics with respect to an issuer including, without limitation, liquidity, position size, upside/downside capture, and relative versus absolute value. |
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The portfolio managers will consider selling all or a portion of a position if, in their opinion, one or more of the following occurs: (1) the issuer’s fundamentals deteriorate; (2) the issuer’s business strategy or key personnel change; (3) a rating agency downgrade or a decline in credit quality metrics occurs; or (4) the Advisor identifies a more attractive investment opportunity. |
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Leverage |
The Fund may use leverage in an effort to increase its returns, subject to the restrictions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund may use leverage opportunistically and may choose to increase or decrease its leverage, or use different types or combinations of leveraging, at any time based on the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions and the investment environment. To achieve its investment objectives, the Fund may utilize leverage through borrowings via a credit facility. Such borrowings are made by a special purpose vehicle (“SPV”) that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund and for which the Fund is the sole interest holder. The SPV has entered into a credit agreement (a “Credit Agreement”) with the lenders from time to time party thereto (each, a “Lender”) and Bank of America, N.A. as Administrative Agent, to enable the SPV to borrow for investment purposes. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, the SPV may borrow money from the Lenders up to a maximum aggregate outstanding principal amount of $75 million, subject to change by mutual agreement of the SPV and the Lenders. The SPV will invest proceeds from the borrowings in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies as described in this Prospectus. In addition, the Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which are considered to be borrowings, to seek to enhance returns. Reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage. In addition to borrowings, investments in certain derivatives, short sales and futures contracts, and forward currency contracts and engaging in forward commitment transactions are examples of transactions that the Fund may engage in and that result in leverage. The Fund will only use these investment techniques when the Advisor believes that the leveraging and the returns available to the Fund from such transactions will provide investors a potentially higher return. The Fund may also borrow money to meet repurchase requests (which the Board, in its sole discretion, may authorize) and for operational portfolio management purposes. |
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Principal Risk Factors |
An investment in the Fund involves a high degree of risk. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved. You should consider carefully the risks summarized below, which are described in more detail under “Investment Objectives, Policies and Risks—Risk Considerations” beginning on page 15 of this Prospectus. |
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Fixed Income Securities Risk – The Fund’s investments in fixed income, or debt, securities will be subject to risks including interest rate risk, credit risk, and extension and prepayment risk. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the Fund’s portfolio, the more the Fund’s NAV per Share is likely to react to changes in interest rates. Some fixed income securities give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the securities before their maturity dates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of callable issues are subject to increased price fluctuation. |
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Prepayment or Call Risk – If the Fund holds a fixed income security subject to prepayment or call risk, it may not benefit fully from the increase in value that other fixed income securities generally experience when interest rates fall. Upon prepayment of the security, the Fund may be forced to reinvest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In addition, the Fund may lose the amount of the premium paid in the event of prepayment. |
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Extension Risk – When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities may occur more slowly than anticipated, extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates and causing their market prices to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. |
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Interest Rate Risk – Changes in interest rates may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments in fixed income securities. Generally, the value of debt securities decline as interest rates rise. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Fund’s investments. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. When the Fund holds floating or adjustable rate debt securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the NAV per Share of the Fund’s Shares. Investments in debt securities pose the risk that the Advisor’s forecast of the direction of interest rates might be incorrect. |
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Credit Risk – Debt securities, even investment-grade debt securities, are subject to credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that the inability or perceived inability of the issuer to make interest and principal payments will cause the value of the securities to decrease. As a result the Fund’s NAV per Share could also decrease. Changes in the credit rating of a debt security held by the Fund could have a similar effect. Issuers of high-yield securities are more vulnerable to real or perceived economic changes (such as an economic downturn or a prolonged period of rising interest rates), political changes or adverse developments specific to an issuer than issuers of investment grade securities. These factors may be more likely to cause an issuer of low quality bonds to default on its obligations. If the Fund enters into financial contracts, the Fund will be subject to the credit risk presented by the counterparties. |
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Liquidity Risk – The Fund may also be subject to liquidity risk. During periods of market turbulence or unusually low trading activity, in order to meet repurchase requests it may be necessary for the Fund to sell securities at prices that could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s NAV per Share. Liquidity risk is more pronounced for the Fund than for funds that invest primarily in other types of fixed income securities. In addition, when the market for certain investments is illiquid, the Fund may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. The reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years also has the potential to decrease the liquidity of the Fund’s investments. Illiquid securities may be difficult to value. |
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Bank Loan Risk – The Fund’s investments in secured and unsecured participations in bank loans and assignments of such loans may create substantial risk. In making investments in such loans, which are made by banks or other financial intermediaries to borrowers, the Fund will depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of principal and interest, which will expose the Fund to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. The market for bank loans may not be highly liquid and the Fund may have difficulty selling them. Bank loan trades may also be subject to settlement delays. In addition, bank loans may not be considered securities under U.S. federal securities laws and, as a result, investments in them may not have the protection of federal securities laws. |
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Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk – The Fund may invest in CDOs, collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other related instruments. Such instruments are subject to credit, interest rate, valuation, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. |
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Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk – The Fund may invest in CLOs. The Fund is subject to asset manager, legal and regulatory, limited recourse, liquidity, redemption, and reinvestment risks as a result of the structure of CLOs in which the Fund may invest. A CLO’s performance is linked to the expertise of the CLO manager and its ability to manage the CLO portfolio. Changes in the regulation of CLOs may adversely affect the value of the CLO investments held by the Fund and the ability of the Fund to execute its investment strategy. CLO debt is payable solely from the proceeds of the CLO’s underlying assets and, therefore, if the income from the underlying loans is insufficient to make payments on the CLO debt, no other assets will be available for payment. CLO debt securities may be subject to redemption and the timing of redemptions may adversely affect the returns on CLO debt. The CLO manager may not find suitable assets in which to invest and the CLO manager’s opportunities to invest may be limited. |
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Senior Loan Risk – The Fund may invest in floating or adjustable rate senior loans. These investments are subject to increased credit and liquidity risks. Senior loan prices also may be adversely affected by supply-demand imbalances caused by conditions in the senior loan market or related markets. Below investment grade senior loans, like high-yield debt securities or junk bonds, usually are more credit than interest rate sensitive, although the value of these instruments may be affected by interest rate swings in the overall fixed income market. Senior loans may be subject to structural subordination and, although the loans may be senior to equity and other debt securities in the borrower’s capital structure, the loans may be subordinated to other obligations of the borrower or its subsidiaries. |
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“Covenant-Lite” Loans Risk – Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be “covenant-lite” loans, which means the loans contain fewer or no maintenance covenants than other loans and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. The Fund may experience delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans. |
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Subordinated Securities Risk – The Fund may invest in securities that are subordinated in right of payment to more senior securities of the issuer. Subordinated securities are more likely to suffer a credit loss than non-subordinated securities of the same issuer and will be disproportionately affected by a default, downgrade or perceived decline in creditworthiness. |
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Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risk – Private placements and other restricted securities may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. The absence of a liquid trading market may also make it difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value. |
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Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk – Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities represent interests in “pools” of mortgages or other assets, including consumer loans or receivables held in trust. Mortgage-backed securities are subject to “prepayment risk” (the risk that borrowers will repay a loan more quickly in periods of falling interest rates) and “extension risk” (the risk that borrowers will repay a loan more slowly in periods of rising interest rates). If the Fund invests in mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities that are subordinated to other interests in the same pool, the Fund may only receive payments after the pool’s obligations to other investors have been satisfied. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the assets held by a pool may limit substantially the pool’s ability to make payments of principal or interest to the Fund, reducing the values of those securities or in some cases rendering them worthless. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include so-called “subprime” mortgages. The Fund’s investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets. |
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Government-Sponsored Entities Risk – The Fund’s investment in U.S. government obligations may include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. |
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Derivatives Risk – The Fund may invest in various types of derivative instruments. The use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks including liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and correlation risk. Derivatives can be highly illiquid and difficult to unwind or value, and changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund may not correlate with the value of the underlying instrument or the fund’s other investments. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that a counterparty is unable to honor its commitments. As a result, the value of Fund Shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty and an investor in the Fund may lose money. The loss on a derivative transaction may substantially exceed the initial investment. |
6
|
Short Sales Risk – In connection with a short sale of a security or other instrument, the Fund is subject to the risk that instead of declining, the price of the security or other instrument sold short will rise. If the price of the security or other instrument sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security or other instrument borrowed to make the short sale, the Fund will experience a loss, which is theoretically unlimited since there is a theoretically unlimited potential for the market price of a security or other instrument sold short to increase. Shorting options or futures may have an imperfect correlation to the assets held by the Fund and may not adequately protect against losses in or may result in greater losses for the Fund’s portfolio. |
||
|
Foreign Securities Risk – Foreign securities have certain unique risks, such as currency risk, social, political and economic risk, and foreign market and trading risk. Securities of foreign issuers may be less liquid, more volatile and harder to value than U.S. securities. |
||
|
Valuation Risk – The sales price of a security held by the Fund may differ—higher or lower—from the Fund’s last valuation of such security, and the difference could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market conditions exist that cause the Fund to fair-value certain securities, investors who purchase Shares or tender Shares for repurchase by the Fund on days the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more Shares, or lower or higher repurchase proceeds, than if the Fund had not fair-valued securities or used a different valuation methodology. |
||
|
Leverage Risk – Leverage created from borrowing or certain types of transactions or instruments may impair the Fund’s liquidity, cause it to liquidate positions at an unfavorable time to satisfy its obligations, and result in increased volatility. Leverage may magnify the Fund’s exposure to declines in the value of one or more underlying investments and/or create investment risk with respect to a larger pool of assets than the Fund would otherwise have. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategies will be successful or result in a higher yield. |
||
|
Borrowing Risk – The Fund currently intends to utilize borrowings via a secured credit facility to achieve its investment objectives. Such borrowings are made by a wholly-owned SPV that is a subsidiary of the Fund. Borrowing will result in expenses that will be borne by the Fund (whether in its capacity as the sole interest holder of the SPV or directly if the Fund uses other forms of leverage directly) and may reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing by the Fund or SPV may have the following consequences to shareholders, including, but not limited to: (i) greater fluctuation in the Fund’s NAV; (ii) use of cash flow for debt service, distributions, or other purposes (i.e., distributions to shareholders may be subordinated to payments required in connection with any indebtedness); and (iii) in certain circumstances, the Fund may be required to dispose of investments at a loss or otherwise on unattractive terms in order to service its debt obligations or meet its debt covenants. |
||
|
Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk – A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale by the Fund of a debt obligation to a party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement by the Fund to repurchase that debt obligation from that party on a future date at an agreed upon price. Similar to borrowing, reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage and subjects the Fund to the risks of leverage. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of securities. |
7
|
Market Risk – The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political, or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have significant impact on a security or instrument. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. |
||
|
Recent Market Events – Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. For example, in recent years the COVID-19 pandemic, the large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the global economy and in global financial markets. These and other similar events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy repurchase requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance. |
||
|
Principal Loss – At any given time your Shares may be worth less than the price you paid for them. In other words, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. |
||
|
Portfolio Focus Risk – To the extent a significant portion of the Fund’s assets is comprised of one or more investment type, the Fund’s exposure to the risks associated with that investment type or types will be greater than if the Fund’s assets are diversified among many different investment types. As of July 31, 2024, approximately 76% of the Fund’s assets were invested in CLOs. |
||
|
Repurchase Offers Risk – Repurchase offers risk is the risk that the Fund’s repurchases of Shares may hurt investment performance by forcing the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments or to liquidate certain investments when it is not desirable to do so. Repurchases may be oversubscribed, preventing shareholders from selling some or all of their tendered Shares back to the Fund. |
||
|
Anti-Takeover Provisions – The Fund’s Declaration of Trust includes provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status. |
||
|
Portfolio Turnover Risk – Active and frequent trading of the Fund’s portfolio securities may lead to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions than would otherwise be the case, which could negatively affect the Fund’s performance. A high rate of portfolio turnover is 100% or more. |
||
|
Management of the Fund |
The Board has overall responsibility for monitoring and overseeing the Fund’s investment program and its management and operations. See “Management of the Fund.” |
8
|
The Advisor |
The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) with the Advisor, a limited liability company formed under the laws of Delaware and registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”). The Advisor also provides investment advisory services to open-end funds, other closed-end funds, private investment funds and institutional and high net worth clients. |
|
|
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor provides certain investment advisory services to the Fund. The Advisor’s responsibilities include providing the Fund with such investment advice as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments. The Advisor also monitors and maintains the Fund’s investment criteria and determines from time to time what securities may be purchased by the Fund. |
||
|
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays the Advisor an annual fee of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets (the “Advisory Fee”), payable on a monthly basis. |
||
|
Co-Administrators |
UMB Fund Services, Inc. (“UMBFS”) and Mutual Fund Administration, LLC (“MFAC” and together with UMBFS, the “Co-Administrators”) act as co-administrators for the Fund. The Co-Administrators provide certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparing for signature all documents required to be filed for compliance by the Fund with applicable laws and regulations, including those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including net asset value and yield; arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund; and providing, at their own expense, office facilities, equipment and personnel necessary to carry out their duties. As compensation for their services, the Fund pays the Co-Administrators a fee payable monthly based on the Fund’s average daily net assets. |
|
|
Distributor |
The Fund has entered into a distribution agreement with Foreside pursuant to which Foreside acts as a distributor and agent of the Fund by assisting the Fund in connection with the offering and sale of Shares. Among other things, Foreside, at the Fund’s request, facilitates or enters into agreements with investment advisers, broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries (each an “Intermediary” and collectively, the “Intermediaries”), as described more fully below, in order that such Intermediaries may offer and sell Shares of the Fund. |
|
|
Intermediaries |
The Advisor may pay compensation, out of its own funds and not as an additional charge to the Fund, to selected affiliated or unaffiliated Intermediaries in connection with the sale, distribution and retention of Shares and/or account servicing. For example, the Advisor may pay compensation to Intermediaries for the purpose of promoting the sale of Shares, maintaining balances in the Fund and/or sub-accounting, administrative or account processing services. The amount of these payments is determined from time to time by the Advisor and may be substantial. |
|
|
With respect to each Intermediary that may receive such payments from the Advisor, these payments will be paid by the Advisor from its own funds, based in most cases on the net asset value of the Fund attributable to each client of such Intermediary who invests in the Fund. A portion of these payments may be paid through to the professional responsible for the client relationship and/or selling Shares. These payments may be made as long as a client of an Intermediary is invested in the Fund. |
9
|
The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, ongoing compensation as described above by Intermediaries, out of the Advisor’s own funds and not as a charge to the Fund, may provide such Intermediaries and/or their salespersons with an incentive to favor sales of Shares over sales of shares of funds (or other fund investments) with respect to which the Intermediary receives either no additional compensation or lower levels of additional compensation. The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, such compensation may also provide Intermediaries and/or their salespersons with an incentive to favor recommending that Investors maintain their assets in the Fund rather than re-allocate assets to other investments. These payment arrangements will not, however, change the price that an investor pays for Shares or the amount that the Fund receives upon repurchase of Shares. Investors should take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to the Shares. |
||
|
Eligible Investors |
Shares of the Fund are offered to the following groups of investors: 1) RIAs acting in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of their clients; 2) clients of such RIAs; 3) certain institutional investors; 4) tax-exempt retirement plans; 5) clients of other Intermediaries; 6) certain other eligible investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor; and 7) investment professionals or other financial intermediaries investing for their own accounts, and their immediate family members. Some Intermediaries may impose different or additional eligibility requirements. The Advisor has the discretion to further modify or waive these eligibility requirements. |
|
|
Distributions |
The Fund expects to declare and pay dividends of net investment income quarterly and net realized gains annually. Unless shareholders specify otherwise, dividends will be reinvested in Shares of the Fund. |
|
|
Unlisted Closed-End Fund Structure; Limited Liquidity |
|
|
|
Conflicts of Interest |
The Advisor and its affiliates engage in other business activities and may trade in securities for their own accounts and manage the accounts of clients other than the Fund, including other investment vehicles, in which the Fund has no interest. |
|
|
Fees and Expenses |
The Fund bears all expenses incurred in its business and operations, other than those borne by the Advisor, pursuant to its agreement with the Fund, including, but not limited to all investment related expenses (e.g., costs and expenses directly related to portfolio transactions and positions for the Fund’s account such as direct and indirect expenses associated with investments; brokerage commissions; the management fee; any non-investment related interest expense; legal and accounting fees; audit and tax preparation fees and expenses; the fees of any administrator or transfer agent retained by the Fund and related expenses; custody fees and expenses; insurance costs; fees and travel-related expenses of members of the Board who are not employees of the Advisor or affiliates of the Advisor; fees and expenses in connection with repurchase offers and any repurchases of Fund Shares; and any extraordinary expenses). |
10
|
Tax Matters |
The Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify each year for taxation as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As such, the Fund will generally not be subject to federal income tax on its net investment income and gains that it timely distributes to shareholders. The Fund intends to distribute its income and gains in such a way that it will not be subject to federal excise tax on undistributed amounts, if any. The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable to shareholders whether or not they are reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund. |
|
|
Custodian |
UMB Bank, n.a. (the “Custodian”) serves as the primary custodian of the assets of the Fund. The Custodian’s principal business address is 928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Citibank, N.A. serves as the primary custodian of the assets of the SPV. Citibank, N.A.’s principal business address is 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022. |
|
|
Transfer Agent |
UMBFS serves as transfer agent and registrar with respect to Shares of the Fund. |
|
|
Legal Counsel for the Fund |
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (“Morgan Lewis”) serves as legal counsel to the Fund and its independent trustees. |
|
|
Independent Auditors |
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP serves as the independent registered public accounting firm to the Fund. |
11
SUMMARY OF FEES AND EXPENSES
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold Shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as fees or commissions to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below.
| ANNUAL EXPENSES(1) | ||
| Management Fees | | |
| Shareholder Service Fees | | |
| Interest Payments on Borrowed Funds | | |
| Other Expenses(2) | | |
| Dividends & Interest Expenses on Short Sales | | |
| Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses | | |
| TOTAL ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES(3) | |
____________
(1)
(2)
The purpose of the table above is to assist prospective investors in understanding the various fees and expenses holders of Shares will bear directly or indirectly.
The following Example is intended to help you understand the various costs and expenses that you, as a holder of Shares, would bear directly or indirectly. The Example assumes that you invest $1,000 in Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated. Because there are no costs associated with repurchases at this time, your costs would be the same whether you hold your Shares or tender your Shares for repurchase at the end of the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at NAV per Share, and that the Fund’s operating expenses (as described above) remain the same. The Example is based on these assumptions and should not be considered a representation of the Fund’s future expenses. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| 1 YEAR | 3 YEARS | 5 YEARS | 10 YEARS |
| $ | $ | $ | $ |
12
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
For information about the Fund’s fees and expenses, see “Summary of Fees and Expenses” above. The following table is intended to help you understand the Fund’s financial performance for the past 5 years. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total return figures in the table represent the rate that an investor in the Fund would have earned (or lost) on an investment in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). The financial information for the periods shown has been audited by Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the Fund’s financial statements, is included in the Fund’s annual report, which is available upon request.
13
Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Per share operating performance.
For a capital share outstanding throughout each period.
|
For the Year Ended July 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
2024 |
2023 |
2022 |
2021 |
2020 |
||||||||||||||||
|
Net asset value, beginning of period |
$ |
17.19 |
|
$ |
16.74 |
|
$ |
18.86 |
|
$ |
16.82 |
|
$ |
18.64 |
|
|||||
|
Income from Investment Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Net investment income (loss)1 |
|
1.82 |
|
|
1.56 |
|
|
1.08 |
|
|
1.02 |
|
|
1.14 |
|
|||||
|
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
|
0.78 |
|
|
0.48 |
|
|
(1.95 |
) |
|
1.95 |
|
|
(1.82 |
) |
|||||
|
Total from investment operations |
|
2.60 |
|
|
2.04 |
|
|
(0.87 |
) |
|
2.97 |
|
|
(0.68 |
) |
|||||
|
Less Distributions: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
From net investment income |
|
(1.71 |
) |
|
(1.56 |
) |
|
(0.90 |
) |
|
(0.93 |
) |
|
(1.14 |
) |
|||||
|
From net realized gains |
|
— |
|
|
(0.03 |
) |
|
(0.35 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|||||
|
Total distributions |
|
(1.71 |
) |
|
(1.59 |
) |
|
(1.25 |
) |
|
(0.93 |
) |
|
(1.14 |
) |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Net asset value, end of period |
$ |
18.08 |
|
$ |
17.19 |
|
$ |
16.74 |
|
$ |
18.86 |
|
$ |
16.82 |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Total return2 |
|
15.82 |
% |
|
13.04 |
% |
|
(4.96 |
)% |
|
17.96 |
% |
|
(3.36 |
)% |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Ratios and Supplemental Data: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) |
$ |
383,833 |
|
$ |
290,379 |
|
$ |
261,381 |
|
$ |
213,306 |
|
$ |
213,535 |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Ratio of expenses to average net assets (including brokerage expense, interest expense and interest on securities sold short): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered3 |
|
2.34 |
% |
|
2.28 |
% |
|
1.50 |
% |
|
1.50 |
% |
|
1.62 |
% |
|||||
|
After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered3 |
|
2.34 |
% |
|
2.28 |
% |
|
1.50 |
% |
|
1.57 |
% |
|
1.69 |
% |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets (including brokerage expense, interest expense and interest on securities sold short): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Before fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered |
|
10.23 |
% |
|
9.34 |
% |
|
5.98 |
% |
|
5.63 |
% |
|
6.70 |
% |
|||||
|
After fees waived and expenses absorbed/recovered |
|
10.23 |
% |
|
9.34 |
% |
|
5.98 |
% |
|
5.56 |
% |
|
6.63 |
% |
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Senior Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Total borrowings (000’s omitted) |
$ |
38,250 |
|
$ |
29,750 |
|
$ |
13,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|||||
|
Asset coverage per $1,000 unit of senior indebtedness4 |
$ |
11,035 |
|
$ |
10,761 |
|
$ |
21,106 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
|
Portfolio turnover rate |
|
59 |
% |
|
53 |
% |
|
82 |
% |
|
111 |
% |
|
153 |
% |
|||||
____________
1 Based on average shares outstanding for the period.
2 Total returns would have been lower/higher had expenses not been waived/recovered and absorbed by the Advisor. Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.
3 If brokerage expense, commitment fees, interest expense and interest on securities sold short had been excluded, the expense ratios would have been lowered by 0.90%, 0.87%, 0.09%, 0.07%, and 0.19%, for the years ended July 31, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.
4 As a result of the Fund having earmarked or segregated securities to collateralize the transactions or otherwise having covered the transactions, in accordance with releases and interpretive letters issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund does not treat its obligations under such transactions as senior securities representing indebtedness for purposes of the 1940 Act.
14
THE FUND
The Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Fund was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on May 1, 2014. The Fund commenced operations on August 29, 2014. The Fund’s principal office is 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, KS 66205.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The Fund will invest the proceeds of the offering of Shares in accordance with its investment objectives and policies as stated below. The Advisor presently anticipates that the Fund will be able to fully invest the net proceeds according to its investment objectives and policies within approximately three to five months after receipt of the proceeds, depending on the amount and timing of proceeds available to the Fund as well as the availability of securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives and strategies. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns and reduce the Fund’s distribution to Common Shareholders. Pending investment of the net proceeds, the Fund will invest the offering proceeds in high-quality, short-term debt securities, cash and/or cash equivalents.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Investment Objectives
The Fund seeks a high level of current income. As a secondary objective, the Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in debt securities and/or income-producing securities (the “80% Policy”). The Fund may invest in domestic and foreign debt securities of any maturity and credit quality, including securities rated below investment grade and unrated securities. Investment grade securities are those rated in the Baa3 or higher categories by Moody’s, or in the BBB- or higher categories by S&P or Fitch, or if unrated by S&P, Moody’s, Fitch or another NRSRO, determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality. Securities rated below investment grade by at least one of Moody’s, S&P or Fitch (or if unrated, determined by the Fund’s investment adviser to be of comparable credit quality), commonly referred to as “high yield securities” or “junk bonds,” have predominately speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. High yield securities may also be difficult to value and illiquid. The types of debt securities in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, (i) collateralized debt obligations and other similar types of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, (ii) corporate bonds, notes and debentures, (iii) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored entities, (iv) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt, and (v) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in one or more investment types. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be “covenant lite” loans, which means the loans contain fewer or no maintenance covenants than other loans and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. The Fund may invest in various classes or tranches of CDOs and other similar types of asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. The Fund may invest in both U.S. dollar denominated and non-U.S. dollar denominated loans and securities, as well as securities of foreign issuers. The Fund’s investment strategy may involve active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.
The Fund’s investments in asset-backed securities may be comprised of loans or leases secured by motor vehicles or other equipment, consumer receivables from sources such as credit cards or student loans, or cash flows from operating assets such as royalties and leases. Mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest include those issued or guaranteed by federal agencies and/or U.S. government sponsored instrumentalities, such as Ginnie Mae, the FHA, the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Fund may also invest CMBS and CMOs issued or guaranteed by private entities.
For the purposes of achieving the Fund’s investment objectives, hedging risks, and enhancing liquidity, the Fund may also employ derivatives, such as: puts and calls on U.S. Treasury futures; options, swaps and other interest rate derivatives; and credit default swaps on selected entities or indexes (where the Fund may act as either buyer
15
or seller). The Fund’s investments in derivatives and other synthetic instruments that have economic characteristics similar to debt securities and/or income-producing securities will be counted toward satisfaction of the 80% Policy. As it pertains to the Advisor’s use of derivatives for hedging, risks that can be quantitatively measured and managed (and therefore can potentially be hedged) include interest rate risk (duration and convexity), prepayment risk, spread risk and volatility risk. The Advisor’s goal is not to eliminate all risk, but to assume only those risks the Advisor views as offering a strong risk/return profile. Additionally, the Fund may employ the types of derivatives referenced above in order to achieve its investment objectives by, among other practices, replicating a certain type of credit exposure, obtaining short or long exposures to credit and/or interest rates, or taking a position in light of a potential appreciation or depreciation in value of a company’s securities.
To achieve its investment objectives, the Fund may utilize leverage through borrowings via a credit facility. Such borrowings are made by a SPV that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund and for which the Fund is the sole interest holder. The SPV has entered into a Credit Agreement with the Lenders and Administrative Agent to enable the SPV to borrow for investment purposes. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, the SPV may borrow money from the Lenders up to a maximum aggregate principal outstanding amount of $75 million, subject to change by mutual agreement of the SPV and the Lenders. The SPV will invest proceeds from the borrowings in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. In addition, to seek to enhance the portfolio’s return, the Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale by the Fund of a debt obligation to a party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement by the Fund to repurchase that debt obligation from that party on a future date at an agreed upon price. Reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage.
When making investment decisions for the Fund, the Advisor employs a blend of top-down and bottom-up analysis. The top-down approach has three components: (1) macro analysis whereby the Advisor’s investment team undertakes frequent dialogues regarding macro items including the economic outlook, financial and credit markets, new and secondary issues, regulatory changes, mergers and acquisitions environment, and valuation levels; (2) cross-asset relative value analysis which consists of analyzing the credit spectrum for strong relative value opportunities (e.g., analysis of valuation metrics across loans, bonds, convertibles, CLOs and mortgage credits to identify and monitor optimal risk/reward opportunities); and (3) active monitoring by the investment team of the major sectors within the credit universe. With regard to the bottom-up approach, the investment team undertakes frequent dialogue regarding key analyses including items such as determining an issuer’s ability to service debt, measuring past performance and understanding the approach of the manager team and their ability to meet goals, deal structure model analysis, document analysis and other financial modeling and scenario testing. Finally, the bottom-up approach includes trade refinement. For example, within the credit spectrum, the investment team also seeks to evaluate many trade specifics including, without limitation, liquidity, position size, upside/downside capture, and relative versus absolute value.
The portfolio managers will consider selling all or a portion of a position if, in their opinion, one or more of the following occurs: (1) the issuer’s fundamentals deteriorate; (2) the issuer’s business strategy or key personnel change; (3) a rating agency downgrade or a decline in credit quality metrics occurs; or (4) the Advisor identifies a more attractive investment opportunity.
Portfolio Composition
The Fund’s investments in the types of obligations described in this prospectus vary from time to time, and, at any time, the Fund may not be invested in all of the types of obligations described in this prospectus or may be invested in only a few of them.
Debt securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities. Debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money. Generally, issuers pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the security and/or at maturity. Some debt securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest, but are purchased at a discount from their face values and accrue interest at the applicable coupon rate over a specified time period. The market prices of debt securities fluctuate depending on such factors as interest rates, credit quality and maturity. In general, market prices of debt securities decline when interest rates rise and increase when interest rates fall.
Lower rated debt securities, those rated Ba or below by Moody’s and/or S&P or unrated but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, are described by the rating agencies as speculative and involve greater risk of default or price changes than higher rated debt securities due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness or the fact
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that the issuer may already be in default. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than higher quality securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. It may be more difficult to sell or to determine the value of lower rated debt securities.
Fixed income securities. The Fund may invest in a wide range of fixed-income securities, which may include obligations of any rating or maturity. The Fund may invest in below investment grade debt securities (commonly known as “junk bonds” or “high yield bonds”). The Fund also may invest in investment grade debt securities. Investment grade bonds are those rated BBB- or better by S&P or Baa3 or better by Moody’s each of which are considered a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”). See Appendix A of the SAI for a description of bond ratings. The Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities that the Advisor believes are of comparable quality to the rated securities in which the Fund may purchase.
High Yield or “Junk” Bonds. Junk bonds generally offer a higher current yield than that available for investment grade issues. However, below investment grade debt securities involve higher risks, in that they are especially subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, to changes in the financial condition of the issuers and to price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of interest and principal and increase the possibility of default. At times in recent years, the prices of many below investment grade debt securities declined substantially, reflecting an expectation that many issuers of such securities might experience financial difficulties. As a result, the yields on below investment grade debt securities rose dramatically, reflecting the risk that holders of such securities could lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of the issuers’ financial restructuring or default. There can be no assurance that such price declines will not recur. The market for below investment grade debt issues generally is thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may limit the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at fair value in response to changes in the economy or financial markets. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the values and liquidity of below investment grade debt securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Changes by recognized rating services in their rating of a debt security may affect the value of these investments. The Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. However, the Advisor will monitor the investment to determine whether continued investment in the security will assist in meeting the Fund’s investment objectives.
Corporate Debt Securities. Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured. The broad category of corporate debt securities includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large-capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment grade or below investment grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk. Corporate debt securities carry credit risk, interest rate risk and prepayment risk.
Convertible Securities. Convertible securities include fixed income securities that may be exchanged or converted into a predetermined number of shares of the issuer’s underlying common stock or other equity security at the option of the holder during a specified period. Convertible securities may take the form of convertible preferred stock, convertible bonds or debentures, units consisting of “usable” bonds and warrants or a combination of the features of several of these securities. The investment characteristics of each convertible security vary widely, which allows convertible securities to be employed for a variety of investment strategies. The Fund will exchange or convert convertible securities into shares of underlying common stock when, in the opinion of the Advisor, the investment characteristics of the underlying common stock or other equity security will assist the Fund in achieving its investment objectives. The Fund may also elect to hold or trade convertible securities. In selecting convertible securities, the Advisor evaluates the investment characteristics of the convertible security as a fixed income instrument, and the
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investment potential of the underlying equity security for capital appreciation. In evaluating these matters with respect to a particular convertible security, the Advisor considers numerous factors, including the economic and political outlook, the value of the security relative to other investment alternatives, trends in the determinants of the issuer’s profits, and the issuer’s management capability and practices. Convertible securities are subject to the risks associated generally with fixed income securities.
Zero-Coupon Securities. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payments, but are sold at a deep discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security, and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. If the issuer defaults, the holder may not receive any return on its investment. Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest, their price fluctuates more than other types of bonds. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically in value than bonds paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value because the bonds reflect a fixed rate of return. An investment in zero-coupon may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment.
Unrated Debt Securities. The Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds.
U.S. government obligations. The Fund may invest in U.S. government obligations. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government securities, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises.
Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored enterprises, where it is not obligated to do so (see “Agency Obligations,” below). In addition, U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in market value due to fluctuations in market interest rates. As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain types of U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms. Credit rating downgrades with respect to U.S. government obligations could decrease the value and increase the volatility of the Fund’s investments in such securities.
Agency obligations. The Fund may invest in agency obligations, such as obligations of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Tennessee Valley Authority, Resolution Funding Corporation, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, Federal Housing Administration, Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), commonly known as “Ginnie Mae,” Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), commonly known as “Fannie Mae,” Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), commonly known as “Freddie Mac,” and the Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”). Some, such as those of the Export-Import Bank of United States, are supported only by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury; others, such as those of the FNMA and FHLMC, are supported by only the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, such as those of the SLMA, are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support to U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities because they are not obligated by law to do so. As a result, there is a risk that these entities will default on a financial obligation. For instance, in September 2008, at the direction of the U.S. Treasury, FNMA and FHLMC were placed into conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”), a newly created independent regulator.
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Mortgage-backed securities. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if the Fund holds mortgage-backed securities, it may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as “extension risk.” In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities are subject to “prepayment risk.” When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of a fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at lower prevailing interest rates.
The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities issued by the U.S. government or by non-governmental issuers. To the extent that the Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers, such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers, the Fund may be subject to additional risks. Timely payment of interest and principal of non-governmental issuers are supported by various forms of private insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance purchased by the issuer. There can be no assurance that the private insurers can meet their obligations under the policies. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may adversely affect the value of a mortgage-backed security and could result in losses to the Fund. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their mortgages.
Asset-backed securities. The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities include pools of mortgages, loans, receivables or other assets. Payment of principal and interest may be largely dependent upon the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and, in certain cases, supported by letters of credit, surety bonds, or other credit enhancements. The value of asset-backed securities may also be affected by the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the loans or receivables, or the financial institution(s) providing the credit support. In addition, asset-backed securities are not backed by any governmental agency.
Collateralized Debt Obligations. CDOs include Collateralized Bond Obligations (“CBOs”), CLOs and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans.
Collateralized Loan Obligations. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The loans generate cash flow that is allocated among one or more classes of securities (“tranches”) that vary in risk and yield. The most senior tranche has the best credit quality and the lowest yield compared to the other tranches. The equity tranche has the highest potential yield but also has the greatest risk, as it bears the bulk of defaults from the underlying loans and helps to protect the more senior tranches from risk of these defaults. However, despite the protection from the equity and other more junior tranches, more senior tranches can experience losses due to actual defaults and decreased market value due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold and are not registered under state or federal securities laws. Therefore, investments in CLOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CLOs allowing a CLO to qualify for transactions pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and to be deemed liquid.
Structured investments. The Fund may invest in structured investments. A structured investment is a security having a return tied to an underlying index or other security or asset class. Structured investments generally are individually negotiated agreements and may be traded over-the-counter. Structured investments are organized and operated to restructure the investment characteristics of the underlying security. This restructuring involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity, such as a corporation or trust, on specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans) and the issuance by that entity or one or more classes of securities (“structured securities”) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such
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as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of such payments made with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments. Because structured securities typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments. Investments in structured securities are generally of a class of structured securities that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured securities typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured securities. Structured securities are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured securities. Investments in government and government-related and restructured debt instruments are subject to special risks, including the inability or unwillingness to repay principal and interest, requests to reschedule or restructure outstanding debt and requests to extend additional loan amounts. Certain issuers of structured investments may be deemed to be “investment companies” as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investment in these structured investments may be limited by the restrictions contained in the 1940 Act. Structured investments are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured investments.
Floating rate and inverse floating rate securities. The Fund may invest in debt securities with interest payments or maturity values that are not fixed, but float in conjunction with (or inversely to) an underlying index or price. These securities may be backed by sovereign or corporate issuers, or by collateral such as mortgages. The indices and prices upon which such securities can be based include interest rates, currency rates and commodities prices. Floating rate securities pay interest according to a coupon which is reset periodically. The reset mechanism may be formula based, or reflect the passing through of floating interest payments on an underlying collateral pool. Inverse floating rate securities are similar to floating rate securities except that their coupon payments vary inversely with an underlying index by use of a formula. Inverse floating rate securities tend to exhibit greater price volatility than other floating rate securities. Interest rate risk and price volatility on inverse floating rate obligations can be high, especially if leverage is used in the formula.
When-Issued or delayed-delivery securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. For example, delivery of and payment for these securities can take place a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment. The purchase price and the interest rate payable, if any, on the securities are fixed on the purchase commitment date or at the time the settlement date is fixed. The value of such securities is subject to market fluctuations and, in the case of fixed income securities, no interest accrues to the Fund until settlement takes place. When purchasing a security on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield fluctuations. Accordingly, at the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, it will record the transaction, reflect the value each day of such securities in determining its net asset value and, if applicable, calculate the maturity for the purposes of average maturity from that date. At the time of its acquisition, a when-issued security may be valued at less than the purchase price. The Fund will make commitments for such when-issued transactions only when it has the intention of actually acquiring the securities. If, however, the Fund chooses to dispose of the right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition, it could, as with the disposition of any other portfolio obligation, incur a taxable capital gain or loss due to market fluctuation. Also, the Fund may be disadvantaged if the other party to the transaction defaults. It is the current policy of the Fund not to enter into when-issued commitments exceeding in the aggregate 25% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets, less liabilities other than the obligations created by when-issued commitments.
The Fund may also engage in purchases or sales of “to-be-announced” or “TBA” securities, which represent agreements to buy or sell securities with agreed-upon characteristics for a fixed unit price at a future date. For example, in a TBA mortgage-backed transaction, a buyer or seller would agree upon the issuer, interest rate and terms of underlying mortgages, but the seller would not identify the specific underlying securities at the trade date. Purchases and sales of TBA securities involve risks similar to those discussed above for other when-issued and delayed delivery securities.
Loan participations. The Fund may purchase participations in commercial loans. Such investments may be secured or unsecured. Loan participations typically represent direct participation, together with other parties, in a loan to a corporate borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndications, or may buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. When purchasing indebtedness and loan participations, the Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the corporate borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The indebtedness and loan participations in which the Fund intends to invest may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service.
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A loan is often administered by an agent bank acting as agent for all holders. The agent bank administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. In addition, the agent bank is normally responsible for the collection of principal and interest payments from the corporate borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the credit of all institutions which are parties to the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the Fund has direct recourse against the corporate borrower, the Fund may have to rely on the agent bank or other financial intermediary to apply appropriate credit remedies against a corporate borrower. Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the corporate borrower for payment of principal and interest. If the Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund’s share price and yield could be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured offer the Fund more protection than an unsecured loan in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower’s obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated.
The Fund may invest in loan participations with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its securities investments. Indebtedness of companies whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. Some companies may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Consequently, when investing in indebtedness of companies with poor credit, the Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested. The Fund may make investments in indebtedness and loan participations to achieve capital appreciation, rather than to seek income. The Fund generally will treat the corporate borrower as the “issuer” of indebtedness held by the Fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as a financial intermediary between the Fund and the corporate borrower, if the participation does not shift to the Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the corporate borrower, SEC interpretations require the Fund to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the corporate borrower as “issuers”. Loans and other types of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the Advisor believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the Fund’s net asset value than if that value were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Fund’s daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve. In addition, the Fund currently intends to treat indebtedness for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. Investments in loan participations are considered to be debt obligations.
Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. The Fund may enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are borrowing arrangements in which the lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. A revolving credit facility differs from a delayed funding loan in that as the borrower repays the loan, an amount equal to the repayment may be borrowed again during the term of the revolving credit facility. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities usually provide for floating or variable rates of interest. These commitments may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company’s financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid).
The Fund may invest in delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its securities investments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to resell such instruments. As a result, the Fund may be unable to sell such investments at an opportune time or may have to resell them at less than fair market value. The Fund currently intends to treat delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. For a further discussion of the risks involved in investing in loan participations and other forms of direct indebtedness see “Loan Participations.” Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by the Fund.
Foreign investments. The Fund may make foreign investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers and other non-U.S. investments may involve risks in addition to those normally associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers or other U.S. investments. All foreign investments are subject to risks of foreign political and economic instability, adverse movements in foreign exchange rates, and the imposition or tightening of exchange
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controls and limitations on the repatriation of foreign capital. Other risks stem from potential changes in governmental attitude or policy toward private investment, which in turn raises the risk of nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of foreign investors’ assets. Additionally, the imposition of sanctions, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments.
The financial problems in global economies in recent years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, may continue to cause high volatility in global financial markets. In addition, global economies are increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact a different country or region. The severity or duration of these conditions may also be affected if one or more countries leave the euro currency or by other policy changes made by governments or quasi-governmental organizations.
Additional non-U.S. taxes and expenses may also adversely affect the Fund’s performance, including foreign withholding taxes on foreign securities’ dividends. Brokerage commissions and other transaction costs on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than in the United States. Foreign companies may be subject to different accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards. To the extent the foreign securities held by the Fund are not registered with the SEC or with any other U.S. regulator, the issuers thereof will not be subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC or any other U.S. regulator. Accordingly, less information may be available about foreign companies and other investments than is generally available on issuers of comparable securities and other investments in the United States. Foreign securities and other investments may also trade less frequently and with lower volume and may exhibit greater price volatility than U.S. securities and other investments.
Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the value in U.S. dollars of any foreign currency-denominated securities and other investments held by the Fund. Exchange rates are influenced generally by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign currency markets and by numerous other political and economic events occurring outside the United States, many of which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.
Income from any foreign securities and other investments will be received and realized in foreign currencies, and the Fund is required to compute and distribute income in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, a decline in the value of a particular foreign currency against the U.S. dollar occurring after the Fund’s income has been earned and computed in U.S. dollars may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities or other investments to acquire sufficient U.S. dollars to make a distribution. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the Fund may be required to liquidate additional portfolio securities and other investments to purchase the U.S. dollars required to meet such expenses.
The Fund may purchase foreign bank obligations. In addition to the risks described above that are generally applicable to foreign investments, the investments that the Fund makes in obligations of foreign banks, branches or subsidiaries may involve further risks, including differences between foreign banks and U.S. banks in applicable accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, and the possible establishment of exchange controls or other foreign government laws or restrictions applicable to the payment of certificates of deposit or time deposits that may affect adversely the payment of principal and interest on the securities or other investments held by the Fund.
Derivatives. The Fund may utilize a variety of financial instruments, such as derivatives, options, and forward contracts, both for investment purposes and for hedging purposes. Hedging involves special risks including the possible default by the other party to the transaction, illiquidity and, to the extent the Advisor’s assessment of certain market movements is incorrect, the risk that the use of hedging could result in losses greater than if hedging had not been used. Nonetheless, with respect to certain investment positions, the Fund may not be sufficiently hedged against market fluctuations, in which case an investment position could result in a loss greater than if the Advisor had been sufficiently hedged with respect to such position.
The Advisor will not, in general, attempt to hedge all market or other risks inherent in the Fund’s positions, and will hedge certain risks, if at all, only partially. Specifically, the Advisor may choose not, or may determine that it is economically unattractive, to hedge certain risks, either in respect of particular positions or in respect of the Fund’s overall portfolio. Moreover, it should be noted that the Fund’s portfolio always will be exposed to unidentified systematic risk factors and to certain risks that cannot be completely hedged, such as credit risk (relating both to particular securities and counterparties). The Fund’s portfolio composition may result in various directional market risks remaining unhedged, although the Advisor may rely on diversification to control such risks to the extent that the Advisor believes it is desirable to do so.
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Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. Leverage may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged, as certain types of leverage may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities. The loss on leverage transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment.
The Fund operates under Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Derivatives Rule”), which among other things, governs the use of derivative instruments and certain financing transactions (e.g., reverse repurchase agreements) by registered investment companies. The Derivatives Rule requires investment companies that enter into derivatives transactions and certain other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations to, among other things, (i) comply with a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit, and (ii) adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program. These and other requirements apply unless (i) the Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” which the Derivatives Rule defines as a fund that limits its derivatives exposure to 10% of its net assets, or (ii) the Fund does not engage in derivatives transactions as defined in the Derivatives Rule. Complying with the Derivatives Rule may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors. The Derivatives Rule may not be effective to limit the Fund’s risk of loss. In particular, measurements of VaR rely on historical data and may not accurately measure the degree of risk reflected in the Fund’s derivatives or other investments. Other potentially adverse regulatory obligations can develop suddenly and without notice.
Options on securities and securities indices. The Fund may buy or sell (write) options on securities and securities indices.
Purchasing Options. The Fund may purchase call and put options. A call option entitles the purchaser, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities at a specified price during the option period. A put option entitles the purchaser, in return for the premium paid, to sell specified securities during the option period. The Fund may invest in both European-style or American-style options. A European-style option is only exercisable immediately prior to its expiration. American-style options are exercisable at any time prior to the expiration date of the option.
Writing Call Options. The Fund may write covered call options. A call option is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute right to acquire the security without additional cash consideration or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or cash equivalents in such amounts as held in a segregated account by the Fund’s custodian. The writer of a call option receives a premium and gives the purchaser the right to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. The writer has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price during the option period. If the writer of an exchange-traded option wishes to terminate his obligation, the writer may effect a “closing purchase transaction.” This is accomplished by buying an option of the same series as the option previously written. A writer may not effect a closing purchase transaction after it has been notified of the exercise of an option.
Effecting a closing transaction in a written call option will permit the Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with either a different exercise price, expiration date or both. Also, effecting a closing transaction will permit the cash or proceeds from the concurrent sale of any securities subject to the option to be used for other investments of the Fund. If the Fund desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, it will effect a closing transaction prior to or concurrent with the sale of the security.
The Fund will realize a gain from a closing transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option or if the proceeds from the closing transaction are more than the premium paid to purchase the option. The Fund will realize a loss from a closing transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is more than the premium received from writing the option or if the proceeds from the closing transaction are less than the premium paid to purchase the option. However, because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss to the Fund resulting from the repurchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.
If the Fund were assigned an exercise notice on a call it has written, it would be required to liquidate portfolio securities in order to satisfy the exercise, unless it has other liquid assets that are sufficient to satisfy the exercise of the call. If the Fund has written a call, there is also a risk that the market may decline between the time the Fund has a call exercised against it, at a price which is fixed as of the closing level of the index on the date of exercise, and the time it is able to sell securities in its portfolio.
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In addition to covered call options, the Fund may write uncovered (or “naked”) call options on securities, including shares of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and indices.
Writing Covered Index Call Options. The Fund may sell index call options. The Fund may also execute a closing purchase transaction with respect to the option it has sold and then sell another option with either a different exercise price and/or expiration date. The Fund’s objective in entering into such closing transactions is to increase option premium income, to limit losses or to protect anticipated gains in the underlying stocks. The cost of a closing transaction, while reducing the premium income realized from the sale of the option, should be offset, at least in part, by the appreciation in the value of the underlying index, and by the opportunity to realize additional premium income from selling a new option.
When the Fund sells an index call option, it does not deliver the underlying stocks or cash to the broker through whom the transaction is effected. In the case of an exchange-traded option, the Fund establishes an escrow account. The Fund’s custodian (or a securities depositary acting for the custodian) acts as the Fund’s escrow agent. The escrow agent enters into documents known as escrow receipts with respect to the stocks included in the Fund (or escrow receipts with respect to other acceptable securities). The escrow agent releases the stocks from the escrow account when the call option expires or the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. Until such release, the underlying stocks cannot be sold by the Fund. The Fund may enter into similar collateral arrangements with the counterparty when it sells over-the-counter index call options.
The purchaser of an index call option sold by the Fund may exercise the option at a price fixed as of the closing level of the index on exercise date. Unless the Fund has liquid assets sufficient to satisfy the exercise of the index call option, the Fund would be required to liquidate portfolio securities to satisfy the exercise. The market value of such securities may decline between the time the option is exercised and the time the Fund is able to sell the securities. For example, even if an index call which the Fund has written is “covered” by an index call held by the Fund with the same strike price, it will bear the risk that the level of the index may decline between the close of trading on the date the exercise notice is filed with the Options Clearing Corporation and the close of trading on the date the Fund exercises the call it holds or the time it sells the call, which in either case would occur no earlier than the day following the day the exercise notice was filed. If the Fund fails to anticipate an exercise, it may have to borrow from a bank (in amounts not exceeding 5% of the Fund’s total assets) pending settlement of the sale of the portfolio securities and thereby incur interest charges. If trading is interrupted on the index, the Fund would not be able to close out its option positions.
Risks of Transactions in Options. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and indices. Options may be more volatile than the underlying securities and, therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation in value than an investment in the underlying securities themselves. There are also significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objective. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options of underlying securities; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or clearing corporation may not be adequate to handle current trading volume at all times; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events. The extent to which the Fund may enter into options transactions may be limited by the requirements of the Code, for qualification of the Fund as a RIC.
Over-the-Counter Options. The Fund may engage in transactions involving over-the-counter options as well as exchange-traded options. Certain additional risks are specific to over-the-counter options. The Fund may engage a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, but if the Fund purchased an over-the-counter option, it must then rely on the dealer from which it purchased the option if the option is exercised. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.
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Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while over-the-counter options may not. Consequently, the Fund may generally be able to realize the value of an over-the-counter option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the dealer who issued it. Similarly, when the Fund writes an over-the-counter option, the Fund may generally be able to close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer to whom the Fund originally wrote the option. While the Fund will seek to enter into over-the-counter options only with dealers who will agree to and are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with the Fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will at any time be able to liquidate an over-the-counter option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless the Fund, as a covered over-the-counter call option writer, is able to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Fund may be unable to liquidate an over-the-counter option. With respect to options written by the Fund, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Fund.
The SEC has taken the position that purchased over-the-counter options are illiquid securities. The Fund may treat the cover used for written over-the-counter options as liquid if the dealer agrees that the Fund may repurchase the over- the-counter option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the over-the-counter option would be considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option. Accordingly, the Fund will treat over-the-counter options as subject to the Fund’s limitation on illiquid securities. If the SEC changes its position on the liquidity of over-the-counter options, the Fund will change the treatment of such instruments accordingly.
Stock Index Options. The Fund may invest in options on indices, including broad-based security indices. Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on other investments except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities. When the Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total dollar value for each point of such difference. When the Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights as to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When the Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
The risks of investment in options on indices may be greater than options on securities. Because index options are settled in cash, if the Fund writes a call on an index it cannot provide in advance for its potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying index. The Fund can offset some of the risk of writing a call index option by holding a diversified portfolio of securities or instruments similar to those on which the underlying index is based. However, the Fund cannot, as a practical matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the same securities or instruments as underlie the index and, as a result, bears a risk that the value of the securities or instruments held will vary from the value of the index.
Even if the Fund could assemble a portfolio that exactly reproduced the composition of the underlying index, it still would not be fully covered from a risk standpoint because of the “timing risk” inherent in writing index options. When an index option is exercised, the amount of cash that the holder is entitled to receive is determined by the difference between the exercise price and the closing index level on the date when the option is exercised. As with other kinds of options, the Fund as the call writer will not learn of the assignment until the next business day at the earliest. The time lag between exercise and notice of assignment poses no risk for the writer of a covered call on a specific underlying security or instrument, such as common stock, because there the writer’s obligation is to deliver the underlying security or instrument, not to pay its value as of a fixed time in the past. So long as the writer already owns the underlying security or instrument, it can satisfy its settlement obligations by simply delivering it, and the risk that its value may have declined since the exercise date is borne by the exercising holder. In contrast, even if the writer of an index call holds investments that exactly match the composition of the underlying index, it will not be able to satisfy its assignment obligations by delivering those investments against payment of the exercise price. Instead, it will
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be required to pay cash in an amount based on the closing index value on the exercise date. By the time it learns that it has been assigned, the index may have declined, with a corresponding decline in the value of its portfolio. This “timing risk” is an inherent limitation on the ability of index call writers to cover their risk exposure by holding security or instrument positions.
If the Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.
Futures and options on futures. The Fund may use interest rate, foreign currency, index and other futures contracts. The Fund may use options on futures contracts. A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of the security or other financial instrument at a specified price and time. A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract originally was written. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, physical delivery of these securities is not always made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes, as well as financial instruments, including, without limitation: U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; GNMA Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian dollar; the Canadian dollar; the British pound; the Japanese yen; the Swiss franc; the Mexican peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future.
The Fund may purchase and write (sell) call and put futures options. Futures options possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed above). A futures option gives the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price upon expiration of, or at any time during the period of, the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by the Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with its futures commission merchant a specified amount of liquid assets (“initial margin”). The margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the contract. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract that is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. The Fund expects to earn taxable interest income on its initial margin deposits.
Futures and options on futures are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”). The Fund invests in futures, options on futures and other instruments subject to regulation by the CFTC in reliance upon and in accordance with CFTC Regulation 4.5. Under Regulation 4.5, if the Fund uses futures, options on futures, or swaps other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC), the aggregate initial margin and premiums on these positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase of a new position are “in-the-money”) may not exceed 5% of the Fund’s liquidation value, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions at the time may not exceed 100% of the Fund’s liquidation value (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). The Advisor has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with Regulation 4.5. Therefore, as of the date of this prospectus, the Fund is not deemed to be a “commodity pool” or “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), and is not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA. In addition, as of the date of this Prospectus, the Advisor is not deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” or “commodity trading adviser” with respect to the advisory services it provides to the Fund. In the future, if the Fund’s use of futures, options as futures, or swaps requires the Advisor to register as a commodity pool operator with the CFTC with respect to the Fund, the Advisor will do so at that time.
A futures contract held by the Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day the Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin”, equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking to market”. Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by the Fund but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily net asset value, the Fund will mark to market its open futures
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positions. The Fund also is required to deposit and to maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option and other futures positions held by the Fund. Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (involving the same exchange, underlying security or index and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs also must be included in these calculations.
The Fund may write covered straddles consisting of a call and a put written on the same underlying futures contract. A straddle will be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Fund’s immediate obligations. The Fund may use the same liquid assets to cover both the call and put options if the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or if the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put.
Stock index futures. The Fund may invest in stock index futures only as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying securities. A stock index future obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to accept), effectively, an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific stock index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying stocks in the index is made. With respect to stock indices that are permitted investments, the Fund intends to purchase and sell futures contracts on the stock index for which it can obtain the best price with consideration also given to liquidity.
Swap agreements. The Fund may enter into interest rate, currency and index swaps and the purchase or sale of related caps, floors and collars. The Fund may enter into these transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, to protect against currency fluctuations or to protect against any increase in the price of securities it anticipates purchasing at a later date. Swaps may be used in conjunction with other instruments to offset interest rate, currency or other underlying risks. For example, interest rate swaps may be offset with “caps,” “floors” or “collars”. A “cap” is essentially a call option which places a limit on the amount of floating rate interest that must be paid on a certain principal amount. A “floor” is essentially a put option which places a limit on the minimum amount that would be paid on a certain principal amount. A “collar” is essentially a combination of a long cap and a short floor where the limits are set at different levels.
The Fund will usually enter into swaps on a net basis; that is, the two payment streams will be netted out in a cash settlement on the payment date or dates specified in the instrument, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments.
Total Return Swaps. The Fund may enter into total return swap contracts. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or security indexes during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate of the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or market, including in cases in which there may be disadvantages associated with direct ownership of a particular security. In a typical total return equity swap, payments made by the Fund or the counterparty are based on the total return of a particular reference asset or assets (such as an equity security, a combination of such securities, or an index). That is, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a stock, basket of stocks, or stock index in return for a specified interest rate. By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually purchasing those stocks. Total return swaps involve not only the risk associated with the investment in the underlying securities, but also the risk of the counterparty not fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.
Credit Default Swaps. The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements. A credit default swap agreement may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. Credit default swaps may also be structured based on the debt of a basket of issuers, rather than a single issuer, and may be customized with respect to the default event that triggers purchase or other factors. As a seller, the Fund would generally receive an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap, which typically is between six months and three years, provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the seller must pay the buyer the full face amount of deliverable obligations of the
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reference obligations that may have little or no value. If the Fund were a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund would recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference obligation that may have little or no value. The use of swap agreements by a fund entails certain risks, which may be different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the securities and other investments that are the referenced asset for the swap agreement. Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with stocks, bonds, and other traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index, but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all the possible market conditions. Because some swap agreements have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the swap itself. Certain swaps have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment.
The Fund may also purchase credit default swap contracts in order to hedge against the risk of default of the debt of a particular issuer or basket of issuers, in which case the Fund would function as the counterparty referenced in the preceding paragraph. This would involve the risk that the investment may expire worthless and would only generate income in the event of an actual default by the issuer(s) of the underlying obligation(s) (or, as applicable, a credit downgrade or other indication of financial instability). It would also involve the risk that the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund in the event of a default. The purchase of credit default swaps involves costs, which will reduce the Fund’s return.
Interest Rate Swaps. The Fund may enter into an interest rate swap in an effort to protect against declines in the value of fixed income securities held by the Fund. In such an instance, the Fund may agree to pay a fixed rate (multiplied by a notional amount) while a counterparty agrees to pay a floating rate (multiplied by the same notional amount). If interest rates rise, resulting in a diminution in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund would receive payments under the swap that would offset, in whole or in part, such diminution in value.
Options on Swaps. The Fund may enter into an option on a swap agreement. An option on a swap agreement, or a “swaption,” is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. In return, the purchaser pays a “premium” to the seller of the contract. The seller of the contract receives the premium and bears the risk of unfavorable changes on the underlying swap. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. The Fund may also enter into swaptions on either an asset-based or liability-based basis, depending on whether the Fund is hedging its assets or its liabilities. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions to the same extent it may make use of standard options on securities or other instruments. The Fund may enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its holdings, as a duration management technique, to protect against an increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or for any other purposes, such as for speculation to increase returns. Swaptions are generally subject to the same risks involved in the Fund’s use of options.
Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.
Over-the-counter transactions. The Fund may enter into over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives transactions. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, established a new statutory framework that comprehensively regulated the OTC derivatives markets for the first time. Key Dodd-Frank Act provisions relating to OTC derivatives require rulemaking by the SEC and the CFTC, not all of which has been proposed or finalized as at the date of this Prospectus. Prior to the Dodd-Frank Act, the OTC derivatives markets were traditionally traded on a bilateral basis (so-called “bilateral OTC transactions”). Now certain OTC derivatives contracts are required to be centrally cleared and traded on exchanges or electronic trading platforms called swap execution facilities (“SEFs”).
Bilateral OTC transactions differ from exchange-traded or cleared derivatives transactions in several respects. Bilateral OTC transactions are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation. Without the availability of a clearing corporation, bilateral OTC transaction pricing is normally done by reference to information
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from market makers, which information is carefully monitored by the Advisor and verified in appropriate cases. As bilateral OTC transactions entered into directly with a dealer, there is a risk of nonperformance by the dealer as a result of its insolvency or otherwise. Under recently-adopted CFTC regulations, counterparties of registered swap dealers and major swap participants have the right to elect segregation of initial margin in respect of uncleared swaps. If a counterparty makes such an election, any initial margin that is posted to the swap dealer or major swap participant must be segregated in individual customer accounts held at an independent third-party custodian. In addition, the collateral may only be invested in certain categories of instruments identified in the CFTC’s regulations. Agreements covering these segregation arrangements must generally provide for consent by both the counterparty and the swap dealer or major swap participant to withdraw margin from the segregated account. Given these limitations on the use of uncleared swaps collateral, there is some likelihood that the electing counterparty will experience an increase in the costs associated with trading swaps with the relevant swap dealer or major swap participant. Certain other protections apply to a counterparty to uncleared swaps under the CFTC’s regulations even if the counterparty does not elect segregation of its initial margin. These regulations are newly adopted, and it remains unclear whether they will be effective in protecting initial margin in the manner intended in the event of significant market stress or the insolvency of a swap dealer or major swap participant.
Furthermore, a bilateral OTC transaction may only be terminated voluntarily by entering into a closing transaction with the dealer with which the Fund originally dealt. Any such cancellation may require the Fund to pay a premium to that dealer. In those cases in which the Fund has entered into a covered transaction and cannot voluntarily terminate the transaction, the Fund will not be able to sell the underlying security until the transaction expires or is exercised or different cover is substituted. The Fund will seek to enter into OTC transactions only with dealers which agree to, and which are expected to be capable of, entering into closing transactions with the Fund. There is also no assurance that the Fund will be able to liquidate an OTC transaction at any time prior to expiration.
The requirement to execute certain OTC derivatives contracts on SEFs may offer certain advantages over traditional bilateral OTC trading, such as ease of execution, price transparency, increased liquidity and/or favorable pricing. However, SEF trading may make it more difficult and costly for the Fund to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions and may result in additional costs and risks. Market participants such as the Fund that execute derivatives contracts through a SEF, whether directly or through a broker intermediary, are required to submit to the jurisdiction of the SEF and comply with SEF and CFTC rules and regulations which impose, among other things disclosure and recordkeeping obligations. In addition, the Fund will generally incur SEF or broker intermediary fees when it trades on a SEF. The Fund may also be required to indemnify the SEF or broker intermediary for any losses or costs that may result from the Fund’s transactions on the SEF.
Short sales. The Fund may seek to hedge investments or realize additional gains through the use of short sales. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss will be increased, by the transaction costs incurred by the Fund, including the costs associated with providing collateral to the broker-dealer (usually cash and liquid securities) and the maintenance of collateral with its custodian. The Fund also may be required to pay a premium to borrow a security, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited.
The broker-dealer will retain the net proceeds of the short sale to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements until the short position is closed out.
When the Advisor believes that the price of a particular security held by the Fund may decline, it may make “short sales against the box” to hedge the unrealized gain on such security. Selling short against the box involves selling a security which the Fund owns for delivery at a specified date in the future. The Fund will incur transaction costs to open, maintain and close short sales against the box.
Borrowings. The Fund may obtain leverage through borrowings in seeking its investment objectives, for operational portfolio management purposes, and to meet repurchase requests. The Fund currently intends to employ leverage through borrowings via a secured credit facility to achieve its investment objectives. Such borrowings are made by a SPV that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund. In addition to borrowings, investments in certain derivatives, short sales and futures contracts, and forward currency contracts and engaging in forward commitment transactions
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are examples of transactions that the Fund may engage in and that result in leverage. The Fund’s borrowings that are in the form of loans from banks may be on a secured or unsecured basis and at fixed or variable rates of interest. The Fund’s ability to obtain leverage through borrowings is dependent upon its ability to establish and maintain an appropriate line of credit.
The 1940 Act requires the Fund, immediately after a borrowing, to have asset coverage of not less than 300% with respect to all borrowings. This means that the value of the Fund’s total indebtedness may not exceed one-third of the value of its total assets (including such indebtedness), or 50% of the Fund’s net assets (excluding such indebtedness). In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution unless, at the time of such declaration, this asset coverage test is satisfied. The Fund also may borrow money from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund’s assets. Such temporary borrowings are not subject to the asset coverage requirements discussed below in connection with the Fund’s borrowings for investment purposes.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may enter into “reverse” repurchase agreements. Pursuant to a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund will sell portfolio securities and agree to repurchase them from the buyer at a particular date and price. The Fund may elect to (i) treat the reverse repurchase agreements as borrowings and comply with the asset coverage requirements of Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and combine the aggregate amount of indebtedness associated with all reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating the asset coverage ratio; or (ii) treat all reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions as “derivatives transactions” as defined in the Derivatives Rule and comply with all requirements of the Derivatives Rule.
Lending portfolio securities. Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and the Fund’s investment restrictions, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to securities broker-dealers or financial institutions, provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund (subject to notice provisions described below), and are at all times secured by cash or cash equivalents, which are maintained in a segregated account pursuant to applicable regulations and that are at least equal to the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such loans is that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned securities while at the same time earns interest on the cash amounts deposited as collateral, which will be invested in short-term obligations. The Fund will not lend portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted by the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for sale. The Fund’s loans of portfolio securities will be collateralized in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and no loan will cause the value of all loaned securities to exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.
A loan may generally be terminated by the borrower on one business day’s notice, or by the Fund on five business days’ notice. If the borrower fails to deliver the loaned securities within five days after receipt of notice or fails to maintain the requisite amount of collateral, the Fund could use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However, these loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms deemed by the Fund’s management to be creditworthy and when the income that can be earned from such loans justifies the attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund. Any gain or loss in the market price during the loan period would inure to the Fund. The risks associated with loans of portfolio securities are substantially similar to those associated with repurchase agreements. Thus, if the counterparty to the loan petitions for bankruptcy or becomes subject to the United States Bankruptcy Code, the law regarding the rights of the Fund is unsettled. As a result, under extreme circumstances, there may be a restriction on the Fund’s ability to sell the collateral, and the Fund would suffer a loss. When voting or consent rights that accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loaned securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on the Fund’s investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay reasonable finder’s, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan of its securities.
Other Investment Strategies
Temporary investments. The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund’s normal fundamental or non-fundamental investment policies and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Advisor. Such measures could include, but are not limited to, investments in (1) highly liquid short-term fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S. Government and its agencies, commercial paper, and bank certificates of
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deposit; (2) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (3) other money market instruments. The Fund also may invest in shares of money market mutual funds to the extent permitted under applicable law. Money market mutual funds are investment companies, and the investments in those companies by the Fund are in some cases subject to certain fundamental investment restrictions. As a shareholder in a mutual fund, the Fund will bear its ratable share of its expenses, including management fees, and will remain subject to payment of the fees to the Advisor, with respect to assets so invested. The Fund may not achieve its investment objectives during temporary defensive periods.
Common stock. The Fund may invest in common stock. Common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which the Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the Fund as holders of common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.
Preferred stock. The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and the recovery of investment in the event a company is liquidated, although preferred stock is usually subordinate to the debt securities of the issuer. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline.
Investments in emerging markets. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers in emerging markets. There are special risks involved in investing in emerging market countries. Many investments in emerging markets can be considered speculative, and their prices can be more volatile than in the developed nations of the world.
Investment company securities. The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies, including open- end funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts (“UITs”) and ETFs, to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions set forth in the SAI.
Additional Information. The Fund’s investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval or prior written notice, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or the Fund’s SAI.
PRINCIPAL RISK CONSIDERATIONS
An investment in the Fund involves significant risks and considerations which prospective Shareholders should evaluate carefully before making a decision to acquire Shares. The Advisor and its affiliates cannot assure the Fund’s success or profitability. The success of the Fund will depend upon a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the Advisor’s control. A prospective Shareholder should carefully consider the following factors and risks relating to an investment in the Fund. This section also describes certain risk factors applicable to the Fund’s investments. The following does not purport to be a summary of all the risks associated with such investments.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. The prices of fixed income securities respond to economic developments, particularly interest rate changes, as well as to changes in an issuer’s credit rating or market perceptions about the creditworthiness of an issuer. Prices of fixed income securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Generally fixed income securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with lower rated securities more volatile than higher rated securities. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the Fund’s portfolio, the more the Fund’s share price is likely to react to changes in interest rates. Duration is a weighted measure of the length of time required to receive the present value of future payments, both interest and principal, from a fixed income security. Some fixed income securities give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the securities before their maturity dates. If an issuer calls its security during a time of declining interest rates, the Fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value of the security as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of callable issues are subject to increased price fluctuation. In addition, the Fund may be subject to extension risk, which occurs during a rising interest rate environment because certain obligations may be paid off by an issuer more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of those securities held by the Fund to fall.
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Prepayment or Call Risk. Many fixed income securities give the issuer the option to repay or call the security prior to its maturity date. Issuers often exercise this right when interest rates fall. Accordingly, if the Fund holds a fixed income security subject to prepayment or call risk, it may not benefit fully from the increase in value that other fixed income securities generally experience when interest rates fall. Upon prepayment of the security, the Fund would also be forced to reinvest the proceeds at then current yields, which would be lower than the yield of the security that was paid off. In addition, if the Fund purchases a fixed income security at a premium (at a price that exceeds its stated par or principal value), the Fund may lose the amount of the premium paid in the event of prepayment.
Extension Risk. When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities, particularly asset- and mortgage-backed securities, may occur more slowly than anticipated, extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates and causing their market prices to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. This may cause the Fund’s share price to be more volatile.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that debt securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates. As interest rates rise, the value of certain debt securities held by the Fund is likely to decrease. Debt securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates, usually making them more volatile than securities with shorter durations. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Floating rate and adjustable rate debt securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. When the Fund holds floating or adjustable rate debt securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. Investments in debt securities pose the risk that the Fund Advisor’s forecast of the direction of interest rates might be incorrect. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Fund’s investments. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. In addition, a potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and increased repurchase requests that might require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices and times.
Credit Risk. If an obligor (such as the issuer itself or a party offering credit enhancement) for a security held by the Fund fails to pay amounts due when required by the terms of the security, otherwise defaults, is perceived to be less creditworthy, becomes insolvent or files for bankruptcy, a security’s credit rating is downgraded or the credit quality or value of any underlying assets declines, the value of the Fund’s investment could decline. If the Fund enters into financial contracts (such as certain derivatives, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, and when-issued, delayed delivery and forward commitment transactions), the Fund will be subject to the credit risk presented by the counterparties. Credit risk is broadly gauged by the credit ratings of the securities in which the Fund invests.
Liquidity Risk. Due to a lack of demand in the marketplace or other factors, such as market turmoil, the Fund may not be able to sell some or all of the investments that it holds, or if the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet repurchase requests or other cash needs, it may only be able to sell those investments at a loss. Liquidity risk arises, for example, from small average trading volumes, trading restrictions, or temporary suspensions of trading. In addition, when the market for certain investments is illiquid, the Fund may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. The reduction in dealer market-making capacity in the fixed income markets that has occurred in recent years also has the potential to decrease the liquidity of the Fund’s investments. Liquidity risk may be more pronounced for the Fund’s investments in developing countries.
Bank Loan Risk. The Fund’s investments in secured and unsecured participations in bank loans and assignments of such loans may create substantial risk. In making investments in such loans, which are made by banks or other financial intermediaries to borrowers, the Fund will depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of principal and interest which will expose the Fund to the credit risk of both the financial institution and the underlying borrower. The market for bank loans may not be highly liquid and the Fund may have difficulty selling them. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning lender. Assignments may, however, be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, and the rights and obligations acquired by the
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purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. Participations by the Fund in a lender’s portion of a bank loan typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with such lender, not with the borrower. The Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling a loan participation and only upon receipt by such lender of such payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights with respect to any funds acquired by other lenders through set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund may assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender selling the participation.
Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk. The risks of an investment in a collateralized debt obligation depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the debt obligation in which the Fund invests. Collateralized debt obligations are subject to credit, interest rate, valuation, prepayment and extension risks. These securities also are subject to risk of default on the underlying asset, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Collateralized debt obligations carry additional risks including, but not limited to, (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest of other payments, (ii) the collateral may decline in value or default, (iii) the fund may invest in obligations that are subordinate to other classes, and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk. The Fund is subject to the following risks as a result of its investments in CLOs:
Asset Manager Risk. The CLO’s performance is linked to the expertise of the CLO manager and its ability to manage the CLO portfolio. The experience of a CLO manager plays an important role in the rating and risk assessment of CLO debt securities. One of the primary risks to investors of a CLO is the potential change in CLO manager, over which the Fund will have no control.
Legal and Regulatory Risk. The Fund may be adversely affected by new (or revised) laws or regulations that may be imposed by government regulators or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. These agencies are empowered to promulgate a variety of rules pursuant to financial reform legislation in the United States. The Fund may also be adversely affected by changes in the enforcement or interpretation of existing statutes and rules. Changes in the regulation of CLOs may adversely affect the value of the investments held by the Fund and the ability of the Fund to execute its investment strategy.
Limited Recourse Risk. CLO debt securities are limited recourse obligations of their issuers. CLO debt is payable solely from the proceeds of its underlying assets. Consequently, CLO investors must rely solely on distributions from the underlying assets for payments on the CLO debt they hold. No party or entity other than the issuer will be obligated to make payments on CLO debt. CLO debt is not guaranteed by the issuer or any other party or entity involved in the organization and management of a CLO. If income from the underlying loans is insufficient to make payments on the CLO debt, no other assets will be available for payment.
Redemption Risk. CLO debt securities may be subject to redemption. For example, certain tranches of CLO debt may be redeemed after the non-call period (typically 2 years), if the CLO manager is unable to identify assets suitable for investment during the period when it has the ability to reinvest the principal proceeds from the sale of assets, scheduled redemptions and prepayments in additional assets (the “Reinvestment Period”). Additionally, holders of subordinated CLO debt may cause the redemption of senior CLO debt. In the event of an early redemption, holders of the CLO debt being redeemed will be repaid earlier than the stated maturity of the debt. The timing of redemptions may adversely affect the returns on CLO debt.
Reinvestment Risk. The CLO manager may not find suitable assets in which to invest during the Reinvestment Period or to replace assets that the manager has determined are no longer suitable for investment (for example, if a security has been downgraded by a rating agency). Additionally, the reinvestment period is a pre-determined finite period of time; however, there is a risk that the reinvestment period may terminate early if, for example, the CLO defaults on payments on the securities which it issues or if the CLO manager determines that it can no longer reinvest in underlying assets. Early termination of the Reinvestment Period could adversely affect a CLO investment.
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Senior Loan Risk. The Fund’s investments in floating or adjustable rate senior loans are subject to increased credit and liquidity risks. Senior loan prices also may be adversely affected by supply-demand imbalances caused by conditions in the senior loan market or related markets. Below investment grade senior loans, like high-yield debt securities, or junk bonds, usually are more credit than interest rate sensitive, although the value of these instruments may be affected by interest rate swings in the overall fixed income market. Senior loans may be subject to structural subordination and, although the loans may be senior to equity and other debt securities in the borrower’s capital structure, the loans may be subordinated to other obligations of the borrower or its subsidiaries. Economic downturns generally increase non-payment rates and a senior loan could lose a substantial part of its value prior to default. Senior secured loans may not be adequately collateralized. The interest rates of senior loans reset frequently, and thus senior loans are subject to interest rate risk. Senior loans typically have less liquidity than investment grade bonds. Investing in senior loan participations exposes the Fund to the credit of the counterparty issuing the participation in addition to the credit of the ultimate borrower.
Many senior loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by a rating agency, generally will not be registered with the SEC and generally will not be listed on a securities exchange. In addition, the amount of public information available with respect to senior loans generally may be less extensive than that available for registered and exchange-listed securities. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain senior loans or senior loans generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. No active trading market currently exists for some senior loans in which the Fund may invest and, thus, those loans may be illiquid. As a result, such senior loans generally are more difficult to value than more liquid securities for which a trading market exists.
“Covenant-Lite” Loans Risk. Some of the loans in which the Fund may invest or get exposure to through its investments in CDOs or other types of structured securities may be “covenant-lite” loans, which means the loans contain fewer or no maintenance covenants than other loans and do not include terms which allow the lender to monitor the performance of the borrower and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. The Fund may experience delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans.
Subordinated Securities Risk. Holders of securities that are subordinated or “junior” to more senior securities of an issuer are entitled to payment after holders of more senior securities of the issuer. Subordinated securities are more likely to suffer a credit loss than non-subordinated securities of the same issuer, any loss incurred by the subordinated securities is likely to be proportionately greater, and any recovery of interest or principal may take more time. As a result, even a perceived decline in creditworthiness of the issuer is likely to have a greater impact on the market value of these securities. If there is a default, bankruptcy or liquidation of the issuer, most subordinated securities are paid only if sufficient assets remain after payment of the issuer’s non-subordinated securities. In addition, any recovery of interest or principal may take more time. Subordinated loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. The risks associated with subordinated unsecured loans, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral, are higher than those for comparable loans that are secured by specific collateral.
Private Placements and Restricted Securities Risk. Private placement securities are securities that have been privately placed and are not registered under the Securities Act. They are eligible for sale only to certain eligible investors. Private placements often may offer attractive opportunities for investment not otherwise available on the open market. Private placement and other “restricted” securities often cannot be sold to the public without registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration (such as Rules 144 or 144A). Investing in private placements and other restricted securities is subject to certain risks. Private placements may be considered illiquid securities. Private placements typically are subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell such securities when it may be advisable to do so or it may be able to sell such securities only at prices lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s net asset value due to the absence of a trading market. Also, the Fund may get only limited information about the issuer of a restricted security, so it may be less able to predict a loss.
Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks. Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed rate mortgage-backed securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, if
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the Fund holds mortgage-backed securities, it may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as “extension risk.” In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-backed securities are subject to “prepayment risk.” When interest rates decline, borrowers may pay off their mortgages sooner than expected. This can reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at lower prevailing interest rates. The Fund’s investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets.
The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities issued by the U.S. government or by non-governmental issuers. To the extent that the Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers, such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers, the Fund may be subject to additional risks. Timely payment of interest and principal of non- governmental issuers are supported by various forms of private insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance purchased by the issuer. There can be no assurance that the private insurers can meet their obligations under the policies. An unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may adversely affect the value of a mortgage-backed security and could result in losses to the Fund. The risk of such defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages. Subprime mortgages refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their mortgages.
Government-Sponsored Entities Risk. The Fund’s investment in U.S. government obligations may include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, or its agencies or instrumentalities, such as the U.S. Treasury. Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. Investments in debt securities issued by U.S. government sponsored entities such as the Federal National Mortgage Association, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association, and the Federal Home Loan Banks are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. With respect to these entities, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises) where it is not obligated to do so. Credit rating downgrades with respect to U.S. government obligations could decrease the value and increase the volatility of the Fund’s investments in such securities.
Derivatives Risk. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the asset, index, rate or instrument underlying a derivative, due to failure of a counterparty or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create economic leverage in the Fund, which magnifies the Fund’s exposure to the underlying investment. Derivatives risk may be more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a cash investment position, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position held by the Fund. When derivatives are used to gain or limit exposure to a particular market or market segment, their performance may not correlate as expected to the performance of such market thereby causing the Fund to fail to achieve its original purpose for using such derivatives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use derivatives involves the exercise of specialized skill and judgment, and a transaction may be unsuccessful in whole or in part because of market behavior or unexpected events. Derivative instruments may be difficult to value, may be illiquid, and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying instrument. If a derivative’s counterparty is unable to honor its commitments, the value of Fund Shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty and an investor may lose money. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment.
Short Sales Risk. In connection with a short sale of a security or other instrument, the Fund is subject to the risk that instead of declining, the price of the security or other instrument sold short will rise. If the price of the security or other instrument sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security or other instrument borrowed to make the short sale, the Fund will experience a loss, which is theoretically unlimited since there is a theoretically unlimited potential for the market price of a security or other instrument sold short to increase. Shorting options or futures may have an imperfect correlation to the assets held by the Fund and may not adequately protect against losses in or may result in greater losses for the Fund’s portfolio. By investing the proceeds received from selling securities short, the Fund is employing leverage, which creates special risks. Furthermore, until the Fund replaces a security borrowed, or sold short, it must pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends that accrue during the period of the short sale. In addition, the Fund will incur certain transaction fees associated with short selling.
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Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund’s investment in foreign issuers involves risks not generally associated with investments in securities of U.S. companies, including risks relating to currency fluctuations, political, social and economic developments abroad and differences between U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements and market practices. Changes in exchange rates and interest rates, and the imposition of foreign taxes, sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments. Foreign securities also may be subject to greater fluctuations in price than securities of U.S. companies because foreign markets may be smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets. This risk may be greater for investments in issuers in emerging markets. The financial markets of emerging markets countries are generally less well capitalized than those of developed countries and thus securities of issuers based in emerging market countries may be less liquid. Some companies in emerging markets are heavily dependent on international trade, and some are especially vulnerable to recessions in other countries. Most emerging market countries are the main suppliers of agricultural, energy, base and precious metals to the world, but there are some emerging market economies that are not rich in natural resources and are adversely affected by an increase in world commodity prices. Some countries may still have archaic economic or legal systems. The currencies of certain emerging market countries, and therefore the value of securities denominated in such currencies, may be more volatile than currencies of developed countries.
In addition, securities that trade in, or receive revenues in, foreign currencies will be subject to currency risk. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. A decline in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar will reduce the value of securities held by the Fund and denominated in such currencies. Foreign currencies also are subject to risks caused by inflation, interest rates, budget deficits and low savings rates, political factors and government controls.
Valuation Risk. Many factors may influence the price at which the Fund could sell any particular portfolio investment. The sales price may well differ—higher or lower—from the Fund’s last valuation, and such differences could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Advisor may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value methodologies. Investors who purchase or tender for repurchase Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher repurchase proceeds, than they would have received if the Advisor had not fair-valued the securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The value of foreign securities, certain fixed income securities, and currencies may be materially affected by events after the close of the market on which they are valued but before the Advisor determines its net asset value.
Portfolio Focus Risk. To the extent a significant portion of the Fund’s assets is comprised of one or more investment type, the Fund’s exposure to the risks associated with that investment type or types will be greater than if the Fund’s assets are diversified among many different investment types. As of July 31, 2024 approximately 76% of the Fund’s assets were invested in CLOs.
Leverage Risk. The Fund may borrow or enter into derivative transactions for investment purposes, which will cause the Fund to incur investment leverage. Therefore, the Fund is subject to leverage risk. Leverage may magnify the Fund’s exposure to declines in the value of one or more underlying investments and/or create investment risk with respect to a larger pool of assets than the Fund would otherwise have. The value of an investment in the Fund will be more volatile and other risks tend to be compounded if and to the extent the Fund borrows or uses derivatives or other investments that have embedded leverage. Engaging in such transactions may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. Please also see “Borrowing Risk” below.
Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political, or geopolitical conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, international conflicts, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, or other events could have significant impact on a security or instrument. For example, the financial crisis that began in 2007 caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities; in particular, the values of some sovereign debt and of securities of issuers that invest in sovereign debt and related investments fell, credit became more scarce
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worldwide and there was significant uncertainty in the markets. More recently, higher inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively affected the worldwide economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial health of individual companies and the market in general in significant and unforeseen ways. This environment could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the Advisor. In response to certain crises, the United States and other governments have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support or failure of efforts in response to a crisis could negatively affect financial markets generally as well as the value and liquidity of certain securities. In addition, policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are changing many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be fully known for some time. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region, or financial market.
Recent Market Events. Periods of market volatility may occur in response to market events and other economic, political, and global macro factors. The COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and higher inflation have resulted in extreme volatility in the financial markets, economic downturns around the world, and severe losses, particularly to some sectors of the economy and individual issuers, and reduced liquidity of certain instruments. These events have caused significant disruptions to business operations, including business closures; strained healthcare systems; disruptions to supply chains and employee availability; large fluctuations in consumer demand; large expansion of government deficits and debt as a result of government actions to mitigate the effects of such events; and widespread uncertainty regarding the long-term effects of such events.
Governments and central banks, including the Federal Reserve in the United States, took extraordinary and unprecedented actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including by keeping interest rates at historically low levels for an extended period. The Federal Reserve concluded its market support activities in 2022 and began to raise interest rates in an effort to fight inflation. Government intervention into the economy and financial markets to address other significant events in the future, may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results.
Such events could be prolonged and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments, impair the Fund’s ability to satisfy repurchase requests, and negatively impact the Fund’s performance. Other market events may cause similar disruptions and effects.
Borrowing Risk. The Fund may borrow to meet repurchase requests or for investment purposes (i.e., to purchase additional portfolio securities). The Fund’s borrowings, which would be in the form of loans from banks, may be on a secured or unsecured basis and at fixed or variable rates of interest. The Fund’s ability to obtain leverage through borrowings is dependent upon its ability to establish and maintain an appropriate line of credit. The Fund currently intends to utilize borrowings via a secured credit facility to achieve its investment objectives. Such borrowings are made by a SPV that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund. The Fund’s investment portfolio may limit the number of lenders willing to enter into a borrowing arrangement with the Fund, result in higher borrowing costs to the Fund, or less favorable terms under the arrangement because such securities are higher risk instruments. As a result, the Fund may be required to modify its investment program in order to meet the terms of any borrowing arrangement. If so, the Fund may not meet its investment objectives. Borrowing also will result in expenses that will be borne by the Fund (whether in its capacity as the sole interest holder of the SPV or directly if the Fund uses other forms of leverage directly) and may reduce the Fund’s return.
Borrowing by the Fund or SPV may have the following consequences to shareholders, including, but not limited to: (i) greater fluctuation in the Fund’s NAV; (ii) use of cash flow for debt service, distributions, or other purposes (i.e., distributions to shareholders may be subordinated to payments required in connection with any indebtedness); and (iii) in certain circumstances, the Fund may be required to dispose of investments at a loss or otherwise on unattractive terms in order to service its debt obligations or meet its debt covenants. In addition, the Fund may need to refinance its outstanding debt as it matures. There is a risk that the Fund may not be able to refinance existing debt or that the terms of any refinancing may not be as favorable as the terms of the existing loan agreements. If prevailing interest rates or other factors at the time of refinancing result in higher interest rates upon refinancing, then the interest expense relating to that refinanced indebtedness would increase. These risks could adversely affect the Fund’s financial condition, cash flows and the return on its investments. Per the terms of the Credit Agreement, the Fund and SPV are subject to certain covenants which, if violated or not performed, may adversely impact the terms of the credit facility and could have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s business and financial condition.
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In addition to any more stringent terms imposed by a lender, the 1940 Act requires the Fund, immediately after a borrowing, to have coverage of not less than 300% with respect to all borrowings. This would allow the Fund to borrow for such purposes an amount equal to as much as 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets. The Fund will borrow only if the value of the Fund’s assets, including borrowings, is equal to at least 300% of all borrowings, including the proposed borrowing.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk. A reverse repurchase agreement is the sale by the Fund of a debt obligation to a party for a specified price, with the simultaneous agreement by the Fund to repurchase that debt obligation from that party on a future date at an agreed upon price. Similar to borrowing, reverse repurchase agreements provide the Fund with cash for investment purposes, which creates leverage and subjects the Fund to the risks of leverage. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the other party may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could lose money if it is unable to recover the securities and the value of collateral held by the Fund, including the value of the investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of securities. Reverse repurchase agreements also create Fund expenses and require that the Fund have sufficient cash available to purchase the debt obligations when required. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the market value of the debt obligation that is the subject of the reverse repurchase agreement could decline significantly below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the security.
Securities Lending Risk. As with other extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the securities loaned if the borrower of the securities fails financially. Loans will only be made to firms that have been approved by the investment adviser and the investment adviser or the securities lending agent will periodically monitor the financial condition of such organizations while any loans are outstanding. In addition, loans will only be made when the investment adviser believes the expected returns, net of expenses, justify the attendant risk. Securities loans currently are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents (such as money market instruments) or other liquid securities held by the custodian and maintained in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. The Fund may lend up to one-third of the value of its total assets (including borrowings) or such other amount as is permitted under relevant law.
Repurchase Offers Risk. As described under “Periodic Repurchase Offers” below, the Fund is an “interval fund” and, in order to provide liquidity to shareholders, the Fund will conduct quarterly repurchase offers, typically for between 5-10% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares at NAV per Share, subject to applicable law and approval of the Board of Trustees. In all cases such repurchases will be for at least 5% and not more than 25% of the Fund’s outstanding shares at the NAV per Share, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act. The Fund believes that these repurchase offers are generally beneficial to the Fund’s shareholders, and repurchases generally will be funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities. However, repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments than would otherwise be the case, which may harm the Fund’s investment performance. Moreover, diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities (with associated imputed transaction costs, which may be significant), and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities or to achieve its investment objectives. If the Fund employs investment leverage, repurchases of Shares would compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows money to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their Shares by increasing Fund expenses and reducing any net investment income. If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed and the Fund determines not to repurchase additional Shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if shareholders tender an amount of Shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to purchase, the Fund will repurchase the Shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and shareholders will have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. As a result, shareholders may be unable to liquidate all or a given percentage of their investments in the Fund at NAV per Share during a particular repurchase offer. Some shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more Shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. A shareholder may be subject to market and other risks, and the NAV per Share of Shares tendered in a repurchase offer may decline to the extent there is any delay between the repurchase request deadline and the date on which the NAV per Share for tendered Shares is determined. In addition, the repurchase of Shares by the Fund may be a taxable event to shareholders.
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Anti-Takeover Provisions. The Fund’s Declaration of Trust, together with any amendments thereto, include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. Active and frequent trading of the Fund’s securities may lead to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions, which could negatively affect the Fund’s performance. A high rate of portfolio turnover is 100% or more.
CREDIT FACILITY; EFFECTS OF LEVERAGE
To achieve its investment objectives, the Fund may utilize leverage through borrowings via a credit facility. Such borrowings are made by a SPV that is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund and for which the Fund is the sole interest holder. The SPV has entered into a Credit Agreement with the Lenders and Administrative Agent to enable the SPV to borrow for investment purposes. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, the SPV may borrow money from the Lenders up to a maximum aggregate principal outstanding amount of $75 million, subject to change by mutual agreement of the SPV and the Lenders. The SPV will invest proceeds from the borrowings in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies as described in this Prospectus.
In connection with the Credit Agreement, the SPV has made certain customary representations and warranties and is required to comply with various customary covenants, reporting requirements and other requirements. The Credit Agreement contains events of default customary for similar financing transactions, including: (i) the failure to make principal, interest or other payments when due after the applicable grace period; (ii) the insolvency or bankruptcy of the SPV or the Fund; (iii) a change of control of the SPV or the Fund; or (iv) a change of management of the SPV or the Fund. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default, the Lender may declare the outstanding advances and all other obligations under the Credit Agreement immediately due and payable. The SPV’s obligations to the Lender under the Credit Agreement are secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all of the assets of the SPV.
Effects of Leverage
Assuming the use of leverage in the amount of 10% of the Fund’s total assets and an annual interest rate on leverage of 6.75% payable on such leverage based on estimated market interest rates as of a recent date, the additional income that the Fund must earn in order to cover such interest payments is 0.68% of total assets. These figures are merely estimates based on current market conditions, used for illustration purposes only. The Fund’s actual cost of leverage will be based on market interest rates at the time the Fund undertakes a leveraging strategy, and such actual cost of leverage may be higher or lower than that assumed in the previous example.
The following table is designed to illustrate the effect of leverage on total return on shares, assuming investment portfolio total returns (comprised of income and changes in the value of investments held in the Fund’s portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. These assumed investment portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of what the Fund’s investment portfolio returns will be. In other words, the Fund’s actual returns may be greater or less than those appearing in the table below. The table further reflects the use of leverage representing approximately 10% of the Fund’s assets after such issuance and the Fund’s currently projected annual interest rate of 6.25%. The table does not reflect any offering costs of shares.
| Assumed Return on Portfolio (Net of Expenses) | -10% | -5% | 0% | 5% | 10% |
| Corresponding Return to Shareholder | ( | ( | ( | | |
Corresponding Return to Shareholder is composed of two elements — the dividends on shares paid by the Fund (the amount of which is largely determined by the Fund’s net investment income after paying the cost of leverage) and gains or losses on the value of the securities the Fund owns.
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MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
General
The Fund’s Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for monitoring and overseeing the Fund’s investment program and its management and operations.
The Advisor
Palmer Square Capital Management LLC, a Delaware limited liability company formed in 2009 which maintains its principal offices at 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, KS 66205, acts as the investment advisor to the Fund pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement with the Fund. The Advisor is an investment adviser registered with the SEC and provides investment advice to open-end funds, private investment funds, and institutional and high net worth clients. Christopher D. Long, Founder of Palmer Square and a portfolio manager of the Fund, and Angie K. Long, Chief Investment Officer of Palmer Square and a portfolio manager of the Fund, have a controlling interest in the Advisor.
After its initial two-year period, the Advisory Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Advisory Agreement. The Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Trust on behalf of the Fund, upon giving the Advisor 60 days’ notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s shareholders or by a vote of a majority of the Board, or by the Advisor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the Advisory Agreement, except for a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, or for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard by the Advisor of its duties under the Advisory Agreement.
The Advisor has approximately $32.5 billion in assets under management as of July 31, 2024. The Advisor’s responsibilities include investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund, furnishing an investment program with respect to the Fund, determining which investments should be bought and sold and executing investment transactions. Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays the Advisor an annual advisory fee of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for the services and facilities it provides, payable on a monthly basis. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, the Advisor received advisory fees of 1.00%.
The Fund bears all expenses incurred in its business and operations, other than those borne by the Advisor, pursuant to its agreement with the Fund, including, but not limited to all investment related expenses (e.g., costs and expenses directly related to portfolio transactions and positions for the Fund’s account such as direct and indirect expenses associated with investments; brokerage commissions; the management fee; any non-investment related interest expense; legal and accounting fees; audit and tax preparation fees and expenses; the fees of any administrator or transfer agent retained by the Fund and related expenses; custody fees and expenses; insurance costs; fees and travel-related expenses of members of the Board who are not employees of the Advisor or affiliates of the Advisor; fees and expenses in connection with repurchase offers and any repurchases of Fund shares; and any extraordinary expenses.
The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive or reduce its management fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Fund to ensure that total annual fund operating expenses (excluding taxes, interest on borrowings, commitment fees relating to borrowings, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on short sales, acquired fund fees and expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, and extraordinary expenses such as litigation expenses) do not exceed 1.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. This agreement is in effect until December 1, 2025, and it may be terminated before that date only by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. Any reduction in advisory fees or payment of the Fund’s expenses made by the Advisor in a fiscal year may be reimbursed by the Fund for a period ending three full fiscal years after the date of reduction or payment if the Advisor so requests. This reimbursement may be requested from the Fund if the reimbursement will not cause the Fund’s annual expense ratio to exceed the lesser of (a) the expense limitation in effect at the time such fees were waived or payments made, or (b) the expense limitation in effect at the time of the reimbursement. However, the reimbursement amount may not exceed the
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total amount of fees waived and/or Fund expenses paid by the Advisor and will not include any amounts previously reimbursed to the Advisor by the Fund. Any such reimbursement is contingent upon the Board’s subsequent review of the reimbursed amounts. The Advisor may waive and/or reimburse fees and expenses in order to maintain distribution yield. The Fund must pay current ordinary operating expenses before the Advisor is entitled to any reimbursement of fees and/or Fund expenses.
A discussion regarding the basis for the approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s Semi-Annual Report to Shareholders dated as of January 31, 2024.
Portfolio Managers
Angie K. Long, Christopher D. Long and Taylor R. Moore are jointly and primarily responsible for the day to day management of the Fund. Ms. Long and Mr. Long have managed the Fund since it commenced operations on August 29, 2014, and Mr. Moore has managed the Fund since December 1, 2019.
Angie K. Long, CFA. Ms. Long has been the Chief Investment Officer of the Advisor since February 2011. She has key responsibilities for all investment-related activities with a particular focus on portfolio construction and risk management. Prior to joining Palmer Square, Ms. Long worked for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in New York from 1998 to 2011. There, she held a variety of management and trading roles, including Deputy Head of Credit Trading for North America, Head of High Yield Trading, and Head of Credit Derivatives Trading. She has been a trader and investor within many products and strategies including high yield bonds, high yield credit derivatives, distressed debt, capital structure arbitrage and structured credit. Among other career achievements, Ms. Long is credited with creating the High Yield Debt Index, the first liquid credit trading index. She was named a managing director of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. at age 29. She was responsible for building J.P. Morgan’s High Yield Credit Derivatives business and Credit Options business. She received an AB degree in Economics from Princeton University in 1997 and is a CFA® charterholder.
Christopher D. Long. Mr. Long is the founder of the Advisor and is responsible for the Advisor’s alternative and credit investments business, managing both the firm’s investment activities and operations as well as defining its investment policy. Mr. Long was a Managing Director and Investment Committee Member at Prairie Capital Management, LLC (“Prairie”) from 2006 to 2009, where he was one of the team members responsible for the firm’s proprietary alternative investment products. Prior to joining Prairie, Mr. Long was at various New York City-based firms including Sandell Asset Management, Corp. (“Sandell”), a multi-billion multi-strategy hedge fund, where he, as a Research Analyst, invested in both equity and debt securities from 2005 to 2006. Prior to Sandell, he worked at Morgan Stanley in the Credit Derivatives and Distressed Securities Group as an Associate, focusing on the firm’s proprietary investments during the summer of 2004. Before Morgan Stanley, Mr. Long worked at TH Lee Putnam Ventures, a $1.1 billion private equity fund sponsored by Thomas H. Lee Partners and Putnam Investments, from 1999 to 2003. Mr. Long started his career at J.P. Morgan & Co. in Leveraged Finance and Mergers & Acquisitions (FIG Group), advising corporations and private equity firms on investment banking and capital markets, from 1997 through 1999. Mr. Long received an MBA from the Harvard Business School in 2005, and an undergraduate degree in Economics, cum laude, from Princeton University in 1997.
Taylor R. Moore, CFA. Mr. Moore is Executive Director, Portfolio Manager and Head of Structured Credit Trading at the Advisor. Mr. Moore joined the Advisor in 2013. Prior to joining Palmer Square, Taylor worked at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York and Delaware. Mr. Moore was an integral part of the firm’s North American foreign exchange business serving as Associate Product Controller. Mr. Moore played a key role in all financial operations and management of JPMorgan’s Forward and Spot foreign exchange trading desks. He began his career at JPMorgan as part of the firm’s Corporate Development Program, a two year selective leadership development program. Prior to JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mr. Moore worked at Frontier Investment Bank, a boutique investment bank based out of Kansas City. Mr. Moore received a BA in Economics from Cornell University and is a CFA® charterholder.
The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers’ ownership of securities in the Fund.
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CONTROL PERSONS, PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP
A principal shareholder is any person who owns of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of any class of the Fund, including the listed shareholders that are financial intermediaries.1. A control person is one who owns beneficially or through controlled companies more than 25% of the voting securities of the Fund or acknowledges the existence of control1. Shareholders with a controlling interest could affect the outcome of voting or the direction of management of the Fund. To the best knowledge of the Trust, shareholders owning 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund as of record are set forth below:
____________
(1) The Fund has no information regarding the beneficial owners of Fund shares owned through accounts with financial intermediaries
|
Control Person/Principal Shareholder |
Jurisdiction |
Percentage of Total Outstanding |
|
Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
||
|
Charles Schwab & Co Inc. |
CA |
34.72% |
The following table lists the principal shareholders of the Fund as of October 31, 2024. The principal shareholders are holders of record of 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the indicated class of the Fund, including the listed shareholders that are financial intermediaries.1
|
Fund/Class |
Shareholder |
Percentage of Total |
|
Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
||
|
Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. San Francisco, CA 94105 |
34.72% |
|
|
SEI Private Trust Company Jersey City, NJ 07303 |
16.17% |
|
|
Pershing, LLC Jacksonville, FL 32246 |
11.68% |
|
____________
1 The Fund has no information regarding the beneficial owners of Fund shares owned through accounts with financial intermediaries.
As of October 31, 2024, the Trustees and officers of the Trust as a group did not own more than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Furthermore, neither the Independent Trustees, nor members of their immediate families, own securities beneficially or of record in the Advisor, the Fund’s distributor, or any of their affiliates.
THE FUND’S SERVICE PROVIDERS
Custodian
UMB Bank, n.a., located at 928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64106, is the Fund’s custodian. Citibank, N.A. located at 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York, 10022, is the SPV’s custodian.
Co-Administrators
UMBFS, located at 235 W. Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, and MFAC, 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740, act as co-administrators of the Fund.
Transfer Agent
UMBFS acts as the Fund’s fund accountant, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, located at Two Liberty Place, 50 S. 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, PA 19102 2529, serves as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. Its services include auditing the Fund’s financial statements and the performance of related tax services.
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Legal Counsel
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, serves as legal counsel to the Fund and its independent trustees.
THE DISTRIBUTOR
Foreside is the distributor (also known as the principal underwriter) of the shares of the Fund and is located at Three Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101. The Distributor is a registered broker-dealer and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). The Distributor is not affiliated with the Fund, the Advisor or any other service provider for the Fund.
Under a distribution agreement with the Fund dated (the “Distribution Agreement”), the Distributor acts as the agent of the Fund in connection with the continuous offering of Shares of the Fund. The Distributor continually distributes Shares on a best efforts basis. The Distributor has no obligation to sell any specific quantity of Fund Shares. The Distributor and its officers have no role in determining the investment policies or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor may enter into agreements with Intermediaries for distribution of Shares. With respect to certain Intermediaries and related fund “supermarket” platform arrangements, the Fund and/or the Advisor, rather than the Distributor, typically enter into such agreements. These Intermediaries may charge a fee for their services and may receive shareholder service or other fees from parties other than the Distributor. These Intermediaries may otherwise act as processing agents and are responsible for promptly transmitting purchase, repurchase and other requests to the Fund.
Investors who purchase Shares through Intermediaries will be subject to the procedures of those Intermediaries through which they purchase shares, which may include charges, investment minimums, cutoff times and other restrictions in addition to, or different from, those listed in this prospectus. Information concerning any charges or services will be provided to customers by the financial intermediary through which they purchase Shares. Investors purchasing Shares through Intermediaries should acquaint themselves with their Intermediary’s procedures and should read the Prospectus in conjunction with any materials and information provided by their Intermediary. The Intermediary, and not its customers, will be the shareholder of record, although customers may have the right to vote Shares depending upon their arrangement with the Intermediary. The Advisor pays the Distributor a fee for certain distribution-related services.
The Fund has agreed to indemnify the Distributor against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Such indemnification does not include indemnification against liability resulting from the Distributor’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of such duties and obligations, or by reason of its reckless disregard thereof. The Distribution Agreement will continue in effect with respect to the Fund only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the trustees who are not parties to the Distribution Agreement or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any such party. The Distribution Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Fund on 60 days’ written notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s shareholders or by vote of a majority of the Board, including a majority of the trustees who are not “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by the Distributor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act).
PURCHASE OF SHARES
Shareholders who invest in the Fund through an Intermediary should contact their Intermediary regarding purchase procedures. Shares generally are available for investment only by clients of registered investment advisers and a limited number of certain other Eligible Investors (as defined below). All investors must complete and submit the necessary account registration forms in good order. Investors may be charged a fee if they effect transactions through a financial intermediary (or its agent). The Fund reserves the right to reject any initial or additional investment and to suspend the offering of Shares. Purchase through an Intermediary does not affect these eligibility requirements.
A purchase of Shares will be made at the NAV per Share next determined following receipt of a purchase order in good order by the Fund, its authorized agent, or authorized Intermediary or the Intermediary’s authorized designee. A purchase order is in “good order” when the Fund, an authorized Intermediary or, if applicable, an Intermediary’s authorized designee, receives all required information, including properly completed and signed documents. Once the
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Fund (or one of its authorized agents) accepts a purchase order, you may not cancel or revoke it. The Fund reserves the right to cancel any purchase order it receives if the Fund believes that it is in the best interest of the Fund’s shareholders to do so.
The Fund has authorized one or more brokers to receive on its behalf purchase and repurchase orders. Such brokers are authorized to designate other intermediaries to receive purchase and repurchase orders on the Fund’s behalf. The Fund is also offered directly. A purchase or repurchase order placed with a financial intermediary or its authorized agent is treated as if such order were placed directly with the Fund, and will be deemed to have been received by the Fund when the financial intermediary or its authorized agent receives the order. Purchase orders will be executed at the next NAV calculated by the Fund. Repurchase orders will be executed at the NAV calculated at the next Repurchase Pricing Date (defined below), if received before the Repurchase Request Deadline. Your financial intermediary will hold your shares in a pooled account in its (or its agent’s) name. The Fund may pay your financial intermediary (or its agent) to maintain your individual ownership information, maintain required records, and provide other shareholder services.
The Advisor may also pay compensation, out of its own funds and not as a charge to the Fund, to Intermediaries in connection with the sale, distribution and retention of Shares and/or account servicing. For example, the Advisor may pay compensation to Intermediaries for the purpose of promoting the sale of Shares, maintaining balances in the Fund and/or for sub-accounting, administrative or account processing services. The amount of these payments is determined from time to time by the Advisor and may be substantial.
With respect to each Intermediary that may receive such payments from the Advisor, these payments will be paid by the Advisor from its own funds, based in most cases on the net asset value of the Fund attributable to each client of such Intermediary who invests in the Fund. A portion of these payments may be paid through to the professional responsible for the client relationship and/or selling Shares. These payments may be made as long as a client of an Intermediary is invested in the Fund.
The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, additional ongoing compensation as described above by Intermediaries, out of the Advisor’s own funds and not as charge to the Fund, may provide such Intermediaries and/or their salespersons with an incentive to favor sales of Shares over sales of shares of funds (or other fund investments) with respect to which the Intermediary receives either no compensation or lower levels of compensation. The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, such compensation may also provide Intermediaries and/or their salespersons with an incentive to favor recommending that Investors maintain their assets in the Fund rather than re-allocate assets to other investments. These payment arrangements will not, however, change the price that an investor pays for Shares or the amount that the Fund receives upon repurchase of Shares. Investors should take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to the Shares.
Clients of investment advisory organizations may also be subject to investment advisory fees under their own arrangements with such organizations.
Shares are offered to the following groups of investors (“Eligible Investors”):
• RIAs acting in a fiduciary capacity on behalf of their clients;
• Clients of such RIAs;
• Certain institutional investors;
• Tax-exempt retirement plans;
• Clients of brokers, dealers or Intermediaries approved by the Advisor;
• Certain other Eligible Investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. Eligible Investors include, but are not limited to, employees, former employees, shareholders, members and directors of the Advisor and the Fund or each of their affiliates, and friends and family members of such persons; and
• Investment professionals or other financial intermediaries investing for their own accounts, and their immediate family members.
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Some Intermediaries may impose different or additional eligibility requirements. The Advisor has the discretion to further modify or waive their eligibility requirements.
The Fund reserves the right to refuse any request to purchase Shares. The Shares are subject to the investment minimums described below.
Shareholder Services Arrangements
The Fund may pay a fee at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets to shareholder servicing agents. Shareholder servicing agents provide non-distribution administrative and support services to their customers, which may include establishing and maintaining accounts and records relating to shareholders, processing dividend and distribution payments from the Fund on behalf of shareholders, forwarding communications from the Fund, providing sub-accounting with respect to Fund shares and other similar services. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, the Fund paid $371,087 in shareholder servicing fees.
Investment Minimums
The minimum initial account size is $250,000. This minimum investment requirement may be modified or reduced as follows:
For certain Eligible Investors (such as RIAs), the Advisor may allow an Eligible Investor to aggregate clients’ investments to meet the minimum initial account size.
Investment minimums may be waived at any time by the Board or pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board.
Additional Information
The Fund enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including among others the Advisor, who provide services to the Fund. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third party”) beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements.
The Prospectus and the SAI provide information concerning the Fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the Fund. The Fund may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this prospectus nor the SAI is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state securities laws that may not be waived.
PERIODIC REPURCHASE OFFERS
The Fund is a closed-end “interval” fund and, to provide liquidity and the ability to receive NAV per Share on a disposition of at least a portion of your Shares, makes periodic offers to repurchase Shares. Except as permitted by the Fund’s interval structure, no shareholder will have the right to require the Fund to repurchase its Shares. No public market for shares exists, and none is expected to develop in the future. Consequently, shareholders generally will not be able to liquidate their investment other than as a result of repurchases of their Shares by the Fund.
The Fund has adopted, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act, a fundamental policy, which cannot be changed without shareholder approval, requiring the Fund to offer to repurchase at least 5% and up to 25% of its shares at NAV per Share on a regular schedule. Although the policy permits repurchases of between 5% and 25% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares, for each repurchase offer the Fund will conduct quarterly repurchase offers, typically for between 5-10% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares at NAV per Share, subject to applicable law and approval of the Board of Trustees. In all cases such repurchases will be for at least 5% and not more than 25% of the Fund’s outstanding Shares at NAV per Share.
The schedule requires the Fund to make repurchase offers every three months. For each repurchase offer, if you own Fund shares on the Fund’s record date, you will be entitled to participate in the repurchase offer. The Fund’s record date will be established at the discretion of the Fund’s officers.
The date on which the repurchase price for Shares is determined will be no later than the 14th day after the Repurchase Request Deadline (or the next business day, if the 14th day is not a business day) (the “Repurchase Pricing Date”).
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When a repurchase offer commences, the Fund will send, at least 21 and not more than 42 days before the Repurchase Request Deadline, written notice to each shareholder setting forth, among other things:
• The percentage of outstanding Shares that the Fund is offering to repurchase and how the Fund will purchase Shares on a pro rata basis if the offer is oversubscribed.
• The Repurchase Request Deadline.
• Any fees applicable to the repurchase.
• The Repurchase Pricing Date, or the date that will be used to determine the Fund’s NAV per Share applicable to the repurchase offer.
• The date by which the Fund will pay to shareholders the proceeds from the repurchase of their Shares accepted for repurchase (the “Repurchase Payment Deadline”).
• The NAV per Share of the Shares as of a date no more than seven days before the date of the written notice and the means by which shareholders may ascertain the NAV per Share.
• The procedures by which shareholders may tender their Shares and the right of shareholders to withdraw or modify their tenders before the Repurchase Request Deadline.
• The circumstances in which the Fund may suspend or postpone the repurchase offer.
This notice may be included in a shareholder report or other Fund document. The Repurchase Request Deadline will be strictly observed. If a shareholder fails to submit a repurchase request in good order (including a tender of stock in response to a repurchase offer) by the Repurchase Request Deadline, the shareholder will be unable to liquidate Shares until a subsequent repurchase offer, and will have to resubmit a request in the next repurchase offer. A repurchase request is in “good order” when the Fund, an authorized Intermediary or, if applicable, an Intermediary’s authorized designee, receives all required information, including properly completed and signed documents. Shareholders may withdraw or change a repurchase request with a proper instruction submitted in good form at any point before the Repurchase Request Deadline.
Determination of Repurchase Price and Payment for Shares
The Repurchase Pricing Date for Shares will occur no later than the 14th day after the repurchase request deadline (or the next business day, if the 14th day is not a business day). The Fund expects to distribute payment to shareholders between one and three business days after the Repurchase Pricing Date and will distribute such payment no later than seven calendar days after such date. The Fund’s NAV per Share may change materially between the date a repurchase offer is mailed and the Repurchase Request Deadline, and it may also change materially between the Repurchase Request Deadline and Repurchase Pricing Date. The method by which the Fund calculates NAV per Share is discussed below under “Calculation of Net Asset Value; Valuation.” During the period an offer to repurchase is open, shareholders may obtain the current NAV per Share by calling the Fund’s transfer agent at 1-800-736-1145.
The Fund does not currently charge a repurchase fee. However, the Fund may charge a repurchase fee of up to 2.00%, which the Fund would retain to help offset non-de minimis estimated costs related to the repurchase (such as bid to ask spreads) incurred by the Fund, directly or indirectly, as a result of repurchasing shares, thus allocating estimated transaction costs to the shareholder whose shares are being repurchased. The Fund may introduce, or modify the amount of, a repurchase fee at any time. If the Fund were to begin charging a repurchase fee, the details of the repurchase fee will be included in the repurchase offer notification that is sent to shareholders in advance of each repurchase request deadline and provides instructions for tendering shares. The Fund may also waive or reduce the repurchase fee if the Advisor determines that the repurchase is offset by a corresponding purchase or if for other reasons the Fund will not incur transaction costs or will incur reduced transaction costs.
Suspension or Postponement of Repurchase Offers
The Fund may suspend or postpone a repurchase offer in limited circumstances set forth in Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act, as described below, but only with the approval of a majority of the Trustees, including a majority of Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act.
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The Fund may suspend or postpone a repurchase offer only: (1) if making or effecting the repurchase offer would cause the Fund to lose its status as a RIC under the Code; (2) if making or effecting the repurchase offer would cause the shares that are subject to the offer that are either listed on a national securities exchange or quoted in an inter-dealer quotation system of a national securities association to be neither listed on any national securities exchange nor quoted on any inter-dealer quotation system of a national securities association; (3) for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or any other market in which the securities owned by the Fund are principally traded is closed, other than customary weekend and holiday closings, or during which trading in such market is restricted; (4) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable, or during which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (5) for such other periods as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of shareholders of the Fund.
Oversubscribed Repurchase Offers
There is no minimum number of shares that must be tendered before the Fund will honor repurchase requests. However, the Fund’s Board sets for each repurchase offer a maximum percentage of shares that may be repurchased by the Fund. If a repurchase offer by the Fund is oversubscribed, the Fund may repurchase, but is not required to repurchase, additional shares up to a maximum amount of 2.00% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. If the Fund determines not to repurchase additional shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if shareholders tender an amount of shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to repurchase, the Fund will repurchase the shares tendered on a pro rata basis.
If any shares that you wish to tender to the Fund are not repurchased because of proration, you will have to wait until the next repurchase offer and resubmit a new repurchase request, and your repurchase request will not be given any priority over other shareholders’ requests. Thus, there is a risk that the Fund may not purchase all of the shares you wish to have repurchased in a given repurchase offer or in any subsequent repurchase offer. In anticipation of the possibility of proration, some shareholders may tender more shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, increasing the likelihood of proration.
There is no assurance that you will be able to tender your shares when or in the amount that you desire.
Consequences of Repurchase Offers
From the time the Fund distributes or publishes each repurchase offer notification until the Repurchase Pricing Date for that offer, the Fund must maintain liquid assets at least equal to the percentage of its shares subject to the repurchase offer. For this purpose, “liquid assets” means assets that may be sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business, at approximately the price at which the Fund values them, within the period between the repurchase request deadline and the repurchase payment date, or which mature by the repurchase payment date. The Fund is also permitted to borrow up to the maximum extent permitted under the 1940 Act to meet repurchase requests.
If the Fund borrows to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their shares by increasing the Fund’s expenses and reducing any net investment income. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able sell a significant amount of additional shares so as to mitigate these effects.
These and other possible risks associated with the Fund’s repurchase offers are described under “Principal Risks of Investment in the Fund—Repurchase Offers Risk” above. In addition, the repurchase of shares by the Fund may be a taxable event to shareholders, potentially even to those shareholders that do not participate in the repurchase. For a discussion of these tax consequences, see “Tax Matters” below and “Taxes” in the SAI.
Cost Basis Information
Federal tax law requires that a RIC, such as the Fund, report their shareholders’ cost basis, gain/loss, and holding periods to the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) on Forms 1099 when shares of the Fund are sold.
The Fund has chosen “first-in, first-out” (“FIFO”) as its standing (default) tax lot identification method for all shareholders, which means this is the method the Fund will use to determine which specific shares are deemed to be
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sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund’s standing tax lot identification method is the method it will use to report the sale of covered shares on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific tax lot identification method.
Subject to certain limitations, you may choose a method other than the Fund’s standing (default) method at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of Fund shares. Please refer to the appropriate Treasury regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.
Distributions; Automatic Reinvestment Plan
It is the Fund’s policy to make distributions at least annually of all or substantially all of its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any. The Fund will pay distributions on a per-share basis. As a result, on the ex-dividend date of such a payment, the NAV per Share of the Fund will be reduced by the amount of the payment.
The Fund expects to declare and pay dividends of net investment income quarterly and net realized gains annually. Dividends and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested in shares of the Fund, unless otherwise noted. You may notify the Transfer Agent in writing to:
• Choose to receive net investment income dividends or gain distributions (or both) in cash; or
• Change the way you currently receive distributions.
The Fund’s distributions will generally be taxable to shareholders whether or not they are reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund. For further information about dividend reinvestment, contact the Transfer Agent by telephone at 1-800-736-1145.
CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE; VALUATION
The offering price of the Fund’s shares is the NAV per share (plus any sales charges, as applicable). The Fund’s NAV per share is calculated as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, the normal close of regular trading on the NYSE, on each day the NYSE is open for trading. If for example, the NYSE closes at 1:00 p.m. New York time, the Fund’s NAV per share would still be determined as of 4:00 p.m. New York time. In this example, portfolio securities traded on the NYSE would be valued at their closing prices unless the Advisor, acting pursuant to procedures approved by the Board, determines that a “fair value” adjustment is appropriate due to subsequent events. The NAV per Share may be calculated earlier if permitted by the SEC. The NYSE is closed on weekends and most U.S. national holidays. However, foreign securities listed primarily on non-U.S. markets may trade on weekends or other days on which the Fund does not value its shares, which may significantly affect the Fund’s NAV per share on days when you are not able to buy or sell Fund shares. The NYSE annually announces the days on which it will not be open for trading. The most recent announcement indicates that the NYSE will not be open for the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. However, the NYSE may close on days not included in that announcement.
The NAV per Share is computed by dividing (a) the difference between the value of the Fund’s securities, cash and other assets and the amount of the Fund’s expenses and liabilities by (b) the number of shares outstanding. The NAV per Share takes into account all of the expenses and fees of the Fund, including management fees and administration fees, which are accrued daily.
The Fund’s investments are valued using readily available market quotations or, in the absence of readily available market quotations, at fair value as determined in good faith by the Advisor pursuant to procedures approved by the Board. Pursuant to those procedures, the Board has designated the Advisor as the Fund’s valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”) responsible for determining whether market quotations are readily available and reliable, and making good faith determinations of fair value when appropriate. The Valuation Designee carries out its responsibilities with respect to fair value determinations through its Valuation Committee. As the Valuation Designee, the Advisor is responsible for the establishment and application, in a consistent manner, of appropriate methodologies for determining the fair value of investments, periodically reviewing the selected methodologies used for continuing appropriateness and accuracy, and making any changes or adjustments to the methodologies as appropriate. The Valuation Designee is also responsible for the identification, periodic assessment, and management of material risks, including material conflicts of interest, associated with fair value determinations, taking into account the Fund’s investments, significant
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changes in the Fund’s investment strategies or policies, market events, and other relevant factors. The Valuation Designee is also responsible for selecting, overseeing and evaluating pricing services, which provide pricing estimates or information to assist in determining the fair value of Fund investments. The Valuation Designee is subject to the general oversight of the Board.
The Fund’s securities which are traded on securities exchanges are valued at the last sale price on the exchange on which such securities are traded, as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any reported sales, at the mean between the last available bid and ask prices.
Securities that are traded on more than one exchange are valued on the exchange determined by the Advisor to be the primary market. Securities primarily traded in the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (“NASDAQ”), National Market System for which market quotations are readily available are valued using the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If the NOCP is not available, such securities are valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation, or if there has not been any sale on such day, at the mean between the bid and ask prices. OTC securities which are not traded in the NASDAQ National Market System are valued at the most recent trade price.
Stocks that are “thinly traded” or events occurring when a foreign market is closed but the NYSE is open (for example, the value of a security held by the Fund has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded) may create a situation where a market quote would not be readily available. When a market quote is not readily available, the security’s value is based on “fair value” as determined by procedures adopted by the Board. The Advisor will periodically test the appropriateness and accuracy of the fair value methodologies that have been selected for the Fund. The Fund may hold portfolio securities, such as those traded on foreign exchanges, that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund’s shares are not priced. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem shares. Fair value pricing may involve subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determination for a security may be materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security.
Debt obligations with remaining maturities in excess of 60 days generally are valued based on prices provided by pricing services. Debt obligations which mature in 60 days or less, including those that originally had maturities of more than 60 days at acquisition date, shall be valued based on prices provided by a pricing service, when available. If no price is available, certain short-term securities, such as money market instruments (e.g., Treasury bills, commercial paper, certificate of deposits), may be valued at amortized cost.
Pricing services generally value debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but such securities may be held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots often trade at lower prices than institutional round lots.
All other assets of the Fund are valued in such manner as the Advisor, in good faith deems appropriate to reflect as their fair value.
TAX MATTERS
Please consult your tax advisor regarding your specific questions about U.S. federal, state and local income taxes. Below is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax issues that affect the Fund and its shareholders. This summary is based on current tax laws, which may change. This summary does not apply to shares held in an individual retirement account or other tax-qualified plans, which are not subject to current tax. Transactions relating to Shares held in such accounts may, however, be taxable at some time in the future.
The Fund has elected to be and intends to qualify each year for treatment as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain income, asset diversification and distribution requirements. Assuming it qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to federal income or excise taxes on ordinary income and capital gains distributed to shareholders within applicable time limits. If the Fund were to fail to qualify for treatment as a RIC, it would be subject to federal income tax at the Fund level, which would reduce the income available for distribution to you and other shareholders.
The Fund intends to distribute each year substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gains income, if any. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of net investment income are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Distributions of net capital gains (that is, the excess of the Fund’s net long-term capital gains over its net short-term capital losses) are generally taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless
49
of how long you owned your shares. Distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable as ordinary income. Since the Fund will invest primarily in investments that do not pay dividends, the Fund generally does not expect a significant portion of its distributions will qualify for either the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders or the favorable U.S. federal income tax rates available to non-corporate shareholders on qualified dividend income. Once a year the Fund (or its administrative agent) will send you a statement showing the types and total amount of distributions you received during the previous year.
A RIC that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A RIC’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the RIC’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A RIC may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j). This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j). In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the IRS.
A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of a year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November or December of the year, payable to shareholders of record in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following year.
Distributions are taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares). In general, you will be taxed on the distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you receive them as additional shares or in cash.
You should note that if you purchase shares just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as “buying a dividend” and generally should be avoided by taxable investors.
The Fund’s investment in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes. In that case, the Fund’s yield on those securities would be decreased. Depending on the composition of its investments, the Fund may be able to pass through to you the foreign taxes that it pays, in which case you will include your proportionate share of such taxes in calculating your gross income, but may be eligible to claim a deduction or credit for such foreign taxes, as further described in the SAI. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign securities or foreign currencies may increase or accelerate the Fund’s recognition of ordinary income and may affect the timing, amount or character of the Fund’s distributions.
Sale, Repurchase or Exchange of Shares. The repurchase (or other sale or taxable exchange) of Fund shares may give rise to a taxable gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months if shares are held by a shareholder as a capital asset. Otherwise the gain or loss will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain dividends received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares will be disallowed if you purchase other substantially identical shares within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
A repurchase by the Fund of its shares from a shareholder (see “Periodic Repurchase Offers” above) generally is expected to be treated as a sale of the shares by the shareholder. If, however, the shareholder continues to own shares of the Fund after the repurchase (including shares owned by attribution), and if the repurchase does not otherwise qualify under the Code for treatment as a sale of shares, some or all of the amounts received by the shareholder in the repurchase may be recharacterized as a distribution of either net investment income or capital gains. There is also a
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risk that shareholders who do not participate in the repurchase may be deemed to have received such a distribution as a result of their proportionate increase in the ownership of the Fund. Although the Fund will use its best judgment in reporting repurchases as sales or deemed distributions, the IRS may disagree with the Fund’s reporting.
Net Investment Income Tax. Fund distributions and gains on the sale of Fund shares will generally be included in the computation of net investment income for purposes of the 3.8% net investment income tax, which applies to U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds. This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Tax Withholding and Reporting. After the end of each calendar year, we will send you a statement showing the tax status of your distributions for the year.
If you are a non-U.S. person, your distributions from the Fund (other than distributions reported by the Fund as interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends), including deemed distributions that may result from a share repurchase, as described above, will generally be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30%, or any lower rate provided by an applicable tax treaty. In general, the Fund may report interest-related dividends to the extent of its net income derived from U.S. source interest and the Fund may report short-term capital gain dividends to the extent its net short-term capital gain for the taxable year exceeds its net long-term capital loss. This 30% withholding tax generally will not apply to distributions of net capital gains or to the proceeds of share sales or repurchases that are not recharacterized as dividends.
The Fund may be required in certain circumstances to apply backup withholding to dividends, distributions and repurchase requests proceeds payable to non-corporate shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification numbers or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liabilities. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that have been subject to the 30% withholding tax described in the preceding paragraph.
Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
More information about taxes is in the SAI.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES
The Fund is a statutory trust established under the laws of State of Delaware by a Certificate of Trust dated May 1, 2014. The Fund’s Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of common shares of beneficial interest.
Set forth below is a chart describing shares outstanding as of November 1, 2024:
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) |
| Title of Class | Amount Authorized | Amount Held by Fund or | Amount Outstanding |
| Common Shares | Unlimited | | |
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Shareholders are entitled to share equally in dividends declared by the Board of Trustees payable to holders of Shares and in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to holders of Shares upon liquidation after payment of the preferential amounts payable to holders of any outstanding preferred shares.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of Fund property for all loss and expense of any shareholder or former shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund solely by reason of such person’s status as a shareholder or former shareholder. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund would be unable to meet its obligations.
Upon liquidation of the Fund, after paying or adequately providing for the payment of all liabilities of the Fund, and upon receipt of such releases, indemnities and refunding agreements as they deem necessary for their protection, the Trustees may distribute the remaining assets of the Fund among the holders of the Shares.
The Board of Trustees may classify or reclassify any issued or unissued Shares of the Fund into shares of any class by redesignating such Shares or by setting or changing in any one or more respects, from time to time, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends, qualifications, or terms or conditions of repurchase of such Shares. Any such classification or reclassification will comply with the provisions of the Declaration of Trust and the 1940 Act.
Anti-Takeover Provisions. The Declaration of Trust includes provisions that could have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or to change the composition of the Board of Trustees by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund. These provisions may have the effect of discouraging attempts to acquire control of the Fund, which attempts could have the effect of increasing the expenses of the Fund and interfering with the normal operation of the Fund. The Trustees are elected for indefinite terms and do not stand for reelection. A Trustee may be removed from office without cause only by a written instrument signed or adopted by at least two-thirds of the number of Trustees prior to such removal or by a vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Shares of each series then outstanding of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust does not contain any other specific inhibiting provisions that would operate only with respect to an extraordinary transaction such as a merger, reorganization, tender offer, sale or transfer of substantially all of the Fund’s asset, or liquidation. Reference should be made to the Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.
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Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund
November 30, 2024
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) is not a prospectus. This SAI relates to and should be read in conjunction with the prospectus of the Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund (the “Fund”) dated November 30, 2024. The Fund’s Annual Report to shareholders for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024, is incorporated by reference herein. Copies of the Fund’s Annual Report and prospectus may be obtained by calling the Fund at 1-800-736-1145 or by writing the Fund at 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, KS 66205.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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B-1
INVESTMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES
The Fund is a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and is structured as an “interval fund.” The Fund is a Delaware statutory trust that was organized on May 1, 2014.
The Fund is classified as a diversified fund, which means it is subject to the diversification requirements under the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, a diversified fund may not, with respect to 75% of its total assets, invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of one issuer (and in not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer), excluding cash, government securities, and securities of other investment companies. The Fund’s classification as a diversified fund may only be changed with the approval of the Fund’s shareholders.
The investment objectives and principal investment strategies of the Fund, as well as the principal risks associated with the investment strategies of the Fund, are set forth in the prospectus. Certain additional investment information is set forth below.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, POLICIES AND RISKS
DEBT SECURITIES
The Fund may invest in debt securities. Debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money. Generally, issuers pay investors periodic interest and repay the amount borrowed either periodically during the life of the security and/or at maturity. Some debt securities, such as zero coupon bonds, do not pay current interest, but are purchased at a discount from their face values and accrue interest at the applicable coupon rate over a specified time period. Some debt securities pay a periodic coupon that is not fixed; instead payments “float” relative to a reference rate, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). This “floating rate” debt may pay interest at levels above or below the previous interest payment.
Lower rated debt securities, those rated Ba or below by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) and/or BB or below by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group (“S&P”) or unrated by S&P, Moody’s or another Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) but determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality, are described by the rating agencies as speculative and involve greater risk of default or price changes than higher rated debt securities due to changes in the issuer’s creditworthiness or the fact that the issuer may already be in default. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate more than higher quality securities and may decline significantly in periods of general economic difficulty. It may be more difficult to sell or to determine the value of lower rated debt securities.
Certain additional risk factors related to debt securities are discussed below:
Interest rate risk. Prices of debt securities tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Generally debt securities decrease in value if interest rates rise and increase in value if interest rates fall, with longer-term securities being more sensitive than shorter-term securities. For example, the price of a security with a three- year duration would be expected to drop by approximately 3% in response to a 1% increase in interest rates. Duration is a weighted measure of the length of time required to receive the present value of future payments, both interest and principal, from a debt security. Generally, the longer the maturity and duration of a bond or fixed rate loan, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Falling interest rates also create the potential for a decline in the Fund’s income. Changes in governmental policy, rising inflation rates, and general economic developments, among other factors, could cause interest rates to increase and could have a substantial and immediate effect on the values of the Fund’s investments. These risks are greater during periods of rising inflation. In addition, a potential rise in interest rates may result in periods of volatility and increased repurchase requests that might require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities at disadvantageous prices and times. Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Floating rate and adjustable rate debt securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. When the Fund holds floating or adjustable rate debt securities, a decrease (or, in the case of inverse floating rate securities, an increase) in market interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. Investments in debt securities pose the risk that the Advisor’s forecast of the direction of interest rates might be incorrect.
B-2
Sensitivity to interest rate and economic changes. Debt securities may be sensitive to economic changes, political and corporate developments, and interest rate changes. In addition, during an economic downturn or periods of rising interest rates, issuers that are highly leveraged may experience increased financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to meet projected business goals, obtain additional financing, and service their principal and interest payment obligations. Furthermore, periods of economic change and uncertainty can be expected to result in increased volatility of market prices and yields of certain debt securities. For example, prices of these securities can be affected by financial contracts held by the issuer or third parties (such as derivatives) related to the security or other assets or indices.
Payment expectations. Debt securities may contain redemption or call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a lower interest rate environment, the Fund would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in decreased income to investors. If the issuer of a debt security defaults on its obligations to pay interest or principal or is the subject of bankruptcy proceedings, the Fund may incur losses or expenses in seeking recovery of amounts owed to it.
Liquidity. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, or reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity. In such cases, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve investments in securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations, foreign non-U.S. securities, Rule 144A securities, illiquid sectors of fixed income securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Further, fixed income securities with longer durations until maturity face heightened levels of liquidity risk as compared to fixed income securities with shorter durations until maturity. Finally, liquidity risk also refers to the risk of unusually high repurchase requests or other unusual market conditions that may make it difficult for the Fund to fully honor repurchase requests. Meeting such repurchase requests could require the Fund to sell securities at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions, which would reduce the value of the Fund. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure.
The Advisor attempts to reduce the risks described above through diversification of the Fund’s portfolio, credit analysis of each issuer, and by monitoring broad economic trends as well as corporate and legislative developments, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so. Credit ratings of debt securities provided by rating agencies indicate a measure of the safety of principal and interest payments, not market value risk. The rating of an issuer is a rating agency’s view of past and future potential developments related to the issuer and may not necessarily reflect actual outcomes. There can be a lag between corporate developments and the time a rating is assigned and updated.
Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions. Following the financial crisis that began in 2007, the U.S. government and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, took steps to support financial markets, including by keeping interest rates at historically low levels and by purchasing large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities on the open market. Similar steps were taken again in 2020 in an effort to support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, the Federal Reserve began to unwind its balance sheet by not replacing existing bond holdings as they mature. Also in 2022, the Federal Reserve began raising the federal funds rate in an effect to fight inflation. Policy changes such as those described may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility and may reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, which could cause the value of the Fund’s investments and share price to decline. If the Fund invests in derivatives tied to fixed income markets it may be more substantially exposed to these risks than a fund that does not invest in derivatives. Future government interventions such as those described above may not work as intended, particularly if the efforts are perceived by investors as being unlikely to achieve the desired results.
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Bond markets have consistently grown over the past three decades while the capacity for traditional dealer counterparties to engage in fixed income trading has not kept pace and in some cases has decreased. As a result, dealer inventories of corporate bonds, which provide a core indication of the ability of financial intermediaries to “make markets,” are at or near historic lows in relation to market size. Because market makers provide stability to a market through their intermediary services, the significant reduction in dealer inventories could potentially lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the fixed income markets. Such issues may be exacerbated during periods of economic uncertainty.
Bond Ratings. Bond rating agencies may assign modifiers (such as +/–) to ratings categories to signify the relative position of a credit within the rating category. Investment policies that are based on ratings categories should be read to include any security within that category, without considering the modifier. Please refer to Appendix A for more information about credit ratings.
Fixed Income Securities
The Fund may invest in a wide range of fixed-income securities, which may include obligations of any rating or maturity. The Fund may invest in below investment grade debt securities (commonly known as “junk bonds” or “high yield bonds”). The Fund may also invest in investment grade debt securities. Investment grade bonds are those rated BBB- or better by S&P or Baa3 or better by Moody’s each of which are an NRSRO. See Appendix A for a description of bond ratings. The Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities that the Advisor believes are of comparable quality to the rated securities in which the Fund may purchase.
Over-the-Counter Transactions — Fixed Income Securities. The Fund may enter into over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions involving fixed income securities. OTC transactions differ from exchange-traded transactions in several respects. OTC transactions are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation. Without the availability of a clearing corporation, OTC transaction pricing is normally done by reference to information from market makers, which information is carefully monitored by the Advisor and verified in appropriate cases. As OTC transactions are transacted directly with dealers, there is a risk of nonperformance by the dealer as a result of the insolvency of such dealer or otherwise. The Fund intends to enter into OTC transactions only with dealers which agree to, and which are expected to be capable of, entering into closing transactions with the Fund. There is also no assurance that the Fund will be able to liquidate an OTC transaction at any time prior to expiration.
High Yield or “Junk” Bonds. The Fund may invest in high yield or “junk” bonds. Junk bonds generally offer a higher current yield than that available for investment grade issues. However, below investment grade debt securities involve higher risks, in that they are especially subject to adverse changes in general economic conditions and in the industries in which the issuers are engaged, to changes in the financial condition of the issuers and to price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. During periods of economic downturn or rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress that could adversely affect their ability to make payments of interest and principal and increase the possibility of default. At times in recent years, the prices of many below investment grade debt securities declined substantially, reflecting an expectation that many issuers of such securities might experience financial difficulties. As a result, the yields on below investment grade debt securities rose dramatically, reflecting the risk that holders of such securities could lose a substantial portion of their value as a result of the issuers’ financial restructuring or default. There can be no assurance that such price declines will not recur. The market for below investment grade debt issues generally is thinner and less active than that for higher quality securities, which may limit the Fund’s ability to sell such securities at fair value in response to changes in the economy or financial markets. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may also decrease the values and liquidity of below investment grade debt securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Changes by recognized rating services in their rating of a debt security may affect the value of these investments. The Fund will not necessarily dispose of a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the time of purchase. However, the Advisor will monitor the investment to determine whether continued investment in the security will assist in meeting the Fund’s investment objectives.
Corporate Debt Securities. The Fund may invest in corporate debt securities. Corporate debt securities are fixed-income securities issued by businesses to finance their operations, although corporate debt instruments may also include bank loans to companies. Notes, bonds, debentures and commercial paper are the most common types of corporate debt securities, with the primary difference being their maturities and secured or unsecured status. Commercial paper has the shortest term and is usually unsecured. The broad category of corporate debt securities
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includes debt issued by domestic or foreign companies of all kinds, including those with small-, mid- and large- capitalizations. Corporate debt may be rated investment grade or below investment grade and may carry variable or floating rates of interest.
Because of the wide range of types and maturities of corporate debt securities, as well as the range of creditworthiness of its issuers, corporate debt securities have widely varying potentials for return and risk profiles. For example, commercial paper issued by a large established domestic corporation that is rated investment grade may have a modest return on principal, but carries relatively limited risk. On the other hand, a long-term corporate note issued by a small foreign corporation from an emerging market country that has not been rated may have the potential for relatively large returns on principal, but carries a relatively high degree of risk.
Corporate debt securities carry credit risk, interest rate risk and prepayment risk. Credit risk is the risk that a fund could lose money if the issuer of a corporate debt security is unable to pay interest or repay principal when it is due. Some corporate debt securities that are rated below investment grade are generally considered speculative because they present a greater risk of loss, including default, than higher quality debt securities. The credit risk of a particular issuer’s debt security may vary based on its priority for repayment. For example, higher ranking (senior) debt securities have a higher priority than lower ranking (subordinated) securities. This means that the issuer might not make payments on subordinated securities while continuing to make payments on senior securities. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy, holders of higher-ranking senior securities may receive amounts otherwise payable to the holders of more junior securities.
Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of certain corporate debt securities will tend to fall when interest rates rise. In general, corporate debt securities with longer terms tend to fall more in value when interest rates rise than corporate debt securities with shorter terms. Prepayment risk occurs when issuers prepay fixed rate debt securities when interest rates fall, forcing the Fund to invest in securities with lower interest rates. Issuers of debt securities are also subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors that may restrict the ability of the issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its debt securities. The possibility exists therefore, that, as a result of bankruptcy, litigation or other conditions, the ability of an issuer to pay, when due, the principal of and interest on its debt securities may become impaired.
Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities include fixed income securities that may be exchanged or converted into a predetermined number of shares of the issuer’s underlying common stock or other equity security at the option of the holder during a specified period. Convertible securities may take the form of convertible preferred stock, convertible bonds or debentures, units consisting of “usable” bonds and warrants or a combination of the features of several of these securities. The investment characteristics of each convertible security vary widely, which allows convertible securities to be employed for a variety of investment strategies. The Fund will exchange or convert convertible securities into shares of underlying common stock when, in the opinion of the Advisor, the investment characteristics of the underlying common stock or other equity security will assist the Fund in achieving its investment objectives. The Fund may also elect to hold or trade convertible securities. In selecting convertible securities, the Advisor evaluates the investment characteristics of the convertible security as a fixed income instrument, and the investment potential of the underlying equity security for capital appreciation. In evaluating these matters with respect to a particular convertible security, the Advisor considers numerous factors, including the economic and political outlook, the value of the security relative to other investment alternatives, trends in the determinants of the issuer’s profits, and the issuer’s management capability and practices. Convertible securities are subject to the risks associated generally with fixed income securities.
Zero-Coupon Securities. The Fund may invest in zero-coupon securities. Zero-coupon securities make no periodic interest payments, but are sold at a deep discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed at face value on a specified maturity date. The discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity, as well as market interest rates, liquidity of the security, and the issuer’s perceived credit quality. If the issuer defaults, the holder may not receive any return on its investment. Because zero-coupon securities bear no interest, their price fluctuates more than other types of bonds. Since zero-coupon bondholders do not receive interest payments, when interest rates rise, zero-coupon securities fall more dramatically in value than bonds paying interest on a current basis. When interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities rise more rapidly in value because the bonds reflect a fixed rate of return. An investment in zero-coupon may cause the Fund to recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any cash payments on its investment.
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Unrated Debt Securities. The Fund may also invest in unrated debt securities. Unrated debt, while not necessarily lower in quality than rated securities, may not have as broad a market. Because of the size and perceived demand for the issue, among other factors, certain issuers may decide not to pay the cost of getting a rating for their bonds. The creditworthiness of the issuer, as well as any financial institution or other party responsible for payments on the security, will be analyzed to determine whether to purchase unrated bonds.
Government Obligations
The Fund may invest in U.S. government obligations. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Treasury bills, the most frequently issued marketable government securities, have a maturity of up to one year and are issued on a discount basis. U.S. government obligations include securities issued or guaranteed by government-sponsored enterprises.
Payment of principal and interest on U.S. government obligations may be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States or may be backed solely by the issuing or guaranteeing agency or instrumentality itself. In the latter case, the investor must look principally to the agency or instrumentality issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment, which agency or instrumentality may be privately owned. There can be no assurance that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities, including government-sponsored enterprises, where it is not obligated to do so (see “Agency Obligations,” below). In addition, U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in market value due to fluctuations in market interest rates. As a general matter, the value of debt instruments, including U.S. government obligations, declines when market interest rates increase and rises when market interest rates decrease. Certain types of U.S. government obligations are subject to fluctuations in yield or value due to their structure or contract terms. Credit rating downgrades with respect to U.S. government obligations could decrease the value and increase the volatility of the Fund’s investments in such securities.
Agency Obligations
The Fund may invest in agency obligations, such as obligations of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Tennessee Valley Authority, Resolution Funding Corporation, Farmers Home Administration, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Federal Farm Credit Banks, Federal Land Banks, Federal Housing Administration, Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), commonly known as “Ginnie Mae,” Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), commonly known as “Fannie Mae,” Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), commonly known as “Freddie Mac,” and the Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”). Some, such as those of the Export-Import Bank of United States, are supported only by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the FNMA and FHLMC, are supported by only the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, such as those of the SLMA, are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support to U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities because they are not obligated by law to do so. As a result, there is a risk that these entities will default on a financial obligation. For instance, in September 2008, at the direction of the U.S. Treasury, FNMA and FHLMC were placed into conservatorship under the Federal Housing Finance Agency, a newly created independent regulator.
Mortgage-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities and derivative mortgage-backed securities, and may also invest in “principal only” and “interest only” components. Mortgage-backed securities are securities that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property. As with other debt securities, mortgage-backed securities are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. However, the yield and maturity characteristics of mortgage-backed securities differ from traditional debt securities. A major difference is that the principal amount of the obligations may normally be prepaid at any time because the underlying assets (i.e., loans) generally may be prepaid at any time. The relationship between prepayments and interest rates may give some mortgage-backed securities less potential for growth in value than conventional fixed-income securities with comparable maturities. In addition, in periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase. During such periods, the reinvestment of prepayment proceeds by the Fund will generally be at lower rates than the rates that were carried by the obligations that have been prepaid. If interest rates rise, borrowers may prepay mortgages more slowly than originally expected. This may further reduce the market value of mortgage-backed securities and lengthen their durations. Because of these and other reasons, a mortgage-backed security’s total return, maturity and duration may be difficult to predict precisely.
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Mortgage-backed securities come in different classes that have different risks. Junior classes of mortgage- backed securities are designed to protect the senior class investors against losses on the underlying mortgage loans by taking the first loss if there are liquidations among the underlying loans. Junior classes generally receive principal and interest payments only after all required payments have been made to more senior classes. If the Fund invests in junior classes of mortgage-related securities, it may not be able to recover all of its investment in the securities it purchases. In addition, if the underlying mortgage portfolio has been overvalued, or if mortgage values subsequently decline, the Fund may suffer significant losses. Investments in mortgage-backed securities involve the risks of interruptions in the payment of interest and principal (delinquency) and the potential for loss of principal if the property underlying the security is sold as a result of foreclosure on the mortgage (default). These risks include the risks associated with direct ownership of real estate, such as the effects of general and local economic conditions on real estate values, the conditions of specific industry segments, the ability of tenants to make lease payments and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants, which in turn may be affected by local market conditions such as oversupply of space or a reduction of available space, the ability of the owner to provide adequate maintenance and insurance, energy costs, government regulations with respect to environmental, zoning, rent control and other matters, and real estate and other taxes. If the underlying borrowers cannot pay their mortgage loans, they may default and the lenders may foreclose on the property.
The ability of borrowers to repay mortgage loans underlying mortgage-backed securities will typically depend upon the future availability of financing and the stability of real estate values. For mortgage loans not guaranteed by a government agency or other party, the only remedy of the lender in the event of a default is to foreclose upon the property. If borrowers are not able or willing to pay the principal balance on the loans, there is a good chance that payments on the related mortgage-related securities will not be made. Certain borrowers on underlying mortgages may become subject to bankruptcy proceedings, in which case the value of the mortgage-backed securities may decline.
Asset-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities that, through the use of trusts and special purpose vehicles, are securitized with various types of assets, such as automobile receivables, credit card receivables and home-equity loans in pass-through structures similar to the mortgage-related securities described above. In general, the collateral supporting asset-backed securities is of shorter maturity than the collateral supporting mortgage loans and is less likely to experience substantial prepayments. However, asset-backed securities are not backed by any governmental agency. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured, and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. In addition, some issuers of automobile receivables permit the servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicers were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related automobile receivables. The impairment of value of collateral or other assets underlying an asset-based security, such as a result of non-payment of loans or non-performance of other collateral or underlying assets, may reduce the value of such asset-based security and result in losses to the Fund.
Collateralized Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”). CDOs include Collateralized Bond Obligations (“CBOs”), Collateralized Loan Obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Fund invests. CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to, (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments, (ii) the collateral may decline in value or default, (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes, and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
Collateralized Loan Obligations. The Fund may invest in CLOs. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. The loans generate cash flow that is allocated among one or more classes of securities (“tranches”)
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that vary in risk and yield. The most senior tranche has the best credit quality and the lowest yield compared to the other tranches. The equity tranche has the highest potential yield but also has the greatest risk, as it bears the bulk of defaults from the underlying loans and helps to protect the more senior tranches from risk of these defaults. However, despite the protection from the equity and other more junior tranches, more senior tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults and decreased market value due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CLO securities as a class.
Normally, CLOs are privately offered and sold and are not registered under state or federal securities laws. Therefore, investments in CLOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CLOs allowing a CLO to qualify for transactions pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and to be deemed liquid.
The riskiness of investing in CLOs depends largely on the quality and type of the collateral loans and the tranche of the CLO in which the Fund invests. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed-income securities (such as interest rate risk and credit risk) and the risks associated with investing in CDOs, CLOs carry additional risks including that interest on certain tranches of a CLO may be paid in-kind (meaning that unpaid interest is effectively added to principal), which involves continued exposure to default risk with respect to such payments. Certain CLOs may receive credit enhancement in the form of a senior-subordinate structure, over-collateralization or bond insurance, but such enhancement may not always be present and may fail to protect the Fund against the risk of loss due to defaults on the collateral. Certain CLOs may not hold loans directly, but rather, use derivatives such as swaps to create “synthetic” exposure to the collateral pool of loans. Such CLOs entail the risks of derivative instruments.
STRUCTURED INVESTMENTS
The Fund may invest in structured investments. A structured investment is a security having a return tied to an underlying index or other security or asset class. Structured investments generally are individually negotiated agreements and may be traded over-the-counter. Structured investments are organized and operated to restructure the investment characteristics of the underlying security. This restructuring involves the deposit with or purchase by an entity, such as a corporation or trust, on specified instruments (such as commercial bank loans) and the issuance by that entity or one or more classes of securities (“structured securities”) backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. The cash flow on the underlying instruments may be apportioned among the newly issued structured securities to create securities with different investment characteristics, such as varying maturities, payment priorities and interest rate provisions, and the extent of such payments made with respect to structured securities is dependent on the extent of the cash flow on the underlying instruments. Because structured securities typically involve no credit enhancement, their credit risk generally will be equivalent to that of the underlying instruments. Investments in structured securities are generally of a class of structured securities that is either subordinated or unsubordinated to the right of payment of another class. Subordinated structured securities typically have higher yields and present greater risks than unsubordinated structured securities. Structured securities are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured securities. Investments in government and government-related and restructured debt instruments are subject to special risks, including the inability or unwillingness to repay principal and interest, requests to reschedule or restructure outstanding debt and requests to extend additional loan amounts. Certain issuers of structured investments may be deemed to be “investment companies” as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investment in these structured investments may be limited by the restrictions contained in the 1940 Act. Structured investments are typically sold in private placement transactions, and there currently is no active trading market for structured investments.
FLOATING RATE AND INVERSE FLOATING RATE SECURITIES
The Fund may invest in debt securities with interest payments or maturity values that are not fixed, but float in conjunction with (or inversely to) an underlying index or price. These securities may be backed by sovereign or corporate issuers, or by collateral such as mortgages. The indices and prices upon which such securities can be based include interest rates, currency rates and commodities prices. Floating rate securities pay interest according to a coupon which is reset periodically. The reset mechanism may be formula based, or reflect the passing through of floating interest payments on an underlying collateral pool. Inverse floating rate securities are similar to floating rate securities except that their coupon payments vary inversely with an underlying index by use of a formula. Inverse floating rate securities tend to exhibit greater price volatility than other floating rate securities. Interest rate risk and price volatility on inverse floating rate obligations can be high, especially if leverage is used in the formula.
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WHEN-ISSUED OR DELAYED-DELIVERY SECURITIES
The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. For example, delivery of and payment for these securities can take place a month or more after the date of the purchase commitment. The purchase price and the interest rate payable, if any, on the securities are fixed on the purchase commitment date or at the time the settlement date is fixed. The value of such securities is subject to market fluctuations and, in the case of fixed income securities, no interest accrues to the Fund until settlement takes place. When purchasing a security on a when-issued or delayed-delivery basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield fluctuations. Accordingly, at the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, it will record the transaction, reflect the value each day of such securities in determining its net asset value and, if applicable, calculate the maturity for the purposes of average maturity from that date. At the time of its acquisition, a when-issued security may be valued at less than the purchase price. The Fund will make commitments for such when-issued transactions only when it has the intention of actually acquiring the securities. If, however, the Fund chooses to dispose of the right to acquire a when-issued security prior to its acquisition, it could, as with the disposition of any other portfolio obligation, recognize a taxable capital gain or loss due to market fluctuation. Also, the Fund may be disadvantaged if the other party to the transaction defaults.
The Fund may also engage in purchases or sales of “to-be-announced” or “TBA” securities, which represent agreements to buy or sell securities with agreed-upon characteristics for a fixed unit price at a future date. For example, in a TBA mortgage-backed transaction, a buyer or seller would agree upon the issuer, interest rate and terms of underlying mortgages, but the seller would not identify the specific underlying securities at the trade date. Purchases and sales of TBA securities involve risks similar to those discussed above for other when-issued and delayed delivery securities.
LOAN PARTICIPATIONS
The Fund may purchase participations in commercial loans. Such investments may be secured or unsecured. Loan participations typically represent direct participation, together with other parties, in a loan to a corporate borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndications, or may buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. When purchasing indebtedness and loan participations, the Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the corporate borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The indebtedness and loan participations in which the Fund intends to invest may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service.
A loan is often administered by an agent bank acting as agent for all holders. The agent bank administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. In addition, the agent bank is normally responsible for the collection of principal and interest payments from the corporate borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the credit of all institutions which are parties to the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the Fund has direct recourse against the corporate borrower, the Fund may have to rely on the agent bank or other financial intermediary to apply appropriate credit remedies against a corporate borrower. Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the corporate borrower for payment of principal and interest. If the Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund’s share price and yield could be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured offer the Fund more protection than an unsecured loan in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower’s obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated.
The Fund may invest in loan participations with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its securities investments. Indebtedness of companies whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. Some companies may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Consequently, when investing in indebtedness of companies with poor credit, the Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested. The Fund may make investments in indebtedness and loan participations to achieve capital appreciation, rather than to seek income. The Fund generally will treat the corporate borrower as the “issue” of indebtedness held by the Fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as a financial intermediary between the Fund and the corporate borrower, if the participation does not shift to the Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the corporate borrower, SEC interpretations require the Fund to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the corporate borrower as “issuer”. Loans and other types
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of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the Advisor believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the Fund’s net asset value than if that value were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Fund’s daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve. In addition, the Fund currently intends to treat indebtedness for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. Investments in loan participations are considered to be debt obligations.
DELAYED FUNDING LOANS AND REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES
The Fund may enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are borrowing arrangements in which the lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. A revolving credit facility differs from a delayed funding loan in that as the borrower repays the loan, an amount equal to the repayment may be borrowed again during the term of the revolving credit facility. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities usually provide for floating or variable rates of interest. These commitments may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company’s financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid).
The Fund may invest in delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities with credit quality comparable to that of issuers of its securities investments. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to resell such instruments. As a result, the Fund may be unable to sell such investments at an opportune time or may have to resell them at less than fair market value. The Fund currently intends to treat delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. For a further discussion of the risks involved in investing in loan participations and other forms of direct indebtedness see “Loan Participations”. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by the Fund.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
The Fund may make foreign investments. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers and other non-U.S. investments may involve risks in addition to those normally associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers or other non-U.S. investments. All foreign investments are subject to risks of foreign political and economic instability, adverse movements in foreign exchange rates, and the imposition or tightening of exchange controls and limitations on the repatriation of foreign capital. Other risks stem from potential changes in governmental attitude or policy toward private investment, which in turn raises the risk of nationalization, increased taxation or confiscation of foreign investors’ assets. Additionally, the imposition of sanctions, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and/or other governments may adversely affect the values of the Fund’s foreign investments.
The financial problems in global economies over the past several years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, may continue to cause high volatility in global financial markets. In addition, global economies are increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact a different country or region. The severity or duration of these conditions may also be affected if one or more countries leave the euro currency or by other policy changes made by governments or quasi-governmental organizations.
Additional non-U.S. taxes and expenses may also adversely affect the Fund’s performance, including foreign withholding taxes on foreign securities dividends. Brokerage commissions and other transaction costs on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than in the United States. Foreign companies may be subject to different accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards. To the extent the foreign securities held by the Fund are not registered with the SEC or with any other U.S. regulator, the issuers thereof will not be subject to the reporting requirements of the SEC or any other U.S. regulator. Accordingly, less information may be available about foreign companies and other investments than is generally available on issuers of comparable securities and other investments in the United States. Foreign securities and other investments may also trade less frequently and with lower volume and may exhibit greater price volatility than U.S. securities and other investments.
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Changes in foreign exchange rates will affect the value in U.S. dollars of any foreign currency-denominated securities and other investments held by the Fund. Exchange rates are influenced generally by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign currency markets and by numerous other political and economic events occurring outside the United States, many of which may be difficult, if not impossible, to predict.
Income from any foreign securities and other investments will be received and realized in foreign currencies, and the Fund is required to compute and distribute income in U.S. dollars. Accordingly, a decline in the value of a particular foreign currency against the U.S. dollar occurring after the Fund’s income has been earned and computed in U.S. dollars may require the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities and other investments to acquire sufficient U.S. dollars to make a distribution. Similarly, if the exchange rate declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses are paid, the Fund may be required to liquidate additional portfolio securities and other investments to purchase the U.S. dollars required to meet such expenses.
The Fund may purchase foreign bank obligations. In addition to the risks described above that are generally applicable to foreign investments, the investments that the Fund makes in obligations of foreign banks, branches or subsidiaries may involve further risks, including differences between foreign banks and U.S. banks in applicable accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, and the possible establishment of exchange controls or other foreign government laws or restrictions applicable to the payment of certificates of deposit or time deposits that may affect adversely the payment of principal and interest on the securities and other investments held by the Fund.
DERIVATIVES
The Fund may utilize a variety of derivatives contracts, such as futures, options, swaps, and forward contracts, both for investment purposes and for hedging purposes. Hedging involves special risks including the possible default by the other party to the transaction, illiquidity and, to the extent the Advisor’s assessment of certain market movements is incorrect, the risk that the use of hedging could result in losses greater than if hedging had not been used. Nonetheless, with respect to certain investment positions, the Fund may not be sufficiently hedged against market fluctuations, in which case an investment position could result in a loss greater than if the Advisor had been sufficiently hedged with respect to such position.
The Advisor will not, in general, attempt to hedge all market or other risks inherent in the Fund’s positions, and may hedge certain risks, if at all, only partially. Specifically, the Advisor may choose not, or may determine that it is economically unattractive, to hedge certain risks, either in respect of particular positions or in respect of the Fund’s overall portfolio. Moreover, it should be noted that the Fund’s portfolio always will be exposed to unidentified systematic risk factors and to certain risks that cannot be completely hedged, such as credit risk (relating both to particular securities and counterparties). The Fund’s portfolio composition may result in various directional market risks remaining unhedged, although the Advisor may rely on diversification to control such risks to the extent that the Advisor believes it is desirable to do so.
The regulation of derivatives markets in the United States is a rapidly changing area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), signed into law in 2010, granted significant authority to the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) to impose comprehensive regulations on the over-the-counter and cleared derivatives markets. These regulations include, but are not limited to, mandatory clearing of certain derivatives and requirements relating to disclosure, margin and trade reporting. New regulations could adversely affect the value, availability and performance of certain derivative instruments, may make them more costly, and may limit or restrict their use by the Fund.
The Fund operates under Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act (the “Derivatives Rule”), the, which, among other things, governs the use of derivative instruments and certain financing transactions (e.g., reverse repurchase agreements) by registered investment companies. The Derivatives Rule requires investment companies that enter into derivatives transactions and certain other transactions that create future payment or delivery obligations to, among other things, (i) comply with a value-at-risk (“VaR”) leverage limit, and (ii) adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program. These and other requirements will apply unless (a) the Fund qualifies as a “limited derivatives user,” which the Derivatives Rule defines as a fund that limits its derivatives exposure to 10% of its net assets, or (b) the Fund does not engage in derivatives transactions as defined in the Derivatives Rule. Complying with the Derivatives Rule may increase the cost of the Fund’s investments and cost of doing business, which could adversely affect investors. The Derivatives Rule may not be effective to limit the Fund’s risk of loss. In
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particular, measurements of VaR rely on historical data and may not accurately measure the degree of risk reflected in the Fund’s derivatives or other investments. Other potentially adverse regulatory obligations can develop suddenly and without notice.
Certain additional risk factors related to derivatives are discussed below:
Derivatives Risk. Under recently adopted rules by the CFTC, transactions in some types of interest rate swaps and index credit default swaps on North American and European indices will be required to be cleared. In a cleared derivatives transaction, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house (such as CME Clearing, ICE Clearing or LCH.Clearnet), rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members, who are futures commission merchants that are members of the clearing houses and who have the appropriate regulatory approvals to engage in swaps. The Fund will make and receive payments owed under cleared derivatives transactions (including margin payments) through its accounts at clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients’ obligations to the clearing house. In contrast to bilateral derivatives transactions, following a period of advance notice to the Fund, clearing members generally can require termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions at any time and increases in margin above the margin that it required at the beginning of a transaction. Clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions and to terminate transactions. Any such increase or termination could interfere with the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment strategy. Also, the Fund is subject to execution risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or that the Advisor expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Fund’s behalf. While the documentation in place between the Fund and its clearing members generally provides that the clearing members will accept for clearing all transactions submitted for clearing that are within credit limits specified by the clearing members in advance, the Fund could be subject to this execution risk if the Fund submits for clearing transactions that exceed such credit limits, if the clearing house does not accept the transactions for clearing, or if the clearing members do not comply with their agreement to clear such transactions. In that case, the transaction might have to be terminated, and the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of any increase in the value of the transaction after the time of the transaction. In addition, new regulations could, among other things, restrict the Fund’s ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund or increasing margin or capital requirements. If the Fund is not able to enter into a particular derivatives transaction, the Fund’s investment performance and risk profile could be adversely affected as a result.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk with respect to OTC derivatives may be affected by new regulations promulgated by the CFTC and SEC affecting the derivatives market. As described under “Derivatives Risk” above, some derivatives transactions will be required to be cleared, and a party to a cleared derivatives transaction is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivative transaction. Clearing members are required to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing member’s proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are generally held by the clearing broker on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, which may also invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. The assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the Fund’s clearing member because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing broker’s customers for a relevant account class. Also, the clearing member transfers to the clearing house the amount of margin required by the clearing house for cleared derivatives transactions, which amounts are generally held in an omnibus account at the clearing house for all customers of the clearing member. For commodities futures positions, the clearing house may use all of the collateral held in the clearing member’s omnibus account to meet a loss in that account, without regard to which customer in fact supplied that collateral. Accordingly, in addition to bearing the credit risk of its clearing member, each customer to a futures transaction also bears “fellow customer” risk from other customers of the clearing member. However, with respect to cleared swaps, recent regulations promulgated by the CFTC require that the clearing member notify the clearing house of the amount of initial margin provided by the clearing member to the clearing house that is attributable to each customer. Because margin in respect of cleared swaps must be earmarked for specific clearing member customers, the clearing house may not use the collateral of one customer to cover the obligations of another customer. However, if the clearing member does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is subject to the risk that a clearing house will use the Fund’s assets held in an omnibus account at the clearing house to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing house. In addition, a clearing member may
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generally choose to provide to the clearing house the net amount of variation margin required for cleared swaps for all of the clearing member’s customers in the aggregate, rather than the gross amount of each customer. The Fund is therefore subject to the risk that a clearing house will not make variation margin payments owed to the Fund if another customer of the clearing member has suffered a loss and is in default.
Options on Securities and Securities Indices
Purchasing Options. The Fund may purchase call and put options. A call option entitles the purchaser, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities at a specified price during the option period. A put option entitles the purchaser, in return for the premium paid, to sell specified securities during the option period. The Fund may invest in both European-style or American-style options. A European-style option is only exercisable immediately prior to its expiration. American-style options are exercisable at any time prior to the expiration date of the option.
Writing Call Options. The Fund may write covered call options. A call option is “covered” if the Fund owns the security underlying the call or has an absolute right to acquire the security without additional cash consideration or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or cash equivalents in such amounts as held in a segregated account by the Fund’s custodian. The writer of a call option receives a premium and gives the purchaser the right to buy the security underlying the option at the exercise price. The writer has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price during the option period. If the writer of an exchange-traded option wishes to terminate his obligation, he may effect a “closing purchase transaction.” This is accomplished by buying an option of the same series as the option previously written. A writer may not effect a closing purchase transaction after it has been notified of the exercise of an option.
Effecting a closing transaction in a written call option will permit the Fund to write another call option on the underlying security with either a different exercise price, expiration date or both. Also, effecting a closing transaction will permit the cash or proceeds from the concurrent sale of any securities subject to the option to be used for other investments of the Fund. If the Fund desires to sell a particular security from its portfolio on which it has written a call option, it will effect a closing transaction prior to or concurrent with the sale of the security.
The Fund will realize a gain from a closing transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is less than the premium received from writing the option or if the proceeds from the closing transaction are more than the premium paid to purchase the option. The Fund will realize a loss from a closing transaction if the cost of the closing transaction is more than the premium received from writing the option or if the proceeds from the closing transaction are less than the premium paid to purchase the option. However, because increases in the market price of a call option will generally reflect increases in the market price of the underlying security, any loss to the Fund resulting from the repurchase of a call option is likely to be offset in whole or in part by appreciation of the underlying security owned by the Fund.
If the Fund were assigned an exercise notice on a call it has written, it would be required to liquidate portfolio securities in order to satisfy the exercise, unless it has other liquid assets that are sufficient to satisfy the exercise of the call. If the Fund has written a call, there is also a risk that the market may decline between the time the Fund has a call exercised against it, at a price which is fixed as of the closing level of the index on the date of exercise, and the time it is able to sell securities in its portfolio.
In addition to covered call options, the Fund may write uncovered (or “naked”) call options on securities, including shares of ETFs, and indices.
Writing Covered Index Call Options. The Fund may sell index call options. The Fund may also execute a closing purchase transaction with respect to the option it has sold and then sell another option with either a different exercise price and/or expiration date. The Fund’s objective in entering into such closing transactions is to increase option premium income, to limit losses or to protect anticipated gains in the underlying stocks. The cost of a closing transaction, while reducing the premium income realized from the sale of the option, should be offset, at least in part, by the appreciation in the value of the underlying index, and by the opportunity to realize additional premium income from selling a new option.
When the Fund sells an index call option, it does not deliver the underlying stocks or cash to the broker through whom the transaction is effected. In the case of an exchange-traded option, the Fund establishes an escrow account. The Fund’s custodian (or a securities depositary acting for the custodian) acts as the Fund’s escrow agent. The escrow agent enters into documents known as escrow receipts with respect to the stocks included in the Fund (or escrow
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receipts with respect to other acceptable securities). The escrow agent releases the stocks from the escrow account when the call option expires or the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. Until such release, the underlying stocks cannot be sold by the Fund. The Fund may enter into similar collateral arrangements with the counterparty when it sells over-the-counter index call options.
The purchaser of an index call option sold by the Fund may exercise the option at a price fixed as of the closing level of the index on exercise date. Unless the Fund has liquid assets sufficient to satisfy the exercise of the index call option, the Fund would be required to liquidate portfolio securities to satisfy the exercise. The market value of such securities may decline between the time the option is exercised and the time the Fund is able to sell the securities. For example, even if an index call which the Fund has written is “covered” by an index call held by the Fund with the same strike price, it will bear the risk that the level of the index may decline between the close of trading on the date the exercise notice is filed with the Options Clearing Corporation and the close of trading on the date the Fund exercises the call it holds or the time it sells the call, which in either case would occur no earlier than the day following the day the exercise notice was filed. If the Fund fails to anticipate an exercise, it may have to borrow from a bank (in amounts not exceeding 5% of the Fund’s total assets) pending settlement of the sale of the portfolio securities and thereby incur interest charges. If trading is interrupted on the index, the Fund would not be able to close out its option positions.
Risks of Transactions in Options. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and indices. Options may be more volatile than the underlying securities and, therefore, on a percentage basis, an investment in options may be subject to greater fluctuation in value than an investment in the underlying securities themselves. There are also significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objective. In addition, a liquid secondary market for particular options may be absent for reasons which include the following: there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options of underlying securities; unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; the facilities of an exchange or clearing corporation may not be adequate to handle current trading volume at all times; or one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options that had been issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events. The extent to which the Fund may enter into options transactions may be limited by the requirements of the Code, for qualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company.
OTC Options. The Fund may engage in transactions involving OTC options as well as exchange-traded options. Certain additional risks are specific to OTC options. The Fund may engage a clearing corporation to exercise exchange-traded options, but if the Fund purchased an OTC option, it must then rely on the dealer from which it purchased the option if the option is exercised. Failure by the dealer to do so would result in the loss of the premium paid by the Fund as well as loss of the expected benefit of the transaction.
Exchange-traded options generally have a continuous liquid market while OTC options may not. Consequently, the Fund may generally be able to realize the value of an OTC option it has purchased only by exercising or reselling the option to the dealer who issued it. Similarly, when the Fund writes an OTC option, the Fund may generally be able to close out the option prior to its expiration only by entering into a closing purchase transaction with the dealer to whom the Fund originally wrote the option. While the Fund will seek to enter into OTC options only with dealers who will agree to and are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with the Fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will at any time be able to liquidate an OTC option at a favorable price at any time prior to expiration. Unless the Fund, as a covered OTC call option writer, is able to effect a closing purchase transaction, it will not be able to liquidate securities (or other assets) used as cover until the option expires or is exercised. In the event of insolvency of the other party, the Fund may be unable to liquidate an OTC option. With respect to options written by the Fund, the inability to enter into a closing transaction may result in material losses to the Fund.
The SEC has taken the position that purchased OTC options are illiquid securities. The Fund may treat the cover used for written OTC options as liquid if the dealer agrees that the Fund may repurchase the OTC option it has written for a maximum price to be calculated by a predetermined formula. In such cases, the OTC option would be
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considered illiquid only to the extent the maximum purchase price under the formula exceeds the intrinsic value of the option. Accordingly, the Fund will treat OTC options as subject to the Fund’s limitation on illiquid securities. If the SEC changes its position on the liquidity of OTC options, the Fund will change the treatment of such instruments accordingly.
Stock Index Options. The Fund may invest in options on indices, including broad-based security indices. Puts and calls on indices are similar to puts and calls on other investments except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities. When the Fund writes a call on an index, it receives a premium and agrees that, prior to the expiration date, the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the call is based is greater than the exercise price of the call. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (“multiplier”), which determines the total dollar value for each point of such difference. When the Fund buys a call on an index, it pays a premium and has the same rights as to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys a put on an index, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the seller of the put, upon the Fund’s exercise of the put, to deliver to the fund an amount of cash if the closing level of the index upon which the put is based is less than the exercise price of the put, which amount of cash is determined by the multiplier, as described above for calls. When the Fund writes a put on an index, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the closing level of the index and exercise price times the multiplier if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
The risks of investment in options on indices may be greater than options on securities. Because index options are settled in cash, if the Fund writes a call on an index it cannot provide in advance for its potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying index. The Fund can offset some of the risk of writing a call index option by holding a diversified portfolio of securities or instruments similar to those on which the underlying index is based. However, the Fund cannot, as a practical matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the same securities or instruments as underlie the index and, as a result, bears a risk that the value of the securities or instruments held will vary from the value of the index.
Even if the Fund could assemble a portfolio that exactly reproduced the composition of the underlying index, it still would not be fully covered from a risk standpoint because of the “timing risk” inherent in writing index options. When an index option is exercised, the amount of cash that the holder is entitled to receive is determined by the difference between the exercise price and the closing index level on the date when the option is exercised. As with other kinds of options, the Fund as the call writer will not learn of the assignment until the next business day at the earliest. The time lag between exercise and notice of assignment poses no risk for the writer of a covered call on a specific underlying security or instrument, such as common stock, because there the writer’s obligation is to deliver the underlying security or instrument, not to pay its value as of a fixed time in the past. So long as the writer already owns the underlying security or instrument, it can satisfy its settlement obligations by simply delivering it, and the risk that its value may have declined since the exercise date is borne by the exercising holder. In contrast, even if the writer of an index call holds investments that exactly match the composition of the underlying index, it will not be able to satisfy its assignment obligations by delivering those investments against payment of the exercise price. Instead, it will be required to pay cash in an amount based on the closing index value on the exercise date. By the time it learns that it has been assigned, the index may have declined, with a corresponding decline in the value of its portfolio. This “timing risk” is an inherent limitation on the ability of index call writers to cover their risk exposure by holding security or instrument positions.
If the Fund has purchased an index option and exercises it before the closing index value for that day is available, it runs the risk that the level of the underlying index may subsequently change. If such a change causes the exercised option to fall out-of-the-money, the Fund will be required to pay the difference between the closing index value and the exercise price of the option (times the applicable multiplier) to the assigned writer.
Futures and Options on Futures
The Fund may use interest rate, foreign currency, index and other futures contracts. The Fund may use options on futures contracts. A futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of the security or other financial instrument at a specified price and time. A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal
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to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract originally was written. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, physical delivery of these securities is not always made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes, as well as financial instruments, including, without limitation: U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; GNMA Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian Dollar; the Canadian Dollar; the British Pound; the Japanese Yen; the Swiss Franc; the Mexican Peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the Euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future.
The Fund may purchase and write (sell) call and put futures options. Futures options possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed above). A futures option gives the holder the right, inreturn for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price upon expiration of, or at any time during the period of, the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by the Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with its futures commission merchant a specified amount of liquid assets (“initial margin”). The margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the contract. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract that is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. The Fund expects to earn taxable interest income on its initial margin deposits. The Fund, as a writer of an option, may have no control over whether the underlying futures contracts may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and as a result, bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the valuation of the futures contracts underlying the written option. The Fund, as a purchaser of an option, bears the risk that the counterparties to the option may not have the ability to meet the terms of the option contract.
Futures and options on futures are regulated by the CFTC. The Fund invests in futures, options on futures and other instruments subject to regulation by the CFTC in reliance upon and in accordance with CFTC Regulation 4.5. Under Regulation 4.5, if the Fund uses futures, options on futures, or swaps other than for bona fide hedging purposes (as defined by the CFTC), the aggregate initial margin and premiums on these positions (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions and excluding the amount by which options that are “in-the-money” at the time of purchase of a new position) may not exceed 5% of the Fund’s liquidation value, or alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of those positions at the time may not exceed 100% of the Fund’s liquidation value (after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). The Advisor has filed a notice of eligibility for exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” in accordance with CFTC Regulation 4.5. Therefore, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund is not deemed to be a “commodity pool” or “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), and it is not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA. In addition, as of the date of this SAI, the Advisor is not deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” or “commodity trading adviser” with respect to the advisory services it provides to the Fund. In the future, if the Fund’s use of futures, options as futures, or swaps requires the Advisor to register as a commodity pool operator with the CFTC with respect to the Fund, the Advisor will do so at that time.
A futures contract held by the Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day the Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin”, equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking to market”. Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by the Fund but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily net asset value, the Fund will mark to market its open futures positions. The Fund also is required to deposit and to maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option and other futures positions held by the Fund. Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (involving the same exchange, underlying security or index and delivery month). If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs also must be included in these calculations.
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The Fund may write covered straddles consisting of a call and a put written on the same underlying futures contract. A straddle will be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Fund’s immediate obligations. The Fund may use the same liquid assets to cover both the call and put options if the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or if the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put.
Stock Index Futures
The Fund may invest in stock index futures only as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying securities. A stock index future obligates the seller to deliver (and the purchaser to accept), effectively, an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific stock index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of the underlying stocks in the index is made. With respect to stock indices that are permitted investments, the Fund intends to purchase and sell futures contracts on the stock index for which it can obtain the best price with consideration also given to liquidity.
Swaps
The Fund may enter into interest rate, currency and index swaps and the purchase or sale of related caps, floors and collars. The Fund may enter into these transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, to protect against currency fluctuations or to protect against any increase in the price of securities it anticipates purchasing at a later date. Swaps may be used in conjunction with other instruments to offset interest rate, currency or other underlying risks. For example, interest rate swaps may be offset with “caps,” “floors” or “collars”. A “cap” is essentially a call option which places a limit on the amount of floating rate interest that must be paid on a certain principal amount. A “floor” is essentially a put option which places a limit on the minimum amount that would be paid on a certain principal amount. A “collar” is essentially a combination of a long cap and a short floor where the limits are set at different levels.
The Fund will usually enter into swaps on a net basis; that is, the two payment streams will be netted out in a cash settlement on the payment date or dates specified in the instrument, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments.
Total Return Swaps. The Fund may enter into total return swaps for investment purposes. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or security indexes during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate of the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or market, including in cases in which there may be disadvantages associated with direct ownership of a particular security. In a typical total return equity swap, payments made by the Fund or the counterparty are based on the total return of a particular reference asset or assets (such as an equity security, a combination of such securities, or an index). That is, one party agrees to pay another party the return on a stock, basket of stocks, or stock index in return for a specified interest rate. By entering into an equity index swap, for example, the index receiver can gain exposure to stocks making up the index of securities without actually purchasing those stocks. Total return swaps involve not only the risk associated with the investment in the underlying securities, but also the risk of the counterparty not fulfilling its obligations under the agreement.
Credit Default Swaps. The Fund may enter into credit default swaps for investment purposes. A credit default swap agreement may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. Credit default swaps may also be structured based on the debt of a basket of issuers, rather than a single issuer, and may be customized with respect to the default event that triggers purchase or other factors. As a seller, the Fund would generally receive an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap, which typically is between six months and three years, provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the seller must pay the buyer the full face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference obligations that may have little or no value. If the Fund were a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund would recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference obligation that may have little or no value. The use of swaps by a fund entails certain risks,
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which may be different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the securities and other investments that are the referenced asset for the swap. Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with stocks, bonds, and other traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index, but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all the possible market conditions. Because some swaps have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the swap itself. Certain swaps have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment.
The Fund may also purchase credit default swaps in order to hedge against the risk of default of the debt of a particular issuer or basket of issuers, in which case the Fund would function as the counterparty referenced in the preceding paragraph. This would involve the risk that the investment may expire worthless and would only generate income in the event of an actual default by the issuer(s) of the underlying obligation(s) (or, as applicable, a credit downgrade or other indication of financial instability). It would also involve the risk that the seller may fail to satisfy its payment obligations to the Fund in the event of a default. The purchase of credit default swaps involves costs, which will reduce the Fund’s return.
Currency Swaps. The Fund may enter into currency swaps for investment purposes. Currency swaps are similar to interest rate swaps, except that they involve multiple currencies. The Fund may enter into a currency swap when it has exposure to one currency and desires exposure to a different currency. Typically the interest rates that determine the currency swap payments are fixed, although occasionally one or both parties may pay a floating rate of interest. Unlike an interest rate swap, however, the principal amounts are exchanged at the beginning of the contract and returned at the end of the contract. In addition to paying and receiving amounts at the beginning and termination of the agreements, both sides will also have to pay in full periodically based upon the currency they have borrowed. Change in foreign exchange rates and changes in interest rates, as described above, may negatively affect currency swaps.
Interest Rate Swaps. The Fund may enter into an interest rate swap in an effort to protect against declines in the value of fixed income securities held by the Fund. In such an instance, the Fund may agree to pay a fixed rate (multiplied by a notional amount) while a counterparty agrees to pay a floating rate (multiplied by the same notional amount). If interest rates rise, resulting in a diminution in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund would receive payments under the swap that would offset, in whole or in part, such diminution in value.
Options on Swaps. The Fund may enter into an option on a swap. An option on a swap, or a “swaption,” is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap, at some designated future time on specified terms. In return, the purchaser pays a “premium” to the seller of the contract. The seller of the contract receives the premium and bears the risk of unfavorable changes on the underlying swap. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions. The Fund may also enter into swaptions on either an asset-based or liability-based basis, depending on whether the Fund is hedging its assets or its liabilities. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swaptions to the same extent it may make use of standard options on securities or other instruments. The Fund may enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its holdings, as a duration management technique, to protect against an increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or for any other purposes, such as for speculation to increase returns. Swaptions are generally subject to the same risks involved in the Fund’s use of options.
Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swaption than it will incur when it purchases a swaption. When the Fund purchases a swaption, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swaption, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.
OTC Derivatives Transactions
The Fund may enter into OTC derivatives transactions. The Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, established a new statutory framework that comprehensively regulated the OTC derivatives markets for the first time. Key Dodd-Frank Act provisions relating to OTC derivatives require rulemaking by the SEC and the CFTC, not all of which has been proposed or finalized as at the date of this SAI. Prior to the Dodd-Frank Act, the OTC
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derivatives markets were traditionally traded on a bilateral basis (so-called “bilateral OTC transactions”). Now certain OTC derivatives contracts are required to be centrally cleared and traded on exchanges or electronic trading platforms called swap execution facilities (“SEFs”).
Bilateral OTC transactions differ from exchange-traded or cleared derivatives transactions in several respects. Bilateral OTC transactions are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation. Without the availability of a clearing corporation, bilateral OTC transaction pricing is normally done by reference to information from market makers, which information is carefully monitored by the Advisor and verified in appropriate cases. As bilateral OTC transactions are entered into directly with a dealer, there is a risk of nonperformance by the dealer as a result of its insolvency or otherwise. Under recently-adopted CFTC regulations, counterparties of registered swap dealers and major swap participants have the right to elect segregation of initial margin in respect of uncleared swaps. If a counterparty makes such an election, any initial margin that is posted to the swap dealer or major swap participant must be segregated in individual customer accounts held at an independent third-party custodian. In addition, the collateral may only be invested in certain categories of instruments identified in the CFTC’s regulations. Agreements covering these segregation arrangements must generally provide for consent by both the counterparty and the swap dealer or major swap participant to withdraw margin from the segregated account. Given these limitations on the use of uncleared swaps collateral, there is some likelihood that the electing counterparty will experience an increase in the costs associated with trading swaps with the relevant swap dealer or major swap participant. Certain other protections apply to a counterparty to uncleared swaps under the CFTC’s regulations even if the counterparty does not elect segregation of its initial margin. These regulations are newly adopted, and it remains unclear whether they will be effective in protecting initial margin in the manner intended in the event of significant market stress or the insolvency of a swap dealer or major swap participant.
Furthermore, a bilateral OTC transaction may only be terminated voluntarily by entering into a closing transaction with the dealer with which the Fund originally dealt. Any such cancellation may require the Fund to pay a premium to that dealer. In those cases in which the Fund has entered into a covered transaction and cannot voluntarily terminate the transaction, the Fund will not be able to sell the underlying security until the transaction expires or is exercised or different cover is substituted. The Fund will seek to enter into OTC transactions only with dealers which agree to, and which are expected to be capable of, entering into closing transactions with the Fund. There is also no assurance that the Fund will be able to liquidate an OTC transaction at any time prior to expiration.
The requirement to execute certain OTC derivatives contracts on SEFs may offer certain advantages over traditional bilateral OTC trading, such as ease of execution, price transparency, increased liquidity and/or favorable pricing. However, SEF trading may make it more difficult and costly for the Fund to enter into highly tailored or customized transactions and may result in additional costs and risks. Market participants such as the Fund that execute derivatives contracts through a SEF, whether directly or through a broker intermediary, are required to submit to the jurisdiction of the SEF and comply with SEF and CFTC rules and regulations which impose, among other things disclosure and recordkeeping obligations. In addition, the Fund will generally incur SEF or broker intermediary fees when it trades on a SEF. The Fund may also be required to indemnify the SEF or broker intermediary for any losses or costs that may result from the Fund’s transactions on the SEF.
Commodities and Commodity Contracts
The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and options; may enter into foreign exchange contracts; may enter into swaps and other financial transactions not requiring the delivery of physical commodities; may purchase or sell precious metals directly (metals are considered “commodities” under the federal commodities laws), and purchase or sell previous metal commodity contracts or options on such contracts in compliance with applicable commodities laws. Investing in commodities in this manner carries risks. The Fund may also invest in instruments related to commodities, including structured notes, securities of commodities finance and operating companies. The Fund’s exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, and other risks affecting a particular industry or commodity. The Fund will only invest in commodities that the Advisor believes can be readily liquidated.
There are additional factors associated with commodity futures contracts which may subject the Fund’s investments in them to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. In the commodity futures markets there are often costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the
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commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while the Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may change proportionately. In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing nature of the hedgers and speculators in the commodities markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for the Fund. If the nature of hedgers and speculators in futures markets has shifted when it is time for the Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing futures contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments. The commodities which underlie commodity futures contracts may be subject to additional economic and non-economic variables, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs, and international economic, political and regulatory developments. These factors may have a larger impact on commodity prices and commodity-linked instruments, including futures contracts, than on traditional securities. Certain commodities are also subject to limited pricing flexibility because of supply and demand factors. Others are subject to broad price fluctuations as a result of the volatility of the prices for certain raw materials and the instability of the supplies of other materials.
Changes in the regulation of derivatives, including commodity-based derivatives, arising from the Dodd-Frank Act may make it more expensive for the Fund and otherwise limit the Fund’s ability to engage in such trading, which could adversely affect the Fund.
PRIVATE PLACEMENTS
The Fund may invest in restricted securities (securities with limited transferability under the securities laws) acquired from the issuer in “private placement” transactions. Private placement securities are not registered under Securities Act and are subject to restrictions on resale. They are eligible for sale only to certain qualified institutional buyers, like the Fund, and are not sold on a trading market or exchange. While private placement securities offer attractive investment opportunities otherwise not available on an open market, because such securities are available to few buyers, they are often both difficult to sell and to value. Certain of the Fund’s investments may be placed in smaller, less seasoned, issuers that present a greater risk due to limited product lines and/or financial resources. The issuer of privately placed securities may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements of a public trade. Additionally, the Fund could obtain material non-public information from the issuer of such securities that would restrict the Fund’s ability to conduct transactions in underlying securities.
Privately placed securities can usually only be resold to other qualified institutional buyers, or in a private transaction, or to a limited number of purchasers, or in a limited quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met pursuant to an exemption from registration. Privately placed securities cannot be resold to the public unless they have been registered under the Securities Act or pursuant to an exemption, such as Rule 144A. The Fund may incur more cost in the disposition of such securities because of the time and legal expense required to negotiate a private placement. Because of the limited market, the Fund may find it difficult to sell the securities when it finds it advisable to do so and, to the extent such securities are sold in private negotiations, they may be sold for less than the price for which they were purchased or less than their fair market value.
ILLIQUID AND RESTRICTED SECURITIES
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities, including (i) securities for which there is no readily available market; (ii) securities in which the disposition would be subject to legal restrictions (so called “restricted securities”); (iii) repurchase agreements having more than seven days to maturity; and (iv) securities that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the securities. The Board has delegated to the Advisor the day-to-day determination of the illiquidity of any security held by the Fund, although it has retained oversight and ultimate responsibility for such determinations. Although no definitive liquidity criteria are used, the Board has
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directed the Advisor to consider to such factors as (a) frequency of trading and availability of quotations; (b) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the availability of buyers; (c) the willingness of dealers to be market makers in the security; and (d) the nature of trading activity including (i) the time needed to dispose of a position or part of a position and (ii) offer and solicitation methods. A considerable period of time may elapse between the Fund’s decision to sell such securities and the time when the Fund is able to sell them, during which time the value of the securities could decline. Illiquid securities will usually be priced at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or its delegate.
The Fund may invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities are securities that may not be sold freely to the public absent registration under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration. While restricted securities are generally presumed to be illiquid, it may be determined that a particular restricted security is liquid. Rule 144A under the Securities Act establishes a safe harbor from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers. Institutional markets for restricted securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A in many cases provide both readily ascertainable values for restricted securities and the ability to liquidate an investment to satisfy share repurchase requests. Such markets might include automated systems for the trading, clearance and settlement of unregistered securities of domestic and foreign issuers, such as the PORTAL System sponsored by NASDAQ. An insufficient number of qualified buyers interested in purchasing Rule 144A eligible restricted securities, however, could adversely affect the marketability of such portfolio securities and result in the Fund’s inability to dispose of such securities promptly or at favorable prices.
The Fund may also purchase certain commercial paper issued in reliance on the exemption from regulations in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act (“4(a)(2) Paper”). The Advisor will determine the liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(a)(2) Paper under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. The liquidity of Rule 144A securities and 4(a)(2) Paper will be monitored by the Advisor, and if as a result of changed conditions it is determined that a Rule 144A security or 4(a)(2) Paper is no longer liquid, the Fund’s holdings of illiquid securities will be reviewed to determine what, if any, action is required to assure that the Fund does not exceed its percentage limitation for investments in illiquid securities.
SHORT SALES
The Fund may seek to hedge investments or realize additional gains through the use of short sales. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss will be increased, by the transaction costs incurred by the Fund, including the costs associated with providing collateral to the broker-dealer (usually cash and liquid securities) and the maintenance of collateral with its custodian. The Fund also may be required to pay a premium to borrow a security, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the price at which it sold the security short, its potential loss is theoretically unlimited.
The broker-dealer will retain the net proceeds of the short sale to the extent necessary to meet margin requirements until the short position is closed out.
When the Advisor believes that the price of a particular security held by the Fund may decline, it may make “short sales against the box” to hedge the unrealized gain on such security. Selling short against the box involves selling a security which the Fund owns for delivery at a specified date in the future. The Fund will incur transaction costs to open, maintain and close short sales against the box.
BORROWING AND LEVERAGE
The Fund may engage in borrowing activities. Borrowing creates an opportunity for increased return, but, at the same time, creates special risks. Furthermore, if the Fund were to engage in borrowing, an increase in interest rates could reduce the value of the Fund’s shares by increasing the Fund’s interest expense. Subject to the limitations described under “Investment Limitations” below, the Fund may be permitted to borrow for temporary purposes and/or for investment purposes. Such a practice will result in leveraging of the Fund’s assets and may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so. This borrowing may be secured or unsecured.
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Provisions of the 1940 Act require the Fund, immediately after a borrowing, to have asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount of its borrowings, with an exception for borrowings not in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets made for temporary administrative purposes. Any borrowings for temporary administrative purposes in excess of 5% of the Fund’ total assets will be subject to the asset coverage requirement. In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution unless, at the time of such declaration, the asset coverage test is satisfied. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs which may or may not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased, if any. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowings or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.
The Fund intends to add leverage to its portfolio through borrowings by its wholly-owned subsidiary via a secured credit facility. The Fund has formed a wholly-owned special purpose vehicle (the “SPV”) that has entered into a credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with the lenders from time to time party thereto (each, a “Lender”) and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, the SPV, of which the Fund is the sole interest holder, may borrow money from the Lenders up to a maximum aggregate outstanding principal amount of $75 million, subject to change by mutual agreement of the SPV and the Lenders. The Fund may choose to increase, decrease, or eliminate entirely, its use of leverage, or use different types or combinations of leveraging, at any time based on the Advisor’s assessment of market conditions and other factors. The net proceeds the SPV obtains from such borrowings will be used for, among other things, the purchase of certain bank loan assets of the type that the Fund would be permitted to be invested in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as described in the Prospectus. So long as the rate of return, net of applicable expenses, on the investments purchased by the SPV exceeds the costs to the SPV of the borrowings, the investment of the SPV’s assets attributable to borrowings will generate more income than will be needed to pay the costs of the borrowings. Leveraging is a speculative technique and there are special risks and costs involved. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategies will be successful. When leverage is used, the Fund’s net asset value may be more volatile. In addition, interest and other expenses borne by the SPV with respect to its use of borrowings or any other forms of leverage are borne by the Fund (whether in its capacity as the sole interest holder of the SPV or directly if the Fund uses other forms of leverage directly) and may result in a reduction of the net asset value.
In connection with the Credit Agreement, the SPV has made certain customary representations and warranties and is required to comply with various customary covenants, reporting requirements and other requirements. The Credit Agreement contains events of default customary for similar financing transactions, including: (i) the failure to make principal, interest or other payments when due after the applicable grace period; (ii) the insolvency or bankruptcy of the SPV or the Fund; (iii) a change of control of the SPV or the Fund; or (iv) a change of management of the SPV or the Fund. Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of an event of default, the Lender may declare the outstanding advances and all other obligations under the Credit Agreement immediately due and payable. The SPV’s obligations to the Lender under the Credit Agreement are secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all of the assets of the SPV.
The SPV is not registered under the 1940 Act. However, to the extent applicable, the SPV will be subject to the same fundamental investment restrictions and will follow the same compliance policies and procedures as the Fund. Compliance with the Fund’s investment restrictions also will be measured on an aggregate basis in respect of the Fund’s and the SPV’s portfolios, and the SPV will comply with the 1940 Act provisions governing affiliate transactions and custody of assets. The SPV will comply with Section 8 of the 1940 Act governing investment policies and Section 18 of the 1940 Act governing capital structure and leverage on an aggregate basis with the Fund. The Fund is the sole interest holder of the SPV and does not expect interests in the SPV to be offered or sold to other investors.
REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
The Fund may enter into “reverse” repurchase agreements. Pursuant to a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund will sell portfolio securities and agree to repurchase them from the buyer at a particular date and price. The Fund may elect to (i) treat the reverse repurchase agreements as borrowings and comply with the asset coverage requirements of Section 18 of the 1940 Act, and combine the aggregate amount of indebtedness associated with all reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions with the aggregate amount of any other senior securities representing indebtedness when calculating the asset coverage ratio; or (ii) treat all reverse repurchase agreements or similar financing transactions as “derivatives transactions” as defined in the Derivatives Rule and comply with all requirements of the Derivatives Rule.
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OTHER INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, POLICIES AND RISKS
EQUITY SECURITIES
Common Stock
The Fund may invest in common stock. Common stock represents a proportionate share of the ownership of a company and its value is based on the success of the company’s business, any income paid to stockholders, the value of its assets, and general market conditions. In addition to the general risks set forth above, investments in common stocks are subject to the risk that in the event a company in which the Fund invests is liquidated, the holders of preferred stock and creditors of that company will be paid in full before any payments are made to the Fund as holders of common stock. It is possible that all assets of that company will be exhausted before any payments are made to the Fund.
The fundamental risk of investing in common stock is that the value of the stock might decrease. Stock values fluctuate in response to the activities of an individual company or in response to general market and/or economic conditions. While common stocks have historically provided greater long-term returns than preferred stocks, fixed- income and money market investments, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility than the returns from those other investments.
Preferred Stock
The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock is a class of stock having a preference over common stock as to the payment of dividends and a share of the proceeds resulting from the issuer’s liquidation although preferred stock is usually subordinate to the debt securities of the issuer. Some preferred stocks also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as the holders of the issuer’s common stock. Preferred stock typically does not possess voting rights and its market value may change based on changes in interest rates. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline. In addition, the Fund may receive stocks or warrants as a result of an exchange or tender of fixed income securities. Preference stock, which is more common in emerging markets than in developed markets, is a special type of common stock that shares in the earnings of an issuer, has limited voting rights, may have a dividend preference, and may also have a liquidation preference. Depending on the features of the particular security, holders of preferred and preference stock may bear the risks regarding common stock or fixed income securities.
Warrants and Rights
The Fund may invest in warrants or rights (including those acquired in units or attached to other securities) that entitle (but do not obligate) the holder to buy equity securities at a specific price for a specific period of time but will do so only if such equity securities are deemed appropriate by the Advisor. Rights are similar to warrants but typically have a shorter duration and are issued by a company to existing stockholders to provide those holders the right to purchase additional shares of stock at a later date. Warrants and rights do not have voting rights, do not earn dividends, and do not entitle the holder to any rights with respect to the assets of the company that has issued them. They do not represent ownership of the underlying companies but only the right to purchase shares of those companies at a specified price on or before a specified exercise date. Warrants and rights tend to be more volatile than the underlying stock, and if at a warrant’s expiration date the stock is trading at a price below the price set in the warrant, the warrant will expire worthless. Conversely, if at the expiration date the stock is trading at a price higher than the price set in the warrant or right, the Fund can acquire the stock at a price below its market value. The prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily parallel the prices of the underlying securities. An investment in warrants or rights may be considered speculative.
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FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Depositary Receipts. The Fund may invest in depositary receipts. American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) are negotiable receipts issued by a U.S. bank or trust company that evidence ownership of securities in a foreign company which have been deposited with such bank or trust company’s office or agent in a foreign country. Investing in ADRs presents risks that may not be equal to the risk inherent in holding the equivalent shares of the same companies that are traded in the local markets even though the Fund will purchase, sell and be paid dividends on ADRs in U.S. Dollars. These risks include fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which are affected by international balances of payments and other economic and financial conditions; government intervention; speculation; and other factors. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political and social upheaval, and economic instability. The Fund may be required to pay foreign withholding or other taxes on certain ADRs that it owns. Investors will not be able to deduct their pro rata share of such taxes in computing their taxable income, or take such shares as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax. ADRs may be sponsored by foreign issuers or may be unsponsored. Unsponsored ADRs are organized independently and without the cooperation of the foreign issuer of the underlying securities. While readily exchangeable with stock in local markets, unsponsored ADRs may be less liquid than sponsored ADRs. Additionally, there generally is less publicly available information with respect to unsponsored ADRs.
Emerging Markets. The Fund may invest in companies organized or doing substantial business in emerging market countries or developing countries as defined by the World Bank, International Financial Corporation, or the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) emerging market indices or other comparable indices. Investing in emerging markets involves additional risks and special considerations not typically associated with investing in other more established economies or markets. Such risks may include (i) increased risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets or confiscatory taxation; (ii) greater social, economic and political uncertainty, including war; (iii) higher dependence on exports and the corresponding importance of international trade; (iv) greater volatility, less liquidity and smaller capitalization of markets; (v) greater volatility in currency exchange rates; (vi) greater risk of inflation; (vii) greater controls on foreign investment and limitations on realization of investments, repatriation of invested capital and on the ability to exchange local currencies for U.S. dollars; (viii) greater potential for market manipulation; (ix) increased likelihood of governmental involvement in and control over the economy; (x) governmental decisions to cease support of economic reform programs or to impose centrally planned economies; (xi) differences in regulatory, accounting, auditing, and financial reporting and recordkeeping standards, which may result in the unavailability of material information about issuers; (xii) less extensive regulation of the markets; (xiii) longer settlement periods for transactions and less reliable clearance and custody arrangements; (xiv) less developed corporate laws regarding fiduciary duties of officers and directors and the protection of investors; (xv) certain considerations regarding the maintenance of the Fund’s securities with local brokers and securities depositories and (xvi) the imposition of withholding or other taxes on dividends, interest, capital gains, other income or gross sale or disposition proceeds.
Repatriation of investment income, assets and the proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in some emerging market countries. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in or a refusal to grant any required governmental registration or approval for such repatriation, or by withholding taxes imposed by emerging market countries on interest or dividends paid on securities held by the Fund or gains from the disposition of such securities.
In emerging markets, there is often less government supervision and regulation of business and industry practices, stock exchanges, over-the-counter markets, brokers, dealers, counterparties and issuers than in other more established markets. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), which regulates auditors of U.S. public companies, for example, may be unable to inspect audit work and practices in certain countries. If the PCAOB is unable to oversee the operations of accounting firms in such countries, inaccurate or incomplete financial records of an issuer’s operations may not be detected, which could negatively impact the Fund’s investments in such companies. Any regulatory supervision that is in place may be subject to manipulation or control. Some emerging market countries do not have mature legal systems comparable to those of more developed countries. Moreover, the process of legal and regulatory reform may not be proceeding at the same pace as market developments, which could result in investment risk. Legislation to safeguard the rights of private ownership may not yet be in place in certain areas, and there may be the risk of conflict among local, regional and national requirements. In certain cases, the laws and regulations governing investments in securities may not exist or may be subject to inconsistent or arbitrary appreciation or interpretation. Both
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the independence of judicial systems and their immunity from economic, political or nationalistic influences remain largely untested in many countries. It may also be difficult or impossible for the Fund to pursue legal remedies or to obtain and enforce judgments in local courts.
Many Chinese companies have created variable interest entities (“VIEs”) as a means to circumvent limits on foreign ownership of equity in Chinese companies. Investments in companies that use a VIE structure may pose additional risks because the investment is made through an intermediary entity that exerts control of the underlying operating business through contractual means rather than equity ownership and, as a result, may limit the rights of an investor. Although VIEs are a longstanding industry practice and well known to officials and regulators in China, VIE structures are not formally recognized under Chinese law. Investors face uncertainty about future actions by the government of China that could significantly affect an operating company’s financial performance and the enforceability of the VIE’s contractual arrangements. It is uncertain whether Chinese officials or regulators will withdraw their implicit acceptance of the VIE structure, or whether any new laws, rules, or regulations relating to VIE structures will be adopted or, if adopted, what impact they would have on the interests of foreign shareholders. Under extreme circumstances, China might prohibit the existence of VIEs, or sever their ability to transmit economic and governance rights to foreign individuals and entities; if so, the market value of the Funds’ associated portfolio holdings would likely suffer significant, detrimental, and possibly permanent effects, which could result in substantial investment losses.
There may also be restrictions on imports from certain countries, such as Russia, and dealings with certain state-sponsored entities. For example, following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order in February 2022 prohibiting U.S. persons from entering transactions with the Central Bank of Russia and Executive Orders in March 2022 prohibiting U.S. persons from importing oil and gas from Russia as well as other popular Russian exports, such as diamonds, seafood and vodka. There may also be restrictions on investments in Chinese companies. For example, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order in June 2021 affirming and expanding the U.S. policy prohibiting U.S. persons from purchasing or investing in publicly-traded securities of companies identified by the U.S. government as “Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies.” The list of such companies can change from time to time, and as a result of forced selling or an inability to participate in an investment the Advisor or Sub-Advisor otherwise believes is attractive, the Fund may incur losses. Any of these factors may adversely affect the Fund’s performance or the Fund’s ability to pursue its investment objective.
Foreign Currency Transactions. The Fund may conduct foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot, i.e., cash basis at the prevailing rate in the foreign exchange market or by entering into a forward foreign currency contract. A forward foreign currency contract (“forward contract”) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific amount of a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days (usually less than one year) from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are considered to be derivatives. The Fund enters into forward contracts in order to “lock in” the exchange rate between the currency it will deliver and the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. In addition, the Fund may enter into forward contracts to hedge against risks arising from securities the Fund owns or anticipates purchasing or the U.S. dollar value of interest and dividends paid on those securities.
If the Fund delivers the foreign currency at or before the settlement of a forward contract, it may be required to obtain the currency by selling some of ’he Fund’s assets that are denominated in that specific currency. The Fund may close out a forward contract obligating it to purchase a foreign currency by selling an offsetting contract, in which case it will realize a gain or a loss.
Foreign currency transactions involve certain costs and risks. The Fund incurs foreign exchange expenses in converting assets from one currency to another. Forward contracts involve a risk of loss if the Advisor is inaccurate in predicting currency movements. The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is highly uncertain. The precise matching of forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved is generally not possible. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional foreign currency if the market value of the security is less than the amount of the foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver under the forward contract and the decision is made to sell the security and deliver the foreign currency. The use of forward contracts as a hedging technique does not eliminate the fluctuation in the prices of the underlying securities the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it fixes a rate of exchange in advance. Although forward contracts can reduce the risk of loss if the values of the hedged currencies decline, these instruments also limit the potential gain that might result from an increase in the value of the hedged currencies.
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There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for foreign currencies, and there is no regulatory requirement that quotations available through dealers or other market sources be firm or revised on a timely basis. Quotation information available is generally representative of very large transactions in the interbank market. The interbank market in foreign currencies is a global around-the-clock market. Since foreign currency transactions occurring in the interbank market involve substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in the use of foreign currency options, the Fund may be disadvantaged by having to deal in an odd lot market (generally consisting of transactions of less than $1 million) for the underlying foreign currencies at prices that are less favorable than for round lots. The Fund may take positions in options on foreign currencies in order to hedge against the risk of foreign exchange fluctuation on foreign securities the Fund holds in its portfolio or which it intends to purchase.
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS
The Fund may invest in securities offered companies in initial public offerings (“IPOs”). Because IPO shares frequently are volatile in price, the Fund may hold IPO shares for a very short period of time. This may increase the turnover of the Fund’s portfolio and may lead to increased expenses to the Fund, such as commissions and transaction costs. By selling IPO shares, the Fund may realize taxable capital gains that it will subsequently distribute to shareholders. Companies that offer securities in IPOs tend to typically have small market capitalizations and therefore their securities may be more volatile and less liquid that those issued by larger companies. Certain companies offering securities in an IPO may have limited operating experience and, as a result face a greater risk of business failure. The effect of IPOs on the Fund’s performance depends on a variety of factors, including the number of IPOs the Fund invests in relative to the size of the Fund and whether and to what extent a security purchased in an IPO appreciates or depreciates in value.
INVESTMENT COMPANY SHARES
The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies (each, an “Underlying Fund”), including open-end funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts (“UITs”) and exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), to the extent permitted by applicable law and subject to certain restrictions set forth in this SAI. The Fund’s investment in other investment companies may include investment in other funds managed by the Advisor.
Under Section 12(d)(1)(A) of the 1940 Act, the Fund may acquire shares of an Underlying Fund in amounts which, as determined immediately after the acquisition is made, (i) do not exceed 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of such Underlying Fund, (ii) do not exceed 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and (iii) do not exceed 10% of the value of the Fund’s total assets when combined with all other Underlying Fund shares held by the Fund. The Fund may exceed these statutory limits when permitted by SEC order or other applicable law or regulatory guidance, such as is the case with many ETFs. In October 2020, the SEC adopted certain regulatory changes and took other actions related to the ability of an investment company to invest in the shares of another investment company. These changes include, in part, the rescission of certain SEC exemptive orders permitting investments in excess of the statutory limits, the withdrawal of certain related SEC staff no-action letters, and the adoption of Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, which permits the Fund to invest in other investment companies beyond the statutory limits, subject to certain conditions. Rule 12d1-4, among other things, (1) applies to both “acquired funds” and “acquiring funds,” each as defined under the rule; (2) includes limits on control and voting of acquired funds’ shares; (3) requires that the investment advisers of acquired funds and acquiring funds relying on the rule make certain specified findings based on their evaluation of the relevant fund of funds structure; (4) requires acquired funds and acquiring funds that are relying on the rule, and which do not have the same investment adviser, to enter into fund of funds investment agreements, which must include specific terms; and (5) includes certain limits on complex fund of funds structures.
Generally, under Sections 12(d)(1)(F) of the 1940 Act and SEC rules adopted pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund may acquire the shares of affiliated and unaffiliated Underlying Funds subject to the following guidelines and restrictions:
• The Fund and its “affiliated persons” may own up to 3% of the outstanding stock of any fund, subject to the following restricts:
i. the Fund and each Underlying Fund, in the aggregate, may not charge a sales load greater than the limits set forth in Rule 2830(d)(3) of the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) applicable to funds of funds;
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ii. each Underlying Fund is not obligated to redeem more than 1% of its total outstanding shares during any period less than 30 days; and
iii. the purchase or acquisition of the Underlying Fund is made pursuant to an arrangement with the Underlying Fund or its principal underwriter whereby the Fund is obligated either to (i) seek instructions from its shareholders with regard to the voting of all proxies with respect to the Underlying Fund and to vote in accordance with such instructions, or (ii) to vote the shares of the Underlying Fund held by the Fund in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders of the Underlying Fund.
Underlying Funds typically incur fees that are separate from those fees incurred directly by the Fund. The Fund’s purchase of such investment company shares results in the layering of expenses as Fund shareholders would indirectly bear a proportionate share of the operating expenses of such investment companies, including advisory fees, in addition to paying Fund expenses. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged and will therefore be subject to certain leverage risks. The net asset value and market value of leveraged securities will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged securities. Investment companies may have investment policies that differ from those of the Fund.
Under certain circumstances an open-end investment company in which the Fund invests may determine to make payment of a redemption by the Fund wholly or in part by a distribution in kind of securities from its portfolio, instead of in cash. As a result, the Fund may hold such securities until the Advisor determines it is appropriate to dispose of them. Such disposition will impose additional costs on the Fund.
Investment decisions by the investment advisors to the registered investment companies in which the Fund invests are made independently of the Fund. At any particular time, one Underlying Fund may be purchasing shares of an issuer whose shares are being sold by another Underlying Fund. As a result, under these circumstances the Fund indirectly would incur certain transactional costs without accomplishing any investment purpose.
Closed-End Funds
The Fund may invest in shares of closed-end funds. Investments in closed-end funds are subject to various risks, including reliance on management’s ability to meet the closed-end fund’s investment objective and to manage the closed-end fund portfolio; fluctuation in the net asset value of closed-end fund shares compared to the changes in the value of the underlying securities that the closed-end fund owns; and bearing a pro rata share of the management fees and expenses of each underlying closed-end fund resulting in the Fund’s shareholders being subject to higher expenses than if he or she invested directly in the closed-end fund(s).
Exchange-Traded Funds
The Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs are pooled investment vehicles that generally seek to track the performance of specific indices. ETFs may be organized as open-end funds or as unit investment trusts. Their shares are listed on stock exchanges and can be traded throughout the day at market-determined prices.
An ETF generally issues index-based investments in large aggregations of shares known as “Creation Units” in exchange for a “Portfolio Deposit” consisting of (a) a portfolio of securities designated by the ETF, (b) a cash payment equal to a pro rata portion of the dividends accrued on the ETF’s portfolio securities since the last dividend payment by the ETF, net of expenses and liabilities, and (c) a cash payment or credit designed to equalize the net asset value of the shares and the net asset value of a Portfolio Deposit.
Shares of ETFs are not individually redeemable, except upon the reorganization, merger, conversion or liquidation of the ETF. To redeem shares of an ETF, an investor must accumulate enough shares of the ETF to reconstitute a Creation Unit. The liquidity of small holdings of ETF shares, therefore, will depend upon the existence of a secondary market for such shares. Upon redemption of a Creation Unit, the investor will receive securities designated by the ETF (“Redemption Securities”) and a cash payment in an amount equal to the difference between the net asset value of the shares being redeemed and the net asset value of the Redemption Securities.
The price of ETF shares is based upon (but not necessarily identical to) the value of the securities held by the ETF. Accordingly, the level of risk involved in the purchase or sale of ETF shares is similar to the risk involved in the purchase or sale of traditional common stock, with the exception that the pricing mechanism for ETF shares is
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based on a basket of stocks. Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying ETF shares purchased or sold by the Fund could result in losses on such shares. There is no assurance that the requirements of the national securities exchanges necessary to maintain the listing of shares of any ETF will continue to be met.
Exchange Traded Notes (“ETNs”)
The Fund may invest in ETNs. An investment in an ETN involves risks, including possible loss of principal. ETNs are unsecured debt securities issued by a bank that are linked to the total return of a market index. Risks of investing in ETNs also include limited portfolio diversification, uncertain principal payment, and illiquidity. Additionally, the investor fee will reduce the amount of return on maturity or at redemption, and as a result the investor may receive less than the principal amount at maturity or upon redemption, even if the value of the relevant index has increased. An investment in an ETN may not be suitable for all investors.
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
The Fund may invest in pooled investment vehicles, including limited partnerships. Examples of such vehicles include private equity funds and private equity funds of funds. A private equity fund generally invests in non-public companies that the fund’s manager believes will experience significant growth over a certain time period. A private equity fund of funds invests in other private equity funds of the type described. Investments in private equity funds, once made, typically may not be redeemed for several years, though they may be sold to other investors under certain circumstances.
To the extent that the Fund invests in pooled investment vehicles, such investments may be deemed illiquid. In addition, the Fund will bear its ratable share of such vehicles’ expenses, including its management expenses and performance fees. Performance fees are fees paid to the vehicle’s manager based on the vehicle’s investment performance (or returns) as compared to some benchmark. The fees the Fund pays to invest in a pooled investment vehicle may be higher than the fees it would pay if the manager of the pooled investment vehicle managed the Fund’s assets directly. Further, the performance fees payable to the manager of a pooled investment vehicle may create an incentive for the manager to make investments that are riskier or more speculative than those it might make in the absence of an incentive fee.
INDEXED SECURITIES
The Fund may purchase securities whose prices are indexed to the prices of other securities, securities indices, currencies, precious metals or other commodities, or other financial indicators. Indexed securities typically, but not always, are debt securities or deposits whose value at maturity or coupon rate is determined by reference to a specific instrument or statistic. Gold-indexed securities, for example, typically provide for a maturity value that depends on the price of gold, resulting in a security whose price tends to rise and fall together with gold prices. Currency-indexed securities typically are short-term to intermediate-term debt securities whose maturity values or interest rates are determined by reference to the values of one or more specified foreign currencies, and may offer higher yields than U.S. dollar-denominated securities of equivalent issuers. Currency-indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed; that is, their maturity value may increase when the specified currency value increases, resulting in a security that performs similarly to a foreign-denominated instrument, or their maturity value may decline when foreign currencies increase, resulting in a security whose price characteristics are similar to a put on the underlying currency. Currency-indexed securities may also have prices that depend on the value of a number of different foreign currencies relative to each other.
The performance of indexed securities depends to a great extent on the performance of the security, currency, or other instrument to which they are indexed, and may also be influenced by interest rate changes in the United States and abroad. At the same time, indexed securities are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer of the security, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer’s creditworthiness deteriorates. Recent issuers of indexed securities have included banks, corporations, and certain U.S. government agencies. Indexed securities may be more volatile than the underlying instruments.
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MASTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS (“MLPS”)
The Fund may invest in MLPs. An MLP is an entity eligible for partnership taxation treatment under the Code and whose interests or “units” are traded on securities exchanges like shares of corporate stock. A typical MLP consists of a general partner and limited partners; however, some entities treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes receiving partnership taxation treatment under the Code are established as limited liability companies. The general partner manages the partnership; has an ownership stake in the partnership, typically a 2% general partner equity interest and usually additional common units and subordinated units; and is typically eligible to receive an incentive distribution. The limited partners provide capital to the partnership, have a limited (if any) role in the operation and management of the partnership, and receive cash distributions. An MLP typically pays an established minimum quarterly distribution to common unit holders, as provided under the terms of its partnership agreement. Common units have arrearage rights in distributions to the extent that the MLP fails to make minimum quarterly distributions. Once the MLP distributes the minimum quarterly distribution to common units, subordinated units then are entitled to receive distributions of up to the minimum quarterly distribution, but have no arrearage rights. At the discretion of the general partners’ Boards of Directors, any distributable cash that exceeds the minimum quarterly distribution that the MLP distributed to the common and subordinated units is then distributed to both common and subordinated units, typically on a pro rata basis. An incentive distribution to the general partner provides that as the distribution to limited partnership interests increases, the general partner may receive a proportionately larger share of the total distribution. Incentive distributions are designed to encourage the general partner, who controls and operates the partnership, to maximize the partnership’s cash flow and increase distributions to the limited partners.
Generally speaking, MLP investment returns are enhanced during periods of declining or low interest rates and tend to be negatively influenced when interest rates are rising. As an income vehicle, the unit price can be influenced by general interest rate trends independent of specific underlying fundamentals. In addition, most MLPs are fairly leveraged and typically carry a portion of a “floating” rate debt. As such, a significant upward swing in interest rates would also drive interest expense higher. Furthermore, most MLPs grow by acquisitions partly financed by debt, and higher interest rates could make it more difficult to make acquisitions.
TEMPORARY INVESTMENTS
The Fund may take temporary defensive measures that are inconsistent with the Fund’s normal fundamental or non-fundamental investment policies and strategies in response to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions as determined by the Advisor. Such measures could include, but are not limited to, investments in (1) highly liquid short-term fixed income securities issued by or on behalf of municipal or corporate issuers, obligations of the U.S. government and its agencies, commercial paper, and bank certificates of deposit; (2) repurchase agreements involving any such securities; and (3) other money market instruments. The Fund also may invest in shares of money market mutual funds to the extent permitted under applicable law. Money market mutual funds are investment companies, and the investments in those companies by the Fund are in some cases subject to certain fundamental investment restrictions. As a shareholder in a mutual fund, the Fund will bear its ratable share of its expenses, including management fees, and will remain subject to payment of the fees to the Advisor, with respect to assets so invested. The Fund may not achieve its investment objective(s) during temporary defensive periods.
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
The Fund may invest in any of the following securities and instruments.
Bank Certificates of Deposit, Bankers’ Acceptances and Time Deposits. The Fund may acquire certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances and time deposits in U.S. dollar or foreign currencies. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against monies deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning in effect that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. The commercial banks issuing these short- term instruments which the Fund may acquire must, at the time of purchase, have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million (including assets of both domestic and foreign branches), based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such bank obligations are fully insured by the U.S. government. If the Fund holds instruments of foreign banks or financial institutions, it may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some respects from those incurred if the Fund invests only in debt obligations of U.S. domestic
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issuers. See “Foreign Securities” above. Such risks include future political and economic developments, the possible imposition of withholding taxes by the particular country in which the issuer is located, the possible confiscation or nationalization of foreign deposits, the possible establishment of exchange controls, or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions which may adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these securities.
Domestic banks and foreign banks are subject to different governmental regulations with respect to the amount and types of loans that may be made and interest rates that may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry depends largely upon the availability and cost of funds and the interest income generated from lending operations. General economic conditions, government policy (including emergency reasons) and the quality of loan portfolios affect the banking industry.
As a result of federal and state laws and regulations, domestic banks are required to maintain specified levels of reserves, limited in the amount that they can loan to a single borrower, and are subject to regulations designed to promote financial soundness. However, such laws and regulations may not necessarily apply to foreign banks, thereby affecting the risk involved in bank obligations that the Fund may acquire.
In addition to purchasing certificates of deposit and bankers’ acceptances, to the extent permitted under its investment strategies and policies stated above and in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest in interest-bearing time deposits or other interest-bearing deposits in commercial or savings banks. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained at a banking institution for a specified period of time at a specified interest rate.
Savings Association Obligations. The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (interest-bearing time deposits) issued by savings banks or savings and loan associations that have capital, surplus and undivided profits in excess of $100 million, based on latest published reports, or less than $100 million if the principal amount of such obligations is fully insured by the U.S. government.
Commercial Paper, Short-Term Notes and Other Corporate Obligations. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper and short-term notes. Commercial paper consists of unsecured promissory notes issued by corporations. Issues of commercial paper and short-term notes will normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return, although such instruments may have maturities of up to one year.
The Fund’s investment in commercial paper and short-term notes will consist of issues rated at the time of purchase “A-3” or higher by S&P, “Prime-3” or higher by Moody’s, or similarly rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization or, if unrated, will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These rating symbols are described in Appendix A.
Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations, i.e., credit risk. The Advisor may actively expose the Fund to credit risk. However, there can be no guarantee that the Advisor will be successful in making the right selections and thus fully mitigate the impact of credit risk changes on the Fund.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with respect to its portfolio securities. Pursuant to such agreements, the Fund acquires securities from financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers deemed to be creditworthy by the Advisor, subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase and the Fund’s agreement to resell such securities at a mutually agreed upon date and price. The repurchase price generally equals the price paid by the Fund plus interest negotiated on the basis of current short-term rates (which may be more or less than the rate on the underlying portfolio security). Securities subject to repurchase agreements will be held by the Custodian or in the Federal Reserve/Treasury Book-Entry System or an equivalent foreign system. The seller under a repurchase agreement will be required to maintain the value of the underlying securities at not less than 102% of the repurchase price under the agreement. If the seller defaults on its repurchase obligation, the Fund will suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from a sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase price under the agreement. Bankruptcy or insolvency of such a defaulting seller may cause ’he Fund’s rights with respect to such securities to be delayed or limited. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans under the 1940 Act.
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LENDING PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements and the Fund’s investment restrictions, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to securities broker-dealers or financial institutions, provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund (subject to notice provisions described below), and are at all times secured by cash or cash equivalents, which are maintained in a segregated account pursuant to applicable regulations and that are at least equal to the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such loans is that the Fund continues to receive the income on the loaned securities while at the same time earns interest on the cash amounts deposited as collateral, which will be invested in short-term obligations. The Fund will not lend portfolio securities if such loans are not permitted by the laws or regulations of any state in which its shares are qualified for sale. The Fund’s loans of portfolio securities will be collateralized in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements and no loan will cause the value of all loaned securities to exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets.
A loan may generally be terminated by the borrower on one business day’s notice, or by the Fund on five business days’ notice. If the borrower fails to deliver the loaned securities within five days after receipt of notice or fails to maintain the requisite amount of collateral, the Fund could use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However, these loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms deemed by the Fund’s management to be creditworthy and when the income that can be earned from such loans justifies the attendant risks. Upon termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund. Any gain or loss in the market price during the loan period would inure to the Fund. The risks associated with loans of portfolio securities are substantially similar to those associated with repurchase agreements. Thus, if the counterparty to the loan petitions for bankruptcy or becomes subject to the United States Bankruptcy Code, the law regarding the rights of the Fund is unsettled. As a result, under extreme circumstances, there may be a restriction on the Fund’s ability to sell the collateral, and the Fund would suffer a loss. When voting or consent rights that accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loaned securities, to be delivered within one day after notice, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on the Fund’s investment in such loaned securities. The Fund will pay reasonable finder’s, administrative and custodial fees in connection with a loan of its securities.
MARKET CONDITIONS
Events in certain sectors historically have resulted, and may in the future result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. These events have included, but are not limited to: bankruptcies, corporate restructurings, and other events related to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in 2008; governmental efforts to limit short selling and high frequency trading; measures to address U.S. federal and state budget deficits; social, political, and economic instability in Europe; economic stimulus by the Japanese central bank; steep declines in oil prices; dramatic changes in currency exchange rates; public health emergencies (including widespread health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic) China’s economic slowdown; and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and, more recently, higher inflation. Interconnected global economies and financial markets increase the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Such events may cause significant declines in the values and liquidity of many securities and other instruments. It is impossible to predict whether such conditions will recur. Because such situations may be widespread, it may be difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of such events.
DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CHINA REGION
After nearly 30 years of unprecedented growth, the People’s Republic of China now faces a slowing economy. The real estate market, which many observers believed to be inflated, has begun to decline. Local governments, which had borrowed heavily to bolster growth, face high debt burdens and limited revenue sources. As a result, demand for Chinese exports by the U.S. and countries in Europe, and demands for Chinese imports from such countries, may weaken due to the effects of more limited economic growth. Additionally, Chinese actions to lay claim to disputed islands have caused relations with China’s regional trading partners to suffer, and could cause further disruption to regional and international trade. From time to time China has experienced outbreaks of infectious illnesses, and the country may be subject to other public health threats, infectious illnesses, diseases or similar issues in the future. Any spread of an infectious illness, public health threat or similar issue could reduce consumer demand or economic
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output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the Chinese economy. In the long run, China’s ability to develop and sustain a credible legal, regulatory, monetary, and socioeconomic system could influence the course of outside investment.
EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS
A number of countries in Europe have experienced severe economic and financial difficulties. Many non- governmental issuers, and even certain governments, have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts; many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit or refinancing existing obligations; financial institutions have in many cases required government or central bank support, have needed to raise capital, and/or have been impaired in their ability to extend credit; and financial markets in Europe and elsewhere have experienced extreme volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. These difficulties may continue, worsen or spread within or outside Europe. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.
The European Union (the “EU”) currently faces major issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies, including the successful political, economic and social integration of new member states, the EU’s resettlement and distribution of refugees, and resolution of the EU’s problematic fiscal and democratic accountability. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the Euro, the common currency of the EU, and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching.
United Kingdom Exit from the EU. On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom (the “UK”) formally withdrew from the EU (commonly referred to as “Brexit”) and, after a transition period, left the EU single market and customs union under the terms of a new trade agreement, effective January 1, 2021. The agreement governs the new relationship between the UK and EU with respect to trading goods and services, but certain aspects of the relationship remain unresolved and subject to further negotiation and agreement. The effects of Brexit are also being shaped by the trade agreements that the UK negotiates with other countries. Although the longer term political, regulatory, and economic consequences of Brexit are uncertain, Brexit has caused volatility in UK, EU, and global markets. The potential negative effects of Brexit on the UK and EU economies and the broader global economy could include, among others, business and trade disruptions, increased volatility and illiquidity, currency fluctuations, and potentially lower economic growth of markets in the UK, EU, and globally, which could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments. Brexit could also lead to legal uncertainty and politically divergent national laws and regulations while the relationship between the UK and EU continues to be defined and the UK determines which EU laws to replace or replicate.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. Russia has attempted to assert its influence in Eastern Europe in the recent past through economic and military measures, including military incursions into Georgia in 2008 and eastern Ukraine in 2014, heightening geopolitical risk in the region and tensions with the West. On February 24, 2022, Russia initiated a large-scale invasion of Ukraine resulting in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians from their homes, a substantial loss of life, and the widespread destruction of property and infrastructure throughout Ukraine. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the governments of the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and many other nations joined together to impose heavy economic sanctions on certain Russian individuals, including its political leaders, as well as Russian corporate and banking entities and other Russian industries and businesses. The sanctions restrict companies from doing business with Russia and Russian companies, prohibit transactions with the Russian central bank and other key Russian financial institutions and entities, ban Russian airlines and ships from using many other countries’ airspace and ports, respectively, and place a freeze on certain Russian assets. The sanctions also removed some Russian banks from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT), the electronic network that connects banks globally to facilitate cross-border payments. In addition, the United States has banned oil and other energy imports from Russia, and the United Kingdom made a commitment to phase out oil imports from Russia by the end of 2022. The United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and their global allies may impose additional sanctions or other intergovernmental actions against Russia in the future, but Russia may respond in kind by imposing retaliatory economic sanctions or countermeasures. The extent and duration
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of the war in Ukraine and the longevity and severity of sanctions remain unknown, but they could have a significant adverse impact on the European economy as well as the price and availability of certain commodities, including oil and natural gas, throughout the world. Further, an escalation of the military conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders could result in significant, long-lasting damage to the economies of Eastern and Western Europe as well as the global economy.
General. Whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments due to the interconnected nature of the global economy and capital markets. The Fund may also be susceptible to these events to the extent that the Fund invests in municipal obligations with credit support by non-U.S. financial institutions.
Cybersecurity Risk
Investment companies, such as the Fund, and its service providers may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber attacks. Cyber attacks include, among other behaviors, stealing or corrupting data maintained online or digitally, denial of service attacks on websites, the unauthorized release of confidential information or various other forms of cybersecurity breaches. Cyber attacks affecting the Fund or the Advisor, the Fund’s custodian, or transfer agent, or intermediaries or other third-party service providers may adversely impact the Fund. For instance, cyber attacks may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential company information, impede trading, subject the Fund to regulatory fines or financial losses, and cause reputational damage. The Fund may also incur additional costs for cybersecurity risk management purposes. While the Fund and its service providers have established business continuity plans and risk management systems designed to prevent or reduce the impact of cybersecurity attacks, such plans and systems have inherent limitations due in part to the ever-changing nature of technology and cybersecurity attack tactics, and there is a possibility that certain risks have not been adequately identified or prepared for. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control any cybersecurity plans or systems implemented by its service providers.
Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause the Fund’s investment in such portfolio companies to lose value.
LIBOR Risk
The London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) was a leading benchmark or reference rate for various commercial and financial contracts, including corporate and municipal bonds, bank loans, asset-backed and mortgage- related securities, interest rate swaps and other derivatives. On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced the gradual phase out of the LIBOR rate, with nearly all LIBOR rate publications having ceased as of June 30, 2023 (some LIBOR rates continue to be published, but only on a temporary and synthetic basis). Alternatives to LIBOR have been established and others may be developed. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has identified the SOFR as the preferred alternative rate to LIBOR. SOFR is a relatively new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities. There remains uncertainty surrounding the nature of any replacement rates.
The transition to a new reference rate may result in (i) increased volatility or illiquidity in markets for instruments or contracts that previously relied on or still rely on LIBOR; (ii) a reduction in the value of certain instruments or contracts held by a Fund; (iii) reduced effectiveness of related Fund transactions, such as hedging; (iv) additional tax, accounting and regulatory risks; or (v) costs incurred in connection with closing out positions and entering into new trades. Any pricing adjustments to a Fund’s investments resulting from a substitute reference rate may also adversely affect the Fund’s performance and/or NAV. There is no assurance that the composition or characteristics of any such alternative reference rate will be similar to or produce the same value or economic equivalence as LIBOR or that instruments or contracts using an alternative rate will have the same volume or liquidity.
B-33
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
The Fund has adopted the following restrictions as fundamental policies, which may not be changed without the favorable “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the “vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund means the vote of the holders of the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares of the Fund represented at a meeting at which the holders of more than 50% of its outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund’s investment objective is a non-fundamental policy and may be changed without shareholder approval. The Fund may:
(1) Issue senior securities, borrow money or pledge its assets, except as permitted under the 1940 Act.
(2) Act as underwriter, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities in its investment portfolio.
(3) Invest 25% or more of its total assets, calculated at the time of purchase, in any one industry (other than securities issued by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities).
(4) Purchase or sell real estate or interests in real estate or real estate limited partnerships (although the Fund may purchase and sell securities which are secured by real estate and securities of companies which invest or deal in real estate, such as real estate investment trusts (REITs)).
(5) Make loans of money, except (a) for purchases of debt securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund, (b) by engaging in repurchase agreements or, (c) through the loan of portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of the Fund’s net assets.
(6) Invest in physical commodities or commodity contracts or purchase or sell commodities, except that the Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and options; may enter into foreign exchange contracts; may enter into swap agreements and other financial transactions not requiring the delivery of physical commodities; and may purchase or sell options on commodity contracts in compliance with applicable commodities laws.
The Fund has also adopted the following fundamental policies with respect to the repurchase of its Shares:
• On a quarterly basis, the Fund will make an offer to repurchase a designated percentage of the outstanding shares from shareholders (a “Repurchase Offer”), pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act, as it may be amended from time to time (“Rule 23c-3”). Currently, Rule 23c-3 requires Repurchase Offer amounts to be not less than 5% and not more than 25% of the common shares outstanding on the Repurchase Request Deadline.
• The Fund will repurchase shares that are tendered by a specific date. The Fund’s Board will establish the Repurchase Request Deadline for each Repurchase Offer in accordance with Rule 23c-3. Currently, Rule 23c-3 requires the Repurchase Request Deadline to be no less than 21 and no more than 42 days after the Fund sends notification to shareholders of the repurchase offer. The Repurchase Request Deadline may be revised by the Advisor, in its sole discretion, based on factors such as market conditions, the level of the Fund’s assets and shareholder servicing considerations provided that the Board is notified of this change and the reasons for it.
• There will be a maximum 14 calendar day period (or the next business day if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the Repurchase Pricing Date applicable to the Repurchase Offer is determined.
B-34
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
The Board of Trustees (the “Board”) supervises the affairs of the Fund.
Trustees and Officers
The overall management of the business and affairs of the Fund is vested with its Board of Trustees. The Board approves all significant agreements between the Fund and persons or companies furnishing services to it, including the agreements with the Advisor, co-administrators, distributor, custodian and transfer agent. The day-to-day operations of the Fund are delegated to its officers, except that the Advisor is responsible for making day-to-day investment decisions in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, strategies, and policies, all of which are subject to general supervision by the Board.
The Trustees, and officers of the Trust, their years of birth and positions with the Trust, term of office with the Trust and length of time served, their business addresses and principal occupations during the past five years and other directorships held during the past five years are listed in the table below.
|
Name, Address, Year |
Term of |
Principal Occupation During |
Number of |
Other |
|
“Independent” Trustees: |
||||
|
Megan Webber, CPA (born 1975) |
Indefinite; Trustee Since August 2014; Chairperson since February 2019 |
Financial Reporting Manager, The Anschutz Corporation – (2000 – present). Supervising Audit Senior, KPMG, LLP – (1997 – 2000). |
1 |
Palmer Square Capital BDC (includes 1 portfolio); Palmer Square Funds Trust (includes 3 portfolios). |
|
James Neville Jr. |
Indefinite; Since August 2014 |
Portfolio Manager, Great Plains Principal Trading (January 2012 – present). Proprietary Trader – (1987 – 2011). |
1 |
Palmer Square Capital BDC (includes 1 portfolio); Palmer Square Funds Trust (includes 3 portfolios). |
|
Christoper C. Nelson (born 1974) |
Indefinite; Since February 2024 |
Wealth Advisor, SeaCrest Wealth Management (2018 – present). |
1 |
Palmer Square Capital BDC (includes 1 portfolio); Palmer Square Funds Trust (includes 3 portfolios). |
B-35
|
Name, Address, Year |
Term of |
Principal Occupation During |
Number of |
Other |
|
Officers of the Trust: |
||||
|
Jeffrey Fox |
Indefinite; President since April 2020 and Treasurer since March 2017 |
President (March 2020 – present) and Managing Director (April 2013 – present), Palmer Square Capital Management, LLC. |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Scott Betz |
Indefinite; Since April 2018 |
Chief Operating Officer, Palmer Square Capital Management, LLC (March 2018 – present). Chief Compliance Officer, Palmer Square Capital Management, LLC (March 2018 – March 2021). Chief Operating Officer, Scout Investments, (December 2010 – March 2018). Chief Compliance Officer, Scout Investments (May 2016 – January 2018). |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Stacy Brice |
Indefinite; Since November 2019 |
Chief Compliance Officer (March 2021 – present) and Legal Counsel (August 2019 – present), Palmer Square Capital Management, LLC. Vice President of Compliance, Palmer Square Capital Management, LLC (August 2019 – March 2019). Deputy Chief Compliance Officer, LibreMax Capital (January 2017 – May 2019), and Senior Compliance Officer LibreMax Capital (September 2015 – January 2017). Compliance Officer, Glade Brook Capital Partners, LLC (March 2012 – September 2015). |
N/A |
N/A |
The address for the Trustees and officers is 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, KS 66205.
Additional Information Concerning the Board and the Trustees
The Board of Trustees is comprised of three members, all of whom are Independent Trustees. Ms. Webber serves as Chairperson of the Board. The organization of the Board of Trustees reflects the judgment of the Trustees that it is in the interest of the Fund and its shareholders to have an independent. Board. Senior representatives of the Advisor familiar with the day-to-day operations of the Fund are present at Board meetings to provide information to the Trustees. In addition, senior representatives of the Advisor oversee the business of the Fund and communicate with the Trustees as necessary between the meetings. The Trustees believe that the small size of the Board assures
B-36
significant participation by each Board member. Additionally, the Board carries out certain of its functions through an Audit Committee and a Nominating and Governance Committee. The Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee are discussed further below.
The Trustees were selected to join the Board based upon the following factors, among others: character and integrity; willingness to serve; and willingness and ability to commit the time necessary to perform the duties of a Trustee. In addition, the Trustees have the following specific experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills relevant to the operations of the Fund:
• Ms. Webber has significant senior executive experience with respect to financial reporting and accounting, including at privately held company and through service in a senior position at a large independent public accounting firm.
• Mr. Neville has substantial experience in investment management, with over 36 years of experience in portfolio management and trading.
• Mr. Nelson has substantial experience in investment management, with over 25 years of experience in portfolio management and trading.
• In its periodic self-assessment of the effectiveness of the Board, the Board will consider the complementary individual skills and experience of the individual Trustees primarily in the broader context of the Board’s overall composition so that the Board, as a body, possesses the appropriate (and appropriately diverse) skills and experience to oversee the business of the Fund. The summaries set forth above as to the qualifications, attributes and skills of the Trustees are required by the registration form adopted by the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience, and do not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board as a whole than would otherwise be the case.
The Board of Trustees has two standing committees: the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.
• The function of the Audit Committee is to review the scope and results of the Fund’s annual audit and any matters bearing on the audit of the Fund’s financial statements and to assist the Board’s oversight of the integrity of the Fund’s pricing and financial reporting. The Audit Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees and is chaired by Ms. Webber. The Audit Committee met two times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 with respect to the Fund. The Audit Committee also serves as the Qualified Legal Compliance Committee (“QLCC”) for the Trust for the purpose of compliance with Rules 205.2(k) and 205.3(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations regarding alternative reporting procedures for attorneys retained or employed by an issuer who appear and practice before the SEC on behalf of the issuer. The QLCC meets as needed.
• The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing matters pertaining to composition, committees, and operations of the Board and meets from time to time as needed. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider nominees properly recommended by the Fund’s shareholders. Shareholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations that include, among other things, biographical data and the qualifications of the proposed nominee to the Fund’s Secretary. The Nominating and Governance Committee is comprised of all of the Independent Trustees and is chaired by Mr. Neville. The Nominating and Governance Committee met once during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.
The Independent Trustees also regularly meet outside the presence of management and are advised by independent legal counsel. The Board has determined that its organization and leadership structure are appropriate in light of its fiduciary and oversight obligations and the special obligations of the Independent Trustees. The Board also believes that its structure facilitates the orderly and efficient flow of information to the Independent Trustees from management.
Consistent with its responsibility for oversight of the Fund in the interests of shareholders, the Board among other things oversees risk management of the Fund’s investment programs and business affairs directly and through the Audit Committee. The Board has emphasized to the Advisor the importance of maintaining vigorous risk management
B-37
programs and procedures. The Fund faces a number of risks, such as investment risk, valuation risk, reputational risk, risk of operational failure or lack of business continuity, and legal, compliance and regulatory risk. Risk management seeks to identify and address risks, i.e., events or circumstances that could have material adverse effects on the business, operations, shareholder services, investment performance or reputation of the Fund. Under the overall supervision of the Board, the Advisor and other service providers to the Fund employ a variety of processes, procedures and controls to identify various of those possible events or circumstances, to lessen the probability of their occurrence and/or to mitigate the effects of such events or circumstances if they do occur. Different processes, procedures and controls are employed with respect to different types of risks. Various personnel, including the Fund’s CCO, the Advisor’s management, and other service providers (such as the Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm) make periodic reports to the Board or to the Audit Committee with respect to various aspects of risk management. The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s investment objectives, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to substantial limitations.
Compensation
Each Trustee who is not an employee of the Advisor receives $7,500 from the Fund quarterly.
|
Name of Person/Position |
Aggregate |
Pension or |
Estimated |
Total Compensation |
|
Independent Trustees: |
||||
|
Megan Leigh Webber, Trustee |
$30,000 |
__ |
__ |
$30,000 |
|
James Neville Jr., Trustee |
$30,000 |
__ |
__ |
$30,000 |
|
Christopher Nelson, Trustee2 |
$22,500 |
__ |
__ |
$22,500 |
____________
1 For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.
2 Mr. Nelson was appointed as a Trustee on February 15, 2024.
Fund Shares Beneficially Owned by Trustees
Certain information regarding ownership by the Trustees of the Fund, as of July 31, 2024, is set forth in the following table.
|
Name of Trustee |
Dollar Range of |
|
Megan Webber, Independent Trustee |
$0 |
|
James Neville Jr., Independent Trustee |
$0 |
|
Christopher Nelson, Independent Trustee |
$0 |
CODE OF ETHICS
The Fund and the Advisor each have adopted a code of ethics in accordance with Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit the personnel of these entities to invest in securities, including securities that the Fund may purchase or hold. The codes of ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
B-38
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Board has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Policies”) on behalf of the Fund, which delegate the responsibility for voting the Fund’s proxies to the Advisor, subject t’ the Board’s continuing oversight. The Policies require that the Advisor vote proxies received in a manner consistent with the best interests of the Fund. The Policies also require the Advisor to present to the Board, at least annually, the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (“Proxy Policies”) and a record of each proxy voted by the Advisor on behalf of the Fund, including a report on the resolution of all proxies identified by the Advisor as involving a conflict of interest. See Appendix B for the Advisor’s Proxy Policies and Guidelines. The Proxy Policies are intended to serve as a guideline and to further the economic value of each security held by the Fund. The Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) will review the Proxy Policies on a regular basis. Each proxy will be considered individually, taking into account the relevant circumstances at the time of each vote.
If a proxy proposal raises a material conflict between the Advisor’s interests and the Fund’s interests, the Advisor will resolve the conflict by following the Advisor’s policy guidelines or the recommendation of an independent third party.
The Fund is required to annually file Form N-PX, which lists the Fund’s complete proxy voting record for the 12-month period ended June 30th each year. Once filed, the Fund’s proxy voting record will be available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-800-736-1145 and on the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES
The Advisor
Palmer Square Capital Management LLC, or the Advisor, is a Delaware limited liability company with its principal offices at 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, KS 66205. The Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (the “Investment Advisory Agreement”) with the Advisor. Christopher D. Long, Founder of Palmer Square and a portfolio manager of the Fund, and Angie K. Long, Chief Investment Officer of Palmer Square and a portfolio manager of the Fund, have a controlling interest in the Advisor.
Subject to such policies as the Board of Trustees may determine, the Advisor is ultimately responsible for investment decisions for the Fund. Pursuant to the terms of the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor provides the Fund with such investment advice as it deems necessary for the proper supervision of the Fund’s investments. The Advisor also monitors and maintains the Fund’s investment criteria and determines from time to time what securities may be purchased by the Fund.
After its initial two-year period, the Investment Advisory Agreement continues in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board or by vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities and by a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to the Investment Advisory Agreement or interested persons of any such party, at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Investment Advisory Agreement. The Investment Advisory Agreement is terminable without penalty by the Fund, upon giving the Advisor 60 days’ notice when authorized either by a majority vote of the Fund’s shareholders or by a vote of a majority of the Board, or by the Advisor on 60 days’ written notice, and will automatically terminate in the event of its “assignment” (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that the Advisor shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the Investment Advisory Agreement, except for a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, or for a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or from reckless disregard by the Advisor of its duties under the Investment Advisory Agreement.
In consideration of the services to be provided by the Advisor pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor is entitled to receive from the Fund an investment advisory fee computed daily and paid monthly based on an annual rate equal to a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets specified in the Prospectus.
B-39
The Fund paid the following advisory fees to the Advisor:
|
|
Advisory Fees |
Advisory Fees |
Advisory Fee |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 |
$3,151,055 |
$0 |
$3,151,055 |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023 |
$2,712,841 |
$0 |
$2,712,841 |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 |
$2,379,877 |
$0 |
$2,379,877 |
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Angie K. Long, Christopher D. Long and Taylor R. Moore are jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to- day management of the Fund (each a “Portfolio Manager” and, together, the “Portfolio Managers”). Ms. Long and Mr. Long have managed the Fund since it commenced operations on August 29, 2014, and Mr. Moore has managed the Fund since December 1, 2019.
The following tables show information regarding accounts (other than the Fund) managed by each named portfolio manager as of July 31, 2024:
|
Registered |
Other Pooled |
|
||||
|
Portfolio Managers |
Number of |
Total Assets |
Number of |
Total Assets |
Number of |
Total Assets |
|
Angie K. Long, CFA |
5 |
$1,299 |
59 |
$28,001 |
60 |
$2,489 |
|
Christopher D. Long |
4 |
$1,141 |
59 |
$28,001 |
86 |
$2,503 |
|
Taylor Moore, CFA |
3 |
$291 |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
|
Number of Accounts with Advisory Fee Based on Performance |
||||||
|
Registered |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
|
||||
|
Portfolio Managers |
Number of |
Total Assets |
Number of |
Total Assets |
Number of |
Total Assets |
|
Angie K. Long, CFA |
0 |
$0 |
54 |
$25,747 |
0 |
$0 |
|
Christopher D. Long |
0 |
$0 |
54 |
$25,747 |
0 |
$0 |
|
Taylor Moore, CFA |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
0 |
$0 |
Securities Ownership of Portfolio Managers
The following chart sets forth the dollar range of Fund shares owned by each portfolio manager in the Fund as of July 31, 2024.
|
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Dollar Range of Securities in the Fund |
|
Angie K. Long, CFA |
None |
|
Christopher D. Long |
None |
|
Taylor Moore, CFA |
None |
Portfolio Manager Compensation Structure
The portfolio managers receive a fixed base salary and a discretionary bonus. Each portfolio manager is an equity owner of the Advisor and shares in the Advisor’s profits. The portfolio managers’ compensation arrangements are not determined on the basis of specific funds or accounts managed.
B-40
Potential Conflicts of Interest Involving the Portfolio Managers
It is possible that conflicts of interest may arise in connection with the portfolio managers’ management’f the Fund’s investments on the one hand and the investments of other accounts or vehicles for which the portfolio managers are responsible on the other. For example, a portfolio manager may have conflicts of interest in allocating management time, resources and investment opportunities among the Fund and the other accounts or vehicles the portfolio manager advises. In addition, due to differences in the investment strategies or restrictions among the Fund and the other accounts, a portfolio manager may take action with respect to another account that differs from the action taken with respect to the Fund. In some cases, another account managed by a portfolio manager may provide more revenue to the Advisor. While this may appear to create additional conflicts of interest for the portfolio manager in the allocation of management time, resources and investment opportunities, the Advisor strives to ensure that portfolio managers endeavor to exercise their discretion in a manner that is equitable to all interested persons. In this regard, in the absence of specific account-related impediments, it is the policy of the Advisor to allocate investment ideas pro rata to all accounts with the same primary investment objective.
The goal of the Advisor is to provide high quality investment services to all of its clients, while meeting its fiduciary obligation to treat all clients fairly. The Advisor have adopted and implemented policies and procedures, including brokerage and trade allocation policies and procedures that it believes address the conflicts associated with managing multiple accounts for multiple clients.
CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
Taxation of the Fund: In General
The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Fund is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authorities, as of the date of the preparation of this SAI. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular situation and the possible application of foreign, state and local tax laws.
The Fund has elected to be, and intends to qualify each year for treatment as, a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify for the tax treatment accorded regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among others:
(a) derive at least 90% of its gross income for each taxable year from (i) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies and (ii) net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined in the Code) (the “90% Income Test”);
(b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to a value not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, (x) in the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other regulated investment companies) of any one issuer or of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, or (y) in the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as defined in the Code) (the “Asset Test and;
(c) distribute with respect to each taxable year an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of the Fund’s investment company taxable income for such year (including, for this purpose, (the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses), computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction, and 90% of the Fund’s and net tax-exempt interest income for such year (the “Distribution Requirement”).
B-41
For purposes of the 90% Income Test, income derived from a partnership will generally be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership which would be qualifying income if recognized directly by the regulated investment company. However, 100% of the net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” will be treated as qualifying income.
Gains from foreign currencies (including foreign currency options, foreign currency swaps, foreign currency futures and foreign currency forward contracts) currently constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 90% Income Test. However, the Treasury Department has the authority to issue regulations (possibly with retroactive effect) excluding from the definition of “qualifying income” the Fund’s foreign currency gains to the extent that such income is not directly related to the Fund’s principal business of investing in stock or securities (or options and futures with respect to stock or securities).
In general, if the Fund qualifies for treatment as a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income distributed in a timely manner to its shareholders.
If the Fund fails to satisfy the 90% Income Test or the Asset Test, the Fund may be eligible for relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the Asset Test where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period of time. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the Asset Test, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions are not available to the Fund and it fails to qualify as a regulated investment company in any taxable year, the Fund would be subject to tax on its taxable income at the regular corporate rate (currently 21%). In addition, all distributions from earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as dividend income. Such dividend income would generally be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders or for treatment as qualified dividend income to noncorporate shareholders, subject to holding period and other limitations of general applicability. Finally, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company.
The Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction) and may distribute its net capital gain (i.e., the excess, if any, of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses). If the Fund failed to satisfy the Distribution Requirement for any taxable year, it would be taxed as a regular corporation, with consequences similar to those described above. If the Fund meets the Distribution Requirement but retains some or all of its taxable income or gains, it will be subject to tax at the regular corporate income tax rate to the extent any such taxable income or gains are not distributed. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. However, the Fund may report the retained capital gain amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their proportionate shares of such undistributed amount, (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the income tax paid by the Fund on that undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and (iii) may claim refunds on properly-filed U.S. tax returns to the extent their respective credits exceed their respective liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence.
If the Fund fails to distribute (and is not deemed to distribute) in a calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income generally for the one-year period ending October 31 of that year, plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the under-distributed taxable amounts. For this purpose, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund intends to make distributions in the amounts sufficient and at the times necessary to avoid the imposition of this 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so. For example, the Fund may receive delayed or corrected tax reporting statements from its investments that cause the Fund to accrue additional income and gains after the Fund has already made its excise tax distributions for the year. In such a situation, the Fund may incur an excise tax liability resulting from such delayed receipt of such tax information statements.
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Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a regulated investment company’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, a regulated investment company may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to offset capital gains in future years. The Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss indefinitely. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to shareholders. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to treat certain losses as though they were incurred on the first day of the taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which they were actually incurred.
Fund Distributions
Distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before a shareholder’s investment (and thus were included in the price the shareholder paid for his or her shares). Such distributions may occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund’s NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized or realized but not distributed. Such realized gains may be required to be distributed even when the Fund’s NAV also reflects unrealized losses.
Distributions of net capital gain that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or reinvested in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. Long-term capital gains are generally taxed to non-corporate shareholders at rates of up to 20%. All other distributions from the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits are generally subject to tax as ordinary income.
Any distributions of investment income reported by the Fund as “qualified dividend income” will be taxed in the hands of individuals at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain, provided that both the shareholder and the Fund meet certain holding period and other requirements. Specifically, in order for some portion of the dividends received by the Fund shareholder to be “qualified dividend income,” the Fund must meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to the Fund’s shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) a passive foreign investment company. Since the Fund will invest primarily in investments that do not pay dividends, it is not expected that a significant portion of dividends paid by the Fund will qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax rate available to non-corporate shareholders on qualified dividend income.
Dividends of net investment income received by corporate shareholders of the Fund will qualify for the 50% dividends received deduction generally available to corporations to the extent of the amount of qualifying dividends, if any, received by the Fund from domestic corporations for the taxable year. A dividend received by the Fund will not be treated as a qualifying dividend (1) if the stock on which the dividend is paid is considered to be “debt-financed” (generally, acquired with borrowed funds), (2) if it has been received with respect to any share of stock that the Fund has held for less than 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date which is 45 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (less than 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date in the case of certain preferred stock) or (3) to the extent that the Fund is under an obligation (pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Moreover, the dividends received deduction may be disallowed or reduced (1) if the corporate shareholder fails to satisfy the foregoing requirements with respect to its shares of the Fund or (2) otherwise by application of the Code. Since the Fund will invest primarily in investments that do not pay dividends, it is not expected that a significant portion of dividends paid by the Fund will qualify for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders.
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A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high yield discount obligations owned by the Fund may be treated as a dividend for purposes of the corporate dividends received deduction. In such cases, if the issuer of the high yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund may be eligible for the dividends received deduction to the extent of the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.
Distributions are taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned before your investment (and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares). In general, you will be taxed on the distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you receive them as additional shares or in cash.
You should note that if you purchase shares just before a distribution, the purchase price would reflect the amount of the upcoming distribution. In this case, you would be taxed on the entire amount of the distribution received, even though, as an economic matter, the distribution simply constitutes a return of your investment. This is known as “buying a dividend” and generally should be avoided by taxable investors.
A regulated investment company that receives business interest income may pass through its net business interest income for purposes of the tax rules applicable to the interest expense limitations under Section 163(j) of the Code. A regulated investment company’s total “Section 163(j) Interest Dividend” for a tax year is limited to the excess of the regulated investment company’s business interest income over the sum of its business interest expense and its other deductions properly allocable to its business interest income. A regulated investment company may, in its discretion, designate all or a portion of ordinary dividends as Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, which would allow the recipient shareholder to treat the designated portion of such dividends as interest income for purposes of determining such shareholder’s interest expense deduction limitation under Section 163(j). This can potentially increase the amount of a shareholder’s interest expense deductible under Section 163(j). In general, to be eligible to treat a Section 163(j) Interest Dividend as interest income, you must have held your shares in the Fund for more than 180 days during the 361-day period beginning on the date that is 180 days before the date on which the share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend. Section 163(j) Interest Dividends, if so designated by the Fund, will be reported to your financial intermediary or otherwise in accordance with the requirements specified by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”).
Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared.
In addition, certain distributions made after the close of a taxable year of the Fund may be “spilled back” and treated for certain purposes as paid by the Fund during such taxable year. In such case, shareholders generally will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made. For purposes of calculating the amount of a regulated investment company’s undistributed income and gain subject to the 4% excise tax described above, such “spilled back” dividends are treated as paid by the regulated investment company when they are actually paid.
If the Fund makes a distribution to a shareholder in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of such shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, and thereafter as capital gain. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable, but will reduce the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition of the shares on which the distribution was received by the shareholder.
Sale, Repurchases and Exchanges
The sale, repurchase or exchange of Fund shares may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held by a shareholder as a capital asset will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on a taxable disposition of Fund shares will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized by a shareholder upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares will be disallowed if other substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. A repurchase by the Fund of its shares from a shareholder generally is expected to be treated as a sale of the shares by the shareholder. If, however, the
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shareholder continues to own shares of the Fund after the repurchase (including shares owned by attribution), and if the repurchase does not otherwise qualify under the Code for treatment as a sale of shares, some or all of the amounts received by a shareholder in a repurchase may be recharacterized either as a distribution of net investment income or, in some cases, as a capital gain dividend. There is also a risk that shareholders who do not participate in the repurchase may be deemed to have received such a distribution as a result of their proportionate increase in the ownership of the Fund. The Fund will use its judgment in reporting repurchases as sales or deemed distributions, but the IRS may disagree with the Fund’s reporting. The Fund could also recognize income in connection with the liquidation of portfolio securities to fund share repurchases. Any such income would be taken into account in determining whether the distribution requirements were satisfied. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with reference to their individual circumstances to determine whether any particular transaction in Fund shares (including a repurchase) is properly treated as a sale for tax purposes, as this discussion generally assumes, and to ascertain the tax treatment of any gains or losses recognized in such transactions.
Net Investment Income Tax
Fund distributions and gains on the sale of Fund shares will generally be included in the computation of net investment income for purposes of the 3.8% net investment income tax, which applies to U.S. individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds. This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
Foreign Taxes and Investments
Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the Fund’s assets at year-end consist of the securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their income tax returns for their pro rata portions of qualified taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries in respect of foreign securities that the Fund has held for at least the minimum period specified in the Code. In such a case, shareholders will include in gross income from foreign sources their pro rata share of such taxes. A shareholder’s ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction in respect of foreign taxes paid by the Fund may be subject to certain limitations imposed by the Code, which may result in the shareholder’s not getting a full credit or deduction for the amount of such taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize on their federal income tax returns may claim a credit (but not a deduction) for such foreign taxes.
The Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency-denominated debt obligations and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned.
Certain Investments in Debt Obligations
If the Fund purchases a debt obligation with acquisition discount or original issue discount (“OID”), the Fund may be required to include the acquisition discount or OID in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt obligations having acquisition discount or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income by the Fund. The Fund may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount which is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities, if necessary. The Fund may realize gains or losses from such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive larger distributions than they would in the absence of such transactions.
Payment-in-kind securities will also give rise to income which is required to be distributed even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year. In addition, investments in certain ETNs may accrue interest, which is required to be distributed to shareholders, even though the Fund may not receive any interest payment in cash on the security during the year.
Investments in debt obligations that are in the lowest rating categories or are unrated, including debt obligations of issuers at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities and how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated
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between principal and interest. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Derivative Transactions
If the Fund engages in derivative transactions, including transactions in options, futures contracts, forward contracts, swap agreements, foreign currencies and straddles, notional principal contracts or other similar transactions, including for hedging purposes, it will be subject to special tax rules (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules), the effect of which may be to accelerate income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities, convert long-term capital gains into short-term capital gains and convert short-term capital losses into long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders and affect the Fund’s ability to qualify as regulated investment company.
The Fund is required for federal income tax purposes to mark to market and recognize as income for each taxable year its net unrealized gains and losses on certain futures and options contracts subject to section 1256 of the Code (“Section 1256 Contracts”) as of the end of the year as well as those actually realized during the year. Gain or loss from Section 1256 Contracts on broad-based indexes required to be marked to market will be 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. Application of this rule may alter the timing and character of distributions to shareholders. The Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on Section 1256 Contracts to the extent of any unrecognized gains on offsetting positions held by the Fund. These provisions may also require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirement and for avoiding the excise tax discussed above. Accordingly, to avoid certain income and excise taxes, the Fund may be required to liquidate its investments at a time when the investment adviser might not otherwise have chosen to do so.
Offsetting positions held by the Fund involving certain derivative instruments, such as options, forwards, and futures, as well as its long and short positions in portfolio securities, may be considered to constitute “straddles” for federal income tax purposes. In general, straddles are subject to certain rules that may affect the amount, character and timing of the Fund’s gains and losses with respect to the straddle positions by requiring, among other things, that: (1) any loss realized on disposition of one position of a straddle may not be recognized to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains with respect to the other positions in the straddle; (2) the Fund’s holding period in straddle positions be suspended while the straddle exists (possibly resulting in a gain being treated as short-term rather than long-term capital gain); (3) the losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that are part of a mixed straddle and are non-Section 1256 Contracts be treated as 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital loss; (4) losses recognized with respect to certain straddle positions that would otherwise constitute short-term capital losses be treated as long-term capital losses; and (5) the deduction of interest and carrying charges attributable to certain straddle positions may be deferred. Various elections are available to the Fund, which may mitigate the effects of the straddle rules, particularly with respect to mixed straddles.
In general, the straddle rules described above do not apply to any straddles held by the Fund if all of the offsetting positions consist of Section 1256 Contracts. The straddle rules described above also do not apply if all the offsetting positions making up a straddle consist of one or more “qualified covered call options” and the stock to be purchased under the options and the straddle is not part of a larger straddle. A qualified covered call option is generally any option granted by the Fund to purchase stock it holds (or stock it acquires in connection with granting the option) if, among other things, (1) the option is traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the SEC or other market the IRS determined has rules adequate to carry out the purposes of the applicable Code provision, (2) the option is granted more than 30 days before it expires, (3) the option is not a “deep-in-the-money option,” (4) such option is not granted by an options dealer in connection with his activity of dealing in options, and (5) gain or loss with respect to the option is not ordinary income or loss. In addition, the straddle rules could cause distributions from the Fund that would otherwise constitute “qualified dividend income” or qualify for the dividends received deduction to fail to satisfy the applicable holding period requirements.
To the extent the Fund writes options that are not Section 1256 Contracts, the amount of the premium received by the Fund for writing such options is likely to be entirely short-term capital gain to the Fund. In addition, if such an option is closed by the Fund, any gain or loss realized by the Fund as a result of closing the transaction will also
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generally be short-term capital gain or loss. If such an option is exercised any gain or loss realized by the Fund upon the sale of the underlying security pursuant to such exercise will generally be short-term or long-term capital gain or loss to the Fund depending on the Fund’s holding period for the underlying security.
If the Fund enters into a “constructive sale” of any appreciated financial position in its portfolio, the Fund will be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and must recognize gain (but not loss) with respect to that position. A constructive sale of an appreciated financial position occurs when the Fund enters into certain offsetting transactions with respect to the same or substantially identical property, including, but not limited to: (i) a short sale; (ii) an offsetting notional principal contract; (iii) a futures or forward contract; or (iv) other transactions identified in future Treasury regulations. The character of the gain from constructive sales will depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the appreciated financial position. Losses realized from a sale of a position that was previously the subject of a constructive sale will be recognized when the position is subsequently disposed of. The character of such losses will depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the position beginning with the date the constructive sale was deemed to have occurred and the application of various loss deferral provisions in the Code. Constructive sale treatment does not apply to certain closed transactions, including if such a transaction is closed on or before the 30th day after the close of the Fund’s taxable year and the Fund holds the appreciated financial position unhedged throughout the 60-day period beginning with the day such transaction was closed.
The Fund’s transactions in foreign currency-denominated debt instruments and certain of its derivative activities may produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. If the Fund’s book income exceeds its taxable income, the distribution (if any) of such excess generally will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Fund’s remaining earnings and profits, (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipient’s basis in its shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. If the Fund’s book income is less than the sum of its taxable income, the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company and to eliminate any Fund-level tax.
The Fund’s transactions in foreign currencies and forward foreign currency contracts will generally be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also may require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out) which may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the Distribution Requirements and for avoiding the excise tax described above. The Fund intends to monitor its transactions, intends to make the appropriate tax elections, and intends to make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any foreign currency or forward foreign currency contract in order to mitigate the effect of these rules so as to prevent disqualification of the Fund as a regulated investment company and minimize the imposition of income and excise taxes.
Backup Withholding
The Fund generally is required to withhold (as “backup withholding”) at the applicable withholding rate on distributions and repurchase proceeds payable to any individual shareholder who (1) fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number certified under penalty of perjury; (2) is subject to withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report all payments of dividend or interest income; (3) fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to backup withholding; or (4) fails to provide a certified statement that he or she is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is currently 24%. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
In general, dividends derived from taxable ordinary income paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a “U.S. person” within the meaning of the Code (such shareholder, a “foreign person”) are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if such dividends are funded by income or gains (such as foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a foreign person directly, would not be subject to withholding.
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The 30% withholding tax will not apply to dividends that the Fund reports as (a) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (b) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain.” Qualified net interest income is the Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. Qualified short-term gain generally means the excess of the net short-term capital gain of the Fund for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any. In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports a payment as an interest-related dividend or a short-term capital gain dividend. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.
Under U.S. federal tax law, a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of shares of the Fund or on the distribution of net capital gains unless (i) such gain or distribution is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or distribution and certain other conditions are met. If a shareholder is eligible for the benefits of a tax treaty, any effectively connected income or gain will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net basis only if it is also attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the shareholder in the United States.
Foreign shareholders who fail to provide an applicable IRS form may be subject to backup withholding on certain payments from the Fund. Backup withholding will not be applied to payments that are subject to the 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) withholding tax described in this paragraph.
Unless certain non-U.S. entities that hold Fund shares comply with IRS requirements that generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund dividends payable to such entities. A non-U.S. shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of the agreement.
A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to foreign, state and local tax and to the U.S. federal estate tax in addition to the federal tax consequences referred to above.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders
Certain tax-exempt shareholders, including qualified pension plans, individual retirement accounts, salary deferral arrangements, 401(k)s, and other tax-exempt entities, generally are exempt from federal income taxation except with respect to their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). Tax-exempt entities are not permitted to offset losses from one trade or business against the income or gain of another trade or business. Certain net losses incurred prior to January 1, 2018 are permitted to offset gain and income created by an unrelated trade or business, if otherwise available. Under current law, the Fund generally serves to block UBTI from being realized by their tax-exempt shareholders. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of an investment in the Fund where, for example: (i) the Fund invests in residual interests of Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”), (ii) the Fund invests in a REIT that is a taxable mortgage pool (“TMP”) or that has a subsidiary that is a TMP or that invests in the residual interest of a REMIC, or (iii) shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of section 514(b) of the Code.
Special tax rules apply to investments through defined contribution plans and other tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the suitability of shares of the Fund as an investment through such plans and the precise effect of such an investment on their particular tax situation. Charitable remainder trusts are subject to special rules and should consult their tax advisor. The IRS has issued guidance with respect to these issues and prospective shareholders, especially charitable remainder trusts, are strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding these issues.
The Fund’s shares held in a tax-qualified retirement account will generally not be subject to federal taxation on income and capital gains distributions from the Fund until a shareholder begins receiving payments from their retirement account. Because each shareholder’s tax situation is different, shareholders should consult their tax advisor about the tax implications of an investment in the Fund.
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Reporting
Under Treasury regulations, if a shareholder recognizes a loss of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not excepted. A shareholder who fails to make the required disclosure to the IRS may be subject to adverse tax consequences, including significant penalties. The fact that a loss is so reportable does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these rules in light of their individual circumstances.
Tax Basis Information
The Fund (or its administrative agent) must report to the IRS and furnish to Fund shareholders the cost basis information and holding period for Fund shares that are repurchased. The Fund will permit Fund shareholders to elect from among several IRS-accepted cost basis methods, including the average cost basis method. In the absence of an election, shareholder cost basis will be determined under the Fund’s default method “first-in, first-out”. The cost basis method a shareholder elects (or the cost basis method applied by default) may not be changed with respect to a repurchase of shares after the settlement date of the repurchase. Fund shareholders should consult with their tax advisors prior to any repurchase of their respective shares to determine the best IRS-accepted cost basis method for their tax situation and to obtain more information about how the cost basis reporting rules apply to them.
State Taxes
Depending upon state and local law, distributions by the Fund to its shareholders and the ownership of such shares may be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of state and local taxation of dividend and capital gains distributions from regulated investment companies often differ from the rules for federal income taxation described above. It is expected that the Fund will not be liable for any corporate excise, income or franchise tax in Delaware if it qualifies as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes.
Many states grant tax-free status to dividends paid to you from interest earned on direct obligations of the U.S. government, subject in some states to minimum investment requirements that must be met by a Fund. Investment in Ginnie Mae or Fannie Mae securities, banker’s acceptances, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities do not generally qualify for such tax-free treatment. The rules on exclusion of this income are different for corporate shareholders. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding state and local taxes applicable to an investment in the Fund.
Other Issues
The Fund may be subject to tax or taxes in certain states where it does business. Furthermore, in those states which have income tax laws, the tax treatment of the Fund and its shareholders with respect to distributions by the Fund may differ from federal tax treatment.
The foregoing discussion is based on federal tax laws and regulations which are in effect on the date of this SAI. Such laws and regulations may be changed by legislative or administrative action. Shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisers concerning their specific situations and the application of federal, state, local and foreign taxes.
CO-ADMINISTRATORS AND CUSTODIAN
Pursuant to a Co-Administration Agreement (the “Co-Administration Agreement”), UMB Fund Services, Inc. (“UMBFS”), 235 W. Galena Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, and Mutual Fund Administration, LLC, 2220 E. Route 66, Suite 226, Glendora, California 91740 (collectively the “Co-Administrators”), act as co- administrators for the Fund. The Co-Administrators provide certain administrative services to the Fund, including, among other responsibilities, coordinating the negotiation of contracts and fees with, and the monitoring of performance and billing of, the Fund’s independent contractors and agents; preparing for signature by an officer of the Fund of all documents required to be filed for compliance with applicable laws and regulations including those of the securities laws of various states; arranging for the computation of performance data, including net asset value and yield; arranging for the maintenance of books and records of the Fund; and providing, at their own expense, office facilities, equipment
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and personnel necessary to carry out their duties. In this capacity, the Co-Administrators do not have any responsibility or authority for the management of the Fund, the determination of investment policy, or for any matter pertaining to the distribution of Fund shares. The Co-Administration Agreement provides that neither Co-Administrator shall be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the Fund or its series, except for losses resulting from a Co-Administrator’s willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under the Agreement.
As compensation for their services, the Fund pays the Co-Administrators a fee for administration services. The fee is payable monthly based on the Fund’s average daily net assets.
The Fund paid the following co-administration fees for the periods indicated:
|
Co-Administration Fees |
|
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 |
$335,733* |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023 |
$345,690* |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 |
$256,233* |
____________
* Includes Fund administration and accounting fees.
UMBFS also acts as the Fund’s fund accountant, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent pursuant to separate agreements.
UMB Bank, n.a. (the “Custodian”), an affiliate of UMBFS, is the custodian of the assets of the Fund pursuant to a custody agreement between the Custodian and the Fund, whereby the Custodian provides services for fees on a transactional basis plus out-of-pocket expenses. The Custodian’s address is 928 Grand Boulevard, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. The Custodian does not participate in decisions pertaining to the purchase and sale of securities by the Fund. Citibank, N.A. located at 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York, 10022, is the SPV’s custodian.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Advisor determines which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund and which broker-dealers are eligible to execute the Fund’s portfolio transactions. The purchases and sales of securities in the over-the-counter market will generally be executed by using a broker for the transaction.
Purchases of portfolio securities for the Fund also may be made directly from issuers or from underwriters. Where possible, purchase and sale transactions will be effected through dealers (including banks) that specialize in the types of securities which the Fund will be holding unless better executions are available elsewhere. Dealers and underwriters usually act as principals for their own accounts. Purchases from underwriters will include a concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter and purchases from dealers will include the spread between the bid and the asked price. If the execution and price offered by more than one dealer or underwriter are comparable, the order may be allocated to a dealer or underwriter that has provided research or other services as discussed below.
In placing portfolio transactions, the Advisor will use reasonable efforts to choose broker-dealers capable of providing the services necessary to obtain the most favorable price and execution available. The full range and quality of services available will be considered in making these determinations, such as the size of the order, the difficulty of execution, the operational facilities of the broker-dealer involved, the risk in positioning the block of securities, and other factors. In those instances where it is reasonably determined that more than one broker-dealer can offer the services needed to obtain the most favorable price and execution available, consideration may be given to those broker- dealers which furnish or supply research and statistical information to the Advisor that they may lawfully and appropriately use in their investment advisory capacities, as well as provide other services in addition to execution services. The Advisor considers such information, which is in addition to and not in lieu of the services required to be performed by it under its Investment Advisory Agreement with the Fund, to be useful in varying degrees, but of indeterminable value.
While it is the Fund’s general policy to seek to obtain the most favorable price and execution available in selecting a broker-dealer to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund, weight is also given to the ability of a broker-dealer to furnish brokerage and research services as defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, to the Fund or to the Advisor, even if the specific services are not directly useful to the Fund and may be useful to the Advisor in advising other clients. In negotiating commissions with a broker or evaluating the spread to be
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paid to a dealer, the Fund may therefore pay a higher commission or spread than would be the case if no weight were given to the furnishing of these supplemental services, provided that the amount of such commission or spread has been determined in good faith by the Advisor to be reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services provided by such broker-dealer. The standard of reasonableness is to be measured in light of the Advisor’s overall responsibilities to the Fund. Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those of other client accounts that may be managed or advised by the Advisor. Nevertheless, it is possible that at times, identical securities will be acceptable for both the Fund and one or more of such client accounts. In such event, the position of the Fund and such client accounts in the same issuer may vary and the holding period may likewise vary. However, to the extent any of these client accounts seek to acquire the same security as the Fund at the same time, the Fund may not be able to acquire as large a position in such security as it desires, or it may have to pay a higher price or obtain a lower yield for such security. Similarly, the Fund may not be able to obtain as high a price for, or as large an execution of, an order to sell any particular security at the same time as the Advisor’s other client accounts.
The Fund does not effect securities transactions through brokers in accordance with any formula, nor does it effect securities transactions through brokers for selling shares of the Fund. However, broker-dealers who execute brokerage transactions may effect purchase of shares of the Fund for their customers.
The following table shows the aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the periods indicated:
|
Amount of Commissions |
|
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 |
$1,977 |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023 |
$1,510* |
|
For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 |
$15,869 |
____________
* There were less option trading during fiscal year ended 2023 versus fiscal year ended 2022 which resulted a decrease in brokerage commissions in fiscal year ended 2023.
Holdings of Securities of the Fund’s Regular Brokers or Dealers
From time to time, the Fund may acquire and hold securities issued by its “regular brokers or dealers” or the parents of those brokers or dealers. “Regular brokers or dealers” (as such term is defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund are the ten brokers or dealers that, during the most recent fiscal year, (i) received the greatest dollar amounts of brokerage commissions from the Fund’s portfolio transactions, (ii) engaged as principal in the largest dollar amounts of the portfolio transactions of the Fund, or (iii) sold the largest dollar amounts of the Fund’s shares. The following table indicates the value of the Fund’s aggregate holdings, in thousands, of the securities of its regular brokers or dealers for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024.
|
Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
|
|
Broker Dealer |
Market Value (000s) |
|
Morgan Stanley & Co |
$5,604 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Although the Fund generally will not invest for short-term trading purposes, portfolio securities may be sold without regard to the length of time they have been held when, in the opinion of the Advisor, investment considerations warrant such action. Portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing (1) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the fiscal year by (2) the monthly average of the value of portfolio securities owned during the fiscal year. A 100% turnover rate would occur if all the securities in the Fund’s portfolio, with the exception of securities whose maturities at the time of acquisition were one year or less, were sold and either repurchased or replaced within one year. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) generally leads to higher transaction costs and may result in a greater number of taxable transactions. To the extent net short-term capital gains are realized, any distributions resulting from such gains will generally be taxed at ordinary income tax rates for federal income tax purposes.
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended |
|
|
July 31, 2024 |
July 31, 2023 |
|
|
Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
59% |
53% |
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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Tait, Weller & Baker LLP, located at Two Liberty Place, 50 S. 16th Street, Suite 2900, Philadelphia, PA 19102- 2529, serves as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund. Its services include auditing the Fund’s financial statements and the performance of related tax services.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (“Morgan Lewis”), located at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004, serves as legal counsel to the Trust and provides counsel on legal matters relating to the Fund. Morgan Lewis also serves as legal counsel to the Independent Trustees.
DESCRIPTION OF TRUST
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of beneficial interest. Each share of the Fund represents an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest in the assets belonging to that series. Upon the Fund’s liquidation, all shareholders would share pro rata in the net assets of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders.
Shares when issued are fully paid and non-assessable, except as set forth below. Shareholders are entitled to one vote for each share held. The Fund is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders but will hold special meetings of shareholders of class when, in the judgment of the Board, it is necessary or desirable to submit matters for a shareholder vote. Shareholders have, under certain circumstances, the right to communicate with other shareholders in connection with requesting a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of removing one or more trustees. Shareholders also have, in certain circumstances, the right to remove one or more trustees without a meeting.
The Trust may be terminated at any time by a vote of a majority of the trustees and written notice to the Shareholders. Any series of Shares may be dissolved at any time by vote of a majority of the Trustees and written notice to the Shareholders of such series. Any action to dissolve the Trust will also be deemed to be an action to dissolve each Series and each Class thereof and any action to dissolve a Series will also be deemed to be an action to terminate each Class thereof.
Shareholders may send communications to the Board. Shareholders should send communications intended for the Board by addressing the communications to the Board, in care of the Secretary of the Fund and sending the communication to 1900 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 315, Mission Woods, Kansas 66205. A shareholder communication must (i) be in writing and be signed by the shareholder, (ii) provide contact information for the shareholder, (iii) identify the Fund to which it relates, and (iv) identify the series and number of shares held by the shareholder. The Secretary of the Fund may, in good faith, determine that a shareholder communication should not be provided to the Board because it does not reasonably relate to the Fund or its operations, management, activities, policies, service providers, Board, officers, shareholders or other matters relating to an investment in the Fund or is otherwise ministerial in nature. Other shareholder communications received by the Fund not directly addressed and sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by management, and will be forwarded to the Board only at management’s discretion based on the matters contained therein.
The Declaration of Trust provides that no Trustee or officer of the Fund shall be subject to any personal liability in connection with the assets or affairs of the Fund except for losses in connection with his or her willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. The Fund has also entered into an indemnification agreement with each Trustee which provides that the Fund shall advance expenses and indemnify and hold harmless the Trustee in certain circumstances against any expenses incurred by the Trustee in any proceeding arising out of or in connection with the Trustee’s service to the Fund, to the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the Securities Act and the 1940 Act, and which provides for certain procedures in connection with such advancement of expenses and indemnification.
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust also provides that the Fund shall maintain appropriate insurance (for example, fidelity bonding and errors and omissions insurance) for the protection of the Fund, its shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents covering possible tort and other liabilities. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which both inadequate insurance existed and the Fund itself was unable to meet its obligations.
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The Declaration of Trust does not require the issuance of stock certificates. If stock certificates are issued, they must be returned by the registered owners prior to the transfer or redemption of shares represented by such certificates.
The Declaration of Trust establishes a process pursuant to which a shareholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Fund, certain aspects of which are discussed here. In particular, a shareholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Fund only if the following conditions are met: (i) the shareholder must make a pre-suit demand upon the Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Trustees to bring such an action is not likely to succeed (the Declaration of Trust further specifies the only circumstances under which a demand on the Trustees is not likely to succeed and therefore would be excused); and (ii) unless a demand is not required under (i), the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time (in any case, not less than 90 days) to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims, suits, actions or proceedings arising out of or relating in any way to the Fund or its business and affairs, the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, the Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws or asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs (or similar) doctrine shall be exclusively brought, unless the Fund, in its sole discretion, consents in writing to an alternative forum, in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction. Such court may be less convenient and/or less favorable for a shareholder than one or more other courts. The Declaration of Trust also provides that to the fullest extent permitted by law, a shareholder waives any and all rights to a trial by jury in such claim, suit, action or proceeding.
No provision of the Declaration of Trust shall be effective to require a waiver of compliance with any provision of, or restrict any shareholder rights granted by, the Securities Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the 1940 Act, or of any valid rule, regulation or order of the Commission thereunder.
The Fund and the Advisor have adopted Codes of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit, subject to certain conditions, personnel of each of those entities to invest in securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
REPORTS TO SHAREHOLDERS
The Fund will furnish to Shareholders as soon as practicable after the end of each taxable year such information as is necessary for investors to complete U.S. Federal and state income tax or information returns, along with any other tax information required by law.
The Fund will also send to Shareholders an unaudited semi-annual and an audited annual report within 60 days after the close of the period for which the report is being made, or as otherwise required by the 1940 Act.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Incorporated by reference herein are the Fund’s Annual Financials and Other Information for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2024 which is included as part of the Fund’s most recent Form N-CSR filing and includes the “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm”, “Schedule of Investments”, “Statement of Assets and Liabilities”, “Statement of Operations”, “Statements of Changes in Net Assets”, “Financial Highlights” and “Notes to Financial Statements”. A copy of the Fund’s Annual Financials and Other Information can be obtained at no charge by calling 1-800-736-1145 or writing the Fund.
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APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF RATINGS
Standard & Poor’s Corporation
A brief description of the applicable Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by S&P) follows:
Long-Term Debt
An S&P corporate or municipal debt rating is a current assessment of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific obligation. This assessment may take into consideration obligors such as guarantors, insurers or lessees. The debt rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a security, in as much as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor. The ratings are based on current information furnished by the issuer or obtained by S&P from other sources it considers reliable. S&P does not perform an audit in connection with any rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances. The ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:
1. Likelihood of default-capacity and willingness of the obligor as to the timely payment of interest and repayment of principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation;
2. Nature of and provisions of the obligation; and
3. Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.
Investment Grade
AAA Debt rated “AAA” has the highest rating assigned by S&P. Capacity to pay interest and repay principal is extremely strong.
AA Debt rated “AA” has a very strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal and differs from the highest rated issues only in small degree.
A Debt rated “A” has a strong capacity to pay interest and repay principal although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than debt in higher rated categories.
BBB Debt rated “BBB” is regarded as having an adequate capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Whereas it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal for debt in this category than in higher rated categories.
Speculative Grade Rating
Debt rated “BB”, “B”, “CCC”, “CC” and “C” is regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal. “BB” indicates the least degree of speculation and “C” the highest. While such debt will likely have some quality and protective characteristics these are outweighed by major uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB Debt rated “BB” has less near-term vulnerability to default than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to inadequate capacity to meet timely interest and principal payments. The “BB” rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied “BBB” rating.
B Debt rated “B” has a greater vulnerability to default but currently has the capacity to meet interest payments and principal repayments. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair capacity or willingness to pay interest and repay principal. The “B” rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied “BB” or “BB” rating.
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CCC Debt rated “CCC” has a currently identifiable vulnerability to default, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions to meet timely payment of interest and repayment of principal. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, it is not likely to have the capacity to pay interest and repay principal. The “CCC” rating category is also used for debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied “B” or “B” rating.
CC The rating “CC” typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt that is assigned an actual or implied “CCC” debt rating.
C The rating “C” typically is applied to debt subordinated to senior debt which is assigned an actual or implied “CCC” debt rating. The “C” rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed, but debt service payments are continued.
CI The rating “CI” is reserved for income bonds on which no interest is being paid.
D Debt rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when interest payments or principal payments are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The “D” rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition if debt service payments are jeopardized.
Plus (+) or Minus (-): The ratings from “AA” to “CCC” may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Provisional Ratings: The letter “p” indicates that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon the successful and timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of, or the risk of default upon failure of, such completion. The investor should exercise judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk.
r The letter “r” is attached to highlight derivative, hybrid, and certain other obligations that S&P believes may experience high volatility or high variability in expected returns due to non-credit risks. Examples of such obligations are: securities whose principal or interest return is indexed to equities, commodities, or currencies; certain swaps and options; and interest only and principal only mortgage securities. The absence of an “r” symbol should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will exhibit no volatility or variability in total return.
L The letter “L” indicates that the rating pertains to the principal amount of those bonds to the extent that the underlying deposit collateral is Federally insured by the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation* In the case of certificates of deposit the letter “L” indicates that the deposit, combined with other deposits being held in the same right and capacity will be honored for principal and accrued pre-default interest up to the Federal insurance limits within 30 days after closing of the insured institution or, in the event that the deposit is assumed by a successor insured institution, upon maturity.
NR Indicates no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular type of obligation as a matter of policy.
Commercial Paper
An S&P commercial paper rating is a current assessment of the likelihood of timely payment of debt having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. Ratings are graded into several categories, ranging from “A-1” for the highest quality obligations to “D” for the lowest. These categories are as follows:
A-1 This highest category indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong. Those issues determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics are denoted with a plus sign (+) designation.
A-2 Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is satisfactory. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated “A-1.”
* Continuance of the rating is contingent upon S&P’s receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flow.
B-55
A-3 Issues carrying this designation have adequate capacity for timely payment. They are, however, somewhat more vulnerable to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances than obligations carrying the higher designations.
B Issues rated “B” are regarded as having only speculative capacity for timely payment.
C This rating is assigned to short-term debt obligations with a doubtful capacity for payment.
D Debt rated “D” is in payment default. The “D” rating category is used when interest payments or principal Payments are not made on the date due, even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made during such grace period.
A commercial rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold a security in as much as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor. The ratings are based on current information furnished to S&P by the issuer or obtained by S&P from other sources it considers reliable.
S&P does not perform an audit in connection with any rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. The ratings may be changed, suspended or withdrawn as a result of changes in or unavailability of such information or based on other circumstances.
Preferred Securities
AAA This is the highest rating that may be assigned to a preferred stock issue and indicates an extremely strong capacity to pay the preferred stock obligations.
AA A preferred stock issue rated AA also qualifies as a high quality fixed income security. The capacity to pay preferred stock obligations is very strong, although not as overwhelming as for issues rated AAA.
A An issue rated A is backed by a sound capacity to pay the preferred stock obligations, although it is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions.
BBB An issue rated BBB is regarded as backed by an adequate capacity to pay preferred stock obligations. Although it normally exhibits adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to make payments for preferred stock in this category for issues in the A category.
BB An issue rated BB is regarded, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay the preferred stock obligation. While such issues will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, they are outweighed by large uncertainties or major risk exposures to adverse conditions.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
A brief description of the applicable Moody’s rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moody’s) follows:
Long-Term Debt
The following summarizes the ratings used by Moody’s for corporate and municipal long-term debt:
|
Aaa |
Bonds are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged.” Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the Fundamentally strong position of such issuer. |
|
|
Aa |
Bonds are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the “Aaa” group they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in “Aaa” securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in “Aaa” securities. |
B-56
|
A |
Bonds possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future. |
|
|
Baa |
Bonds considered medium-grade obligations, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well. |
|
|
Ba, |
B, Caa, Ca, and C Bonds that possess one of these ratings provide questionable protection of interest and principal (“Ba” indicates some speculative elements; “B” indicates a general lack of characteristics of desirable investment; “Caa” represents a poor standing; “Ca” represents obligations which are speculative in a high degree; and “C” represents the lowest rated class of bonds). “Caa,” “Ca” and “C” bonds may be in default. |
|
|
Con. (---) |
Bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operation experience, (c) rentals which begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting condition attaches. Parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of basis of condition. |
|
|
(P) |
When applied to forward delivery bonds, indicates that the rating is provisional pending delivery of the bonds. The rating may be revised prior to delivery if changes occur in the legal documents or the underlying credit quality of the bonds. |
|
|
Note: |
Those bonds in the Aa, A, Baa, Ba and B groups which Moody’s believes possess the strongest investment attributes are designated by the symbols, Aa1, A1, Ba1 and B1. |
Short-Term Loans
|
MIG 1/VMIG 1 |
This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad based access to the market for refinancing. |
|
|
MIG 2/VMIG 2 |
This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group. |
|
|
MIG 3/VMIG 3 |
This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for but there is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established. |
|
|
MIG 4/VMIG 4 |
This designation denotes adequate quality. Protection commonly regarded as required of an investment security is present and although not distinctly or predominantly speculative, there is specific risk. |
|
|
S.G. |
This designation denotes speculative quality. Debt instruments in this category lack margins of protection. |
Commercial Paper
Issuers rated Prime-1 (or related supporting institutions) have a superior capacity for repayment of short-term promissory obligations. Prime-1 repayment capacity will normally be evidenced by the following characteristics:
- Leading market positions in well-established industries.
- High rates of return on Funds employed.
- Conservative capitalization structures with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection.
- Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation.
- Well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.
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Issuers rated Prime-2 (or related supporting institutions) have a strong capacity for repayment of short-term promissory obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, will be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained. Issuers rated Prime-3 (or related supporting institutions) have an acceptable capacity for repayment of short-term promissory obligations. The effect of industry characteristics and market composition may be more pronounced. Variability in earnings and profitability may result in changes in the level of debt protection measurements and the requirement for relatively high financial leverage. Adequate alternate liquidity is maintained.
Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Preferred Securities Ratings
aaa Preferred stocks which are rated “aaa” are considered to be top quality. This rating indicates good asset protection and the least risk of dividend impairment within the universe of preferred stocks.
aa Preferred stocks which are rated “aa” are considered to be high grade. This rating indicates that there is reasonable assurance that earnings and asset protection will remain relatively well maintained in the foreseeable future.
a Preferred stocks which are rated “a” are considered to be upper-medium grade. While risks are judged to be somewhat greater than in the “aaa” and “aa” classifications, earnings and asset protection are, nevertheless, expected to be maintained at adequate levels.
baa Preferred stocks which are rated “baa” are judged lower-medium grade, neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Earnings and asset protection appear adequate at present but may be questionable over any great length of time.
ba Preferred stocks which are rated “ba” are considered to have speculative elements and their future cannot be considered well assured. Earnings and asset protection may be very moderate and not well safeguarded during adverse periods. Uncertainty of position characterizes preferred stocks in this class.
B-58
APPENDIX B
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Advisor
Palmer Square Capital Management LLC
Proxy Voting Guidelines
In accordance with Rules 30b1-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Rule, 206(4)-6 and 204-2 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Palmer Square Capital Management LLC (“Palmer Square”) is providing all clients with a summary of its proxy voting procedures.
• Upon opening an account with Palmer Square, clients are given the option to delegate proxy-voting discretion to Palmer Square by completing the appropriate documents. Palmer Square will only exercise proxy-voting discretion over client shares in the instances where clients give Palmer Square discretionary authority to vote on their behalf.
• It is Palmer Square’s policy to vote client shares primarily in conformity with Glass Lewis & Co. recommendations, in order to mitigate conflicts of interest issues between Palmer Square and its clients. Glass Lewis & Co. and Palmer Square retain a record of all recommendations.
• Glass Lewis & Co. is an independent third party that issues recommendations based upon its own internal guidelines.
• Palmer Square will vote client shares inconsistent with Glass Lewis & Co. recommendations if Palmer Square believes that doing so is in the best interest of its clients.
• In situations where Palmer Square identifies a material conflict of interest in the voting of proxies due to business or personal relationships that Palmer Square maintains with persons having an interest in the outcome of certain votes, Palmer Square will take appropriate steps to ensure that its proxy voting decisions are made in the best interest of its clients.
• Palmer Square votes client shares via ProxyEdge, an electronic voting platform provided by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. Additionally, ProxyEdge retains a record of proxy votes for each client.
• Annually, Palmer Square will file Form N-PX with the SEC, which will contain each fund’s complete proxy voting record.
• Palmer Square’s Compliance Team will periodically review all proxy votes to ensure consistency with its procedures.
• Palmer Square’s will conduct a review at least annually of Glass Lewis & Co. to assess the firm’s capacity and competency to serve as a proxy advisor.
• Upon request, clients can receive a copy of Palmer Square’s proxy voting procedures and Glass Lewis & Co.’s proxy voting guidelines.
• These procedures are currently in effect but could be amended in the future.
If you have any questions or would like a copy of Palmer Square’s proxy voting procedures, Glass Lewis & Co.’s proxy voting guidelines and/or a record of how your shares were voted, please contact Palmer Square’s Chief Compliance Officer at 913-647-9700.
B-59
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 25. Financial Statements and Exhibits
|
(1) |
Financial Statements: |
|
|
The Registrant’s audited financial highlights for the operating performance of the Registrant from the fiscal years ended July 31, 2019, July 31, 2020, July 31, 2021, July 31, 2022, and July 31, 2023 are included in Part A of this Registration Statement in the section entitled “Financial Highlights”. |
||
|
The Registrant’s audited financial statements including the notes thereto, and the report of Tait, Weller & Baker LLP thereon, as included in the Registrant’s annual report for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023 are incorporated by reference into Part B of this Registration Statement in the section entitled “Financial Statements.” |
||
|
(2) |
Exhibits: |
|
|
(a)(1) |
||
|
(a)(2) |
||
|
(b) |
||
|
(c) |
Not applicable. |
|
|
(d) |
Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders is incorporated by reference to Exhibits (a)(2) and (b) above. |
|
|
(e) |
Included in Registrant’s Prospectus. |
|
|
(f) |
Not applicable. |
|
|
(g)(1) |
||
|
(g)(2) |
||
|
(h)(1) |
||
|
(h)(2) |
||
|
(i) |
Not applicable. |
|
|
(j) |
C-1
|
(k)(1) |
||
|
(k)(2) |
||
|
(k)(3) |
||
|
(k)(4) |
||
|
(k)(5) |
||
|
(l) |
||
|
(l)(2) |
||
|
(m) |
Not applicable. |
|
|
(n) |
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – filed herewith. |
|
|
(o) |
Not applicable. |
|
|
(p) |
||
|
(q) |
Not applicable. |
|
|
(r)(1) |
||
|
(r)(2) |
||
|
(s) |
Item 26. Marketing Arrangements
Reference is made to the Distribution Agreement to be filed as Exhibit (h)(1) to this Registration Statement.
Item 27. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following reflects an itemized statement of estimated expenses incurred in connection with the registration and initial offering period of Fund shares associated with the Fund’s commencement of operations in August 2014:
|
Registration Fees |
$ |
61,228 |
|
|
Federal Taxes |
$ |
0 |
|
|
State Taxes and Fees |
$ |
0 |
|
|
Trustees’ and Transfer Agent’s Fees |
$ |
0 |
|
|
Cost of Printing and Engraving |
$ |
0 |
|
|
Rating Agency Fees |
$ |
0 |
|
|
Legal and Accounting Fees |
$ |
56,886 |
|
|
Total |
$ |
118,114 |
C-2
Item 28. Persons Controlled by or under Common Control with the Registrant
None.
Item 29. Number of Holders of Shares
Set forth below is the number of record holders as of November 1, 2024 of each class of securities of the Registrant:
|
Title of Class |
Number of Record Holders |
|
Common Shares of Beneficial |
1,356 |
|
Interest, $0.01 per value per share |
Item 30. Indemnification
Pursuant to Del. Code Ann. Title 12 Section 3817, a Delaware statutory trust may provide in its governing instrument for the indemnification of its officers and Trustees from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever.
Reference is made to Article 8, Section 8.4 of the Registrant’s Agreement and Declaration of Trust, which provides:
Subject to the limitations, if applicable, hereinafter set forth in this Section 8.4, the Trust shall indemnify (from the assets of the Series or Series to which the conduct in question relates) each of its Trustees, officers, employees and agents (including Persons who serve at the Trust’s request as directors, officers or trustees of another organization in which the Trust has any interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter, together with such Person’s heirs, executors, administrators or personal representative, referred to as a “Covered Person”)) against all liabilities, including but not limited to amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties, and expenses, including reasonable accountants’ and counsel fees, incurred by any Covered Person in connection with the defense or disposition of any action, suit or other proceeding, whether civil or criminal, before any court or administrative or legislative body, in which such Covered Person may be or may have been involved as a party or otherwise or with which such Covered Person may be or may have been threatened, while in office or thereafter, by reason of being or having been such a Trustee or officer, director or trustee, except with respect to any matter as to which it has been determined that such Covered Person (i) did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Covered Person’s action was in or not opposed to the best interests of the Trust; (ii) had acted with willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Covered Person’s office (iii) for a criminal proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful (the conduct described in (i), (ii) and (iii) being referred to hereafter as “Disabling Conduct”). A determination that the Covered Person is entitled to indemnification may be made by (i) a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that the Covered Person to be indemnified was not liable by reason of Disabling Conduct, (ii) dismissal of a court action or an administrative proceeding against a Covered Person for insufficiency of evidence of Disabling Conduct, or (iii) a reasonable determination, based upon a review of the facts, that the indemnity was not liable by reason of Disabling Conduct by (a) a vote of a majority of a quorum of Trustees who are neither “interested persons” of the Trust as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act nor parties to the proceeding (the “Disinterested Trustees”), or (b) an independent legal counsel in a written opinion. Expenses, including accountants’ and counsel fees so incurred by any such Covered Person (but excluding amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines or penalties), may be paid from time to time by one or more Series to which the conduct in question related in advance of the final disposition of any such action, suit or proceeding; provided that the Covered Person shall have undertaken to repay the amounts so paid to such Series if it is ultimately determined that indemnification of such expenses is not authorized under this Article 8 and (i) the Covered Person shall have provided security for such undertaking, (ii) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances, or (iii) a majority of a quorum of the disinterested Trustees, or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall have determined, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the Covered Person ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its
C-3
counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser
The Advisor is a Delaware limited liability company that offers investment management services and is a registered investment adviser. In addition to advising the Fund, the Advisor provides investment management services to open-end funds, private investment funds and institutional and high net worth clients. Information about the officers and directors of the Advisor is included in its current Form ADV (SEC Number 801-72047) filed with the SEC.
Item 32. Location of Accounts and Records
The books and records required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 are maintained at the following locations:
|
Records Relating to: |
Are located at: |
|
Registrant’s Transfer Agent, Fund Accountant and Co-Administrator |
UMB Fund Services, Inc. |
|
Registrant’s Co-Administrator |
Mutual Fund Administration, LLC |
|
Registrant’s Custodian |
UMB Bank, n.a. |
|
Registrant’s Investment Adviser |
Palmer Square Capital Management LLC |
|
Registrant’s Distributor |
Foreside Fund Services, LLC |
Item 33. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 34. Undertakings
1. Not Applicable.
2. Not applicable.
3. The Registrant undertakes:
a. to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement:
(1) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act;
(2) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement; and
(3) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
b. that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of those securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;
C-4
c. to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering; and
d. that, for the purpose of determining liability under the 1933 Act to any purchaser:
(1) If the Registrant is relying on Rule 430B under the 1933 Act:
(A) Each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the 1933 Act shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the 1933 Act as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (x), or (xi) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the 1933 Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(2) If the Registrant is subject to Rule 430C under the 1933 Act: each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the 1933 Act as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B under the 1933 Act or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A under the 1933 Act, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
e. that for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the 1933 Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities, the undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to the purchaser:
(1) any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the 1933 Act;
(2) free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned Registrant;
(3) the portion of any other free writing prospectus or advertisement pursuant to Rule 482 under the 1933 Act relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and
(4) any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.
C-5
4. If the Registrant is filing a registration statement permitted by Rule 430A under the 1933 Act, the Registrant undertakes:
a. for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 497(h) under the 1933 Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective; and
b. for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
5. Not applicable.
6. The Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any Prospectus or Statement of Additional Information.
C-6
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Mission Woods, and State of Kansas, on the 26th day of November, 2024.
|
Palmer Square Opportunistic Income Fund |
||
|
/s/ Jeffrey D. Fox |
||
|
Jeffrey D. Fox |
||
|
President and Principal Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
|
Name |
Title |
Date |
|
/s/ Jeffrey D. Fox |
November 26, 2024 |
|
|
Jeffrey D. Fox |
President (Principal Executive Officer) and Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
|
|
† |
November 26, 2024 |
|
|
James Neville Jr. |
Trustee |
|
|
† |
November 26, 2024 |
|
|
Megan Webber |
Trustee |
|
|
† |
November 26, 2024 |
|
|
Christopher C. Nelson |
Trustee |
|
†By |
/s/ RITA DAM |
|||
|
Rita Dam, Assistant Treasurer |
||||
|
Attorney-in-fact, pursuant to power of attorney – filed herewith. |
||||
C-7
EXHIBIT INDEX
|
Exhibit |
Exhibit No. |
|
EX99.25(n) |
|
|
EX99.25(s) |
C-8
ATTACHMENTS / EXHIBITS
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