The NAVigator
The NAVigator, from the Active Investment Company Alliance (AICA), covers all-weather investing and active management through closed-end funds (CEFs) and business-development companies (BDCs). The podcast aims to help investors and advisors explore tactical use of these securities for financial success. It provides regular updates on strategies for investing in CEFs and BDCs.
Episodes
In a tight-spread, higher-for-longer rate market, discounts matter again
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, says that index discounts are wide when compared to their three-year history, which makes it important for investors to find names where wide discounts are supported by improving fundamentals. Scott, who also is chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, says that both the national muni CEF index and the taxable bond CEF index have seen wider di
Bluerock's Baffico says HALO trades will benefit from Private Credit Redemptions
Steve Baffico, Executive Vice President and head of listed products at Bluerock, which runs the Bluerock Private Real Estate fund, expects the real estate market to benefit as money moves from private credit , business-development companies and direct-lending strategies in pursuit of something with "hard assets and low obsolescence." That HALO trade should drive growth moving forward; Baffico disc
Kayne's Hamilton: 'Historic' oil drawdowns create energy infrastructure opportunities
Gordon Hamilton, Senior Managing Director for Kayne Anderson, Portfolio Manager for the Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure fund, says that there will be a big call on U.S. energy infrastructure companies to meet global demand for propane, butane, crude oil and natural gas as the world gets through the current energy crisis created by war in Iran. Coupled with an energy "supercycle" driven by art
Sit's Doty says rates will rise, peak and shift downward by year's end
Bryce Doty, Senior Portfolio Manager at Sit Investment Associates, says that "the worst is over as far as yields going up," noting that the next shift could be down, but he calls the conditions "tricky" and emphasizes that investors "need to be in the right part of the curve." Doty's case hinges on oil prices; if oil stays below $110, it's viewed as inflationary, but above that level "we have a p
CEF Advisors' Scott breaks down how bad news has impacted BDCs
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors and the Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, looks at the recent issues in business-development companies, which got hammered in March as the market punished software investments, including lenders who made loans to software firms. While BDCs rebounded in April, they remain significantly down, and Scott discusses how the companies with the
Calamos' Freund: Concerns are 'distractions,' not market impediments
Matt Freund, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Calamos Investments, says that productivity, GDP growth and earnings are "what matters," and that the headline risks that are driving consumer sentiment are "distractions" from a market backdrop that is solid. He says inflation remains the big risk, but notes that the investor sentiment is creating opportunities, particularly in closed-end funds, and esp
Enduring investment lessons from the legendary Mark Mobius
Dr. Mark Mobius, widely considered the father of emerging markets investor and a man who helped put the world into everyone's grasp during his long career running funds at Templeton, passed away in mid-April. John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, recounts Mobius' legacy and lasting lessons by digging into interviews conducted by his father, George Cole Scott, Founder of the Closed-End Fund L
Liberty Street's Gutierrez on private investment trends in A.I.
David Gutierrez, Vice President at Liberty Street Advisors and part of the team running the Private Shares Fund, says that private markets are similar enough to public markets that artificial intelligence is now one of the big sweet spots in both. However, he says the best opportunities involve infrastructure more than AI itself. Gutierrez notes that the Private Shares Fund—an actively managed, co
Veteran manager says that for all the headline risks, this is a 'generic widening'
Rob Shaker, Portfolio Manager at Shaker Financial Services, says that while the headlines may have investors on edge, the fear-based selling that gripped the market around the start of war in Iran created a "generic widening" of discounts for closed-end funds. Shaker, who is a "discount-capture investor," says the current widening and recovery was caused mostly by "the irrational effects of excess
Despite scary headlines, low-A.I.-risk BDCs are worth a new look now
With the market kicking business-development companies in the teeth, John Cole Scott , President of CEF Advisors, digs into his firm's data looking at "artificial-intelligence risk scoring" to find BDCs that have been hurt by headlines without holding tainted portfolios. BDCs relied heavily on software companies, due to the tech sector's blend of strong fundamentals, innovation and ability to resi
Nuveen's Weyandt on why current events make listed real assets look good
Matt Weyandt, a client Portfolio Manager on the listed real assets team at Nuveen, discusses how buying "location-specific hard assets" in essential industries that deliver to a "Halo theme" — heavy asset, low obsolescence — creates a buffer against a market that is being driven by headlines and geopolitical risks. Weyandt says that real estate, infrastructure, utilities, midstream energy companie
XA's Flynn on how private credit market is challenging BDCs, interval funds
Kim Flynn, president at XA Investments, a firm that specializes in alternative investments, says recent private-credit bad news events have widened discounts and raised concerns over business-development companies and interval funds, but have likely created a buy-the-dip moment in the industry. She discusses how fund sponsors and advisers must do a better job educating investors on how these produ
John Cole Scott on how headline risks are impacting closed-end funds
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, says that closed-end funds are being buffeted in two directions due to current headlines, with war in Iran impacting net asset values and anchored interest rates impacting levered closed-end funds and discounts shifting to reflect both situations. Scott, who also serves as the Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, says sectors that have ben
Aberdeen's Gilhooly says oil could quickly reach $175 per barrel
Robert Gilhooly, Senior Emerging Markets Economist at Aberdeen Investments, says that the continuing war in Iran has put pressure on oil prices, but he expects them to stabilize short-term while the market determines what happens next. If the outlook becomes one where the Straits of Hormuz are closed off to shipments for a longer stretch of time, he says "If things get really bad, you could be tal
Bluerock's MacDonald says 'uniquely boring' private real estate is value-priced now
Ryan MacDonald, Portfolio Manager for the Bluerock Private Real Estate Fund, says that in a world teeming with market worries and broad geopolitical concerns, private real estate is "uniquely boring, in a good way." He says the market has taken its pain over the last three years through interest rate changes and the market cycle, but now values have receded creating a solid entry point. MacDonald,
John Cole Scott: BDC worries are creating headlines, opportunities
The stock market has been beating up business-development companies, with the sell-off largely being blamed on the artificial intelligence boom and the high number of loans that BDCs make to software firms. Behind the theory that software companies will struggle to pay debts as artificial intelligence renders their products less useful and attractive, there are real loans, and John Cole Scott, Pre
John Cole Scott evaluates Robinhood's new private-stock closed-end fund
Robinhood Markets is launching its first closed-end fund, Robinhood Ventures Fund I, with the first IPO the closed-end fund space has seen in about four years and John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, sizes up the prospects for the new issue, which intends to be a concentrated portfolio of private companies. Scott, the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, discusses the role pr
Saratoga's Oberbeck: Headline troubles aren't signalling systemic credit issues
Chris Oberbeck, chairman and chief executive officer at Saratoga Investment Corp., says that increases in default rates are more of a return to normal than a sign of trouble for business-development companies or the economy. While stories like the First Brands bankruptcy and fraud case have market watchers looking for more trouble, the rest of the headlines in the industry are much more routine,
Trinity Capital's Brown sees BDC opportunity amid investor frustration
Kyle Brown, Chief Executive Officer at Trinity Capital, gives his outlook for the private credit and lending space, and notes that there could be some challenges for business development companies and private lenders late in the current economic cycle because returns from private credit generally have been declining. That has meant single-digit leveraged returns, Brown says, so "Investors are not
Aberdeen's Robinson on how emerging markets are now an AI play
Nick Robinson, Deputy Head of Global Emerging Market Equities at Aberdeen Investments, says that the artificial intelligence wave that has pushed domestic stock markets to record highs is readily apparent around the world — including in countries that are not necessarily synonymous with technology — and that the capital expenditure wave should continue to power foreign markets if companies can mon
John Cole Scott on 4th-quarter results and a hot new year's start for closed-end funds
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, reviews the key takeaways from his firm's fourth-quarter review of action in the closed-end fund industry, focusing on fund consolidation trends that have occurred in the middle of booming asset growth for the industry, as well as discount levels and whether narrowing discounts set up 2026 for more muted results. Scott, the chairman of the Active Investm
Nuveen's Davis on what '25 has set up for closed -end funds in the year ahead
Stephen Davis, closed-end fund product specialist at Nuveen, says that while 2025 was a strong year for closed-end fund performance, price returns exceeded net asset value (NAV) gains, reflecting a narrowing of discounts, continuing a trend from 2024. Those narrower discounts will make it harder for that broad trend to continue in 2026, but he noted that municipal bonds and senior loans are two ar
XA's Flynn on how interval fund indexes change the game
Kimberly Flynn, President at XA Investments, discussed the just-launched XAI Interval Fund Credit Index, which tracks the performance of non-listed closed-end interval funds and tender offer funds in the alternative-credit space, and how having the benchmark should help investors as they look at adding private credit and other alternatives to their portfolios. Flynn says the new index — which is n
The year in review: John Cole Scott looks at his his 2025 predictions worked out
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, reviews the forecasts he made a year ago for 2025, grading his wins and losses on everything from inflation levels and Treasury yields to discount levels and the outcome in various sectors of the closed-end fund industry. Scott, the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, also reviews the five funds he identified as buys for 2025 and how they
2026 outlook: John Cole Scott on what '26 holds for closed-end funds
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, climbs his mountain of data to get a great view on the year ahead, and he's forecasting no recession, lower inflation and modest GDP growth for 2026, with less volatility coming from the rate picture but more market tension due to the global macro picture. Scott, who also serves as chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, also discusses what h
Is activism in the UK following or leading the action in the U.S.?
Richard Stone, Chief Executive Officer for The Association of Investment Companies (the British equivalent to the Active Investment Company Alliance), discusses differences in the activist investor cultures in the United States and Great Britain, noting that the British model is more about engagement with the board and a collaborative effort to improve the business, while the U.S. model has shifte
Sit's Doty sees opportunities in the next Fed 'mess'
Bryce Doty, senior portfolio manager at Sit Investment Associates, says that "every time a new Fed chair comes in, they do something dumb," and with Jerome Powell on his way out as the chairman of the Federal Reserve, he expects some chaos that will create opportunities, potentially as soon as the next chairman of the central bank is announced. "The interpretation — and mis-interpretation — of wha
Bonus NAVigator: Bulldog Investors' Goldstein on the state of activism
Long-time activist investor Phil Goldstein of Bulldog Investors sat down with NAVigator host Chuck Jaffe at the Active Investment Company Alliance Fall Roundtable in New York City on Nov. 19 to discuss the current state of shareholder activism and why there seems to be so much less of it than there was just a few years back. While there have been moves and regulations that have made it harder for
CEF Advisors' Scott on the start of the 2025 tax-loss harvesting season
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, looks at tax-loss selling season and whether it has started yet, noting that a few asset classes have largely been able to avoid situations where there will be widespread harvesting this year, while others (most notably business-development companies) may be poised for a lot of tax-driven reshuffling before year's end. Scott, who is the chairman of the A
NAVigator bonus: Herzfeld's Paylor on how CUBA became a CLO fund
The Active Investment Company Alliance held its annual Fall Roundtable in New York City on Nov. 19, and NAVigator host Chuck interviewed Ryan Paylor, Portfolio Manager at Thomas J. Herzfeld Advisors, which recently converted a closed-end fund from a focus on companies located in the Caribbean Basin — ticker Symbol CUBA — to one focused on collateralized loan obligations. Paylor explains the thinki
Talking closed-end funds on sale with John Cole Scott
Consumers have a tradition of going bargain hunting on Black Friday, but The NAVigator has a day-after-Thanksgiving ritual too, looking for discounts on closed-end funds with John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors and The Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance. For the fourth straight year, he's looking at market bargains in time for the holiday, and this year he is looking at two
David Tepper on how economic woes could create a closed-end meltdown
In an interview recorded at the Active Investment Company Alliance Fall Round Table in New York City on Wednesday, Nov. 19, David Tepper of Tepper Capital Management talks about the state of the closed-end fund business, ranging from the classic funds he has held for a many years to his concerns about the boom in private credit, the potential for trouble if the economy turns and what he might be l
Aberdeen's Duitz on where he's turning for dividend growth now
Josh Duitz, Global Head of Income for Aberdeen — Manager of the Aberdeen Total Dynamic Dividend Fund — talks about where he is finding success in generating elevated income at a time when rate cuts are making it harder for investors to earn easy yields. Duitz discusses international investing and whether the rally overseas can continue in the face of reduced currency impacts, where high-flyers lik
ARDC's Brusky on how active management drives opportunities in a changing rate environment
Seth Brufsky, Chief Executive Officer for the Ares Dynamic Credit Allocation Fund, talks about how the start of rate cuts and a falling interest rate environment impacts high-yield bonds, leveraged loans and collateralized loan obligations, noting that fixed-rate high-yield investments should get a boost from lower rates, but that the floating-rate paper also can benefit thanks to better arbitrage
Nuveen's Chintapalli says the high-yield market has never looked less junky
Ravi Chintapalli, Client Portfolio Manager covering leveraged finance for the Nuveen Global Fixed Income team, says that he has never seen a high-yield market that has been higher quality than what he is seeing now. That helps to explain tighter spreads, and suggests they should not shy away from high-yield because they're being compensated for "the true level of default risk in the market." On th
Year-end action - not bubble worries - will drive year-end CEF discounts
Discount-capture investor Rob Shaker, Portfolio Manager at Shaker Financial Services, says that he's "not seeing anything in the closed-end fund space that would point to any type of bubble conditions." He sees generic, slow widening of discounts happening now, mostly due to a mix of year-end tax-loss moves starting now and some fund-specific actions, rather than because investors have lost faith
John Cole Scott on what's next for the BDC, private credit markets
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, discusses the changing landscape of business-development companies and the details he gleaned from attending the recent Eversheds BDC Roundtable, which focused on legislative and other issues that are creating challenges and opportunities for the industry. Scott, the Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, weighs in on the potential for chang
Variant's Hicks on mixing an impact on more than investors' finances
Drake Hicks, Head of Impact Investing at Variant Investments, discusses the unusual intersection of closed-end funds with impact investing, which goes beyond ESG (environmental, social and government principles) to invest in projects which have a purpose beyond just a profit margin. The firm runs the Variant Impact Fund, a high-yield closed-end interval fund whose assets are aligned with the Unite
XA's DiBernardo on covered-call strategies gaining ground and popularity
Ray DiBernardo, Portfolio Manager of the XAI Madison Equity Premium Income fund, says that covered-call strategies have become increasingly popular of late, as investors want to goose income while reducing market risk. DiBernardo, an analyst at Madison Investments, notes that investors have been intrigued by covered-call strategies for about two decades, but the availability of more options-based
Are falling rates, changing conditions setting up BDCs for a fall?
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, talks about how current conditions have made for nervous times in the business-development company space, and he looks at history to determine whether the risks are systemic rather than situational. The conversation looks at how the BDC space has gotten extensive scrutiny recently from the Financial Times and on sites like Seeking Alpha, with some observ
With his fund up 100% this year, veteran manager says gold can go higher
Axel Merk, Chief Investment Officer of the ASA Gold and Precious Metals Fund, says that while gold has been rolling this year, the start of rate cuts along with a weakening dollar and persistent geopolitical risks (including tariffs) make it that there is no end in sight for the precious metals rally to continue. ASA Gold, which invests largely in junior mining companies, is up more than 100 perce
John Cole Scott on when CEFs have the edge over ETFs
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, acknowledges how many consumers shy away from closed-end funds, fearing complexity or an investment type they don't fully understand. The chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance would obviously favor closed-end funds, but he sizes up situations where a closed-end fund and an ETF or a fund-of-funds cover the same asset class and why he would ch
NAVigator bonus: CEF Advisors' Scott on picking and managing funds
In this interview from the "Money Life with Chuck Jaffe" podcast, John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, discusses his "trifecta analysis" of closed-end funds and how he will frequently add or drop funds to take advantage of market conditions and make the most of tax circumstances, capturing incremental gains and minimizing incremental losses to squeeze the client's desired result in their po
Tortoise's Thummel says it's 'the best time i've ever seen' for energy investing
Rob Thummel, Senior Portfolio Manager at Tortoise Capital, says that this is "the best time I have ever seen" in a three-decade career to be investing in energy. Thummel, who manages Tortoise Energy Infrastructure, notes that the U.S. has grown into the largest energy producer and energy exporter in the world, but that it now needs expanded infrastructure to build on that leadership position. More
XA's Flynn on how crypto, private equity will impact retirement-savings plans
Kimberly Flynn, President at XA Investments, discusses the recent executive order signed by President Trump that allows a dramatic expansion of alternative assets to be part of 401(k) and other retirement plans. While the headlines have made it seem like crypto bros will blow up their retirement plans with alternatives, Flynn discusses how many firms running life-cycle and target-date funds may de
Oppenheimer's Penn: 'Fairly valued' BDCs
Mitchel Penn, Managing Director of Equity Research for Oppenheimer & Co., says that business-development companies are now "fairly valued" by the market, which means that their biggest potential gains for the remainder of the year will come from simply capturing dividend payouts. In 2026, with the industry likely facing interest rate cuts, BDCs will see their return on equity shrink in line with r
Calamos' Freund expects 4 rate cuts in a year, creating wider discounts
Matt Freund, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Calamos Investments, expects the Federal Reserve to make "a couple of cuts this year, followed by two or three cuts next year," and that those moves will be made while inflation stays at current levels or rise slightly. With those cuts, Freund thinks there will be a steepening yield curve, around 3 percent, creating more opportunities. Freund, whose team
A battle over closed-end activism is now awaiting a Supreme Court decision
Kenneth Burdon, an attorney with Simpson Thacher and Bartlett, discusses the court case between Saba Capital and four closed-end fund sponsors that has wound its way to the U.S. Supreme Court and that is expected to force a change in the tactics of the industry's most prominent activist investor or in the way management companies protect themselves against aggressive shareholder actions. Saba cha
CEF Advisors' Scott on the realities and mirages of double-digit yields
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors and Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, digs into his firm's data to look at how many categories of closed-end funds are delivering double-digit yields now, in some cases doubling the average payouts in the underlying asset class. He talks about judging how real the big payouts are, and which areas of the market are delivering the best com
Aberdeen's Akus on the struggles facing healthcare, biotech investors
Jason Akus, Head of Healthcare Investing for Aberdeen Investments, says that current conditions for healthcare and biotech investing are making for "one of the most challenging, difficult and dislocated environments I've seen." While trades in technology, artificial intelligence and the Magnificent Seven stocks have driven the stock market back to record-high levels, Akus notes that healthcare has
Veteran manager says volatile market has stress-tested 'discount-capture investing'
Rob Shaker, Portfolio Manager of Shaker Financial Services, discusses "discount-capture investing," and how the market's wild moves around tariff announcements this year made the strategy particularly sensitive to the emotional changes of investors. Shaker says the overall trend for 2025 has been a "generic narrowing" of discounts — by roughly 2 percent on equities and 1 percent on fixed income —
John Cole Scott on the assets he expects to thrive for the rest of '25
John Cole Scott, President of CEF Advisors, discusses how three areas that lagged during a strong first half of 2025 — municipal bonds, senior loans and master limited partnerships — are poised to be leading categories among closed-end funds for the remainder of the year. Scott, the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance, picks out funds that he thinks are poised for a good run in each
Trinity's Brown: Near-shoring, interest rates and more are boons for private credit
Kyle Brown, chief executive officer at Trinity Capital, sees the private-credit boom continuing, in part fueled by government efforts to generate business gains in the United States. That has created a new wave of capital expenditures — and a 20 percent year-to-date increase in demand for private credit — that is likely to power the private lenders for the foreseeable future. For Trinity, the comp
Allspring's Schueller says this 'muddle-through economy' is good for junk bonds
Mike Schueller, Co-Manager of the Allspring Income Opportunities fund, says that high-yield bonds are poised to be steady performers through the current wave of headline risks and market uncertainty because the economy is solid enough that there's no reason to expect a spike in defaults. With the potential for recession "having receded into the background," he's expecting a "muddle-through economy
Your questions answered with John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors
John Cole Scott, President of Closed-End Fund Advisors — the Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — answers listener questions about whether premiums and returns of capital are as bad for investors as they are often cracked up to be, on whether interval funds are worth the illiquidity risk and if the reasons why individuals buy closed-end funds means they are better used as short-ter
Bonus NAVigator: Gladstone's Bob Marcotte at the AICA BDC Forum
Bob Marcotte, President at Gladstone Capital Corp., says that government policies which encourage business investment and capital expenditures are creating outstanding conditions for the private credit market. In an interview at the Active Investment Company Alliance BDC Forum in New York City, Marcotte said that Gladstone is "very bullish" on the likely capital-expenditure cycle being spurred by
Bonus NAVigator: Oppenheimer's Penn is watching how credit losses weigh on BDCs
Mitchel Penn, Managing Director at Oppenheimer & Co. — interviewed at the Active Investment Company Alliance BDC Forum in New York on Wednesday — says that credit losses for business development companies during the first quarter of 2025 were more than double the level they have been at for the last few years. Penn says some of that increase could be attributed to the market's reaction to governme
How a BDC industry advocate shapes policies in Washington
Tonnie Wybensinger, Head of Government Relations for the Small Business Investors Association — interviewed at the AICA BDC Forum in New York on June 11 — discusses the role that lobbyists play in the legislative process and how current efforts to improve the tax treatment of business-development companies, as well as to level the playing field with mutual funds when calculating expense ratios for
Calamos' Grant on getting equity-like returns without market correlation
Michael Grant, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Calamos Investments — Co-Manager of the Calamos Long/Short Equity & Dynamic Income Trust — says that current market conditions have made it that bonds are no longer a natural working hedge for equities downturns, and the downside risk in terms of capital return can be greater in the bond market than in stocks. He notes that investors are over-exposed t
John Cole Scott on whether "the best funds" live up to their billing
John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors — the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — discusses two mainstream media articles that purported to name "the best closed-end funds" and that were published right around the times when he appeared on The NAVigator and gave out his own investment suggestions; he digs into the data to compare how all of the suggestions turned ou
Nuveen's Griggs: In turbulent markets, small portfolio tweaks have big impacts
Brian Griggs, head of portfolio strategy and solutions at Nuveen, says that investors have long had too much dependence on large-cap domestic stocks and an over-reliance on duration in fixed-income allocations, and he says that investors should address those pain points today to address macro-sensitivity caused by today's headlines. Using Nuveen's Nsights anaytical tool — a proprietary system that
CION's Gatto on how private markets have weathered tumultuous markets
Mark Gatto, co-founder and co-chief executive officer at CION Investment Group, says that private investments have been weathering current storms better than public companies because illiquidity translates to stability in times when the market is volatile. Gatto says these markets have highlighted what private investments do well, which should boost their attractiveness moving forward, with height
Aberdeen's Kohl: Dividends offer some certainty amid tariff uncertainty
Andrew Kohl, a Portfolio Manager with Aberdeen Investments — part of the team running the firm's Total Dynamic Dividend and Global Dynamic Dividend funds — says dividend-paying stocks are not immune from tariff concerns, and while investors often pick them for the income and don't want to make too many changes, it's important to to watch how the underlying business will be impacted by current cond
Oaktree's Poli: Amid concerns over stocks and bonds, credit is the place to be
Danielle Poli, Portfolio Manager at Oaktree Capital Management, says the credit market is delivering returns that are close to the historic gains for equities, noting that the current set-up is reminiscent of times in the early 2000s when credit "smoked" equities. With high-yield bonds earning around 8 percent and private credit showing significant demand, Poli says that credit can be more than ju
Sit's Doty is trading up and still expecting double-digit gains this year
Bryce Doty, Senior Portfolio Manager at Sit Investment Associates, says that current market conditions have changed the opportunity set for investors, who now want to be trading up by unloading closed-end funds that have hardly moved in favor of issues that have swung more wildly, even if that means "holding your nose" on the quality of the funds you're buying. He says that he is playing NAV movem
John Cole Scott on closed-end funds that can weather this storm
John Cole Scott, President of Closed-End Fund Advisors — The Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — is back with funds that can fit the bill of giving investors confidence amid the current stock market chaos. After answering audience questions last week, he supplements those answers with three investment ideas, discussing the details of the "trifecta analysis" — covering data points
John Cole Scott on how the wild market action is impacting closed-end funds
John Cole Scott, President of Closed-End Fund Advisors — the Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — checks in on how closed-end funds have performed since the government's tariff announcement, particularly in bond funds, where the outlook for yields has put fixed-income markets under pressure; he also discusses discount levels, strategies that closed-end fund investors might use now,
John Cole Scott on finding 'the best' funds and more
John Cole Scott, Chief Investment Officer at Closed-End Fund Advisors — Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — continues The NAVigator's ongoing effort to answer audience questions, this week digging into nuts-and-bolts issues like how to find the best closed-end fund in any sector, how to judge if a fund might reduce its distribution or change its term date, and how to size up expen
Aberdeen Purington: Middle-market infrastructure will be a sweet spot for years
Eric Purington, Portfolio Manager for the aberdeen Global Income Infrastructure fund says that large-scale infrastructure investors have raised billions to pump into the big names in the sector, the smaller private-equity firms and the middle-market opportunities have struggled to bring in capital. That has created an opportunity that Purington has taken advantage of for the last few years and tha
The NAVigator at FutureProof: Nuveen's Rodriguez on what wins with rate cuts
Tony Rodriguez, head of fixed income strategy at Nuveen, expects the Federal Reserve to make two interest-rate cuts this year — he calls them "recalibration cuts," made to stabilize the economy but not in response to a hard landing — which will boost floating-rate assets like leveraged loans, collateralized loan obligations and more. Speaking at FutureProof Citywide in Miami Beach, Rodriguez said
VettaFi's Islam: Now 15, the 'S&P 500 of closed-end funds' has a big impact
Roxanna Islam, Head of Sector and Industry Research at VettaFi, discusses PCEF — the Invesco Closed-End Fund Income Composite ETF — which she considers the bellwether measure of the closed-end fund industry, a parallel to the Standard & Poor's 500 but for a closed-end space that is rapidly changing. Islam talks about how the ETF — which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary and has $800 million
XA's Flynn: Healthy borrowers should keep CLO space humming
Kimberly Flynn, President of XA Investments — which runs the XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Trust — discusses the development, growth and heightened demand in alternative investments, as well as how current market conditions around rates, tariffs and uncertainty are hitting the loan markets. She notes that the current picture for leveraged loans involves healthy borrowers and mute
John Cole Scott on BDCs, how they stack up to closed-end funds and more
John Cole Scott, Chief Investment Officer at Closed-End Fund Advisors — the Chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — returns to The NAVigator in an ongoing project to answer audience questions, this week diving into the world of business-development companies. He sorts out the differences between BDCs and closed-end funds, explaining why some investors — himself included — analyze BDCs
How activism in Britain holds lessons for American closed-end investors
Richard Stone, Chief Executive Officer for The Association of Investment Companies — the British equivalent to the Active Investment Company Alliance — discusses the similarities and differences in the closed-end fund industry between the two countries, and how activist investors, most notably U.S. based closed-end powerhouse Saba Capital, have struggled to gain traction in boardroom battles.
Kayne Anderson's Baker on the big potential of energy infrastructure
Jim Baker, Co-Head of Energy Infrastructure Strategies for Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors — President of the Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund — discusses generating "excess free cash flow" that helped the midstream index generate gains of over 50 percent for fiscal 2024, an impressive gain that still actually lagged the total return of his fund. Moving forward — and despite a political c
Liberty Street's Munafo on hunting for unicorns in AI
Christian Munafo, chief investment officer at Liberty Street Advisors — the manager of the Private Shares Fund — discusses how there are plenty of opportunities among late-stage venture companies working to make a splash in the artificial intelligence field, but how hard it is to find the transformational companies positioned to succeed. He discusses what he is looking for, and where he thinks the
CEF Advisors' Scott on discounts, wildfires, benchmarks and more
John Cole Scott, chief investment officer at Closed-End Fund Advisors — the chairman of the Active Investment Company Alliance — brings his data and portfolio-management methods back to The NAVigator to answer questions from listeners, covering concerns for California municipal bond funds in the wake of recent wildfires, how a steepening yield curve will impact discount levels, why investors shoul
abrdn's Laranjeiro: Tax-exempt yields are an attractive option now
Miguel Laranjeiro, investment director for municipal debt at Abrdn, says the appetite for muni-bond assets has been growing at a point when "tax-exempt yields look really attractive," with tax-equivalent yields running up to 6 percent for investment-grade bonds, an attractive option compared to corporate and other bond types. Laranjeiro notes that potential policy changes being discussed in Washin
First Eagle's Holzenthaler says credit picture will get brighter with rate cuts
Larry Holzenthaler, Portfolio Manager for First Eagle Alternative Credit — part of the team running First Eagle Credit Opportunities fund — gives his outlook for credit markets in 2025, noting that after avoiding default troubles when rates were rising, it should be stronger now, with paper being particularly strong in private credit. Holzenthaler further explained why private credit benefits from
CION's Gatto on infrastructure investing and why his firm has a new fund for it
Mark Gatto, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer at CION Investment Group, says that the landscape for global infrastructure spending could be as high as $3 trillion annually worldwide, which is going to create an investment asset class that is consistent, that can overcome political challenges, and that has public and private investment opportunities with significant earning potential. CION
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1001 Songs That Make You Want To Die
100 Famous Dogs
#100MasterCoaches with Mel Leow, MCC
100% Mixtape Podcast
