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CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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Title of Securities Being Registered | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price | Amount of Registration Fee(1) | ||
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Common Shares, $0.01 par value | $120,000,000 | $13,092.00 |
(1) | Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act. |
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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
File No. 333-254473
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated March 18, 2021 )
Up to $120,000,000 Common Shares
Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund
Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”), a diversified, closed-end management investment company, is offering up to $120,000,000 common shares, $0.01 par value per share (the “Common Shares”), pursuant to this prospectus supplement.
The minimum price on any day at which Common Shares may be sold will not be less than the current net asset value (“NAV”) per share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to the Fund’s distributor, Nuveen Securities, LLC (“Nuveen Securities” or the “Agent”). The Fund and Nuveen Securities will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price. The Fund currently intends to distribute the shares offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement primarily through at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement describing such transactions. For information on how Common Shares may be sold, see the “Plan of Distribution” section of this prospectus supplement.
Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the ticker symbol “JPC.” The closing price for the Common Shares on the NYSE on March 8, 2021 was $9.17. The NAV of the Common Shares at the close of business on March 8, 2021 was $9.65 per Common Share.
Common shares of closed-end investment companies, such as the Fund, often trade at a discount to their NAV. This creates a risk of loss for an investor purchasing common shares in a public offering.
Investing in the Common Shares involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-15 of this prospectus supplement and on page 9 of the accompanying prospectus. You should consider carefully these risks together with all of the other information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus before making a decision to purchase Common Shares.
The Fund’s primary investment objective is high current income. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is total return. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives.
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March 19, 2021
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The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities. The Fund may also invest in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. Under normal circumstances:
• | The Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined herein) in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities and up to 20% in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. |
• | The Fund will invest at least 50% of its Managed Assets (as defined herein) in securities rated investment grade (BBB/Baa and above) at the time of investment. Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are rated by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) within the four highest grades (Baa or BBB or better by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)), or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors” or the “Adviser”), or sub-advisers, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (“NWQ” and, together with Nuveen Asset Management, each, a “Sub-Adviser” and together, the “Sub-Advisers”). The Fund may invest in securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. |
• | The Fund will invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in the securities of companies principally engaged in financial services. |
• | The Fund is not limited in the amount of its investments in non-U.S. issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of the portion of its portfolio managed by Nuveen Asset Management in preferred securities issued by companies located in emerging market countries. |
The Fund may use derivative instruments to seek to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments or its leverage, to enhance return, to serve as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset, to reduce transaction costs, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, to maintain full market exposure, to manage cash flows or to preserve capital. Such instruments may include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on equity securities, options on financial futures or other derivative instruments.
The Fund uses leverage to pursue its investment objectives. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), including the following forms of leverage: (a) borrowings, including loans from certain financial institutions, and/or the issuance of debt securities; (b) the issuance of preferred shares; and (c) engaging in reverse repurchase agreements and economically similar transactions. The Fund also may borrow money for repurchase of
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its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Fund securities. Currently, the Fund employs leverage through bank borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements.
You should read this prospectus supplement, together with the accompanying prospectus, which contains important information about the Fund, before deciding whether to invest in Common Shares and retain it for future reference. A statement of additional information, dated March 18, 2021, and as it may be supplemented (the “SAI”), containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. You may request a free copy of the SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, when available, and other information about the Fund, and make shareholder inquiries by calling (312) 917-7700 or by writing to the Fund, or from the Fund’s website (www.nuveen.com). The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the SAI. You also may obtain a copy of the SAI (and other information regarding the Fund) from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).
Common Shares do not represent a deposit or obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The Fund has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The Fund is not making an offer of Common Shares in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the respective dates on the front covers. The Fund’s business, financial condition and prospects may have changed since that date.
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Any projections, forecasts and estimates contained or incorporated by reference herein are forward looking statements and are based upon certain assumptions. Projections, forecasts and estimates are necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying any projections, forecasts or estimates will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Actual results may vary from any projections, forecasts and estimates and the variations may be material. Some important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward looking statements include changes in interest rates, market, financial or legal uncertainties, including changes in tax law, and the timing and frequency of defaults on underlying investments. Consequently, the inclusion of any projections, forecasts and estimates herein should not be regarded as a representation by the Fund or any of its affiliates or any other person or entity of the results that will actually be achieved by the Fund. Neither the Fund nor its affiliates has any obligation to update or otherwise revise any projections, forecasts and estimates including any revisions to reflect changes in economic conditions or other circumstances arising after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, even if the underlying assumptions do not come to fruition. The Fund acknowledges that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 does not apply to investment companies such as the Fund.
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This is only a summary. You should review the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, in the accompanying prospectus and in the statement of additional information, dated March 18, 2021, and as it may be supplemented (the “SAI”), including the documents incorporated by reference, prior to making an investment in the Fund, especially the information set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-15 of this prospectus supplement and beginning on page 9 in the accompanying prospectus.
The Fund | Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s common shares, $.01 par value per share (the “Common Shares”), are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “JPC.” See “Description of Securities—Common Shares” in the prospectus. As of February 28, 2021, the Fund had 103,355,149 Common Shares outstanding and net assets applicable to Common Shares of $994,147,634. |
Investment Objectives and Policies
The Fund’s primary investment objective is high current income. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is total return. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities. The Fund may also invest in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. Under normal circumstances:
• | The Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined herein) in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities and up to 20% in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. |
• | The Fund will invest at least 50% of its Managed Assets (as defined herein) in securities rated investment grade (BBB/Baa and above) at the time of investment. Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are rated by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) within the four highest grades (Baa or BBB or better by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), or |
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Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)), or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors” or the “Adviser”), or sub-advisers, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (“NWQ” and, together with Nuveen Asset Management, each, a “Sub-Adviser” and together, the “Sub-Advisers”). The Fund may invest in securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. |
• | The Fund will invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in the securities of companies principally engaged in financial services. |
• | The Fund is not limited in the amount of its investments in non-U.S. issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of the portion of its portfolio managed by Nuveen Asset Management in preferred securities issued by companies located in emerging market countries. |
For purposes of the investment policies provided above such policies only apply at the time of purchase and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities. |
The Fund may use derivative instruments to seek to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments or its leverage, to enhance return, to serve as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset, to reduce transaction costs, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, to maintain full market exposure, to manage cash flows or to preserve capital. Such instruments may include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on equity securities, options on financial futures or other derivative instruments. |
During temporary defensive periods, the Fund may deviate from its investment policies and objective. During such periods,
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the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in high quality, short-term securities, and in short-, intermediate-, or long-term U.S. Treasury securities. There can be no assurance that such techniques will be successful. Accordingly, during such periods, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective. |
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value. |
The Fund’s investment objectives, policy to invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in securities of financial services companies, and certain other investment restrictions identified in the SAI are considered fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. All of the other investment policies of the Fund, including as noted above, are not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed by the Board without a vote of the shareholders; provided that the Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days prior to any change in its policy to invest at least 80% of its Assets in preferred securities and other income producing securities. The Fund may only change its fundamental investment restrictions with the approval of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund as is defined in the 1940 Act. When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less. |
There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives. See “Risk Factors” and “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Objectives and Policies” in the accompanying prospectus. |
Investment Adviser | Nuveen Fund Advisors is the Fund’s investment adviser, responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. |
Nuveen Fund Advisors, a registered investment adviser, offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has |
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overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Nuveen Fund Advisors is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2020, Nuveen managed approximately $1.2 trillion in assets, of which approximately $156.5 billion was managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors. |
Sub-Adviser | Nuveen Fund Advisors has selected its affiliates, Nuveen Asset Management, located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, located at 2049 Century Park East, Suite 1600, Los Angeles, California 90067 (together with NAM, the “Sub-Advisers” and each, a “Sub-Adviser”) to serve as the sub-advisers to the Fund, each managing a portion of the Fund’s investment portfolio. Nuveen Fund Advisors has engaged the Sub-Advisers, each a registered investment adviser, to oversee day-to-day operations and manage the investment of the Fund’s assets on a discretionary basis pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and each Sub-Adviser (collectively, the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”), subject to the supervision of Nuveen Fund Advisors. |
Nuveen Securities, LLC (“Nuveen Securities”), a registered broker-dealer affiliate of Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management, is involved in the offering of the Fund’s Common Shares. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through At-The-Market Transactions.” |
Offering Methods | The Fund may offer shares using one or more of the following methods: (i) at-the-market transactions through one or more broker-dealers that have entered into a selected dealer agreement with Nuveen Securities, one of the Fund’s underwriters; (ii) through an underwriting syndicate; and (iii) through privately negotiated transactions between the Fund and specific investors. See “Plan of Distribution.” |
Distribution Through At-The-Market Transactions. The Fund, from time to time, may issue and sell its Common Shares through Nuveen Securities to certain broker-dealers that have |
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entered into selected dealer agreements with Nuveen Securities. Currently, Nuveen Securities has entered into a selected dealer agreement with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel Nicolaus”) pursuant to which Stifel Nicolaus will be acting as Nuveen Securities’ sub-placement agent with respect to at-the-market offerings of Common Shares. Common Shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus. Common Shares will be sold at prevailing market prices through the National Market System, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by Nuveen Securities. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current NAV per share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to Nuveen Securities. The Fund, Nuveen Securities, and Stifel Nicolaus will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price. |
The Fund will compensate Nuveen Securities with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of up to 1.0% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. Nuveen Securities will compensate sub-placement agents or other broker-dealers participating in the offering at a rate of up to 0.8% of the gross sales proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold by that sub-placement agent or other broker-dealer. Settlements of Common Share sales will occur on the second business day following the date of sale. |
In connection with the sale of the Common Shares on behalf of the Fund, Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the compensation of Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. Unless otherwise indicated in a further Prospectus supplement, Nuveen Securities will act as underwriter on a reasonable efforts basis. |
The offering of Common Shares pursuant to the Distribution Agreement (defined under “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through At-The-Market Transactions”) will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all Common Shares subject thereto or (ii) termination of the Distribution Agreement. The Fund and Nuveen Securities each have the right to terminate the Distribution Agreement in its discretion at any time. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through At-The-Market-Transactions.” |
The Fund currently intends to distribute the shares offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement primarily through |
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at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement to this prospectus supplement describing such transactions. |
The Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on March 8, 2021 was $9.17. |
Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates. The Fund, from time to time, may issue additional Common Shares through a syndicated secondary offering. In order to limit the impact on the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares, underwriters will market and price the offering on an expedited basis (e.g., overnight or similarly abbreviated offering period). The Fund will launch a syndicated offering on a day, and upon terms, mutually agreed upon between the Fund, Nuveen Securities and the underwriting syndicate. |
The Fund will offer its shares at a price equal to a specified discount of up to 5% from the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. The applicable discount will be negotiated by the Fund and Nuveen Securities in consultation with the underwriting syndicate on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The Fund will compensate the underwriting syndicate out of the proceeds of the offering based upon a sales load of up to 4% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. The minimum net proceeds per share to the Fund will not be less than the greater of (i) the Fund’s latest NAV per Common Share or (ii) 91% of the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates.” |
Distribution Through Privately Negotiated Transactions. The Fund from time to time may sell directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional and other sophisticated investors, who may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the 1933 Act for any resale of Common Shares. No sales commission or other compensation will be paid to Nuveen Securities or any other FINRA member in connection with such transactions. |
The terms of such privately negotiated transactions will be subject to the discretion of the management of the Fund. In determining whether to sell Common Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Fund will consider relevant factors including, but not limited to, the attractiveness of |
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obtaining additional funds through the sale of Common Shares, the purchase price to apply to any such sale of Common Shares and the investor seeking to purchase the Common Shares. |
Common Shares issued by the Fund through privately negotiated transactions will be issued at a price equal to the greater of (i) the NAV per Common Share or (ii) at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% of the average daily closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares at the close of business on the two business days preceding the date upon which Common Shares are sold pursuant to the privately negotiated transaction. The applicable discount will be determined by the Fund on a transaction-by-transaction basis. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through Privately Negotiated Transactions.” |
The principal business address of Nuveen Securities is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. |
Distributions | The Fund pays monthly distributions to Common Shareholders at a level rate (stated in terms of a fixed cents per Common Share dividend rate) based on the projected performance of the Fund. |
The Fund’s ability to maintain a level Common Share dividend rate will depend on a number of factors, including costs associated with the Fund’s leverage. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of dividends on the Common Shares and the Fund’s dividend policy could change. Over time, the Fund will distribute all or substantially all of its net investment income. In addition, the Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, all or substantially all of its net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and taxable ordinary income, if any, to Common Shareholders so long as the net capital gain and taxable ordinary income are not necessary to pay accrued dividends on, or redeem or liquidate, any preferred shares then outstanding or pay any expenses and required principal payments related to the Fund’s use of leverage. While not currently anticipated, if the Fund makes total distributions during a given calendar year in an amount that exceeds the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, the excess would generally be treated by Common Shareholders as a return of capital for tax purposes. A return of capital reduces a shareholder’s tax basis, which could result in higher taxes when the shareholder sells his or her shares. This may cause the shareholder to pay taxes even if he or she sells shares for less than the original price. You may elect to reinvest automatically some or all of your distributions in additional Common Shares under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan. |
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The Fund might not distribute all or a portion of any net capital gain for a taxable year. If the Fund does not distribute all of its net capital gain for a taxable year, it will pay federal income tax on the retained gain. Provided the Fund satisfies certain requirements, each Common Shareholder of record as of the end of the Fund’s taxable year will include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, his or her share of the retained gain, will be deemed to have paid his or her proportionate share of tax paid by the Fund on such retained gain, and will be entitled to an income tax credit or refund for that share of the tax. The Fund may treat the retained capital gain amount as a substitute for equivalent cash distributions. See “Distributions” and “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.” |
The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time and may do so without prior notice to Common Shareholders, upon a determination by the Fund’s Board that such change is in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders. |
Special Risk Considerations
Investment in the Fund involves special risk considerations, which are summarized below. The Fund is designed as a longterm investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. See “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for a more complete discussion of the risks you should consider before making an investment in the Fund. |
Market Discount from Net Asset Value. Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund have during some periods traded at prices higher than NAV and have during other periods traded at prices lower than NAV. The Fund cannot predict whether Common Shares will trade at, above or below NAV. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund’s NAV could decrease as a result of investment activities.
Investors bear a risk of loss to the extent that the price at which they sell their shares is lower in relation to the Fund’s NAV than at the time of purchase, assuming a stable NAV. Proceeds from the sale of Common Shares in this offering will be reduced by shareholder transaction costs (if applicable, which vary depending on the offering method used). The NAV per Common Share will be reduced by costs associated with any future issuances of Common Shares. Depending on the premium of Common Shares at the time of any offering of Common Shares hereunder, the Fund’s NAV may be reduced |
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by an amount up to the offering costs (estimated to be an additional 0.16% of the offering price assuming a Common Share offering price of $9.17 (the Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on March 8, 2021)). Common Shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and you should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes. |
Investment and Market Risk. An investment in the Fund’s Common Shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. Your investment in Common Shares represents an indirect investment in the municipal securities owned by the Fund, which generally trade in the over-the-counter markets. Your Common Shares at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions. |
Impact of Offering Methods Risk. The issuance of Common Shares through the various methods described in this prospectus supplement may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for the Fund’s Common Shares by increasing the number of Common Shares available for sale. In addition, Common Shares may be issued at a discount to the market price for such Common Shares, which may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares of the Fund. |
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The purpose of the table below and the Examples below is to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a common shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The table shows the expenses of the Fund as a percentage of the average net assets applicable to Common Shares, and not as a percentage of total assets or Managed Assets.
Shareholder Transaction Expenses (as a percentage of offering price) | ||||
Maximum Sales Charge | 4.00 | %* | ||
Offering Costs(1) | 0.16 | % | ||
Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees(2) | $ | 2.50 |
* | A maximum sales charge of 4.00% applies only to offerings pursuant to a syndicated underwriting. The maximum sales charge for offerings made at-the-market is 1.00%. There is no sales charge for offerings pursuant to a private transaction. |
As a Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares(3) | ||||
Annual Expenses | ||||
Management Fees | 1.26 | % | ||
Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on Reverse Repurchase Agreements(4) | 1.17 | % | ||
Other Expenses(5) | 0.07 | % | ||
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Total Annual Expenses | 2.50 | % | ||
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(1) | Assuming a Common Share offering price of $9.17 (the Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on March 8, 2021). |
(2) | You will be charged a $2.50 service charge and pay brokerage charges if you direct ComputerShare Inc. and ComputerShare Trust Company, N.A., as agent for the common shareholders (the “Plan Agent”), to sell your Common Shares held in a dividend reinvestment account. |
(3) | Stated as percentages of average net assets attributable to Common Shares for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020. |
(4) | Currently, the Fund employs leverage through its use of borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements. Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on Reverse Repurchase Agreements reflect actual expenses incurred by the Fund. The actual interest expense on the use of borrowings and fees on reverse repurchase agreements incurred in the future may be higher or lower. If short-term market interest rates rise in the future, and if the Fund continues to maintain leverage the cost of which is tied to short-term interest rates, the Fund’s interest expenses on its short-term borrowings can be expected to rise in tandem. The Funds’ use of leverage will increase the amount of management fees paid to Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management. |
(5) | Other Expenses is based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments, if any, in other investment companies are currently estimated not to exceed 0.01%. See “The Fund’s Investments—Other Investment Companies” in the SAI. |
For a more complete description of the Annual Expenses a common shareholder would bear directly or indirectly, see “Management of the Fund—Investment Management and Sub-Advisory Agreements” in the prospectus.
Examples
The following examples illustrate the expenses including the applicable transaction fees (referred to as the “Maximum Sales Charge” in the fee table above), if any, and estimated offering costs of $1.60, that a common shareholder would pay on a $1,000 investment that is held for the time periods provided in the table. Each example assumes that all dividends and other distributions are
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reinvested in the Fund and that the Fund’s Annual Total Expenses, as provided above, remain the same. The examples also assume a 5% annual return.1
Example # 1 (At-the-Market Transaction)
The following example assumes a transaction fee of 1.00%, as a percentage of the offering price.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$37 | $89 | $143 | $292 |
Example # 2 (Underwritten Transaction)
The following example assumes a transaction fee of 4.00%, as a percentage of the offering price.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$66 | $116 | $169 | $313 |
Example # 3 (Privately Negotiated Transaction)
The following example assumes there is no transaction fee.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$27 | $79 | $134 | $285 |
The examples should not be considered a representation of future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown above.
(1) | The examples assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at Common Shares NAV. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those assumed. Moreover, the Fund’s actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example. |
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TRADING AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION
The following table shows for the periods indicated: (i) the high and low sales prices for the Common Shares reported as of the end of the day on the NYSE, (ii) the high and low NAV of the Common Shares, and (iii) the high and low of the premium/(discount) to NAV (expressed as a percentage) of the Common Shares.
Market Price | Net Asset Value | Premium/(Discount) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal Quarter Ended | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | ||||||||||||||||||
January 2021 | $ | 9.50 | $ | 8.30 | $ | 9.68 | $ | 9.06 | (1.35 | )% | (8.55 | )% | ||||||||||||
October 2020 | $ | 8.93 | $ | 8.22 | $ | 9.16 | $ | 8.83 | 0.34 | % | (8.87 | )% | ||||||||||||
July 2020 | $ | 8.81 | $ | 7.42 | $ | 8.83 | $ | 8.03 | 2.46 | % | (7.94 | )% | ||||||||||||
April 2020 | $ | 10.73 | $ | 5.03 | $ | 10.71 | $ | 6.22 | 0.56 | % | (21.53 | )% | ||||||||||||
January 2020 | $ | 10.59 | $ | 10.01 | $ | 10.59 | $ | 10.26 | 0.19 | % | (3.19 | )% | ||||||||||||
October 2019 | $ | 10.10 | $ | 9.62 | $ | 10.32 | $ | 9.95 | (0.59 | )% | (3.90 | )% | ||||||||||||
July 2019 | $ | 9.96 | $ | 9.32 | $ | 10.17 | $ | 9.82 | (1.00 | )% | (5.36 | )% | ||||||||||||
April 2019 | $ | 9.77 | $ | 8.95 | $ | 10.02 | $ | 9.65 | (1.61 | )% | (7.53 | )% | ||||||||||||
January 2019 | $ | 9.27 | $ | 7.95 | $ | 9.90 | $ | 9.08 | (3.69 | )% | (12.92 | )% | ||||||||||||
October 2018 | $ | 9.48 | $ | 8.73 | $ | 10.19 | $ | 9.81 | (6.78 | )% | (11.73 | )% |
The NAV per Common Share, the market price and percentage of premium/(discount) to NAV per Common Share on March 8, 2021 was $9.65, $9.17 and (4.97)%, respectively. As of February 28, 2021, the Fund had 103,355,149 Common Shares outstanding and net assets applicable to Common Shares of $994,147,634. See “Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund” in the prospectus.
The net proceeds from the issuance of Common Shares hereunder will be invested in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. Pending investment, the timing of which may vary depending on the size of the investment but in no case is expected to exceed 30 days, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in short-term or long-term securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term money market instruments.
The Fund seeks to pay regular monthly cash distributions to Common Shareholders at a level rate (stated in terms of a fixed cents per Common Share distribution rate) based on the projected performance of the Fund. The Fund’s ability to maintain a level Common Share distribution rate will depend on a number of factors, including the costs related to the Fund’s use of leverage, if any. Distributions will be reinvested in additional Common Shares under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan unless a Common Shareholder elects to receive cash.
As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of distributions on the Common Shares and the Fund’s distribution policy could change. Over time, the Fund will distribute substantially all of its net investment income (after it pays accrued interest on any outstanding leverage). In addition, at least annually, the Fund intends to distribute net capital gain and taxable ordinary income, if any, to Common Shareholders so long as the net capital gain and taxable ordinary income are not necessary to
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pay accrued interest on the Fund’s outstanding leverage. To the extent that the total return of the Fund’s overall strategy exceeds the distribution rate for an extended period, the Fund may be in a position to increase the distribution rate or distribute supplemental amounts to shareholders.
It is possible that a portion of the Fund’s distributions could represent a return of capital. For federal income tax purposes, a return of capital would reduce a Common Shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in his or her Common Shares, with any amount distributed in excess of basis treated as capital gain. A reduction in tax basis could result in a greater amount of gain or a smaller amount of loss when a Common Shareholder sells such Common Shares. It is possible that a return of capital, by reducing basis, could cause a Common Shareholder to pay a tax with respect to Common Shares that are sold for an amount less than the price originally paid for them. See “Tax Matters” in the accompanying prospectus.
As explained more fully in “Tax Matters,” at least annually, the Fund may elect to retain rather than distribute all or a portion of any net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) otherwise applicable to Common Shareholders and pay U.S. federal income tax on the retained gain. As provided under U.S. federal income tax law, if the Fund elects to report such retained gain as undistributed capital gain, Common Shareholders of record as of the end of the Fund’s taxable year will include their attributable share of the retained net capital gain in their income for the year as long-term capital gain (regardless of their holding period in the Common Shares), and will be entitled to a U.S. federal income tax credit for the U.S. federal income tax deemed paid on their behalf by the Fund. Under the Fund’s distribution policy (but not for U.S. federal income tax purposes), the Fund may treat the cash value of tax credit amounts in connection with retained capital gains as a substitute for equivalent cash distributions.
The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time and may do so without prior notice to Common Shareholders, upon a determination by the Fund’s Board of Trustees that such change is in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders.
If your Common Shares are registered directly with the Fund or if you hold Common Shares with a brokerage firm that participates in the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”), you may elect to have all dividends, including any capital gain dividends, on your Common Shares automatically reinvested by the Plan Agent (defined below) in additional shares of Common Shares under the Plan. You may elect to participate in the Plan by contacting Nuveen Investor Services at (800) 257-8787. If you do not participate, you will receive all distributions in cash paid by check mailed directly to you or your brokerage firm by Computershare as dividend paying agent (the “Plan Agent”).
If you decide to participate in the Plan of the Fund, the number of common shares you will receive will be determined as follows:
(1) If Common Shares are trading at or above net asset value at the time of valuation, the Fund will issue new shares at a price equal to the greater of the shares’ net asset value or 95% of the shares’ market value; or
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(2) If common shares are trading below net asset value at the time of valuation, the Plan Agent will receive the dividend or distribution in cash and will purchase common shares in the open market, on the exchange on which the common shares are listed, for the participants’ accounts. It is possible that the market price for the common shares may increase before the Plan Agent has completed its purchases. Therefore, the average purchase price per share paid by the Plan Agent may exceed the market price at the time of valuation, resulting in the purchase of fewer shares than if the dividend or distribution had been paid in common shares issued by the Fund. The Plan Agent will use all dividends and distributions received in cash to purchase common shares in the open market within 30 days of the valuation date. Interest will not be paid on any uninvested cash payments.
You may withdraw from the Plan at any time by giving notice to the Plan Agent either in writing or by telephone. If you withdraw or the Plan is terminated, you will receive a cash payment for any fraction of a share in your account. If you wish, the Plan Agent will sell your shares and send you the proceeds, minus brokerage commissions and a $2.50 service fee.
The Plan Agent maintains all shareholders’ accounts in the Plan and gives written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including information you may need for tax records. Common shares in your account will be held by the Plan Agent in non-certificated form. Any proxy you receive will include all common shares you have received under the Plan.
There is no brokerage charge for reinvestment of your dividends or distributions in common shares. However, all participants will pay a pro rata share of brokerage commissions incurred by the Plan Agent when it makes open market purchases.
Automatically reinvesting dividends and distributions does not mean that you do not have to pay income taxes due on taxable dividends and distributions.
The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan if in the judgment of the Board of the Fund the change is warranted. There is no direct service charge to participants in the Plan; however, the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants. Additional information about the Plan may be obtained from Computershare, P.O. Box 505000, Louisville, Kentucky 40233-5000, (800)257-8787.
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Investing in the Common Shares involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or that you may lose part or all of your investment. Therefore, before investing in the Common Shares you should consider carefully the following risks, as well as the risk factors set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 9 of the accompanying prospectus.
Investment and Market Risk
An investment in the shares of the Fund is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. Your investment in shares represents an indirect investment in the securities owned by the Fund. Your shares at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if applicable. In addition, the ability of municipalities to collect revenue and service their obligations could be materially and adversely affected by an economic downturn or prolonged recession. Investors bear a risk of loss to the extent that the price at which they sell their shares is lower than at the time of purchase. The shares of the Fund are designed primarily for long-term investors, and you should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes.
Tax Risk
To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) the Fund must, among other requirements, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources and satisfy a diversification test on a quarterly basis. If the Fund fails to satisfy the qualifying income or diversification requirements in any taxable year, 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 diversification requirements where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the diversification requirements, 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 for treatment as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gains) would be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and all distributions from the Fund would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.
The Fund may invest in preferred securities or other securities the federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. It could be more difficult for the Fund to comply with the tax requirements applicable to a RIC if the tax characterization of the Fund’s investments or the tax treatment of the income from such investments were successfully challenged by the IRS. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed in the same manner as a regular corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and distributions to shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. Additionally, if the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built-in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year. The tax treatment of Fund distributions may be affected by future changes in tax laws and regulations or their interpretation by IRS or state tax authorities.
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Market Discount to Net Asset Value
Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund have during some periods traded at prices higher than NAV and have during other periods traded at prices lower than NAV. The Fund cannot predict whether Common Shares will trade at, above or below NAV. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund’s NAV could decrease as a result of investment activities. Investors bear a risk of loss to the extent that the price at which they sell their shares is lower in relation to the Fund’s NAV than at the time of purchase, assuming a stable NAV. Proceeds from the sale of Common Shares in this offering will be reduced by shareholder transaction costs (if applicable, which vary depending on the offering method used). The NAV per Common Share will be reduced by an amount up to the offering costs (estimated to be an additional 0.16% of the offering price assuming a Common Share offering price of $9.17 (the Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on March 8, 2021). The NAV per Common Share will be reduced by costs associated with any future offerings of Common Shares. Depending on the premium of Common Shares at the time of any offering of Common Shares hereunder, the Fund’s NAV may be reduced by an amount up to the offering costs. The Common Shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and you should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes.
Impact of Offering Methods Risk
The issuance of Common Shares through the various methods described in this prospectus supplement may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for the Fund’s Common Shares by increasing the number of Common Shares available for sale. In addition, the Common Shares may be issued at a discount to the market price for such shares, which may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares of the Fund.
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The Fund may sell the Common Shares offered under this prospectus supplement through
• | at-the-market transactions; |
• | underwriting syndicates; and |
• | privately negotiated transactions. |
The Fund will bear the expenses of the offering, including but not limited to, the expenses of preparation of the prospectus, prospectus supplement, and SAI for the offering and the expense of counsel and auditors in connection with the offering.
Distribution Through At-The-Market Transactions
The Fund has entered into a distribution agreement with Nuveen Securities (the “Distribution Agreement”), which has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Distribution Agreement, the Fund may from time to time issue and sell its Common Shares through Nuveen Securities to certain broker-dealers which have entered into selected dealer agreements with Nuveen Securities. Currently, Nuveen Securities has entered into a selected dealer agreement (the “Selected Dealer Agreement”) with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Incorporated (“Stifel Nicolaus”) pursuant to which Stifel Nicolaus will be acting as the exclusive sub-placement agent with respect to at-the-market offerings of Common Shares. The Selected Dealer Agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part.
Common Shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus. Common Shares will be sold at prevailing market prices through the National Market System, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by Nuveen Securities. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current NAV per Common Share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to Nuveen Securities. The Fund, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price.
The Fund will compensate Nuveen Securities with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of up to 1.0% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. Nuveen Securities will compensate sub-placement agents or other broker-dealers at a rate of up to 0.8% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold by that sub-placement agent or broker-dealer. Settlements of sales of Common Shares will occur on the second business day following the date on which any such sales are made.
In connection with the sale of the Common Shares on behalf of the Fund, Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act, and the compensation of Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. Unless otherwise indicated in a further Prospectus supplement, Nuveen Securities will act as underwriter on a reasonable efforts basis.
The offering of Common Shares pursuant to the Distribution Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all Common Shares subject thereto or (ii) termination of the Distribution
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Agreement. The Fund and Nuveen Securities each have the right to terminate the Distribution Agreement in its discretion at any time.
The Fund currently intends to distribute the shares offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement primarily through at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement to this prospectus supplement describing such transactions.
The Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on March 8, 2021 was $9.17.
Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates
The Fund from time to time may issue additional Common Shares through a syndicated secondary offering. In order to limit the impact on the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares, underwriters will market and price the offering on an expedited basis (e.g., overnight or similarly abbreviated offering period). The Fund will launch a syndicated offering on a day, and upon terms, mutually agreed upon between the Fund, Nuveen Securities, one of the Fund’s underwriters, and the underwriting syndicate.
The Fund will offer its shares at a price equal to a specified discount of up to 5% from the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. The applicable discount will be negotiated by the Fund and Nuveen Securities in consultation with the underwriting syndicate on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The Fund will compensate the underwriting syndicate out of the proceeds of the offering based upon a sales load of up to 4% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. The minimum net proceeds per share to the Fund will not be less than the greater of (i) the Fund’s latest NAV per Common Share or (ii) 91% of the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date.
Distribution Through Privately Negotiated Transactions
The Fund from time to time may sell directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional and other sophisticated investors, who may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the 1933 Act for any resale of Common Shares. No sales commission or other compensation will be paid to Nuveen Securities or any other FINRA member in connection with such transactions.
The terms of such privately negotiated transactions will be subject to the discretion of the management of the Fund. In determining whether to sell Common Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Fund will consider relevant factors including, but not limited to, the attractiveness of obtaining additional funds through the sale of Common Shares, the purchase price to apply to any such sale of Common Shares and the person seeking to purchase the Common Shares.
Common Shares issued by the Fund through privately negotiated transactions will be issued at a price equal to the greater of (i) the NAV per Common Share of the Fund’s Common Shares or (ii) at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% of the average daily closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares at the close of business on the two business days preceding the date upon which Common Shares are sold pursuant to the privately negotiated transaction. The applicable discount will be determined by the Fund on a transaction-by-transaction basis.
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The principal business address of Nuveen Securities is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, D.C.
The Fund is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the 1940 Act and is required to file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Reports, proxy statements, and other information about the Fund can be inspected at the offices of the NYSE.
This prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information in the Fund’s Registration Statement, including amendments, exhibits, and schedules. Additional information about the Fund and the Common Shares can be found in the Fund’s Registration Statement (including amendments, exhibits, and schedules) on Form N-2 filed with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains the Fund’s Registration Statement, other documents incorporated by reference, and other information the Fund has filed electronically with the SEC, including proxy statements and reports filed under the Exchange Act.
The documents listed below, and any reports and other documents subsequently filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 30(b)(2) of the 1940 Act and Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of the offering will be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement from the date of the filing of such reports and documents:
• | The Fund’s SAI, dated March 18, 2021; and |
• | The Fund’s annual report on Form N-CSR for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020. |
The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement, and later information that the Fund files with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. Incorporated materials not delivered with the prospectus supplement may be obtained, without charge, by calling (800) 257-8787, by writing to the Fund at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, or from the Fund’s website (http://www.nuveen.com).
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BASE PROSPECTUS
COMMON SHARES
PREFERRED SHARES
Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund
The Offerings. Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) is offering, on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis, in one or more offerings, common shares (the “Common Shares”) or preferred shares (“the Preferred Shares,” and collectively with the Common Shares, the “Securities”). The Fund may offer and sell Securities to or through underwriters, through dealers or agents that the Fund designates from time to time, directly to purchasers or through a combination of these methods. In connection with any offering of Securities, the Fund will deliver a prospectus supplement describing such offering, including, as applicable, the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents and information regarding any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangements made with those underwriters, dealers or agents or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. For more information about the manners in which the Fund may offer Securities, see “Plan of Distribution.”
The Fund. The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s primary investment objective is high current income. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is total return. The Fund cannot assure you that it will achieve its investment objectives.
Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “JPC.”
This prospectus, together with any prospectus supplement, sets forth concisely information about the Fund that a prospective investor should know before investing, and should be retained for future reference. Investing in the Securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 9. You should consider carefully these risks together with all of the other information in this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement before making a decision to purchase any of the Securities.
(continued on next page)
March 18, 2021
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Fund Strategies and Policies. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities. The Fund may also invest in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. Under normal circumstances:
• | The Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined herein) in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities and up to 20% in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. |
• | The Fund will invest at least 50% of its Managed Assets (as defined herein) in securities rated investment grade (BBB/Baa and above) at the time of investment. Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are rated by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) within the four highest grades (Baa or BBB or better by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)), or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors” or the “Adviser”), or sub-advisers, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (“NWQ” and, together with Nuveen Asset Management, each, a “Sub-Adviser” and together, the “Sub-Advisers”). The Fund may invest in securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. |
• | The Fund will invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in the securities of companies principally engaged in financial services. |
• | The Fund is not limited in the amount of its investments in non-U.S. issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of the portion of its portfolio managed by Nuveen Asset Management in preferred securities issued by companies located in emerging market countries. |
The Fund may use derivative instruments to seek to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments or its leverage, to enhance return, to serve as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset, to reduce transaction costs, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, to maintain full market exposure, to manage cash flows or to preserve capital. Such instruments may include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on equity securities, options on financial futures or other derivative instruments.
Leverage. The Fund uses leverage to pursue its investment objectives. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), including the following forms of leverage: (a) borrowings, including loans from certain financial institutions, and/or the issuance of debt securities; (b) the issuance of Preferred Shares; and (c) engaging in reverse repurchase agreements and economically similar transactions. The Fund also may borrow money for repurchase of its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes,
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including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Fund securities. Currently, the Fund employs leverage through bank borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund pays a management fee to Nuveen Fund Advisors (which in turn pays a portion of its fees to the Sub-Advisers) based on a percentage of Managed Assets. Because Managed Assets for this purpose includes the assets acquired from the Fund’s use of leverage, Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers may have a conflict of interest in determining whether the Fund should use or increase leverage. See “Use of Leverage” and “The Fund’s Investments.” There is no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful. Leverage involves special risks. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.”
You should read this prospectus, together with any prospectus supplement, which contains important information about the Fund, before deciding whether to invest in Securities and retain it for future reference. A statement of additional information, dated March 18, 2021, and as it may be supplemented from time to time (the “SAI”), containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this prospectus. You may request a free copy of the SAI and annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund and make shareholder inquiries by calling (312) 917-7700 or by writing to the Fund, or from the Fund’s website (www.nuveen.com). The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this prospectus, except to the extent specifically incorporated by reference in the SAI. You also may obtain a copy of the SAI (and other information regarding the Fund) from the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).
The Securities do not represent a deposit or obligation of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement. The Fund has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The Fund is not making an offer of Securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the respective dates on the front covers. The Fund’s business, financial condition and prospects may have changed since that date.
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Any projections, forecasts and estimates contained or incorporated by reference herein are forward looking statements and are based upon certain assumptions. Projections, forecasts and estimates are necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying any projections, forecasts or estimates will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Actual results may vary from any projections, forecasts and estimates and the variations may be material. Some important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward looking statements include changes in interest rates, market, financial or legal uncertainties, including changes in tax law, and the timing and frequency of defaults on underlying investments. Consequently, the inclusion of any projections, forecasts and estimates herein should not be regarded as a representation by the Fund or any of its affiliates or any other person or entity of the results that will actually be achieved by the Fund. Neither the Fund nor its affiliates has any obligation to update or otherwise revise any projections, forecasts and estimates including any revisions to reflect changes in economic conditions or other circumstances arising after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, even if the underlying assumptions do not come to fruition. The Fund acknowledges that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the safe harbor for forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 does not apply to investment companies such as the Fund.
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This is only a summary. You should review the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this prospectus, in any prospectus supplement and in the statement of additional information, dated March 18, 2021, and as it may be supplemented (the “SAI”), including the documents incorporated by reference, prior to making an investment in the Fund, especially the information set forth under the heading “Risk Factors.”
The Fund | Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s common shares, $.01 par value per share (the “Common Shares”), are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “JPC.” See “Description of Securities—Common Shares.” As of February 28, 2021, the Fund had 103,355,149 Common Shares outstanding and net assets applicable to Common Shares of $994,147,634. |
The Offerings | The Fund may offer, on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis, in one or more offerings, Common Shares or Preferred Shares in any combination (collectively, the “Securities”), at prices and on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. The Fund may offer and sell Securities to or through underwriters, through dealers or agents the Fund designates from time to time, directly to one or more purchasers or through a combination of these methods. In connection with any offering of Securities, the Fund will deliver a prospectus supplement describing such offering, including, as applicable, the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of Securities and the applicable purchase price, fee, commission and/or discount arrangement between the Fund and the underwriters, or among underwriters, dealers or agents or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. See “Plan of Distribution.” |
The prospectus supplement for an offering of Common Shares also will include information regarding risk factors specific to an investment in Common Shares, fund expenses, trading and net asset value (“NAV”) of the Common Shares, the dividend reinvestment plan for Common Shares and other details concerning the offering. See “Description of Securities—Common Shares.” |
The prospectus supplement for an offering of Preferred Shares also will include information regarding the risk factors specific to an investment in the Preferred Shares, the series designation, redemption terms, the dividend rate, material U.S. federal income tax considerations and other details concerning the offering. The terms and conditions of the Preferred Shares of each series will |
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be specified in a Statement Establishing and Fixing the Rights and Preferences of Preferred Shares (the “Statement”) and a Supplement to the Statement Establishing and Fixing the Rights and Preferences of Preferred Shares (the “Statement Supplement”), forms of which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See “Description of Securities—Preferred Shares.” |
Investment Objectives and Policies | The Fund’s primary investment objective is high current income. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is total return. |
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities. The Fund may also invest in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. Under normal circumstances: |
• | The Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets (as defined herein) in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities and up to 20% in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity. |
• | The Fund will invest at least 50% of its Managed Assets (as defined herein) in securities rated investment grade (BBB/Baa and above) at the time of investment. Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are rated by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) within the four highest grades (Baa or BBB or better by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)), or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors” or the “Adviser”), or sub-advisers, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (“NWQ” and, together with Nuveen Asset Management, each, a “Sub-Adviser” and together, the “Sub-Advisers”). The Fund may invest |
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in securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. |
• | The Fund will invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in the securities of companies principally engaged in financial services. |
• | The Fund is not limited in the amount of its investments in non-U.S. issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of the portion of its portfolio managed by Nuveen Asset Management in preferred securities issued by companies located in emerging market countries. |
For purposes of the investment policies provided above such policies only apply at the time of purchase and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities. |
The Fund may use derivative instruments to seek to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments or its leverage, to enhance return, to serve as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset, to reduce transaction costs, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, to maintain full market exposure, to manage cash flows or to preserve capital. Such instruments may include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on equity securities, options on financial futures or other derivative instruments. |
During temporary defensive periods, the Fund may deviate from its investment policies and objectives. During such periods, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in high quality, short-term securities, and in short-, intermediate-, or long-term U.S. Treasury securities. There can be no assurance that such techniques will be successful. Accordingly, during such periods, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” means |
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the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value. |
The Fund’s investment objectives, policy to invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in securities of financial services companies, and certain other investment restrictions identified in the SAI are considered fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. All of the other investment policies of the Fund, including as noted above, are not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without a vote of the shareholders; provided that the Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days prior to any change in its policy to invest at least 80% of its Assets in preferred securities and other income producing securities. The Fund may only change its fundamental investment restrictions with the approval of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund as is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less. |
There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives. See “Risk Factors” and “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Objectives and Policies” in this prospectus. |
Investment Adviser | Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. |
Nuveen Fund Advisors, a registered investment adviser, offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Nuveen Fund Advisors is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC |
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(“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2020, Nuveen managed approximately $1.2 trillion in assets, of which approximately $156.5 billion was managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors. |
Sub-Advisers | Nuveen Fund Advisors has selected its affiliates, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, located at 2049 Century Park East, Suite 1600, Los Angeles, California 90067, to serve as the sub-advisers to the Fund, each managing a portion of the Fund’s investment portfolio. Nuveen Fund Advisors has engaged the Sub-Advisers, each a registered investment adviser, to oversee day-to-day operations and manage the investment of the Fund’s assets on a discretionary basis pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and each Sub-Adviser (each, a “Sub-Advisory Agreement” and together, the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”), subject to the supervision of Nuveen Fund Advisors. |
Federal Income Tax | The Fund has elected to be treated, and intends to continue to qualify each year, as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a RIC, the Fund generally does not expect to have to pay U.S. federal income tax. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other requirements, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources. Additionally, in order to qualify as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain distribution requirements. The failure to pay distributions could result in the Fund ceasing to qualify as a RIC. Nevertheless, the Fund might not distribute all of its net investment income, and the Fund is not required to distribute any portion of its net capital gains. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to stockholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. The value of Securities may be adversely affected by changes in tax rates and policies. |
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In addition, the Fund treats Preferred Shares, if any, as equity in the Fund for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If the Preferred Shares were treated as debt rather than as equity for such purposes, the timing and character of distributions could be affected. |
See “Risk Factors—Tax Risks” and “Tax Matters.” |
Use of Leverage | The Fund uses leverage to pursue its investment objectives. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, including the following forms of leverage: (a) borrowings, including loans from certain financial institutions, and/or the issuance of debt securities; (b) the issuance of Preferred Shares; and (c) engaging in reverse repurchase agreements and economically similar transactions. The Fund also may borrow money for repurchase of its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Fund securities. Currently, the Fund employs leverage through bank borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements. |
The timing and terms of any leverage transaction are determined by the Fund’s Board, and may vary with prevailing market or economic conditions. The Fund has issued Preferred Shares in the past, but does not currently have any Preferred Shares outstanding. If the Fund issues Preferred Shares, such preferred securities, voting as a separate class, would have the right to elect at least two Board members at all times and to elect a majority of the Board members in the event two full years’ dividends on the Preferred Shares are unpaid. In each case, the remaining Board members would be elected by holders of Common Shares and Preferred Shares voting together as a single class. The holders of Preferred Shares would vote as a separate class or classes on certain other matters as required under the Fund’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”), the 1940 Act and Massachusetts law.
The Fund may reduce or increase leverage based upon changes in market conditions and anticipates that its leverage ratio will vary from time to time based upon variations in the value of the Fund’s holdings. So long as the rate of net income received on the Fund’s investments exceeds the then current expense on any leverage, leverage will generate more net income than if the Fund had not used leverage. If so, the excess net income will be available to pay higher distributions to shareholders of Common Shares (the “Common Shareholders”). However, if the rate of net income received from the Fund’s portfolio |
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investments is less than the then current expense on outstanding leverage, the Fund may be required to utilize other Fund assets to make expense payments on outstanding leverage, which may result in a decline in Common Share NAV and reduced net investment income available for distribution to Common Shareholders. |
The Fund pays a management fee to Nuveen Fund Advisors (which in turn pays a portion of its fee to the Sub-Advisers) based on a percentage of Managed Assets. Managed Assets for this purpose includes the proceeds realized and managed from the Fund’s use of leverage as set forth in the Fund’s investment management agreement. Because Managed Assets include the Fund’s net assets as well as assets that are attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage, it is anticipated that the Fund’s Managed Assets will be greater than its net assets. Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers are responsible for using leverage to pursue the Fund’s investment objectives, and base their decision regarding whether and how much leverage to use for the Fund on their assessment of whether such use of leverage will advance the Fund’s investment objectives. However, a decision to employ or increase the Fund’s leverage will have the effect, all other things being equal, of increasing Managed Assets and therefore Nuveen Fund Advisors’ and the Sub-Advisers’ fees. Thus, Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers may have a conflict of interest in determining whether the Fund should use or increase leverage. Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers will seek to manage that potential conflict by only employing or increasing the Fund’s use of leverage when they determine that such increase is in the best interest of the Fund and is consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives, and by periodically reviewing the Fund’s performance and use of leverage with the Fund’s Board. |
The use of leverage creates additional risks for Common Shareholders, including increased variability of the Fund’s NAV, net income and distributions in relation to market changes. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.” There is no assurance that the Fund will continue to use leverage or that the Fund’s use of leverage will work as planned or achieve its goals. |
Exchange Listing | Common Shares: The Common Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “JPC.” |
Preferred Shares: Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, the Preferred Shares will not be listed or traded on any securities exchange. |
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Custodian and Transfer Agent | State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as custodian of the Fund’s assets. Computershare Inc. and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (together, “Computershare”) serve as transfer agent for the Common Shares. See “Custodian and Transfer Agent.” |
Risk Factors | Investment in the Fund involves risk. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. See “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement for a discussion of the principal risks you should consider before making an investment in the Fund. The specific risks applicable to a particular offering of Securities will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement. |
Governing Law | The Fund’s Declaration of Trust is, and each Statement and Statement Supplement for Preferred Shares will be, governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. |
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Investing in the Securities involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or that you may lose part or all of your investment. The following discussion, together with the risk factors included in the applicable prospectus supplement, describes the principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund’s Securities.
Portfolio Level Risks
Preferred and Hybrid Preferred Securities Risks
Preferred and other subordinated securities rank lower than bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. There are various special risks associated with investing in preferred securities, including:
• | Limited Voting Rights Risk. Generally, preferred security holders (such as the Fund) have no voting rights with respect to the issuing company unless preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods, at which time the preferred security holders may elect a number of directors to the issuer’s board. Generally, once all the arrearages have been paid, the preferred security holders no longer have voting rights. In the case of certain preferred securities issued by trusts or special purpose entities, holders generally have no voting rights except if a declaration of default occurs and is continuing. In such an event, preferred security holders generally would have the right to appoint and authorize a trustee to enforce the trust’s or special purpose entity’s rights as a creditor under the agreement with its operating company. |
• | Special Redemption Rights Risk. In certain circumstances, an issuer of preferred securities may redeem the securities at par prior to their stated maturity date. For instance, for certain types of preferred securities, a redemption may be triggered by a change in federal income tax or securities laws or regulatory or major corporate action. A redemption by the issuer may negatively impact the return of the security held by the Fund. |
• | Payment Deferral and Omission Risk. Generally, preferred securities may be subject to provisions that allow an issuer, under certain conditions, to skip (“non-cumulative” preferred securities) or defer (“cumulative” preferred securities) distributions for a stated period without any adverse consequences to the issuer. Non-cumulative preferred securities can defer distributions indefinitely. Cumulative preferred securities typically contain provisions that allow an issuer, at its discretion, to defer distribution payments for up to 10 years. If the Fund owns a preferred security that is deferring its distribution, the Fund may be required to report income for tax purposes although it has not yet received such income. In addition, recent changes in bank regulations may increase the likelihood for issuers to defer or omit distributions. |
• | Credit and Subordination Risk. Credit risk is the risk that a security in the Fund’s portfolio will decline in price or the issuer of the security will fail to make dividend, interest or principal payments when due because the issuer experiences a decline in its financial status. Preferred securities are generally subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments |
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in a company’s capital structure in terms of having priority to corporate income, claims to corporate assets and liquidation payments, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than more senior debt instruments. |
• | Floating Rate and Fixed-to-Floating Rate Securities Risk. The market value of floating rate securities is a reflection of discounted expected cash flows based on expectations for future interest rate resets. The market value of such securities may fall in a declining interest rate environment and may also fall in a rising interest rate environment if there is a lag between the rise in interest rates and the reset. This risk may also be present with respect to fixed-to-floating rate securities in which the Fund may invest. A secondary risk associated with declining interest rates is the risk that income earned by the Fund on floating rate and fixed-to-floating rate securities may decline due to lower coupon payments on floating-rate securities. |
• | Liquidity Risk. Certain preferred securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as U.S. Government securities or common stock. Illiquid securities involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time desired by the Fund or at prices approximating the value at which the Fund is carrying the securities on its books. |
• | Regulatory Risk. Issuers of preferred securities may be in industries that are heavily regulated and that may receive government funding. The value of preferred securities issued by these companies may be affected by changes in government policy, such as increased regulation, ownership restrictions, deregulation or reduced government funding. |
• | New Types of Securities Risk. From time to time, preferred securities, including hybrid-preferred securities, have been, and may in the future be, offered having features other than those described herein. The Fund reserves the right to invest in these securities if the Sub-Advisers believe that doing so would be consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. Since the market for these instruments would be new, the Fund may have difficulty disposing of them at a suitable price and time. In addition to limited liquidity, these instruments may present other risks, such as high price volatility. |
Convertible Securities Risk
Convertible securities have characteristics of both equity and debt securities and, as a result, are exposed to certain additional risks that are typically associated with debt. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar credit quality. The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, the convertible security’s market value tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price is greater than the convertible security’s “conversion price.” The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security. However, convertible securities fall below debt obligations of the same issuer in order of preference or priority in the event of a liquidation and are typically unrated or rated lower than such debt obligations.
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Contingent Capital Securities
Contingent capital securities (sometimes referred to as “CoCos”) have loss absorption mechanisms benefitting the issuer built into their terms. CoCos generally provide for mandatory conversion into the common stock of the issuer or a write-down of the principal amount or value of the CoCos upon the occurrence of certain “triggers.” These triggers are generally linked to regulatory capital thresholds or regulatory actions calling into question the issuing banking institution’s continued viability as a going-concern. Equity conversion or principal write-down features are tailored to the issuer and its regulatory requirements and, unlike traditional convertible securities, conversions are not voluntary.
A loss absorption mechanism trigger event for CoCos would likely be the result of, or related to, the deterioration of the issuer’s financial condition (e.g., a decrease in the issuer’s capital ratio) and status as a going concern. In such a case, with respect to CoCos that provide for conversion into common stock upon the occurrence of the trigger event, the market price of the issuer’s common stock received by the Fund will have likely declined, perhaps substantially, and may continue to decline, which may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV. Further, the issuer’s common stock would be subordinate to the issuer’s other classes of securities and therefore would worsen the Fund’s standing in a bankruptcy proceeding. In addition, because the common stock of the issuer may not pay a dividend, investors in these instruments could experience a reduced income rate, potentially to zero. In view of the foregoing, CoCos are often rated below investment grade and are subject to the risks of high yield securities.
CoCos may be subject to an automatic write-down (i.e., the automatic write-down of the principal amount or value of the securities, potentially to zero, and the cancellation of the securities) under certain circumstances, which could result in the Fund losing a portion or all of its investment in such securities. In addition, the Fund may not have any rights with respect to repayment of the principal amount of the securities that has not become due or the payment of interest or dividends on such securities for any period from (and including) the interest or dividend payment date falling immediately prior to the occurrence of such automatic write-down. An automatic write-down could also result in a reduced income rate if the dividend or interest payment is based on the security’s par value. Coupon payments on CoCos may be discretionary and may be cancelled by the issuer at any point, for any reason or may be subject to approval by the issuer’s regulator and may be suspended in the event there are insufficient distributable reserves. Certain CoCos are issued as perpetual instruments, callable at pre-determined levels only with the approval of the issuer’s regulator, thus subjecting the CoCo investor to call extension risk.
In certain scenarios, contrary to classical capital hierarchy, investors in CoCos may suffer a loss of capital ahead of equity holders or when equity holders do not. There is no guarantee that the Fund will receive a return of principal on CoCos. The Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Any indication that an automatic writedown or conversion event may occur can be expected to have a material adverse effect on the market price of CoCos.
The prices of CoCos may be volatile. Additionally, the trading behavior of a given issuer’s CoCo may be strongly impacted by the trading behavior of other issuers’ CoCos, such that negative information from an unrelated CoCo may cause a decline in value of one or more CoCos held by the Fund.
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Investments in CoCos may lead to an increased industry concentration risk as such securities may be issued by a limited number of financial institutions.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk that one or more securities in the Fund’s portfolio will decline in price, or the issuer thereof will fail to pay interest or principal when due, because the issuer of the security experiences a decline in its financial status. In general, lower-rated securities carry a greater degree of risk that the issuer will lose its ability to make interest and principal payments, which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s NAV or dividends. Credit risk is increased when a portfolio security is downgraded or the perceived creditworthiness of the issuer deteriorates. If a downgrade occurs, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Advisers will consider what action, including the sale of the security, is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders.
Debt or preferred securities held by the Fund may fail to make dividend or interest payments when due. Investments in securities below investment grade credit quality are predominantly speculative and subject to greater volatility and risk of default. Unrated securities are evaluated by Fund managers using industry data and their own analysis processes that may be similar to that of a NRSRO; however, such internal ratings are not equivalent to a national agency credit rating. Counterparty credit risk may arise if counterparties fail to meet their obligations, should the Fund hold any derivative instruments for either investment exposure or hedging purposes.
Below Investment Grade Risk
Securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. Also, to the extent that the rating assigned to a security in the Fund’s portfolio is downgraded by any NRSRO, the market price and liquidity of such security may be adversely affected. The market values for securities of below investment grade quality tend to be volatile, and these securities are less liquid than investment grade securities. For these reasons, an investment in the Fund, compared with a portfolio consisting predominately or solely of investment grade securities, may experience the following:
• | increased price sensitivity resulting from a deteriorating economic environment and/or changing interest rates; |
• | greater risk of loss due to default or declining credit quality; |
• | adverse issuer-specific events that are more likely to render the issuer unable to make interest and/or principal payments; and |
• | the possibility that a negative perception of the below investment grade market develops, resulting in the price and liquidity of below investment grade securities becoming depressed, and this negative perception could last for a significant period of time. |
Adverse changes in economic conditions are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of a below investment grade issuer to make principal payments and interest payments compared to an
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investment grade issuer. The principal amount of below investment grade securities outstanding has proliferated in the past decade as an increasing number of issuers have used below investment grade securities for financing. An economic downturn may severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. In the event of an economic downturn or in the event interest rates rise sharply, increasing the interest cost on variable rate instruments and negatively impacting economic activity, the number of defaults by below investment grade issuers would likely increase. Similarly, prolonged downturns in profitability in specific industries could adversely affect private activity bonds. The market values of lower quality debt securities tend to reflect individual developments of the issuer to a greater extent than do higher quality securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of lower quality securities may have an adverse impact on the Fund’s NAV and the market value of its Common Shares. In addition, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings. In certain circumstances, the Fund may be required to foreclose on an issuer’s assets and take possession of its property or operations. In such circumstances, the Fund would incur additional costs in disposing of such assets and potential liabilities from operating any business acquired.
The secondary market for below investment grade securities may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated securities, a factor that may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to dispose of a particular security. There are fewer dealers in the market for below investment grade securities than the market for investment grade securities. The prices quoted by different dealers for below investment grade securities may vary significantly, and the spread between the bid and ask price is generally much larger for below investment grade securities than for higher quality instruments. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for below investment grade securities could contract, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer, and these instruments may become illiquid. As a result, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell these securities or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such securities were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the Fund’s NAV.
Issuers of such below investment grade securities are typically highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Therefore, the risk associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally is greater than is the case with higher rated securities. For example, during an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers of below investment grade securities may experience financial stress. During such periods, such issuers may not have sufficient revenues to meet their interest payment obligations. The issuer’s ability to service its debt obligations also may be adversely affected by specific developments, the issuer’s inability to meet specific projected forecasts or the unavailability of additional financing. The risk of loss from default by the issuer is significantly greater for the holders of below investment grade securities because such securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to other creditors of the issuer. Prices and yields of below investment grade securities will fluctuate over time and, during periods of economic uncertainty, volatility of below investment grade securities may adversely affect the Fund’s NAV. In addition, investments in below investment grade zero coupon bonds rather than income-bearing below investment grade securities, may be more speculative and may be subject to greater fluctuations in value due to changes in interest rates.
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The Fund may invest in distressed securities, which are securities issued by companies that are involved in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings or are experiencing other financial difficulties at the time of acquisition by the Fund. The issuers of such securities may be in transition, out of favor, financially leveraged or troubled, or potentially troubled, and may be or have recently been involved in major strategic actions, restructurings, bankruptcy, reorganization or liquidation. These characteristics of these companies can cause their securities to be particularly risky, although they also may offer the potential for high returns. These companies’ securities may be considered speculative, and the ability of the companies to pay their debts on schedule could be affected by adverse interest rate movements, changes in the general economic climate, economic factors affecting a particular industry or specific developments within the companies. Distressed securities frequently do not produce income while they are outstanding and may require the Fund to bear certain extraordinary expenses in order to protect and recover its investment.
Investments in lower rated or unrated securities may present special tax issues for the Fund, including when the issuers of these securities default on their obligations pertaining thereto, and the federal income tax consequences to the Fund as a holder of such distressed securities may not be clear.
Interest Rate Risk
Interest rate risk is the risk that the fixed-rate securities in the Fund’s portfolio, such as preferred and debt securities, will decline in value because of increases in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates rise, the market value of such securities will fall, and vice versa. As interest rates decline, issuers of fixed-rate securities may prepay principal earlier than scheduled, forcing the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities and potentially reducing the Fund’s income. As interest rates increase, slower than expected principal payments may extend the average life of securities, potentially locking in a below market interest rate and reducing the Fund’s value. In typical market interest rate environments, the prices of longer-term fixed-rate securities generally fluctuate more than prices of shorter-term fixed-rate securities as interest rates change. The Federal Reserve recently reduced the federal funds rate several times. To the extent the Fund invests in longer-term fixed-rate securities, the common share NAV and market price per share will fluctuate more in response to changes in market interest rates than if the Fund invested alternatively in shorter-term securities. Because the values of lower rated and comparable unrated debt securities are affected both by credit risk and interest rate risk, the price movements of such lower grade securities typically have not been highly correlated to the fluctuations of the prices of investment grade quality securities in response to changes in market interest rates. The Fund’s use of leverage, as described herein, will tend to increase common share interest rate risk. There may be less governmental intervention in the securities markets in the near future. The negative impact on fixed-rate securities if interest rates increase as a result could negatively impact the Fund’s NAV.
Reinvestment Risk
Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline if and when the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called preferred securities or debt instruments at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate. A decline in income could affect the Common Shares’ ability to pay dividends, market price or their overall returns.
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Concentration and Financial Services Sector Risk
The preferred securities market is comprised predominantly of securities issued by companies in the financial services sector. Therefore, preferred securities present substantially increased risks at times of financial turmoil, which could affect financial services companies more than companies in other sectors and industries. The Fund’s investment in securities issued by financial services companies makes the Fund more susceptible to adverse economic or regulatory occurrences affecting those companies. Concentration of investments in financial services companies includes the following risks:
• | financial services companies may suffer a setback if regulators change the rules under which they operate, which may increase costs for or limit the ability to offer new services or products and make it difficult to pass increased costs on to consumers; |
• | unstable interest rates can have a disproportionate effect on the financial services sector; |
• | financial services companies whose securities the Fund may purchase may themselves have concentrated portfolios, such as a high level of loans to real estate developers, which makes them vulnerable to economic conditions that affect that sector; and |
• | financial services companies have been affected by increased competition, which could adversely affect the profitability or viability of such companies. |
The profitability of many types of financial services companies may be adversely affected in certain market cycles, including periods of rising interest rates, which may restrict the availability and increase the cost of capital, and declining economic conditions, which may cause credit losses due to financial difficulties of borrowers. Because many types of financial services companies are especially vulnerable to these economic cycles, the Fund’s investments in these companies may lose significant value during such periods.
Leverage Risk
Leverage risk is the risk associated with the use of borrowings, the issuance of debt securities or Preferred Shares, or other form of leverage to leverage the Fund’s portfolio. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful.
Through the use of leverage, the Fund seeks to enhance potential Common Share earnings over time by borrowing, issuing debt securities or Preferred Shares or using other types of leverage that bear costs that are lower than the return of portfolio investments held by the Fund. However, the Fund may use derivatives, such as interest rate swaps, to fix the effective rate paid on all or a portion of the Fund’s leverage, in an effort to lower leverage costs over an extended period. Accordingly, the Fund provides no assurance that the use of leverage will result in a higher yield or return to shareholders. The income benefit from leverage will be reduced (increased) to the extent that the difference narrows (widens) between the net earnings on the Fund’s portfolio securities and its cost of leverage. If short-or intermediate-term rates rise and the Fund’s leverage costs fluctuate, the Fund’s cost of leverage could exceed the return on portfolio securities held by the Fund. Because of the costs of leverage, the Fund may incur losses even if the Fund has positive returns, if they are not sufficient to cover the costs of leverage. The Fund’s cost of leverage includes the interest rate paid on its borrowings or dividends on
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Preferred Shares, the expenses relating to ongoing maintenance of any borrowings and the issuance of Preferred Shares, as well as any other ongoing fees and expenses associated with those borrowings or Preferred Shares. The Fund also bears the one-time costs associated with establishing borrowing facilities, issuing preferred shares and refinancing such leverage. Refinancing risk is the risk that the Fund is unable to replace existing leverage at all or on favorable terms. In the event the Fund has issued Preferred Shares and it is unable to replace its leverage upon a redemption of such Preferred Shares, it may be forced to reduce leverage and sell portfolio securities when it otherwise would not do so. More frequent refinancings may also increase the one-time costs of establishing leverage. The Fund may seek to refinance its leverage over time, in the ordinary course, as current forms of leverage mature or it is otherwise desirable to refinance; however, the form that such leverage will take cannot be predicted at this time. If the Fund is unable to replace existing leverage on comparable terms, its costs of leverage will increase. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the use of leverage may result in a higher yield or return to shareholders.
The Fund’s use of leverage also creates incremental Common Share NAV risk because the full impact of price changes in the Fund’s investment portfolio, including assets attributable to leverage, is borne by Common Shareholders. This can lead to a greater increase in NAVs in rising markets than if the Fund were not leveraged, but it also can result in a greater decrease in NAVs in declining markets. The Fund’s use of leverage similarly can magnify the impact of changing market conditions on Common Share market prices.
The Fund currently employs leverage through bank borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements. The Fund will pay (and shareholders will bear) any costs and expenses relating to the Fund’s use of leverage, which will result in a reduction in the NAV of the Common Shares. The Fund may in the future, based on its assessment of market conditions, increase or decrease its amount of leverage or change the types of leverage employed. Such changes may impact net investment income and the market value of Common Shares. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s leverage strategy will be successful.
Derivatives Risk
The Fund’s use of derivatives involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the investments underlying the derivatives, including: the imperfect correlation between the value of such instruments and the underlying assets of the Fund, which creates the possibility that the loss on such instruments may be greater than the gain in the value of the underlying assets in the Fund’s portfolio; the loss of principal; the possible default of the other party to the transaction; and illiquidity of the derivative investments. If the Fund enters into a derivative transaction, it could lose more than the principal amount invested. Whether the Fund’s use of derivatives is successful will depend on, among other things, if the Adviser and/or Sub-Advisers correctly forecast market values, interest rates and other applicable factors. If the Adviser and/or Sub-Advisers incorrectly forecast these and other factors, the investment performance of the Fund will be unfavorably affected.
The Fund may enter into debt-related derivatives instruments including interest rate and other swap contracts. Like most derivative instruments, the use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. In addition, the use of swaps requires an understanding by the Adviser and/or Sub-Advisers of not only the referenced asset, rate or index, but also of the swap itself. The derivatives
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market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the derivatives market could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to successfully use derivative instruments.
Furthermore, the derivative investments may be illiquid. Although both over-the-counter (“OTC”) and exchange-traded derivatives markets may experience the lack of liquidity, OTC non-standardized derivative transactions are generally less liquid than exchange-traded instruments. The illiquidity of the derivatives markets may be due to various factors, including congestion, disorderly markets, limitations on deliverable supplies, the participation of speculators, government regulation and intervention and technical and operational or system failures. In addition, the liquidity of a secondary market in an exchange-traded derivative contract may be adversely affected by “daily price fluctuation limits” established by the exchanges which limit the amount of fluctuation in an exchange-traded contract price during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in the contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, thus preventing the liquidation of open positions. Prices have in the past moved beyond the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days. If it is not possible to close an open derivative position entered into by the Fund, the Fund would continue to be required to make cash payments of variation (or mark-to-market) margin in the event of adverse price movements. In such a situation, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. The absence of liquidity may also make it more difficult for the Fund to ascertain a market value for such instruments. The inability to close futures or derivatives positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to effectively hedge its portfolio.
In October 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies. Upon becoming effective and subject to a transition period, Rule 18f-4 will impose limits on the amount of derivatives a fund can enter into, eliminate the asset segregation framework currently used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act, treat derivatives as senior securities so that a failure to comply with the limits would result in a statutory violation and require funds whose use of derivatives is more than a limited specified exposure to establish and maintain a comprehensive derivatives risk management program and appoint a derivatives risk manager.
Future regulatory developments could impact the Fund’s ability to invest in certain derivatives. It is possible that government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures, options and swap agreements, may limit or prevent the Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategies, and could ultimately prevent the Fund from being able to achieve its investment objectives. It is impossible to fully predict the effects of past, present or future legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse. There is a likelihood of future regulatory developments altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund or the ability of the Fund to continue to implement its investment strategies. It is possible that legislative and regulatory activity could limit or restrict the ability of the Fund to use certain instruments as a part of its investment strategies. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions (for example, the Volcker Rule) could also prevent the Fund from using certain instruments.
Reverse Repurchase Agreement Risk
Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment. Reverse
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repurchase agreements involve the risk that the other party to the agreement 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 the collateral held by the Fund, including the value of investments made with cash collateral, is less than the value of the securities. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences to the Fund.
Reverse repurchase agreements, in economic essence, constitute a securitized borrowing by the Fund from the security purchaser. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements for the purpose of creating a leveraged investment exposure and, as such, their usage involves essentially the same risks associated with a leveraging strategy generally since the proceeds from these agreements may be invested in additional securities. Reverse repurchase agreements tend to be short-term in tenor, and there can be no assurances that the purchaser (lender) will commit to extend or “roll” a given agreement upon its agreed-upon repurchase date or an alternative purchaser can be identified on similar terms. Reverse repurchase agreements also involve the risk that the purchaser fails to return the securities as agreed upon, files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent. The Fund may be restricted from taking normal portfolio actions during such time, could be subject to loss to the extent that the proceeds of the agreement are less than the value of securities subject to the agreement and may experience adverse tax consequences.
Counterparty Risk
Changes in the credit quality of the companies that serve as the Fund’s counterparties with respect to derivatives or other transactions supported by another party’s credit may affect the value of those instruments. Certain entities that have served as counterparties in the markets for these transactions have in the past incurred significant losses and financial hardships, including bankruptcy, as a result of exposure to sub-prime mortgages and other lower quality credit investments that have experienced recent defaults or otherwise suffered extreme credit deterioration. As a result, such hardships have reduced these entities’ capital and called into question their continued ability to perform their obligations under such transactions. By using derivatives or other transactions, the Fund assumes the risk that its counterparties could experience similar financial hardships. In the event of insolvency of a counterparty, the Fund may sustain losses or be unable to liquidate a derivatives position.
Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk
Mortgage-backed securities are secured by and payable from pools of mortgage loans. Similarly, asset-backed securities are supported by obligations such as automobile loans, home equity loans, corporate bonds, or commercial loans. These mortgages and other obligations generally can be prepaid at any time without penalty. Investment in mortgage- and asset-backed securities poses several risks, including, among others, prepayment, market and credit risk. Prepayment risk reflects the risk that borrowers may prepay their mortgages faster than expected, thereby affecting the investment’s average life and perhaps its yield. Whether or not a mortgage loan is prepaid is almost entirely controlled by the borrower. Borrowers are most likely to exercise prepayment options at the time when it is least advantageous to investors in mortgage-backed securities, generally prepaying mortgages as interest rates fall, and slowing payments as interest rates rise. Besides the effect of prevailing interest rates, the rate of prepayment and refinancing of mortgages may also be affected by home value appreciation, ease of the refinancing process and local economic conditions. Market risk reflects the risk that the price of a security may fluctuate over time. The price of mortgage- and asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to prevailing interest rates, the length of time the security is
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expected to be outstanding and the liquidity of the issue. In a period of unstable interest rates, there may be decreased demand for certain types of mortgage- and asset-backed securities, and the Fund, if invested in such securities and wishing to sell them, may find it difficult to find a buyer, which may in turn decrease the price at which they may be sold. Credit risk reflects the risk that the Fund may not receive all or part of its principal because the issuer or credit enhancer has defaulted on its obligations. Obligations issued by certain U.S. government-related entities are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. The performance of private label mortgage- and asset-backed securities, issued by private institutions, is based on the financial health of those institutions.
Mortgage- and asset-backed securities are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, resulting in slower prepayments of the securities. This would, in effect, convert a short- or medium-duration mortgage- or asset-backed security into a longer-duration security, increasing its sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing its price to decline.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk
Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve special risks not presented by investments in securities of U.S. issuers, including the following: (i) less publicly available information about non-U.S. issuers or markets due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards or regulatory practices; (ii) many non-U.S. markets are smaller, less liquid and more volatile, meaning that, in a changing market, the Fund may not be able to sell its portfolio securities at times, in amounts or at prices it considers reasonable; (iii) potential adverse effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates or controls on the value of the Fund’s investments; (iv) the economies of non-U.S. countries may grow at slower rates than expected or may experience a downturn or recession; (v) the impact of economic, political, social or diplomatic events; (vi) possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of the company or its assets; (vii) certain non-U.S. countries may impose restrictions on the ability of non-U.S. issuers to make payments of principal and/or interest to investors located outside the United States, due to blockage of foreign currency exchange or otherwise; and (viii) withholding and other non-U.S. taxes may decrease the Fund’s return. These risks are more pronounced to the extent that the Fund invests in securities of issuers in emerging market countries.
Economies and social and political climates in individual countries may differ unfavorably from the United States. Non-U.S. economies may have less favorable rates of growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, currency valuation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments positions. Many countries have experienced substantial, and in some cases extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Unanticipated economic, political and social developments may also affect the values of the Fund’s investments and the availability to the Fund of additional investments in such countries.
Emerging Markets Risk
The risks of investments are usually much greater in emerging markets countries. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are riskier because they develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, including sudden, significant devaluations. In addition, the securities and currencies of many of these countries may have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than those
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of developed countries. If the Fund’s investments issued by an emerging market country need to be liquidated quickly, the Fund could sustain significant transaction costs. Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments may be more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to foreign investment than those of more developed countries, such as expropriation, confiscatory taxation and nationalization of assets and securities. Certain emerging markets also may face other significant internal or external risks, including a heightened risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth, and which may in turn diminish the value of their currencies.
Currency Risk
The prices of any non-U.S. securities held by the Fund that are traded in U.S. dollars are typically indirectly influenced by currency fluctuations. Changes in currency exchange rates may affect the Fund’s NAV, interest earned, and gains or losses realized on the sale of securities. Changes in currency exchange rates will also affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.
Call Risk
The Fund may invest in preferred and debt securities, which are subject to call risk. Preferred and debt securities may be redeemed at the option of the issuer, or “called,” before their stated maturity date. In general, an issuer will call its preferred or debt securities if they can be refinanced by issuing new instruments which bear a lower interest rate. The Fund is subject to the possibility that during periods of falling interest rates, an issuer will call its high-yielding preferred or debt securities. The Fund would then be forced to invest the unanticipated proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in the Fund’s income.
Duration Risk
Duration is the sensitivity, expressed in years, of the price of a fixed income security to changes in the general level of interest rates (or yields). Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate (or yield) changes than securities with shorter durations. For example, if a security or portfolio has a duration of three years and interest rates increase by 1%, then the security or portfolio would decline in value by approximately 3%. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers potential changes to interest rates, and a security’s coupon payments, yield, price and par value and call features, in addition to the amount of time until the security matures. The duration of a security will be expected to change over time with changes in market factors and time to maturity. The duration of the Fund’s portfolio is not subject to any limits and therefore the portfolio may be very sensitive to interest rate changes.
Inflation Risk
Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investment will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of shares and
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the distributions can decline. In addition, during any period of rising inflation, interest rates on borrowings would likely increase, which would tend to further reduce returns to shareholders.
Deflation Risk
Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time, which may have an adverse effect on the market valuation of companies, their assets and revenues. In addition, deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.
Other Investment Companies Risk
An investment in the securities of another investment company will expose the Fund to the risks of investing in the securities held in such other investment company’s portfolio. In addition, the Fund’s shareholders will bear their proportionate share of the fees and expenses of such other investment company in addition to the fees and expenses of the Fund. The securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged. As a result, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. Utilization of leverage is a speculative investment technique and involves certain risks. An investment in securities of other investment companies that are leveraged may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities and the possibility that the Fund’s long-term returns on such securities will be diminished.
ETF Risk
The Fund may invest in the securities of exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) to the extent permitted by law. Most ETFs are investment companies that aim to track or replicate a desired index, such as a sector, market or global segment. Most ETFs are passively managed and their shares are traded on a national exchange. ETFs do not sell individual shares directly to investors and only issue their shares in large blocks known as “creation units.” The investor purchasing a creation unit may sell the individual shares on a secondary market. Therefore, the liquidity of ETFs depends on the adequacy of the secondary market. There can be no assurance that an ETF’s investment objective will be achieved, as ETFs based on an index may not replicate and maintain exactly the composition and relative weightings of securities in the index. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities. The Fund, as a holder of the securities of the ETF, will bear its pro rata portion of the ETF’s expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses are in addition to the direct expenses of the Fund’s own operations. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV. As ETFs trade on an exchange, they are subject to the risks of any exchange-traded instrument, including: (i) an active trading market for shares may not develop or be maintained, (ii) trading of shares may be halted by the exchange, and (iii) shares may be delisted from the exchange. Some ETFs are highly leveraged and therefore will expose the Fund to the risks posed by leverage discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Transactions Risk
When-issued and delayed-delivery transactions may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the securities prior to settlement and, because securities are subject to market fluctuations, the value of the securities at time of delivery may be less (or more) than their cost. A separate account of the Fund will be established with its custodian consisting of cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times at least equal to the amount of any delayed payment commitment.
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Delivery and payment for securities that have been purchased in this manner can take place a month or more after the transaction date. Such securities do not earn interest, are subject to market fluctuation, and may increase or decrease in value prior to their delivery. The purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis may increase the volatility of the Fund’s NAV if the Fund makes such purchases while remaining substantially fully invested.
Illiquid Investments Risk
The Fund may invest in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid. Illiquid securities involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time desired by the Fund or at prices approximating the value at which the Fund is carrying the securities on its books.
U.S. Government and Agency Securities Risk
U.S. Government and agency securities are subject to market risk, interest rate risk and credit risk. In addition, to the extent the Fund invests in such securities, its potential for capital appreciation may be limited. Not all U.S. Government securities are insured or guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government; some are only insured or guaranteed by the issuing agency, which must rely on its own resources to repay the debt. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including their legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. Although the U.S. Government has provided support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises in the future.
Other Risks
Global Economic Risk
National and regional economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country, region or market might adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or market. Changes in legal, political, regulatory, tax and economic conditions may cause fluctuations in markets and securities prices around the world, which could negatively impact the value of the Fund’s investments. Major economic or political disruptions, particularly in large economies like China’s, may have global negative economic and market repercussions. Additionally, the aftermath of the war in Iraq, instability in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, natural and environmental disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies, possible terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, continued tensions between North Korea and the United States and the international community generally, growing social and political discord in the United States, the European debt crisis, the response of the international community—through economic sanctions and otherwise—to Russia’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine and posture vis-a-vis Ukraine, further downgrade of U.S. Government securities, the change in the U.S. president and the new administration and other similar events may adversely affect the global economy and the markets and issuers in which the Fund invests. Recent examples of such events include the outbreak of a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 that was first detected in China in December 2019 and heightened concerns regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic
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missile programs. These events could reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closure, travel restrictions or quarantines, and generally have a significant impact on the economy. These events could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s service providers, including the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers, rely, and could otherwise disrupt the ability of employees of the Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks on behalf of the Fund. Additionally, the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted global commercial activity and has contributed to significant volatility in certain financial markets. There are no comparable recent events in the U.S. that provide guidance as to the effect of the spread of COVID-19 on the economy as a whole and, consequently, the Fund. Accordingly, while there have been proposed, and in some cases enacted, economic stimulus measures aimed at curbing the negative economic impacts to the U.S. and other countries as a result of COVID-19, it cannot be determined at this time whether such stimulus measures will have a stabilizing economic effect. The Fund does not know and cannot predict how long the securities markets may be affected by these events and the effects of these and similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. The Fund may be adversely affected by abrogation of international agreements and national laws which have created the market instruments in which the Fund may invest, failure of the designated national and international authorities to enforce compliance with the same laws and agreements, failure of local, national and international organizations to carry out their duties prescribed to them under the relevant agreements, revisions of these laws and agreements which dilute their effectiveness or conflicting interpretation of provisions of the same laws and agreements.
Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the Fund’s investments. See “—Recent Market Conditions” below.
Recent Market Conditions
In response to the financial crisis and recent market events, the United States and other governments and the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have taken steps to support financial markets. Policy and legislative changes by the United States government and the Federal Reserve to assist in the ongoing support of financial markets, both domestically 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. In some countries where economic conditions are recovering, such countries are nevertheless perceived as still fragile. Withdrawal of government support, failure of efforts in response to the crisis, or investor perception that such efforts are not succeeding, could adversely impact the value and liquidity of certain securities. The severity or duration of adverse economic conditions may also be affected by policy changes made by governments or quasi-governmental organizations, including changes in tax laws and the imposition of trade barriers. The impact of new financial regulation legislation on the markets and the practical implications for market participants may not be fully known for some time. Changes to the Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates, may affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities. Regulatory changes are causing some financial services companies to exit long-standing lines of business, resulting in dislocations for other market participants. In addition, the contentious domestic political environment, as well as political and diplomatic events within the United States and abroad, such as the U.S. government’s inability at times
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to agree on a long-term budget and deficit reduction plan, the threat of a federal government shutdown and threats not to increase the federal government’s debt limit, may affect investor and consumer confidence and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. The U.S. government has recently reduced the federal corporate income tax rate, and future legislative, regulatory and policy changes may result in more restrictions on international trade, less stringent prudential regulation of certain players in the financial markets, and significant new investments in infrastructure and national defense. Markets may react strongly to expectations about the changes in these policies, which could increase volatility, especially if the markets’ expectations for changes in government policies are not borne out.
Changes in market conditions will not have the same impact on all types of securities. Interest rates have been unusually low in recent years in the United States and abroad, but there is a consensus that interest rates will increase during the life of the Fund, which could negatively impact the price of debt securities. Because there is little precedent for this situation, it is difficult to predict the impact of a significant rate increase on various markets. For example, because investors may buy securities or other investments with borrowed money, a significant increase in interest rates may cause a decline in the markets for those investments. Because of the sharp decline in the worldwide price of oil, there is a concern that oil producing nations may withdraw significant assets now held in U.S. Treasuries, which could force a substantial increase in interest rates. Regulators have expressed concern that rate increases may cause investors to sell fixed income securities faster than the market can absorb them, contributing to price volatility. In addition, there is a risk that the prices of goods and services in the United States and many foreign economies may decline over time, known as deflation (the opposite of inflation). Deflation may have an adverse effect on stock prices and creditworthiness and may make defaults on debt more likely. If a country’s economy slips into a deflationary pattern, it could last for a prolonged period and may be difficult to reverse.
On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom (“UK”) held a referendum on whether to remain a member state of the European Union (“EU”), in which voters favored the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, an event widely referred to as “Brexit” and which triggered a two-year period of negotiations on the terms of withdrawal. The formal notification to the European Council required under Article 50 of the Treaty on EU was made on March 29, 2017, following which the terms of exit were negotiated. On January 31, 2020, the UK formally withdrew from the EU subject to a transition period that ended on December 31, 2020. The longer term economic, legal, political and social framework to be put in place between the UK and the EU are unclear at this stage and are likely to lead to ongoing political and economic uncertainty and periods of exacerbated volatility in both the UK and in wider European markets for some time. The outcomes may cause increased volatility and have a significant adverse impact on world financial markets, other international trade agreements, and the UK and European economies, as well as the broader global economy for some time. Additionally, a number of countries in Europe have suffered terror attacks, and additional attacks may occur in the future. Ukraine has experienced ongoing military conflict; this conflict may expand and military attacks could occur elsewhere in Europe. Europe has also been struggling with mass migration from the Middle East and Africa. The ultimate effects of these events and other socio-political or geographical issues are not known but could profoundly affect global economies and markets.
The current political climate has intensified concerns about a potential trade war between China and the United States, as each country has recently imposed tariffs on the other country’s products. These actions may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies
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and/or large segments of China’s export industry, which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s performance. U.S. companies that source material and goods from China and those that make large amounts of sales in China would be particularly vulnerable to an escalation of trade tensions. Uncertainty regarding the outcome of the trade tensions and the potential for a trade war could cause the U.S. dollar to decline against safe haven currencies, such as the Japanese yen and the euro. Events such as these and their consequences are difficult to predict and it is unclear whether further tariffs may be imposed or other escalating actions may be taken in the future.
The impact of these developments in the near- and long-term is unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.
Legislation and Regulatory Risk
At any time after the date of this prospectus, legislation or additional regulations may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund, securities held by the Fund or the issuers of such securities. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the entities and/or securities in which the Fund invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. Fund shareholders may incur increased costs resulting from such legislation or additional regulation. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund or will not impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective.
For example, the Dodd-Frank Act is designed to impose stringent regulation on the over-the-counter derivatives market in an attempt to increase transparency and accountability and provides for, among other things, new clearing, execution, margin, reporting, recordkeeping, business conduct, disclosure, position limit, minimum net capital and registration requirements. Although the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the “CFTC”) has released final rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, many of the provisions are subject to further final rulemaking, and thus the Dodd-Frank Act’s ultimate impact remains unclear.
The SEC proposed rules governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies, which could affect the nature and extent of derivatives use by the Fund. The proposed rules have not yet been adopted and therefore the full impact of such rules is uncertain at this time. It is possible that such rules, if adopted, could limit the implementation of the Fund’s use of derivatives, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.
Additionally, the Fund is operated by persons who have claimed an exclusion, granted to operators of registered investment companies like the Fund, from registration as a “commodity pool operator” under Rule 4.5 promulgated by the CFTC pursuant to its authority under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”) and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator.” As a result, the Fund is limited in its ability to use commodity futures (which include futures on broad-based securities indexes and interest rate futures) or options on commodity futures, engage in swaps transactions or make certain other investments (whether directly or indirectly through investments in other investment vehicles) for purposes other than bona fide hedging. With respect to transactions other than for bona fide hedging purposes, either: (1) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the Fund’s positions in such investments may not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments); or (2) the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the
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Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, the Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the futures, options or swaps markets. If the Fund does not continue to claim the exclusion, it would likely become subject to registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator. The Fund may incur additional expenses as a result of the CFTC’s registration and regulatory requirements.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust and By-laws 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. These provisions could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then-current market price of the Common Shares. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws.”
Potential Conflicts of Interest Risk
Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management each provide a wide array of portfolio management and other asset management services to a mix of clients and may engage in ordinary course activities in which their respective interests or those of their clients may compete or conflict with those of the Fund. In certain circumstances, and subject to its fiduciary obligations under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, Nuveen Asset Management may have to allocate a limited investment opportunity among its clients, which include closed-end funds, open-end funds and other commingled funds. Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management have each adopted policies and procedures designed to address such situations and other potential conflicts of interests.
The following risks are not considered to be principal risks of investing in the Fund:
Cybersecurity Risk
Technology, such as the internet, has become more prevalent in the course of business, and as such, the Fund and its service providers are susceptible to operational and information security risk resulting from cyber incidents. Cyber incidents refer to both intentional attacks and unintentional events including: processing errors, human errors, technical errors including computer glitches and system malfunctions, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, market-wide technical-related disruptions, unauthorized access to digital systems (through “hacking” or malicious software coding), computer viruses, and cyber-attacks which shut down, disable, slow or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes or website access or functionality (including denial of service attacks). Cyber incidents could adversely impact the Fund and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures. Cyber incidents may cause the Fund or its service providers to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber incidents also may result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund.
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Certain Affiliations
Certain broker-dealers may be considered to be affiliated persons of the Fund, Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management, Nuveen and/or TIAA. Absent an exemption from the SEC or other regulatory relief, the Fund generally is precluded from effecting certain principal transactions with affiliated brokers, and its ability to purchase securities being underwritten by an affiliated broker or a syndicate including an affiliated broker, or to utilize affiliated brokers for agency transactions, is subject to restrictions. The Fund has not applied for and does not currently intend to apply for such relief. This could limit the Fund’s ability to engage in securities transactions and take advantage of market opportunities. In addition, unless and until the underwriting syndicate is broken in connection with the initial public offering of the Common Shares, the Fund will be precluded from effecting principal transactions with brokers who are members of the syndicate.
The purpose of the table below and the Examples below is to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a common shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The table shows the expenses of the Fund as a percentage of the average net assets applicable to Common Shares, and not as a percentage of total assets or Managed Assets.
Shareholder Transaction Expenses (as a percentage of offering price) | ||||
Maximum Sales Charge | 4.00 | %* | ||
Offering Costs(1) | 0.16 | % | ||
Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees(2) | $ | 2.50 |
* | A maximum sales charge of 4.00% applies only to offerings pursuant to a syndicated underwriting. The maximum sales charge for offerings made at-the-market is 1.00%. There is no sales charge for offerings pursuant to a private transaction. |
As a Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares(3) | ||||
Annual Expenses | ||||
Management Fees | 1.26 | % | ||
Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on Reverse Repurchase Agreements(4) | 1.17 | % | ||
Other Expenses(5) | 0.07 | % | ||
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Total Annual Expenses | 2.50 | % | ||
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(1) | Assuming a Common Share offering price of $9.17 (the Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on March 8, 2021). |
(2) | You will be charged a $2.50 service charge and pay brokerage charges if you direct ComputerShare Inc. and ComputerShare Trust Company, N.A., as agent for the common shareholders (the “Plan Agent”), to sell your Common Shares held in a dividend reinvestment account. |
(3) | Stated as percentages of average net assets attributable to Common Shares for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020. |
(4) | Currently, the Fund employs leverage through its use of borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements. Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on Reverse Repurchase Agreements reflect actual expenses incurred by the Fund for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020. The actual interest expense on the use of borrowings and fees on reverse repurchase agreements incurred in the future may be higher or lower. If short-term market interest rates rise in the future, and if the Fund continues to maintain leverage the cost of which is tied to short-term interest rates, the Fund’s interest expenses on its short-term borrowings can be expected to rise in tandem. The Fund’s use of leverage will increase the amount of management fees paid to Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management and NWQ. |
(5) | Other Expenses is based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments, if any, in other investment companies are currently estimated not to exceed 0.01%. See “The Fund’s Investments—Other Investment Companies” in the SAI. |
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For a more complete description of the Annual Expenses a common shareholder would bear directly or indirectly, see “Management of the Fund—Investment Management and Sub-Advisory Agreements” in this prospectus.
Examples
The following examples illustrate the expenses including the applicable transaction fees (referred to as the “Maximum Sales Charge” in the fee table above), if any, and estimated offering costs of $1.60, that a common shareholder would pay on a $1,000 investment that is held for the time periods provided in the table. Each example assumes that all dividends and other distributions are reinvested in the Fund and that the Fund’s Annual Total Expenses, as provided above, remain the same. The examples also assume a 5% annual return.1
Example # 1 (At-the-Market Transaction)
The following example assumes a transaction fee of 1.00%, as a percentage of the offering price.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$37 | $89 | $143 | $292 |
Example # 2 (Underwritten Transaction)
The following example assumes a transaction fee of 4.00%, as a percentage of the offering price.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$66 | $116 | $169 | $313 |
Example # 3 (Privately Negotiated Transaction)
The following example assumes there is no transaction fee.
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$27 | $79 | $134 | $285 |
The examples should not be considered a representation of future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown above.
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The following Financial Highlights table is intended to help a prospective investor understand the Fund’s financial performance for the periods shown. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Common Share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in Common Shares of the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends). The Fund’s annual financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015, including the financial highlights for the fiscal years then ended, have been audited by KPMG LLP (“KPMG”), independent registered public accounting firm. KPMG has not reviewed or examined any records, transactions or events after the date of such reports. The information with respect to the fiscal years ended prior to July 31, 2015 has been audited by other auditors. A copy of the Annual Report may be obtained from www.sec.gov or by visiting www.nuveen.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this Prospectus. Past results are not indicative of future performance.
The following per share data and ratios have been derived from information provided in the financial statements.
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Selected data for a Common Share outstanding throughout each period:
Year Ended July 31 | Year Ended December 31 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013(g) | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Per Share Operating Performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beginning Common Share Net Asset Value (“NAV”) | $ | 10.14 | $ | 10.16 | $ | 10.87 | $ | 10.53 | $ | 10.45 | $ | 10.67 | $ | 10.26 | $ | 10.28 | $ | 8.67 | $ | 9.62 | $ | 8.56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Net Investment Income (Loss)(a) | 0.65 | 0.70 | 0.76 | 0.72 | 0.77 | 0.80 | 0.79 | 0.46 | 0.76 | 0.51 | 0.50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Realized/Unrealized Gain (Loss) | (1.26 | ) | 0.01 | (0.70 | ) | 0.40 | 0.11 | (0.25 | ) | 0.38 | (0.04 | ) | 1.61 | (0.72 | ) | 1.23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Total | (0.61 | ) | 0.71 | 0.06 | 1.12 | 0.88 | 0.55 | 1.17 | 0.42 | 2.37 | (0.21 | ) | 1.73 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Less Distributions to Common Shareholders: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From Net Investment Income | (0.68 | ) | (0.70 | ) | (0.77 | ) | (0.77 | ) | (0.80 | ) | (0.77 | ) | (0.76 | ) | (0.44 | ) | (0.76 | ) | (0.75 | ) | (0.57 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
From Accumulated Realized Gains | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Return of Capital | (0.02 | ) | (0.03 | ) | 0.00 | * | (0.01 | ) | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | (0.11 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Total | (0.70 | ) | (0.73 | ) | (0.77 | ) | (0.78 | ) | (0.80 | ) | (0.77 | ) | (0.76 | ) | (0.44 | ) | (0.76 | ) | (0.75 | ) | (0.68 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Discount from Common Shares Repurchased and Retired | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | * | 0.00 | * | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ending NAV | $ | 8.83 | $ | 10.14 | $ | 10.16 | $ | 10.87 | $ | 10.53 | $ | 10.45 | $ | 10.67 | $ | 10.26 | $ | 10.28 | $ | 8.67 | $ | 9.62 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ending Share Price | $ | 8.81 | $ | 9.91 | $ | 9.44 | $ | 10.59 | $ | 10.43 | $ | 9.19 | $ | 9.34 | $ | 9.35 | $ | 9.71 | $ | 8.01 | $ | 8.35 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Common Share Total Returns: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on NAV(b) | (6.16 | )% | 7.48 | % | 0.57 | % | 11.16 | % | 9.01 | % | 5.36 | % | 11.97 | % | 4.09 | % | 28.17 | % | (2.23 | )% | 21.06 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Based on Share Price(b) | (4.12 | )% | 13.52 | % | (3.76 | )% | 9.73 | % | 23.47 | % | 6.76 | % | 8.50 | % | 0.63 | % | 31.44 | % | 4.95 | % | 21.28 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Common Share Supplemental Data/Ratios Applicable to Common Shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ending Net Assets (000) | $ | 912,193 | $ | 1,047,925 | $ | 1,049,894 | $ | 1,122,751 | $ | 1,020,717 | $ | 1,012,766 | $ | 1,035,146 | $ | 995,460 | $ | 997,484 | $ | 840,643 | $ | 938,844 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ratios to Average Net Assets Before Reimbursement(c) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Expenses | 2.50 | % | 3.04 | % | 2.59 | % | 1.92 | % | 1.73 | % | 1.63 | % | 1.67 | % | 1.67 | %*** | 1.79 | % | 1.73 | % | 1.67 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Investment Income (Loss) | 6.87 | % | 7.10 | % | 7.19 | % | 6.82 | % | 7.58 | % | 7.55 | % | 7.73 | % | 7.47 | %*** | 7.85 | % | 5.40 | % | 5.39 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ratios to Average Net Assets After Reimbursement(c)(d) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Expenses | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.70 | % | 1.54 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Investment Income (Loss) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 5.43 | % | 5.52 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portfolio Turnover Rate(f) | 32 | % | 23 | % | 29 | % | 32 | % | 17 | % | 44 | % | 41 | % | 27 | % | 123 | % | 34 | % | 49 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Borrowings at the End of Period: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aggregate Amount Outstanding (000) | $ | 400,000 | $ | 455,000 | $ | 437,000 | $ | 540,000 | $ | 404,100 | $ | 404,100 | $ | 402,500 | $ | 402,500 | $ | 383,750 | $ | 348,000 | $ | 270,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Asset Coverage Per $1,000 | $ | 3,280 | $ | 3,303 | $ | 3,403 | $ | 3,079 | $ | 3,526 | $ | 3,506 | $ | 3,572 | $ | 3,473 | $ | 3,599 | $ | 3,416 | $ | 4,477 |
(a) | Per share Net Investment Income (Loss) is calculated using the average daily shares method. |
(b) | Total Return Based on Common Share NAV is the combination of changes in Common share NAV, reinvested dividend income at NAV and reinvested capital gains distributions at NAV, if any. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending NAV. The actual reinvest price for the last dividend declared in the period may often be based on the Fund’s market price (and not its NAV), and therefore may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized. |
Total Return Based on Common Share Price is the combination of changes in the market price per share and the effect of reinvested dividend income and reinvested capital gains distributions, if any, at the average price paid per share at the time of reinvestment. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending market price. The actual reinvestment for the last dividend declared in the period may take place over several days, and in some instances may not be based on the market price, so the actual reinvestment price may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized. |
(c) | • Net Investment Income (Loss) ratios reflect income earned and expenses incurred on assets attributable to borrowings and/or reverse repurchase agreements, where applicable. |
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• Each ratio includes the effect of all interest expenses paid and other costs related to borrowings and/or reverse repurchase agreements, where applicable, as follows: |
Year Ended 7/31: | Ratios of Dividends Expense on Securities Sold Short to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares(e) | Ratios of Borrowings Interest Expense to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares | ||||||||||
2020 | — | % | 1.17 | % | ||||||||
2019 | — | 1.73 | ||||||||||
2018 | — | 1.29 | ||||||||||
2017 | — | 0.70 | ||||||||||
2016 | — | 0.50 | ||||||||||
2015 | — | 0.41 | ||||||||||
2014 | — | 0.43 | ||||||||||
2013(g) | — | 0.45 | *** | |||||||||
Year Ended 12/31: | ||||||||||||
2012 | — | 0.52 | ||||||||||
2011 | — | ** | 0.43 | |||||||||
2010 | — | ** | — |
(d) | After expense reimbursement from the Adviser, where applicable. As of March 31, 2011, the Adviser is no longer reimbursing the Fund for any fees or expenses. |
(e) | Effective for periods beginning after December 31, 2011, the Fund no longer makes short sales of securities. |
(f) | Portfolio Turnover Rate is calculated based on the lessor of long-term purchases or sales divided by the average long-term market value during the period. |
(g) | For the seven months ended July 31, 2013. |
N/A | The Fund no longer has a contractual reimbursement with the Adviser. |
* | Rounds to less than $0.01 per common share. |
** | Rounds to less than 0.01%. |
*** | Annualized. |
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The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on January 27, 2003, pursuant to the Declaration of Trust, which is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Fund’s Common Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “JPC.” The Fund’s principal office is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and its telephone number is (312) 917-7700.
5% Shareholders
As of March 1, 2021, no shareholders owned of record, or were known by the Fund to own of record or beneficially, five percent or more of any class of shares of the Fund.
TRADING AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION
The following table shows for the periods indicated: (i) the high and low sales prices for the Common Shares reported as of the end of the day on the NYSE, (ii) the high and low NAV of the Common Shares, and (iii) the high and low of the premium/(discount) to NAV (expressed as a percentage) of the Common Shares.
Market Price | Net Asset Value | Premium/(Discount) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal Quarter Ended | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | ||||||||||||||||||
January 2021 | $ | 9.50 | $ | 8.30 | $ | 9.68 | $ | 9.06 | (1.35 | )% | (8.55 | )% | ||||||||||||
October 2020 | $ | 8.93 | $ | 8.22 | $ | 9.16 | $ | 8.83 | 0.34 | % | (8.87 | )% | ||||||||||||
July 2020 | $ | 8.81 | $ | 7.42 | $ | 8.83 | $ | 8.03 | 2.46 | % | (7.94 | )% | ||||||||||||
April 2020 | $ | 10.73 | $ | 5.03 | $ | 10.71 | $ | 6.22 | 0.56 | % | (21.53 | )% | ||||||||||||
January 2020 | $ | 10.59 | $ | 10.01 | $ | 10.59 | $ | 10.26 | 0.19 | % | (3.19 | )% | ||||||||||||
October 2019 | $ | 10.10 | $ | 9.62 | $ | 10.32 | $ | 9.95 | (0.59 | )% | (3.90 | )% | ||||||||||||
July 2019 | $ | 9.96 | $ | 9.32 | $ | 10.17 | $ | 9.82 | (1.00 | )% | (5.36 | )% | ||||||||||||
April 2019 | $ | 9.77 | $ | 8.95 | $ | 10.02 | $ | 9.65 | (1.61 | )% | (7.53 | )% | ||||||||||||
January 2019 | $ | 9.27 | $ | 7.95 | $ | 9.90 | $ | 9.08 | (3.69 | )% | (12.92 | )% | ||||||||||||
October 2018 | $ | 9.48 | $ | 8.73 | $ | 10.19 | $ | 9.81 | (6.78 | )% | (11.73 | )% |
The NAV per Common Share, the market price and percentage of premium/(discount) to NAV per Common Share on March 8, 2021 was $9.65, $9.17 and (4.97)%, respectively. As of February 28, 2021, the Fund had 103,355,149 Common Shares outstanding and net assets applicable to Common Shares of $994,147,634. See “Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund” in this prospectus.
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the Fund will use the net proceeds from any sales of Securities pursuant to this prospectus to make investments in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies or to redeem outstanding Preferred Shares.
To the extent a portion of the net proceeds from an offering are used to make investments, the relevant prospectus supplement will include an estimate of the length of time it is expected to take to invest such proceeds. The Fund anticipates that the net proceeds will be invested shortly following completion of the offering and in any event expects the time period to be less than three months. To the
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extent a portion of the net proceeds from an offering are used to redeem outstanding Preferred Shares, the Fund anticipates that such redemptions will be effected as soon as practicable after completion of the relevant offering.
Pending the use of proceeds, as described above, the Fund anticipates investing the proceeds in high-quality, short-term investments.
The following is a brief description of the material terms of the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares of the Fund, except that the series designation, redemption terms, dividend rate or rates, and other details concerning any Preferred Shares issued under the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part will be disclosed in a prospectus supplement.
The following provides information about the Fund’s outstanding Securities as of February 28, 2021:
Title of Class | Amount Authorized | Amount Held by the Fund or for its Account | Amount Outstanding | |||||||||
Common Shares | Unlimited | 0 | 103,355,149 | |||||||||
Preferred Shares | Unlimited |
Common Shares
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of Common Shares. The Common Shares have a par value of $0.01 per share and, subject to the rights of holders of Preferred Shares, if any, have equal rights to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation. The Common Shares when issued, are fully paid and, subject to matters discussed in “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws,” non-assessable, and have no preemptive or conversion rights or rights to cumulative voting. A copy of the Declaration of Trust is filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the Fund’s registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. A copy may be obtained as described under “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Each whole Common Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, and each fractional share shall be entitled to a proportional fractional vote consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder, and will vote together as a single class. Whenever the Fund incurs borrowings and/or Preferred Shares are outstanding, Common Shareholders will not be entitled to receive any cash distributions from the Fund unless all interest on such borrowings has been paid and all accumulated dividends on Preferred Shares have been paid, unless asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to any borrowings would be at least 300% after giving effect to the distributions and asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to Preferred Shares would be at least 200% after giving effect to the distributions. See “—Preferred Shares” below.
The Common Shares are listed on the NYSE and trade under the ticker symbol “JPC.” The Fund intends to hold annual meetings of shareholders so long as the Common Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and such meetings are required as a condition to such listing. The Fund will not issue share certificates.
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Unlike open-end funds, closed-end funds like the Fund do not provide daily redemptions. Rather, if a shareholder determines to buy additional Common Shares or sell shares already held, the shareholder may conveniently do so by trading on the exchange through a broker or otherwise. Common shares of closed-end investment companies may frequently trade on an exchange at prices lower than NAV. Common shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund have during some periods traded at prices higher than NAV and have during other periods traded at prices lower than NAV.
Because the market value of the Common Shares may be influenced by such factors as distribution levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), call protection, dividend stability, portfolio credit quality, NAV, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot assure you that Common Shares will trade at a price equal to or higher than NAV in the future. The Common Shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and investors in the Common Shares should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes. See “Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund.”
Preferred Shares
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of Preferred Shares in one or more classes or series, with rights as determined by the Board, by action of the Board without the approval of the Common Shareholders. In connection with the issuance of Preferred Shares, copies of the Declaration of Trust, and the applicable statement establishing and fixing the rights and preferences of Preferred Shares of the applicable series, and, if applicable, the related supplement, will be filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement. Copies may be obtained as described under “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Ranking and Priority of Payment
Each Preferred Share will rank on parity with each other and other Preferred Shares with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation. Each Preferred Share will rank senior in priority to the Common Shares as to the payment of dividends and as to the distribution of assets upon dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Fund.
Dividends and Distributions
The holders of Preferred Shares of each series are entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board, out of funds legally available therefor in accordance with the Declaration of Trust and applicable law, cumulative cash dividends at the dividend rate for the Preferred Shares of such series payable on the dividend payment dates with respect to the Preferred Shares of such series. Holders of Preferred Shares are not entitled to any dividend, whether payable in cash, property or shares, in excess of full cumulative dividends on the Preferred Shares. No interest, or sum of money in lieu of interest, shall be payable in respect of any dividend payment or payments on Preferred Shares which may be in arrears, and no additional sum of money will be payable in respect of such arrearage.
Voting Rights
Preferred Shares are required to be voting shares and to have equal voting rights with Common Shares. Except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement or the SAI and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Preferred Shares would vote together with the holders of Common Shares as a single class.
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Holders of Preferred Shares, voting as a separate class, will be entitled to elect two of the Fund’s trustees. The remaining trustees will be elected by the holders of Common Shares and the holders of Preferred Shares, voting together as a single class. In the unlikely event that two full years of accumulated dividends are unpaid on the Preferred Shares, the holders of all outstanding Preferred Shares, voting as a separate class, will be entitled to elect a majority of the Fund’s trustees until all dividends in arrears have been paid or declared and set apart for payment. In order for the Fund to take certain actions or enter into certain transactions, a separate class vote of holders of Preferred Shares would be required, in addition to the single class vote of the holders of Preferred Shares and Common Shares. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws.”
Redemption, Purchase and Sale of Preferred Shares
The terms of the Preferred Shares of any series may provide that they may be subject to optional or mandatory redemption by the Fund at certain times or under certain circumstances, in whole or in part, at the liquidation preference per share plus accumulated dividends. The terms for optional redemption of Preferred Shares may provide for the payment of a redemption premium, which will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Any redemption or purchase of Preferred Shares by the Fund will reduce the leverage applicable to Common Shares, while any issuance of Preferred Shares by the Fund would increase such leverage.
Ratings and Asset Coverage
To the extent Preferred Shares are outstanding, the composition of the Fund’s portfolio will reflect guidelines established by the NRSRO or NRSROs rating such shares. These guidelines may impose requirements different from or in addition to those required under the 1940 Act, and generally include asset coverage requirements, portfolio characteristics such as portfolio diversification and credit rating criteria, and qualitative views on the Fund and Fund management. Although the Fund’s failure to meet such requirements or criteria under applicable guidelines may cause the Fund to sell portfolio positions or to redeem Preferred Shares at inopportune times in an amount necessary to restore compliance with the guidelines, or may result in a downgrade of ratings, the Fund currently does not anticipate that these restrictions or guidelines will impede the management of the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies.
There can be no assurance that one or more NRSROs will not alter its or their rating criteria resulting in downgrades of ratings, that the Fund will maintain any ratings of the Preferred Shares, or, if at any time the Preferred Shares have one or more ratings, that any particular ratings will be maintained. The Fund may, at any time, replace a NRSRO with another NRSRO or terminate the services of any NRSROs then providing a rating for Preferred Shares without replacement, in either case, without the approval of shareholders of the Fund (except as may be otherwise specifically provided for a series of Preferred Shares). In addition, the NRSRO guidelines adopted by the Fund in connection with a NRSRO’s rating of Preferred Shares may be changed or eliminated at any time without the approval of shareholders of the Fund, including in connection with the change or elimination of any or all long-term ratings of the Preferred Shares.
Ratings of the Preferred Shares neither eliminate nor mitigate the risks of investing in Common Shares or Preferred Shares. See “Risk Factors” above and in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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Investment Objectives and Policies
The Fund’s primary investment objective is high current income. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is total return. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities. The Fund may also invest in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity.
The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Assets (as defined herein) in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities and up to 20% in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity.
The Fund will invest at least 50% of its Managed Assets in securities rated investment grade (BBB/Baa and above) at the time of investment. Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are rated by at least one NRSRO within the four highest grades (Baa or BBB or better by Moody’s, S&P, or Fitch, or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Adviser or Sub-Advisers. The Fund may invest in securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. Securities rated below investment grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality securities because the market for them is less broad. The market for unrated securities is even narrower. During periods of thin trading in these markets, the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase significantly and the Fund may have greater difficulty selling its holdings of these types of portfolio securities. The Fund will be more dependent on the Adviser’s and/or the Sub-Advisers’ research and analysis when investing in these securities.
The foregoing credit quality policy targets apply only at the time a security is purchased, and the Fund is not required to dispose of a security in the event that a rating agency upgrades or downgrades its assessment of the credit characteristics of a particular issuer or that valuation changes of various securities cause the Fund’s portfolio to fail to satisfy those targets. In determining whether to retain or sell such a security, the Adviser and/or the Sub-Advisers may consider such factors as the Adviser’s and/or the Sub-Advisers’ assessment of the credit quality of the issuer of such security, the price at which such security could be sold and the rating, if any, assigned to such security by other rating agencies. The credit ratings assigned by rating agencies from time to time represent their opinions as to the quality of the securities they rate. However, it should be emphasized that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, securities with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while obligations of the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield. A general description of the ratings of securities by S&P, Moody’s and Fitch is set forth in Appendix A to the SAI.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in the securities of companies principally engaged in financial services. A financial services company is one that is primarily involved in banking, mortgage finance, consumer finance, specialized finance, investment banking and brokerage, asset management and custody, corporate lending, insurance,
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financial instruments or real estate, including BDCs and REITs. For purposes of identifying companies in the financial services sector, the Fund uses industry classifications such as those provided by MSCI and Standard & Poor’s The Global Industry Classification Standard, Bloomberg, Barclays or similar sources commonly used in the financial industry. As a result, if one or more of these classifications include a company in the financial services sector, the Fund considers such company as being in the financial services sector.
The Fund is not limited in the amount of its investments in non-U.S. issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of the portion of its portfolio managed by Nuveen Asset Management in preferred securities issued by companies located in emerging market countries. For purposes of identifying non-U.S. issuers, the Fund uses Bloomberg classifications, which employ various factors as described herein. Emerging market countries include any country other than Canada, the United States and the countries comprising the MSCI EAFE® Index.
The Fund may use derivative instruments to seek to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments or its leverage, to enhance return, to serve as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset, to reduce transaction costs, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, to maintain full market exposure, to manage cash flows or to preserve capital. Such instruments may include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on equity securities, options on financial futures or other derivative instruments.
During temporary defensive periods, the Fund may deviate from its investment policies and objectives. During such periods, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in high quality, short-term securities, and in short-, intermediate-, or long-term U.S. Treasury securities. There can be no assurance that such techniques will be successful. Accordingly, during such periods, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value.
The Fund’s investment objectives, policy to invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in securities of financial services companies, and certain other investment restrictions identified in the SAI are considered fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. All of the other investment policies of the Fund, including as noted above, are not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed by the Board without a vote of the shareholders; provided that the Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days prior to any change in its policy to invest at least 80% of its Assets in preferred securities and other income producing securities. The Fund may only change its fundamental investment restrictions with the approval of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund as is defined in the 1940 Act. When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.
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Portfolio Composition
The Fund’s portfolio will be composed principally of the following investments.
Preferred Securities
The Fund invests in preferred securities. The Fund may invest in all types of preferred securities, including both traditional preferred securities and non-traditional preferred securities. Traditional preferred securities are generally equity securities of the issuer that have priority over the issuer’s Common Shares as to the payment of dividends (i.e., the issuer cannot pay dividends on its Common Shares until the dividends on the Preferred Shares are current) and as to the payout of proceeds of bankruptcy or other liquidation, but are subordinate to an issuer’s senior debt and junior debt as to both types of payments. Additionally, in a bankruptcy or other liquidation, traditional Preferred Shares are generally subordinate to an issuer’s trade creditors and other general obligations.
Traditional preferred securities pay a dividend, typically contingent both upon declaration by the issuer’s board and at times approval by regulators, and on the existence of current earnings (or retained earnings) in sufficient amount to source the payment. Dividend payments can be either cumulative or non-cumulative and can be passed or deferred without limitation at the option of the issuer. Traditional preferred securities typically have no ordinary right to vote for the board of directors, except in some cases voting rights may arise if the issuer fails to pay the preferred share dividends. Traditional preferred securities may be perpetual, or have a term and typically have a fixed liquidation (or “par”) value.
While some preferred securities are issued with a final maturity date, others are perpetual in nature. In certain instances, a final maturity date may be extended and/or the final payment of principal may be deferred at the issuer’s option for a specified time without triggering an event of default for the issuer. No redemption can typically take place unless all cumulative payment obligations to preferred security investors have been met, although issuers may be able to engage in open-market repurchases without regard to any cumulative dividends or interest payable. A portion of the portfolio may include investments in non-cumulative preferred securities, whereby the issuer does not have an obligation to make up any arrearages to holders of such securities. Should an issuer default on its obligations under such a security, the amount of income earned by the Fund may be adversely affected. Non-traditional preferred securities include hybrid preferred securities, contingent convertible capital securities and other types of preferred securities that do not have the traditional features described above. Hybrid-preferred securities often behave similarly as investments in traditional preferred securities and are regarded by market investors as being part of the preferred securities market. Hybrid-preferred securities possess varying combinations of features of both debt and Preferred Shares and as such they may constitute senior debt, junior debt or Preferred Shares in an issuer’s capital structure. As such, hybrid-preferred securities may not be subordinate to a company’s debt securities (as are traditional Preferred Shares). Given the various debt and equity characteristics of hybrid-preferred securities, whether a hybrid-preferred security is classified as debt or equity for purposes of reporting the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be based on the portfolio managers’ determination as to whether its debt or preferred features are preponderant, or based on the assessment of an independent data provider. Such determinations may be subjective.
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Hybrid-preferred securities include trust preferred securities. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest-bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates. Trust preferred securities may defer payment of income without triggering an event of default. These securities may have many characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure. Trust preferred securities may be issued by trusts or other special purpose entities.
Preferred securities may also include certain forms of debt that have many characteristics of Preferred Shares, and that are regarded by the investment marketplace to be part of the broader preferred securities market. Among these “preferred securities” are certain exchange-listed debt issues that historically have several attributes, including trading and investment performance characteristics, in common with exchange-listed traditional preferred stock and hybrid-preferred securities. Generally, these types of “preferred securities” are senior debt or junior debt in the capital structure of an issuer.
Preferred securities generally pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends or interest to investors and have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends or interest and generally the liquidation of a company’s assets, which means that a company typically must pay dividends or interest on its preferred securities before paying any dividends on its common stock. As a general matter, dividend or interest payments on preferred securities may be cumulative or non-cumulative. The dividend or interest rates on preferred securities may be fixed or floating, or convert from fixed to floating at a specified future time; the Fund may invest without limit in such floating-rate and fixed-to-floating rate preferred securities. Floating-rate and fixed-to-floating rate preferred securities may be traditional preferred or hybrid-preferred securities. Floating-rate preferred securities pay a rate of income that resets periodically based on short- and/or longer-term interest rate benchmarks. If the associated interest rate benchmark rises, the income received from the security may increase and therefore the return offered by the floating-rate security may rise as well, making such securities less price sensitive to rising interest rates (or yields). Similarly, a fixed-to-floating rate security may be less price sensitive to rising interest rates (or yields), because the period over which the rate of payment is fixed is shorter than the maturity term of the bond, after which period a floating rate of payment applies. On the other hand, preferred securities are junior to most other forms of the company’s debt, including both senior and subordinated debt. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer dividend or interest payments for extended periods of time without triggering an event of default for the issuer, and certain other features, preferred securities may have, at times, risks similar to equity instruments. The Fund’s portfolio of preferred securities may consist of fixed rate preferred and adjustable rate preferred securities.
The preferred securities market continues to evolve. New securities may be developed that may be regarded by market investors as being part of the preferred securities market. Where such securities will fall in the capital structure of the issuer will depend on the structure and characteristics of the new security. For purposes of the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Assets in preferred securities and other income producing securities, the Fund considers all of the foregoing types of securities that are commonly viewed in the marketplace as preferred securities to be preferred securities, regardless of their classification in the capital structure of the issuer.
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Preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest or dividend bearing instruments, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. Preferred securities may either trade over-the-counter, or trade on an exchange. The preferred securities market is generally divided into the $25 par “retail” and the $1,000 par “institutional” segments. The $25 par segment is typified by securities that are listed on the NYSE, which trade and are quoted with accrued dividend or interest income, and which are often callable. The institutional segment is typified by $1,000 par value securities that are not exchange-listed. The Fund may invest in preferred securities of either segment.
Contingent Capital Securities
Contingent capital securities (sometimes referred to as “CoCos”) are securities issued primarily by non-U.S. financial institutions. Specific CoCo structures vary by country of domicile and by each issue. All CoCos have mechanisms that absorb losses or reduces the value of the CoCo due to deterioration of the issuer’s financial condition and status as a going concern. Loss absorption mechanisms, which may include conversion into common equity and principal write-down, are intended for the benefit of the issuer and when triggered will likely negatively impact the value of the CoCo to the detriment of the CoCo investor. Loss absorption mechanisms can be triggered by capital levels or market value metrics of the issuers dropping below a certain predetermined level or at the discretion of the issuer regulator/supervisory entity. Unlike traditional convertible securities, the conversion is not voluntary and the equity conversion or principal write-down features are tailored to the issuer and its regulatory requirements. Due to increased regulatory requirements for higher capital levels for financial institutions, the issuance of CoCo instruments has increased in the last several years and is expected to continue.
Other Equity Securities
Common stock generally represents an equity ownership interest in an issuer. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and may underperform relative to fixed-income securities during certain periods. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Fund. Also, prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Fund has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or the occurrence of political or economic events which affect the issuer. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, which increases borrowing costs and the costs of capital.
Additional types of equity securities (other than preferred securities) in which the Fund may invest include convertible securities (discussed below), REITs, warrants, rights, depositary receipts (which reference ownership of underlying non-U.S. securities) and other types of securities with equity characteristics. The Fund’s equity investments also may include securities of other investment companies (including open-end funds, closed-end funds and ETFs).
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Debt Securities
Debt securities in which the Fund may invest include corporate debt securities and U.S. government and agency debt securities. Generally, debt securities typically, but not always, possess the following characteristics: a specified maturity or term, at which time the issuer is contractually obligated to pay the associated principal amount of debt to the debtholders; interest payments that are a contractual and enforceable obligation as of the stated payment date, and not contingent either on payment-by-payment declaration by the issuer’s board or on the demonstrated existence of company earnings as a source for the payment; and do not entitle the holder to exercise governance of or control over the issuer.
In the capital structure of an issuer, debt securities can be senior debt or junior debt. A senior debt security has priority over any other type of security in a company’s capital structure as to the payment of any promised income (typically denoted as interest) from the issuer, and as to payout of the proceeds of the bankruptcy or other liquidation of the company. At times, the issuer will have pledged specific assets or revenues to secure the rights of the holder of the debt security to payments of interest and principal such that the proceeds of the specific assets or revenues must be used to satisfy these debt obligations prior to being applied to any of the issuer’s other obligations in a bankruptcy or other liquidation. In the event that the assets securing the debt security are not sufficient to fully satisfy such obligations in a bankruptcy or other liquidation, the remainder of such obligations will generally have the same priority as an issuer’s trade creditors and other general obligations, but still have priority of payment relative to the issuer’s Preferred Shares and Common Shares. Sometimes referred to as subordinated or mezzanine debt, junior debt stands behind the senior debt as to its rights to receive promised income payments (again, typically denoted as interest) from the issuer, and payouts of the proceeds of bankruptcy or other liquidation, but will have priority of payment relative to the issuer’s Preferred Shares and Common Shares.
Convertible Securities
Convertible securities are hybrid securities that combine the investment characteristics of bonds and common stocks. Convertible securities typically consist of debt securities or preferred securities that may be converted within a specified period of time (typically for the entire life of the security) into a certain amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer at a predetermined price. They also include debt securities with warrants or common stock attached and derivatives combining features of debt securities and equity securities. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt securities, or dividends paid or accrued on preferred securities, until the securities mature or are redeemed, converted or exchanged.
Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value generally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. Convertible securities are subordinate in rank to any senior debt obligations of the same issuer and, therefore, an issuer’s convertible securities entail more risk than its debt obligations.
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REITs
REITs are typically publicly traded corporations or trusts that invest in residential or commercial real estate. REITs generally can be divided into the following three types: (i) equity REITs which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains or real estate appreciation; (ii) mortgage REITs which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgage loans and derive their income primarily from interest payments; and (iii) hybrid REITs which combine the characteristics of equity REITs and mortgage REITs. The Fund can invest in common stock, preferred securities, debt securities and convertible securities issued by REITs.
Foreign Issuers
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers through the direct investment in securities of such companies and through depositary receipts. For purposes of identifying foreign issuers, the Fund will use Bloomberg classifications, which employ the following factors listed in order of importance: (i) the country in which the company’s management is located, (ii) the country in which the company’s securities are primarily listed, (iii) the country from which the company primarily receives revenue and (iv) the company’s reporting currency. The Fund may purchase depositary receipts such as American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of foreign issuers and are alternatives to purchasing directly the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies.
The Fund may invest in securities of emerging markets issuers. Emerging markets issuers are those (i) whose securities are traded principally on a stock exchange or over-the-counter in an emerging market country, (ii) organized under the laws of an emerging market country or (iii) whose principal place of business or principal office(s) is in an emerging market country. Emerging market countries include any country other than Canada, the United States and the countries comprising the MSCI EAFE® Index (currently, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).
Derivatives. The Fund may use derivatives to hedge the risk associated with portfolio holdings or for investment exposure. The specific derivative instruments to be used, or other transactions to be entered into, may include (i) options and futures contracts, including options on common stock, stock indexes, bonds and bond indexes, stock index futures, bond index futures and related instruments, (ii) short sales of securities that the Fund owns or has the right to acquire through the conversion of securities, (iii) structured notes and similar instruments, (iv) credit derivative instruments and (v) currency exchange transactions. Some, but not all, of the derivative instruments may be traded and listed on an exchange. There is no assurance that these derivative strategies will be available at any time or that the Sub-Advisers will determine to use them for the Fund or, if used, that the strategies will be successful.
Under regulations of the CFTC currently in effect, which may change from time to time, with respect to futures contracts to purchase securities and call options on futures contracts purchased by the Fund, the Fund will set aside in a segregated account liquid securities with a value at least equal to the value of instruments underlying such futures contracts less the amount of initial margin on deposit for
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such contracts. The current view of the staff of the SEC is that the Fund’s long and short positions in futures contracts must be collateralized with cash or certain liquid assets held in a segregated account or “covered” in order to counter the impact of any potential leveraging.
Short-Term Taxable Fixed Income Securities
For temporary defensive purposes or to keep cash on hand fully invested, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets in cash equivalents and short-term taxable fixed-income securities. Short-term taxable fixed income investments are defined to include, without limitation, the following:
(1) U.S. Government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest that are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. Government Agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government Agency securities include securities issued by (a) the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration and the Government National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; (b) the Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and the Tennessee Valley Authority, whose securities are supported by the right of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (c) the Federal National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and (d) the Student Loan Marketing Association, whose securities are supported only by its credit. While the U.S. Government provides financial support to such U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it always will do so since it is not so obligated by law. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities. Consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.
(2) Certificates of deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or a savings and loan association. Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return and are normally negotiable. The issuer of a certificate of deposit agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon. Under current FDIC regulations, the maximum insurance payable as to any one certificate of deposit is $250,000; therefore, certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured.
(3) Repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities. At the time the Fund purchases securities pursuant to a repurchase agreement, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver such securities to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the securities at a fixed price and time. This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period, since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate. Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; certificates of deposit; or bankers’ acceptances in which the Fund may invest. Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral. If the value of the collateral declines after the agreement is entered into, and if the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the
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repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. The Adviser monitors the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. The Adviser does so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.
(4) Commercial paper, which consists of short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations. Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation. There is no secondary market for such notes, however, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time. The Adviser will consider the financial condition of the corporation (e.g., earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios) and will continuously monitor the corporation’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund’s liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay principal and interest on demand. Investments in commercial paper will be limited to commercial paper rated in the highest categories by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch and that matures within one year of the date of purchase or carries a variable or floating rate of interest.
(5) Bankers’ acceptances, which are credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer. These instruments reflect the obligation both of the bank and of the drawer to pay the full amount of the instrument upon maturity.
(6) Variable amount master demand notes, which are unsecured demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary and provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate according to the terms of the instrument. Because master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and the issuer, they are not normally traded. Although there is no secondary market in the notes, the Fund may demand payment of principal and accrued interest at any time. While the notes are not typically rated by credit rating agencies, issuers of variable amount master demand notes (which are normally manufacturing, retail, financial, and other business concerns) must satisfy the same criteria as set forth above for commercial paper.
(7) Variable rate demand obligations (“VRDOs”), which are securities in which the interest rate is adjusted at pre-designated periodic intervals. VRDOs may include a demand feature which is a put that entitles the holder to receive the principal amount of the underlying security or securities and which may be exercised either at any time on no more than 30 days’ notice or at specified intervals not exceeding 397 calendar days on no more than 30 days’ notice.
Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
During temporary defensive periods and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, the Fund may deviate from its investment objectives and may invest any percentage of its net assets in short-term investments including high quality, short-term debt securities (or in securities of other open- or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in preferred securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly).
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Illiquid Securities
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities. For this purpose, illiquid securities include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) but that are deemed to be illiquid, and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days. The Fund’s Board or its delegate has the ultimate authority to determine, to the extent permissible under the federal securities laws, which securities are liquid or illiquid. The Fund’s Board has delegated to the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers, 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 Fund’s Board has directed the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers to look for such factors as (i) the nature of the market for a security (including the institutional private resale market; the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security; the amount of time normally needed to dispose of the security; and the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer), (ii) the terms of certain securities or other instruments allowing for the disposition to a third party or the issuer thereof (e.g., certain repurchase obligations and demand instruments) and (iii) other permissible relevant factors.
Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses, and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. Illiquid securities will be priced at a fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or its delegatee.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions
The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date. This type of transaction may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the securities prior to settlement and, because securities are subject to market fluctuations, the value of the securities at time of delivery may be less (or more) than cost. A separate account of the Fund will be established with its custodian consisting of cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times at least equal to the amount of the commitment.
Interest Rate Transactions
In connection with the Fund’s use of leverage through borrowings or the issuance of Preferred Shares, the Fund may enter into interest rate swap or cap transactions. The payment obligation would be based on the notional amount of the swap.
The Fund may use an interest rate cap, which would require it to pay a premium to the cap counterparty and would entitle it, to the extent that a specified variable rate index exceeds a predetermined fixed rate, to receive from the counterparty payment of the difference based on the
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notional amount. The Fund would use interest rate swaps or caps only with the intent to reduce or eliminate the risk that an increase in short-term interest rates could have on common share net earnings as a result of leverage.
The Fund will generally enter into swaps or caps 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. The Fund intends to maintain in a segregated account with its custodian cash or liquid securities having a value at least equal to the Fund’s net payment obligations under any swap transaction, marked-to-market daily.
The use of interest rate swaps and caps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the Fund’s use of interest rate swaps or caps has the potential to enhance or harm the overall performance of the Fund’s Common Shares. Buying interest rate caps could enhance the performance of the shares by providing a maximum leverage expense. Buying interest rate caps could also decrease the net earnings of the shares in the event that the premium paid by the Fund to the counterparty exceeds the additional amount the Fund would have been required to pay had it not entered into the cap agreement.
Interest rate swaps and caps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate swaps is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund would not be able to use the anticipated net receipts under the swap or cap to offset the dividend payments on Preferred Shares or interest payments on borrowings. Depending on whether the Fund would be entitled to receive net payments from the counterparty on the swap or cap, which, in turn, would depend on the general state of short-term interest rates at that point in time, such a default could negatively impact the performance of the shares.
Although this will not guarantee that the counterparty does not default, the Fund will not enter into an interest rate swap or cap transaction with any counterparty that a Sub-Adviser believes does not have the financial resources to honor its obligation under the interest rate swap or cap transaction. Further, the Sub-Advisers will continually monitor the financial stability of a counterparty to an interest rate swap or cap transaction in an effort to proactively protect the Fund’s investments.
In addition, at the time the interest rate swap or cap transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that the Fund will not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement will not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction. If this occurs, it could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s Common Shares.
The Fund may choose or be required to reduce its borrowings or other leverage. Such an event would likely result in the Fund seeking to terminate early all or a portion of any swap or cap transaction. Such early termination of a swap could result in a termination payment by or to the Fund. An early termination of a cap could result in a termination payment to the Fund.
Segregation of Assets
As a closed-end investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder, and various interpretive positions of the
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SEC and its staff. Under current laws, rules and positions, the Fund must maintain liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivative instruments and financial agreements (such as reverse repurchase agreements). Generally, the Fund will maintain an amount of liquid assets with its custodian in an amount at least equal to the current amount of its obligations under derivative instruments and financial agreements, in accordance with SEC guidance. However, the Fund also may “cover” certain obligations by other means such as through ownership of the underlying investment or financial instrument. The Fund also may enter into offsetting transactions with respect to certain instruments consistent with existing SEC staff guidance so that its combined position, coupled with any liquid assets maintained by its custodian, equals its net outstanding obligation in related derivatives or financial agreements.
The SEC recently adopted new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which, among other things, imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a fund can enter into and replaces the asset segregation framework previously used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act. The Fund will comply with the new rule’s requirements on or before the rule’s compliance date in 2022.
The Fund reserves the right to modify its policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the SEC or its staff.
Other Investment Companies
The Fund may not invest its Managed Assets in securities of other open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act or any exemptive relief obtained thereunder. The Fund generally expects to invest in other investment companies either during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash, such as the period shortly after the Fund receives the proceeds of the offering of its Common Shares, or during periods when there is a shortage of attractive, preferred securities available in the market. As an investor in an investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Holders of Common Shares would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. The Sub-Advisers will take expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in the investment company relative to available preferred securities. In addition, the securities of other investment companies also may be leveraged and therefore will be subject to the same leverage risks described herein. The NAV and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares.
Other Investment Policies and Techniques of the Fund
Portfolio Trading and Turnover Rate. The Fund may engage in portfolio trading when considered appropriate, but short-term trading will not be used as the primary means of achieving the Fund’s investment objectives. High portfolio turnover may result in the realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund, which when distributed to shareholders will be taxable as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
Zero Coupon Bonds and Other OID Instruments. A zero coupon bond is a bond that typically does not pay interest for its entire life. When held to its maturity, the holder receives the par value of
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the zero coupon bond, which generates a return equal to the difference between the purchase price and its maturity value. A zero coupon bond is normally issued and traded at a deep discount from face value. This original issue discount (“OID”) approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound prior to its maturity and reflects the payment deferral and credit risk associated with the instrument. Because zero coupon securities and other OID instruments do not pay cash interest at regular intervals, the instruments’ ongoing accruals require ongoing judgments concerning the collectability of deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. As a result, these securities may be subject to greater value fluctuations and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash on a current basis. Because zero coupon bonds, and OID instruments generally, allow an issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments, they may involve greater payment deferral and credit risk than coupon loans and bonds that pay interest currently or in cash. The Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing the income of these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund will not receive all of the income on a current basis or in cash. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, and use the cash proceeds to make distributions to its shareholders. For accounting purposes, these cash distributions to shareholders will not be treated as a return of capital.
Further, the Adviser collects management fees on the value of a zero coupon bond or OID instrument attributable to the ongoing non-cash accrual of interest over the life of the bond or other instrument. As a result, the Adviser receives non-refundable cash payments based on such non-cash accruals while investors incur the risk that such non-cash accruals ultimately may not be realized.
The Fund uses leverage to pursue its investment objectives. The Fund may use leverage to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, including the following forms of leverage: (a) borrowings, including loans from certain financial institutions, and/or the issuance of debt securities; (b) the issuance of Preferred Shares; and (c) engaging in reverse repurchase agreements and economically similar transactions. The Fund also may borrow money for repurchase of its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Fund securities. Currently, the Fund employs leverage through bank borrowings and reverse repurchase agreements.
The timing and terms of any leverage transaction are determined by the Fund’s Board, and may vary with prevailing market or economic conditions. The Fund has issued Preferred Shares in the past, but does not currently have any Preferred Shares outstanding. If the Fund issues Preferred Shares, such preferred securities, voting as a separate class, would have the right to elect at least two Board members at all times and to elect a majority of the Board members in the event two full years’ dividends on the Preferred Shares are unpaid. In each case, the remaining Board members would be elected by holders of Common Shares and Preferred Shares voting together as a single class. The holders of Preferred Shares would vote as a separate class or classes on certain other matters as required under each Fund’s Declaration of Trust, the 1940 Act and Massachusetts law.
The Preferred Shares have seniority over the Common Shares. Changes in the value of the Fund’s bond portfolio, including costs attributable to Preferred Shares, will be borne entirely by Common Shareholders. If there is a net decrease (or increase) in the value of the Fund’s investment portfolio, the leverage will decrease (or increase) the NAV per Common Share to a greater extent than
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if the Fund were not leveraged. For tax purposes, the Fund is currently required to allocate net capital gain and other taxable income, if any, between Common Shares and Preferred Shares in proportion to total dividends paid to each class for the year in which the net capital gain or other taxable income is realized. If net capital gain or other taxable income is allocated to Preferred Shares (instead of solely tax-exempt income), the Fund will likely have to pay higher total dividends to shareholders of Preferred Shares (the “Preferred Shareholders”) or make special payments to Preferred Shareholders to compensate them for the increased tax liability. This would reduce the total amount of dividends paid to the Common Shareholders.
The Fund may reduce or increase leverage based upon changes in market conditions and anticipates that its leverage ratio will vary from time to time based upon variations in the value of the Fund’s holdings. So long as the net rate of income received on the Fund’s investments purchased with leverage proceeds exceeds the then current expense on any leverage, the investment of leverage proceeds will generate more net income than if the Fund had not used leverage. If so, the excess net income will be available to pay higher distributions to Common Shareholders. However, if the rate of net income received from the Fund’s portfolio investments purchased with leverage is less than the then current expense on outstanding leverage, the Fund may be required to utilize other Fund assets to make expense payments on outstanding leverage, which may result in a decline in Common Share NAV and reduced net investment income available for distribution to Common Shareholders. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.”
Following an offering of additional Common Shares from time to time, the Fund’s leverage ratio will decrease as a result of the increase in net assets attributable to Common Shares. The Fund’s leverage ratio may decline further to the extent that the net proceeds of an offering of Common Shares are used to reduce the Fund’s leverage. A lower leverage ratio may result in lower (higher) returns to Common Shareholders over a period of time to the extent that net returns on the Fund’s investment portfolio exceed (fall below) its cost of leverage over that period, which lower (higher) returns may impact the level of the Fund’s distributions. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.”
The Fund may use derivatives, such as interest rate swaps with varying terms, in order to manage the interest rate expense associated with all or a portion of its leverage. Interest rate swaps are bi-lateral agreements whereby parties agree to exchange future payments, typically based upon the differential of a fixed rate and a variable rate, on a specified notional amount. Interest rate swaps can enable a Fund to effectively convert its variable leverage expense to fixed, or vice versa. For example, if the Fund issues leverage having a short-term floating rate of interest, the Fund could use interest rate swaps to hedge against a rise in the short-term benchmark interest rates associated with its outstanding leverage. In doing so, the Fund would seek to achieve lower leverage costs, and thereby enhance Common Share distributions, over an extended period, which would be the result if short-term interest rates on average exceed the fixed interest rate over the term of the swap. To the extent the fixed swap rate is greater than short-term market interest rates on average over the period, overall costs associated with leverage will increase (and thereby reduce distributions to Common Shareholders) than if the Fund had not entered into the interest rate swap(s).
The Fund pays a management fee to Nuveen Fund Advisors (which in turn pays a portion of such fee to the Sub-Advisers) based on a percentage of Managed Assets. Managed Assets include the proceeds realized and managed from the Fund’s use of most types of leverage (excluding the leverage exposure attributable to the use of futures, swaps and similar derivatives). Because Managed Assets include the Fund’s net assets as well as assets that are attributable to the Fund’s investment of the
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proceeds of its leverage (including instruments like inverse floating rate securities and reverse repurchase agreements), it is anticipated that the Fund’s Managed Assets will be greater than its net assets. Nuveen Fund Advisors will be responsible for using leverage to pursue the Fund’s investment objective. Nuveen Fund Advisors will base its decision regarding whether and how much leverage to use for the Fund, and the terms of that leverage, on its assessment of whether such use of leverage is in the best interests of the Fund. However, a decision to employ or increase leverage will have the effect, all other things being equal, of increasing Managed Assets, and in turn Nuveen Fund Advisors’ and the Sub-Advisers fees. Thus, Nuveen Fund Advisors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether to use or increase leverage. Nuveen Fund Advisors will seek to manage that potential conflict by using leverage only when it determines that it would be in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders, and by periodically reviewing with the Board the Fund’s performance, the Fund’s degree of overall use of leverage and the impact of the use of leverage on that performance.
The 1940 Act generally defines a “senior security” as any bond, debenture, note, or similar obligation or instrument constituting a security and evidencing indebtedness, and any stock of a class having priority over any other class as to distribution of assets or payment of dividends; however, the term does not include any promissory note or other evidence of indebtedness issued in consideration of any loan, extension, or renewal thereof, made for temporary purposes and in an amount not exceeding five percent of the value of the Fund’s total assets. A loan shall be presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within 60 days and is not extended or renewed.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue “senior securities representing indebtedness” if, immediately after the issuance of such senior securities representing indebtedness, the asset coverage ratio with respect to such senior securities would be less than 300%. “Senior securities representing indebtedness” include borrowings (including loans from financial institutions); debt securities; and other derivative investments or transactions such as reverse repurchase agreements and investments in inverse floating rate securities to the extent the Fund has not fully covered, segregated or earmarked cash or liquid assets having a market value at least equal to its future obligation under such instruments. With respect to any such senior securities representing indebtedness, asset coverage means the ratio which the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), bears to the aggregate amount of such borrowing represented by senior securities representing indebtedness issued by the Fund.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue “senior securities” that are Preferred Shares if, immediately after the issuance of Preferred Shares, the asset coverage ratio with respect to such Preferred Shares would be less than 200%. With respect to any such Preferred Shares, asset coverage means the ratio which the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities, bears to the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of the Fund plus the aggregate liquidation preference of such Preferred Shares.
The Fund is limited by certain investment restrictions and may borrow money from a bank for temporary or emergency purposes or for repurchase of its shares only in an amount not exceeding one-third of the Fund’s total assets (including the amount borrowed) less the Fund’s liabilities (other than borrowings). See “Investment Restrictions” in the SAI. These restrictions are fundamental and may not be changed without the approval of Common Shares and Preferred Shares voting together as a single class.
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If the asset coverage with respect to any senior securities issued by the Fund declines below the required ratios discussed above (as a result of market fluctuations or otherwise), the Fund may sell portfolio securities when it may be disadvantageous to do so.
Certain types of leverage used by the Fund may result in the Fund being subject to certain covenants, asset coverage and, or other portfolio composition limits by its lenders, Preferred Shares purchasers, liquidity providers, rating agencies that may rate Preferred Shares, or reverse repurchase agreement counterparties. Such limitations may be more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act and may affect whether the Fund is able to maintain its desired amount of leverage. At this time, Nuveen Fund Advisors does not believe that any such potential investment limitations will impede it from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with its investment objective and policies.
EFFECTS OF LEVERAGE
The following table is designed to illustrate the effects of leverage through the use of senior securities, as that term is defined under Section 18 of the 1940 Act, as well as certain other forms of leverage, such as reverse repurchase agreements, on Common Share total return, assuming investment portfolio total returns (consisting of income and changes in the value of investments held in the Fund’s portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. The table below reflects the Fund’s (i) estimated use of leverage at approximately the same percentage of Managed Assets (including assets attributable to such leverage) set forth in the table, (ii) the estimated annual effective interest expense rate payable by the Fund on such instruments (based on market conditions as of the date hereof) as set forth in the table and (iii) the annual return that the Fund’s portfolio must experience (net of expenses) in order to cover such costs of leverage based on such estimated annual effective interest expense rate. The information below does not reflect the Fund’s use of certain other forms of economic leverage achieved through the use of other instruments or transactions not considered to be senior securities under the 1940 Act, such as certain derivative instruments.
The numbers are merely estimates, used for illustration. The costs of leverage may vary frequently and may be significantly higher or lower than the estimated rate. The assumed investment portfolio returns in the table below are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of the investment portfolio returns experienced or expected to be experienced by the Fund. Your actual returns may be greater or less than those appearing below.
Estimated Leverage as a Percentage of Managed Assets (Including Assets Attributable to Leverage) | 37.0 | % | ||
Estimated Annual Effective Interest Expense Rate Payable by Fund on Leverage | 0.90 | % | ||
Annual Return Fund Portfolio Must Experience (net of expenses) to Cover Estimated Annual Effective Interest Expense Rate on Leverage | 0.33 | % | ||
Common Share Total Return for (10.00)% Assumed Portfolio Total Return | (16.4 | %) | ||
Common Share Total Return for (5.00)% Assumed Portfolio Total Return | (8.5 | %) | ||
Common Share Total Return for 0.00% Assumed Portfolio Total Return | (0.5 | %) | ||
Common Share Total Return for 5.00% Assumed Portfolio Total Return | 7.4 | % |
Common Share total return is composed of two elements – the distributions paid by the Fund to holders of Common Shares (the amount of which is largely determined by the net investment income of the Fund after paying dividend payments on any Preferred Shares issued by the Fund and expenses on any forms of leverage outstanding) and gains or losses on the value of the securities and other instruments the Fund owns. As required by SEC rules, the table assumes that the Fund is more likely to
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suffer capital losses than to enjoy capital appreciation. For example, to assume a total return of 0%, the Fund must assume that the income it receives on its investments is entirely offset by losses in the value of those investments. This table reflects hypothetical performance of the Fund’s portfolio and not the actual performance of the Fund’s Common Shares, the value of which is determined by market forces and other factors. Should the Fund elect to add additional leverage to its portfolio, any benefits of such additional leverage cannot be fully achieved until the proceeds resulting from the use of such leverage have been received by the Fund and invested in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. As noted above, the Fund’s willingness to use additional leverage, and the extent to which leverage is used at any time, will depend on many factors.
Utilization of leverage is a speculative investment technique and involves certain risks to the Common Shareholders, including increased variability of the Fund’s net income, distributions and NAV in relation to market changes. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.” There is no assurance that the Fund will use leverage or that the Fund’s use of leverage will work as planned or achieve its goals.
Trustees and Officers
The Board is responsible for the Fund’s management, including supervision of the duties performed by Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers. The names and business addresses of the trustees and officers of the Fund and their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years are set forth under “Management of the Fund” in the SAI.
Investment Adviser, Sub-Advisers and Portfolio Managers
Investment Adviser
Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and implementation. Nuveen Fund Advisors offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Nuveen Fund Advisors is a subsidiary of Nuveen, the investment management arm of TIAA. TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2020, Nuveen managed approximately $1.2 trillion in assets, of which approximately $156.5 billion was managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors.
Sub-Advisers
Nuveen Fund Advisors has selected its affiliates, Nuveen Asset Management and NWQ, to serve as the sub-advisers to the Fund. Nuveen Asset Management is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and NWQ is located at 2049 Century Park East, Suite 1600, Los Angeles, California 90067. Nuveen Fund Advisors has engaged the Sub-Advisers, each a registered investment adviser, to oversee day-to-day operations and manage the investment of their respective Fund assets on a discretionary basis pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements and subject to the
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supervision of Nuveen Fund Advisors. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, each Sub-Adviser is compensated for the services it provides to the Fund with a portion of the management fee Nuveen Fund Advisors receives from the Fund. Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.
Portfolio Managers
Subject to the supervision of Nuveen Fund Advisors, the Sub-Advisers are responsible for execution of specific investment strategies and day-to-day investment operations. Nuveen Asset Management and NWQ each manage approximately half of the Fund’s investment portfolio. Douglas Baker, CFA and Brenda Langenfeld, CFA, are the portfolio managers for the Nuveen Asset Management team. The NWQ income-oriented investment team is led by Thomas J. Ray, CFA and Susi Budiman, CFA.
Douglas Baker, CFA, is a Managing Director at Nuveen Asset Management and a portfolio manager for the Fund and related preferred security strategies. He is the lead portfolio manager for the preferred securities strategies, as well as a co-portfolio manager for the firm’s multi-sector strategies. Douglas is also a member of the Investment Committee, which establishes investment policy for all global fixed income products. He originally joined Nuveen Asset Management in 2006 as a Vice President and Derivatives Analyst, and later that year his responsibilities expanded to include portfolio management duties for the Nuveen Preferred Securities and Income Fund. In addition, he manages Nuveen Asset Management’s derivative overlay group, where he is responsible for implementing derivatives-based hedging strategies across the Nuveen Asset Management complex, as well as managing collateral accounts for several commodity-based strategies.
Brenda A. Langenfeld, CFA, is a Managing Director at Nuveen Asset Management and a portfolio manager for the Fund. She is the co-manager of the preferred securities strategy and related institutional portfolios. She is also a co-manager for the real asset income strategy, which invests in income-generating debt and equity securities from both the real estate and infrastructure segments, since 2015. She started working in the financial services industry with FAF Advisors, Inc. in 2004.
Thomas J. Ray, CFA, is a Managing Director, Co-Head of Fixed Income, and a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager/Analyst for NWQ. Prior to joining NWQ in 2015, Tom was a Private Investor. Prior to that, he served as Chief Investment Officer, President and founding member of Inflective Asset Management, a boutique investment firm specializing in convertible securities. Prior to founding Inflective, Asset Management Tom also served as portfolio manager at Transamerica Investment Management. Tom graduated from University of Wisconsin with a B.B.A in Finance, Investment & Banking and an M.S. in Finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.
Susi Budiman, CFA, is a Managing Director, Co-Head of Fixed Income, and a Portfolio Manager/Analyst for NWQ. Prior to joining NWQ in 2006, Susi was Portfolio Manager for China Life Insurance Company in Taiwan where she managed multi-sector and multi-currency fixed income portfolios with responsibility for over $1.8 billion in assets under management. Prior to that, she was a currency exchange associate at Fleet National Bank in Singapore covering Asian, Euro, and other major currencies. Susi earned her B.Comm. in Finance from the University of British Columbia and received her M.B.A. in Finance at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern
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California. She earned her Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute in 2006 and is a member of the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts. She also earned her Financial Risk Manager designation in 2003.
Additional information about the Portfolio Managers’ compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of securities in the Fund is provided in the SAI. The SAI is available free of charge by calling (800) 257-8787 or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this prospectus or the SAI.
Investment Management and Sub-Advisory Agreements
Investment Management Agreement. Pursuant to an investment management agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual management fee for the services and facilities provided by Nuveen Fund Advisors, payable on a monthly basis, based on the sum of a fund-level fee and a complex-level fee, as described below.
Fund-Level Fee. The annual fund-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:
Average Daily Managed Assets* | Fund-Level Fee Rate | |||
For the first $500 million | 0.6800 | % | ||
For the next $500 million | 0.6550 | % | ||
For the next $500 billion | 0.6300 | % | ||
For the next $500 billion | 0.6050 | % | ||
For managed assets over $2 billion | 0.5800 | % |
Complex Level Fee. The annual complex-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated by multiplying the current complex-wide fee rate, determined according to the following schedule, by the Fund’s daily managed assets:
Complex-Level Eligible Asset Breakpoint Level* | Effective Complex-Level Fee Rate at Breakpoint Level | |||
$55 billion | 0.2000 | % | ||
$56 billion | 0.1996 | % | ||
$57 billion | 0.1989 | % | ||
$60 billion | 0.1961 | % | ||
$63 billion | 0.1931 | % | ||
$66 billion | 0.1900 | % | ||
$71 billion | 0.1851 | % | ||
$76 billion | 0.1806 | % | ||
$80 billion | 0.1773 | % | ||
$91 billion | 0.1691 | % | ||
$125 billion | 0.1599 | % | ||
$200 billion | 0.1505 | % | ||
$250 billion | 0.1469 | % | ||
$300 billion | 0.1445 | % |
* | The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily “eligible assets” of all Nuveen open-end and closed-end funds. Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen funds or assets in excess of a determined amount |
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(originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in connection with Nuveen Fund Advisors’ assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011, but do include certain assets of certain Nuveen funds that were reorganized into funds advised by an affiliate of Nuveen Fund Advisors during the 2019 calendar year. Eligible assets include closed-end fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors that are attributable to certain types of leverage. For these purposes, leverage includes the closed-end funds’ use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by the TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by Nuveen Fund Advisors as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining eligible assets in certain circumstances. As of December 31, 2020, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was 0.1557%. |
In addition to the fee of Nuveen Fund Advisors, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its trustees (other than those affiliated with Nuveen Fund Advisors and Nuveen Asset Management), custodian, transfer agency and dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses associated with any borrowings, expenses of issuing any Preferred Shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, and taxes, if any. All fees and expenses are accrued daily and deducted before payment of dividends to investors.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to renew the Investment Management Agreement for the Fund may be found in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.
Sub-Advisory Agreements. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, each Sub-Adviser is compensated for the services it provides to the Fund with a portion of the management fee Nuveen Fund Advisors receives from the Fund with respect to the Sub-Adviser’s allocation of Fund average daily net assets. For the services provided pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, Nuveen Fund Advisors pays the Sub-Advisers a fee, payable monthly, as specified by the following schedule:
Average Daily Net Assets* | Percentage of Management Fee | |||
Up to $125 million | 50.00 | % | ||
For the next $25 million | 47.50 | % | ||
For the next $25 million | 45.00 | % | ||
For the next $25 million | 42.50 | % | ||
Over $200 million | 40.00 | % |
* | For this purpose, “Average Daily Net Assets” includes net assets attributable to any Preferred Shares and the principal amount of borrowings pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement. |
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to renew the Sub-Advisory Agreements for the Fund may be found in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.
The Fund’s NAV per Common Share is determined as of the close of trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the NYSE is open for business. NAV is calculated by taking the fair value of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing by the total number of Common Shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per share.
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The Fund’s custodian calculates the Fund’s NAV. The custodian uses prices for portfolio securities from a pricing service the Fund’s Board has approved. The pricing service values portfolio securities at the mean between the quoted bid and asked price or the yield equivalent when quotations are readily available. Securities for which quotations are not readily available (which will constitute the majority of the Fund’s portfolio securities) are valued at fair value as determined by the Board in reliance upon data supplied by the pricing service. The pricing service uses methods that consider yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity, and ratings; dealers’ indications of value; and general market conditions. The pricing service may use electronic data processing techniques or a matrix system, or both. The Fund’s officers review the pricing service’s procedures and valuations, under the general supervision of the Board.
For a discussion of dividends and other distributions applicable to the Common Shares and the dividend reinvestment plan, see the prospectus supplement relating to the Common Shares being offered.
The Fund may sell Securities from time to time on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis, in one or more offerings under this prospectus and a related prospectus supplement in any one or more of the following ways: (1) directly to one or more purchasers, (2) through agents for the period of their appointment, (3) to underwriters as principals for resale to the public or (4) through, in the case of the Common Shares, in transactions that are deemed to be “at the market” as defined under Rule 415 under the 1933 Act.
The prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the Securities offered therein.
Each prospectus supplement relating to an offering of Securities will state the terms of the offering, including:
• | the names of any agents or underwriters; |
• | any sales loads, underwriting discounts and commissions or agency fees and other items constituting underwriters’ or agents’ compensation; |
• | any discounts, commissions, fees or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers or agents; |
• | the public offering or purchase price of the offered Securities, the estimated net proceeds the Fund will receive from the sale and the use of proceeds; and |
• | any securities exchange on which the offered Securities may be listed. |
If any underwriters are involved in the offer and sale, the Securities will be acquired by the underwriters and may be resold by them, either at a fixed public offering price established at the time of offering or from time to time in one or more negotiated transactions or otherwise, at prices related to prevailing market prices determined at the time of sale. Unless otherwise set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the Securities will be subject to
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conditions precedent and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the Securities described in the prospectus supplement if any are purchased. Any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
The Fund may offer and sell the Securities directly or through an agent or agents designated by the Fund from time to time. An agent may sell securities it has purchased from the Fund as principal to other dealers for resale to investors and other purchasers, and may reallow all or any portion of the discount received in connection with the purchase from the Fund to the dealers. After the initial offering of the Securities, the offering price (in the case of Securities to be resold at a fixed offering price), the concession and the discount may be changed. Any agent participating in the distribution of the Securities may be deemed to be an “underwriter,” as that term is defined in the 1933 Act, of the Securities so offered and sold.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with the Fund, to indemnification by the Fund against some liabilities, including liabilities under the 1933 Act.
The place and time of delivery for the Securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement if appropriate.
Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, each series of offered Preferred Shares will be a new issue of securities for which there currently is no market. Any underwriters to whom Preferred Shares are sold for public offering and sale may make a market in such Preferred Shares as permitted by applicable laws and regulations, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so, and any such market making may be discontinued at any time without notice. Accordingly, there can be no assurance as to the development or liquidity of any market for the Preferred Shares.
Underwriters, agents and dealers may engage in transactions with or perform services, including various investment banking and other services, for the Fund and/or any of the Fund’s affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
The Fund will bear the expenses of the offering, including but not limited to, the expenses of preparation of this prospectus and the SAI and the prospectus supplement for the offering and the expense of counsel and auditors in connection with the offering.
In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), the maximum commission or discount to be received by any member of FINRA or independent broker-dealer will not be greater than 9% of the initial gross proceeds from the sale of any Securities being sold.
To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the underwriters may from time to time act as a broker or dealer and receive fees in connection with the execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions after the underwriters have ceased to be underwriters and, subject to certain restrictions, each may act as a broker while it is an underwriter.
CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN THE DECLARATION OF TRUST AND BY-LAWS
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. However, the Fund’s Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for debts or obligations of the Fund and requires that notice of such
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limited liability be given in each obligation, contract or instrument made or issued by the Fund or the trustees. The Fund’s Declaration of Trust further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Fund for all loss and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. 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. The Fund believes that the likelihood of such circumstances is remote.
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 to convert the Fund to open-end status. Specifically, the Fund’s Declaration of Trust requires a vote by holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding Common Shares and Preferred Shares, voting as a single class, except as described below, to authorize (1) a conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company, (2) a merger or consolidation of the Fund with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or a reorganization or recapitalization of the Fund or a series or class of the Fund, (3) a sale, lease or transfer of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets (other than in the regular course of the Fund’s investment activities), (4) in certain circumstances, a termination of the Fund, or (5) a removal of trustees by shareholders, and then only for cause, unless, with respect to (1) through (4), such transaction has already been authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Fund’s Declaration of Trust or the Fund’s By-Laws, in which case the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Fund’s outstanding Common Shares and Preferred Shares, voting as a single class, is required; provided, however, that, where only a particular class or series is affected (or, in the case of removing a trustee, when the trustee has been elected by only one class), only the required vote by the applicable class or series will be required. For purposes of the foregoing, the term “recapitalization” will not mean, without limitation, the issuance or redemption of Preferred Shares pursuant to the terms of the Declaration of Trust or the applicable Statement adopted with respect to such Preferred Shares, whether or not in conjunction with the issuance, retirement or redemption of other securities or indebtedness of the Fund. However, approval of shareholders is not required for any transaction, whether deemed a merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise, whereby the Fund issues shares in connection with the acquisition of assets (including those subject to liabilities) of any other investment company or similar entity. In the case of the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company, or in the case of any of the foregoing transactions constituting a plan of reorganization (as that term is used in the 1940 Act) which adversely affects the holders of Preferred Shares, the action in question will also require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s Preferred Shares outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class, or, if such action has been authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Fund’s Declaration of Trust or the Fund’s By-Laws, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Fund’s Preferred Shares outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class. None of the foregoing voting provisions may be amended or repealed except by the vote of at least two-thirds of the Common Shares and Preferred Shares, voting as a single class. The votes required to approve the conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company or to approve transactions constituting a plan of reorganization which adversely affects the holders of Preferred Shares are higher than those required by the 1940 Act. The Fund’s Board believes that the provisions of the Fund’s Declaration of Trust relating to such higher votes are in the best interests of the Fund.
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust provides that the obligations of the Fund are not binding upon the Fund’s trustees individually, but only upon the assets and property of the Fund, and that the trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. However, nothing in the Fund’s
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Declaration of Trust protects a trustee against any liability to which he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
In addition, the Fund’s By-Laws require the Board to be divided into three classes with staggered terms. This provision of the By-Laws could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board. Holders of Preferred Shares, voting as a separate class, are entitled to elect two of the Fund’s trustees.
The Fund’s By-Laws provide that a shareholder who obtains beneficial ownership of Common Shares in a “Control Share Acquisition” shall have the same voting rights as other Common Shares only to the extent authorized by shareholders. Such authorization shall require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority (more than 50%) of the shares of the Fund entitled to vote in the election of trustees excluding Interested Shares. Interested Shares include shares held by Fund officers and any person who has acquired Common Shares in a Control Share Acquisition (the “Control Share Provisions”). The By-Laws define a “Control Share Acquisition,” subject to various conditions and exceptions, generally to mean an acquisition of Common Shares that would give the beneficial owner, upon the acquisition of such shares, the ability to exercise voting power, but for the Control Share Provisions, in the election of trustees in any one of the following ranges: (i) one-tenth or more, but less than one-fifth of all voting power; (ii) one-fifth or more, but less than one-third of all voting power; (iii) one-third or more, but less than a majority of all voting power; or (iv) a majority or more of all voting power. For this purpose, all Common Shares acquired by a person within ninety days before or after the date on which such person acquires shares that result in a Control Share Acquisition, and all Common Shares acquired by such person pursuant to a plan to make a Control Share Acquisition, shall be deemed to have been acquired in the same Control Share Acquisition. Subject to various conditions and procedural requirements, including the delivery of a “Control Share Acquisition Statement” to the Fund setting forth certain required information, a shareholder who obtains or proposes to obtain beneficial ownership of Common Shares in a Control Share Acquisition generally may request a vote of shareholders to approve the authorization of voting rights of such shareholder with respect to such shares.
The provisions of the Fund’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws described above could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then-current market price of the Common Shares by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund in a tender offer or similar transaction. The overall effect of these provisions is to render more difficult the accomplishment of a merger or the assumption of control by a third party. However, they provide the advantage of potentially requiring persons seeking control of the Fund to negotiate with its management regarding the price to be paid and facilitating the continuity of the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. The Fund’s Board has considered the foregoing anti-takeover provisions and concluded that they are in the best interests of the Fund.
The Fund’s Declaration of Trust provides that Common Shareholders will have no right to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any shares or securities of the Fund, other than such right, if any, as the Fund’s Board in its discretion may determine.
Reference should be made to the Fund’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.
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REPURCHASE OF FUND SHARES; CONVERSION TO OPEN-END FUND
The Fund is a closed-end investment company and as such its shareholders will not have the right to cause the Fund to redeem their shares. Instead, the Common Shares trade in the open market at prices that are a function of several factors, including Common Share dividend levels (which are in turn affected by expenses) in comparison to market rates for similar investments, NAV, call protection, dividend stability, portfolio credit quality, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions and other factors. Because shares of closed-end investment companies may frequently trade at prices lower than NAV, the Board has currently determined that, at least annually, it will consider action that might be taken to reduce or eliminate any material discount from NAV in respect of Common Shares, which may include the repurchase of such shares in the open market or in private transactions, the making of a tender offer for such shares at NAV, or the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company. The Fund cannot assure you that its Board will decide to take any of these actions, or that share repurchases or tender offers will actually reduce market discount.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time when the Fund’s Preferred Shares are outstanding, the Fund may not purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any of its Common Shares unless (1) all accumulated but unpaid dividends on Preferred Shares due to be paid have been paid and (2) at the time of such purchase, redemption or acquisition, the NAV of the Fund’s portfolio (determined after deducting the acquisition price of the Common Shares) is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding Preferred Shares (expected to equal the original purchase price per share plus any accumulated but unpaid dividends thereon). Any service fees incurred in connection with any tender offer made by the Fund will be borne by the Fund and will not reduce the stated consideration to be paid to tendering shareholders.
Subject to its investment limitations, the Fund may borrow to finance the repurchase of shares or to make a tender offer. Interest on any borrowings to finance share repurchase transactions or the accumulation of cash by the Fund in anticipation of share repurchases or tenders will reduce the Fund’s net income. Any share repurchase, tender offer or borrowing that might be approved by the Board would have to comply with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Although the decision to take action in response to a discount from NAV will be made by the Board at the time it considers such issue, it is the Board’s present policy, which may be changed by the Board, not to authorize repurchases of Common Shares or a tender offer for such shares if (1) such transactions, if consummated, would (a) result in the delisting of the Common Shares from the NYSE, or (b) impair the Fund’s status as a RIC under the Code, as amended (which would make the Fund a taxable entity, causing the Fund’s income to be taxed at the corporate level in addition to the taxation of shareholders who receive dividends from the Fund), or as a registered closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act; (2) the Fund would not be able to liquidate portfolio securities in an orderly manner and consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies in order to repurchase shares; or (3) there is, in the Board’s judgment, any (a) material legal action or proceeding instituted or threatened challenging such transactions or otherwise materially adversely affecting the Fund, (b) general suspension of or limitation on prices for trading securities on the NYSE, (c) declaration of a banking moratorium by federal or state authorities or any suspension of payment by United States or state banks in which the Fund invests, (d) material limitation affecting the Fund or the issuers of its portfolio securities by federal or state authorities on the extension of credit by lending
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institutions or on the exchange of foreign currency, (e) commencement of war, armed hostilities or other international or national calamity directly or indirectly involving the United States, or (f) other event or condition which would have a material adverse effect (including any adverse tax effect) on the Fund or its shareholders if shares were repurchased. The Board may in the future modify these conditions in light of experience.
Conversion to an open-end company would require the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s Common Shares and Preferred Shares outstanding at the time, voting together as a single class, and of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s Preferred Shares outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class; provided, however, that such separate class vote shall be a majority vote if the action in question has previously been approved, adopted or authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Declaration of Trust or By-Laws. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws” for a discussion of voting requirements applicable to conversion of the Fund to an open-end company. If the Fund converted to an open-end investment company, it would be required to redeem all Preferred Shares then outstanding (requiring in turn that it liquidate a portion of its investment portfolio), and the Common Shares would no longer be listed on the NYSE. In contrast to a closed-end investment company, shareholders of an open-end investment company may require the company to redeem their shares at any time (except in certain circumstances as authorized by or under the 1940 Act) at their NAV, less any redemption charge that is in effect at the time of redemption. In order to avoid maintaining large cash positions or liquidating favorable investments to meet redemptions, open-end companies typically engage in a continuous offering of their shares. Open-end companies are thus subject to periodic asset in-flows and out-flows that can complicate portfolio management. As a result, conversion to open-end status may require changes in the management of the Fund’s portfolio in order to meet the liquidity requirements applicable to open-end funds. Because portfolio securities may have to be liquidated to meet redemptions, conversion could affect the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objectives or to use certain investment policies and techniques described above. If converted to an open-end fund, the Fund expects to pay all redemptions in cash, but intends to reserve the right to pay redemption requests in a combination of cash or securities. If such partial payment in securities were made, investors may incur brokerage costs in converting such securities to cash. If the Fund were converted to an open-end fund, new Common Shares may be sold at NAV plus a sales load. The Board may at any time propose conversion of the Fund to an open-end company depending upon their judgment as to the advisability of such action in light of circumstances then prevailing.
The repurchase by the Fund of its Common Shares at prices below NAV will result in an increase in the NAV of those shares that remain outstanding. However, there can be no assurance that share repurchases or tenders at or below NAV will result in the Common Shares trading at a price equal to their NAV. Nevertheless, the fact that the Common Shares may be the subject of repurchase or tender offers at NAV from time to time, or that the Fund may be converted to an open-end company, may reduce any spread between market price and NAV that might otherwise exist.
In addition, a purchase by the Fund of its Common Shares will decrease the Fund’s total assets which would likely have the effect of increasing the Fund’s expense ratio. Any purchase by the Fund of its Common Shares at a time when Preferred Shares are outstanding will increase the leverage applicable to the outstanding Common Shares then remaining.
Before deciding whether to take any action if the Common Shares trade below NAV, the Board would consider all relevant factors, including the extent and duration of the discount, the liquidity of
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the Fund’s portfolio, the impact of any action that might be taken on the Fund or its shareholders, and market considerations. Based on these considerations, even if the Common Shares should trade at a discount, the Board may determine that, in the interest of the Fund and its shareholders, no action should be taken. On August 4, 2020, the Fund’s Board renewed the Fund’s open market share repurchase program under which the Fund may repurchase up to 10% of its Common Shares. Since the inception of the Fund’s share repurchase program through March 8, 2021, the Fund has repurchased 2,826,100 Common Shares under the program.
The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. holders of an investment in the shares of the Fund. Please see the SAI for additional information. A description of material U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the purchase and ownership of any Common Shares or Preferred Shares being offered will be set forth in the related prospectus supplement. Investors should rely on their own tax adviser for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
The Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify each year as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to qualify as a RIC, the Fund must satisfy certain requirements regarding the sources of its income, the diversification of its assets and the distribution of its income. As a RIC, the Fund is not expected to be subject to federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to its shareholders.
Dividends paid out of the Fund’s investment company taxable income (which includes dividends the Fund receives, interest income and net short-term capital gain) will generally be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income, except as described below with respect to qualified dividend income. Net capital gain distributions (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) are generally taxable at rates applicable to long-term capital gains regardless of how long a shareholder has held its shares. Long-term capital gains for noncorporate shareholders are currently taxable at a maximum federal income tax rate of 20%. In addition, certain individuals, estates and trusts are subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax on net investment income, including net capital gains and other taxable dividends. Corporate shareholders are taxed on capital gain at the same rate applicable to ordinary income. Distributions derived from qualified dividend income and received by a noncorporate shareholder will be taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. In order for some portion of the dividends received by a shareholder to be qualified dividend income, the Fund must meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the noncorporate shareholder must meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to its shares of the Fund. A portion of the Fund’s distributions to shareholders may qualify for the dividends-received deduction available to corporate shareholders. The Fund’s investment strategies may limit its ability to make distributions that are eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income for non-corporate shareholders or for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. Taxable distributions are taxable whether or not such distributions are reinvested in the Fund. Dividend distributions may be subject to state and local taxation, depending on a shareholder’s situation.
If the Fund’s total distributions exceed both the current taxable year’s earnings and profits and accumulated earnings and profits from prior years, the excess generally will be treated as a tax-free return of capital up to and including the amount of a shareholder’s tax basis in its shares of the Fund, and thereafter as capital gain. Upon a sale of shares of the Fund, the amount, if any, by which
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the sales price exceeds the basis in the shares of the Fund is gain subject to federal income tax. Because a return of capital reduces basis in the shares of the Fund, it will increase the amount of gain or decrease the amount of loss on a shareholder’s subsequent disposition of the shares of the Fund.
As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax in any taxable year provided that it meets certain distribution requirements. The Fund may retain for investment some (or all) of its net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain or investment company taxable income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who, if subject to federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their share of such undistributed amount; (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the federal income tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any; and (iii) may claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the 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 utilizes leverage through borrowings, or otherwise, asset coverage limitations imposed by the 1940 Act as well as additional restrictions that may be imposed by certain lenders on the payment of dividends or distributions potentially could limit or eliminate the Fund’s ability to make distributions on its Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares, if any, until the asset coverage is restored. These limitations could prevent the Fund from distributing at least 90% of its investment company taxable income as is required under the Code and therefore might jeopardize the Fund’s qualification as a RIC and/or might subject the Fund to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax. The Fund endeavors to avoid restrictions on its ability to distribute dividends.
Dividends declared by the Fund in October, November or December to shareholders of record in one of those months and paid during the following January will be treated as having been paid by the Fund and received by shareholders on December 31 of the year the distributions were declared.
Each shareholder will receive an annual statement summarizing the shareholder’s dividend and capital gains distributions.
The redemption, sale or exchange of shares normally will result in capital gain or loss to shareholders who hold their shares as capital assets. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. The gain or loss on shares held for one year or less will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gains of corporations at the same rates applicable to ordinary income. For noncorporate taxpayers, however, long-term capital gains are currently taxed at a maximum federal income tax rate of 20%, while short-term capital gains and other ordinary income are currently taxed at ordinary income rates. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax may also apply to certain individual, estate and trust shareholders’ capital gain from the sale or other disposition of their shares. Any loss on the sale of shares that have been held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any net capital gain distributions received by the shareholder on such shares. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be disallowed to the extent those shares of the Fund are replaced by other substantially identical shares of the Fund or other substantially identical stock or securities (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period
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of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition of the original shares. In that event, the basis of the replacement shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
The Fund may invest in preferred securities or other securities the federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by the Fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the Fund, potentially requiring the Fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to comply with the requirements applicable to RICs under the Code.
The Fund may acquire debt securities that are market discount bonds. A market discount bond is a security acquired in the secondary market at a price below its redemption value (or its adjusted issue price if it is also an original issue discount bond). If the Fund invests in a market discount bond, it will be required to treat any gain recognized on the disposition of such market discount bond as ordinary taxable income to the extent of the accrued market discount unless the Fund elects to include the market discount in taxable income as it accrues.
If the Fund invests in certain pay-in-kind securities, zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities or, in general, any other securities with original issue discount (or with market discount if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently), the Fund must accrue income on such investments for each taxable year, which generally will be prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. However, the Fund must distribute to shareholders, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) including such income it is required to accrue, to qualify as a RIC and to avoid federal income and excise taxes. Therefore, the Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate cash, or may have to leverage itself by borrowing the cash, to satisfy these distribution requirements. The Fund’s investment in lower rated or unrated debt securities may present issues for the Fund if the issuers of these securities default on their obligations because the federal income tax consequences to a holder of such securities are not certain.
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 United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. It is not possible to determine the Fund’s effective rate of foreign tax in advance since the amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested in various foreign countries is not known. The payment of such taxes will reduce the Fund’s return on such investments. If more than 50% of the Fund’s assets are invested in foreign securities at the end of a taxable year, the Fund will be eligible to make an election permitting shareholders to claim a credit or deduction for their pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund subject to certain limitations. If the Fund makes this election, shareholders will be required to include their share of those taxes in gross income as a distribution from the Fund. If the Fund does not make the election, the net investment income of the Fund will be reduced by the foreign taxes paid by the Fund and shareholders will not be required to include in their gross income and will not be able to claim a credit or deduction for their pro rata share of foreign taxes paid by the Fund.
The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 24% from all distributions and redemption proceeds payable to a shareholder if the shareholder fails to provide the Fund with his, her or its correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or if
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the shareholder has been notified by the IRS (or the IRS notifies the Fund) that he, she or it is subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax; rather, it is a way in which the IRS ensures it will collect taxes otherwise due. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability. Sections 1471-1474 of the Code and the U.S. Treasury and IRS guidance issued thereunder (collectively, “FATCA”) generally require the Fund to obtain information sufficient to identify the status of each of its shareholders. If a shareholder fails to provide this information or otherwise fails to comply with FATCA, the Fund may be required to withhold under FATCA at a rate of 30% with respect to that shareholder on Fund dividends. The Fund may disclose the information that it receives from (or concerning) its shareholders to the IRS, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA, related intergovernmental agreements or other applicable law or regulation. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding the applicability of FATCA and any other reporting requirements with respect to the investor’s own situation, including investments through an intermediary.
The custodian of the Fund’s assets is State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 (the “Custodian”). The Custodian performs custodial, fund accounting and portfolio accounting services. The Fund’s transfer, shareholder services and dividend paying agent is Computershare. Computershare is located at 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.
Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, D.C.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, provides auditing services to the Fund. The principal business address of KPMG is 200 East Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois 60601.
The Fund is subject to the informational requirements of the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and is required to file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Reports, proxy statements, and other information about the Fund can be inspected at the offices of the NYSE.
This Prospectus does not contain all of the information in the Fund’s Registration Statement, including amendments, exhibits, and schedules. Additional information about the Fund and the Common Shares can be found in the Fund’s Registration Statement (including amendments, exhibits, and schedules) on Form N-2 filed with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains the Fund’s Registration Statement, other documents incorporated by reference, and other information the Fund has filed electronically with the SEC, including proxy statements and reports filed under the 1934 Act.
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The documents listed below, and any reports and other documents subsequently filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 30(b)(2) of the 1940 Act and Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act prior to the termination of the offering will be incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and deemed to be part of this Prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents:
• | The Fund’s SAI, dated March 18, 2021; |
• | The Fund’s annual report on Form N-CSR for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020. |
The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this Prospectus, and later information that the Fund files with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. Incorporated materials not delivered with the prospectus supplement may be obtained, without charge, by calling (800) 257-8787, by writing to the Fund at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, or from the Fund’s website (http://www.nuveen.com).
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NUVEEN PREFERRED & INCOME OPPORTUNITIES FUND
333 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
March 18, 2021
Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on January 27, 2003 as Nuveen Preferred and Convertible Income Fund, changed its name effective May 7, 2007 to Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income and Growth Fund, changed its name effective April 2, 2012 to Nuveen Preferred Income Opportunities Fund, and effective September 29, 2017 changed its name to Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund.
This statement of additional information (the “SAI”) relating to the common shares (“Common Shares” ) and preferred shares (“Preferred Shares” and, together with the Common Shares, the “Securities”) of the Fund does not constitute a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the prospectus relating thereto dated March 18, 2021 and any related prospectus supplement. This SAI relates to the offering, on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis, in one or more offerings, of the Securities. This SAI does not include all information that a prospective investor should consider before purchasing Securities. Investors should obtain and read the prospectus and any related prospectus supplement prior to purchasing such shares. In addition, the Fund’s audited financial statements and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report thereon included in the Fund’s annual report for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 are incorporated into this SAI by reference. A copy of the prospectus and any related prospectus supplement may be obtained without charge by calling (312) 917-7700. You may also obtain a copy of the prospectus and any related prospectus supplement on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) web site (http://www.sec.gov). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this SAI have the meanings ascribed to them in the prospectus.
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The net proceeds from the issuance of Common Shares hereunder will be invested in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies as stated below. Pending investment, the timing of which may vary depending on the size of the investment but in no case is expected to exceed 30 days, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in short-term or long-term securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term money market instruments. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” and “Use of Leverage” in the Prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
The Fund’s primary investment objective is high current income. The Fund’s secondary investment objective is total return. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing primarily in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities. The Fund may also invest in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity.
The Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its Assets (as defined herein) in preferred securities and other income producing securities, including hybrid securities such as contingent capital securities and up to 20% in other securities, primarily income-oriented securities such as corporate and taxable municipal debt and common equity.
The Fund will invest at least 50% of its Managed Assets (as defined herein) in securities rated investment grade (BBB/Baa and above) at the time of investment. Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are rated by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) within the four highest grades (Baa or BBB or better by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)), or are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s investment adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“Nuveen Fund Advisors” or the “Adviser”), or sub-advisers, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (“Nuveen Asset Management”) and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (“NWQ” and, together with Nuveen Asset Management, each, a “Sub-Adviser” and together, the “Sub-Advisers”). The Fund may invest in securities of below investment grade quality, commonly referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, which are regarded as having predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due, and they are more susceptible to default or decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments than investment grade securities. Securities rated below investment grade tend to be less marketable than higher-quality securities because the market for them is less broad. The market for unrated securities is even narrower. During periods of thin trading in these markets, the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase significantly and the Fund may have greater difficulty selling its holdings of these types of portfolio securities. The Fund will be more dependent on the Adviser’s and/or the Sub-Advisers’ research and analysis when investing in these securities.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in the securities of companies principally engaged in financial services. A financial services company is one that is primarily involved in banking, mortgage finance, consumer finance, specialized finance,
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investment banking and brokerage, asset management and custody, corporate lending, insurance, financial instruments or real estate, including BDCs and REITs. For purposes of identifying companies in the financial services sector, the Fund uses industry classifications such as those provided by MSCI and Standard & Poor’s The Global Industry Classification Standard, Bloomberg, Barclays or similar sources commonly used in the financial industry. As a result, if one or more of these classifications include a company in the financial services sector, the Fund considers such company as being in the financial services sector.
The Fund is not limited in the amount of its investments in non-U.S. issuers. The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities. The Fund may invest up to 5% of the portion of its portfolio managed by Nuveen Asset Management in preferred securities issued by companies located in emerging market countries. For purposes of identifying non-U.S. issuers, the Fund uses Bloomberg classifications, which employ various factors as described herein. Emerging market countries include any country other than Canada, the United States and the countries comprising the MSCI EAFE® Index.
The Fund may use derivative instruments to seek to hedge some of the risk of the Fund’s investments or its leverage, to enhance return, to serve as a substitute for a position in an underlying asset, to reduce transaction costs, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, to maintain full market exposure, to manage cash flows or to preserve capital. Such instruments may include financial futures contracts, swap contracts (including interest rate and credit default swaps), options on equity securities, options on financial futures or other derivative instruments.
During temporary defensive periods, the Fund may deviate from its investment policies and objectives. During such periods, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in high quality, short-term securities, and in short-, intermediate-, or long-term U.S. Treasury securities. There can be no assurance that such techniques will be successful. Accordingly, during such periods, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
“Assets” means net assets of the Fund plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles), and derivatives will be valued at their market value.
The Fund’s investment objectives, policy to invest more than 25% of its Managed Assets in securities of financial services companies, and certain other investment restrictions identified below are considered fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. All of the other investment policies of the Fund, including as noted above, are not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without a vote of the shareholders; provided that the Fund will notify shareholders at least 60 days prior to any change in its policy to invest at least 80% of its Assets in preferred securities and other income producing securities. The Fund may only change its fundamental investment restrictions with the approval of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund as is defined in the 1940 Act. When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.
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The Fund is diversified for purposes of the 1940 Act. Consequently, as to 75% of its assets, the Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any single issuer (and in not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer), except that this limitation does not apply to cash, securities of the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities and securities of other investment companies.
Below are the fundamental investment restrictions of the Fund. The Fund cannot change its fundamental investment restrictions without the approval of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” of the Fund as is defined in the 1940 Act. When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding voting securities” means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Fund’s shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the Fund’s shares are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the Fund’s outstanding Common Shares, whichever is less.
Except as described below, the Fund may not:
(1) Issue senior securities, as defined in the 1940 Act, other than (i) Preferred Shares which immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 200%, (ii) indebtedness which immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 300%, or (iii) the borrowings permitted by investment restriction (2) set forth below.
(2) Borrow money, except as permitted by the 1940 Act.
(3) Act as underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities or acting as an agent or one of a group of co-agents in originating corporate loans.
(4) Invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry other than the financial services industry; provided, however, that such limitation shall not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or by its agencies or instrumentalities, and provided further that for purposes of this limitation the term “issuer” shall not include a lender selling a participant to the Fund together with any other person interpositioned between such lender and Fund with respect to a participation.
(5) Purchase or sell real estate, except pursuant to the exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements and except to the extent that interests in corporate loans the Fund may invest in are considered to be interests in real estate, and this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies that deal in real estate or are engaged in the real estate business, including real estate investment trusts, and securities secured by real estate or interests therein, and the Fund may hold and sell real estate or mortgages on real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities.
(6) Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments, except pursuant to the exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements
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and except to the extent that interests in corporate loans the Fund may invest in are considered to be interests in commodities and this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts, derivative instruments or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities).
(7) Make loans of funds or other assets, other than by obtaining interests in corporate loans, entering into repurchase agreements, lending portfolio securities and through the purchase of debt securities in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and limitations.
(8) With respect to 75% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, purchase any securities (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or by its agencies or instrumentalities), if as a result more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would then be invested in securities of a single issuer or if as a result the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any single issuer and, provided further that for purposes of this restriction, the term “issuer” includes both the borrower under a loan agreement and the lender selling a participation to the Fund, together with any other persons interpositioned between such lender and the Fund with respect to a participation.
With respect to the limitations set forth in paragraphs 1 above, Section 18(c) of the 1940 Act generally limits a registered closed-end investment company to issuing one class of senior securities representing indebtedness and one class of senior securities representing stock, except that the class of indebtedness or stock may be issued in one or more series, and promissory notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in consideration of any loan, extension, or renewal thereof, made by a bank or other person and privately arranged, and not intended to be publicly distributed, are not deemed a separate class of senior securities.
With respect to the limitation set forth in paragraph 2 above, Section 18(a) of the 1940 Act generally prohibits a registered closed-end fund from incurring borrowings if, immediately thereafter, the aggregate amount of its borrowings exceeds 33 1/3% of its total assets.
With respect to the limitation set forth in paragraph 7 above, Section 21 of the 1940 Act makes it unlawful for a registered investment company, like the Fund, to lend money or other property if (i) the investment company’s policies set forth in its registration statement do not permit such a loan or (ii) the borrower controls or is under common control with the investment company.
With respect to the limitation set forth in paragraph 8 above, a governmental issuer shall be deemed the single issuer of a security when its assets and revenues are separate from other governmental entities and its securities are backed only by its assets and revenues. Similarly, in the case of a non-governmental issuer, if the security is backed only by the assets and revenues of the non-governmental issuer, then such non-governmental issuer would be deemed to be the single issuer. Where a security is also backed by the enforceable obligation of a superior or unrelated governmental or other entity (other than a bond insurer), it shall also be included in the computation of securities owned that are issued by such governmental or other entity. Where a security is guaranteed by a governmental entity or some other facility, such as a bank guarantee or letter of credit, such a guarantee or letter of credit would be considered a separate security and would be treated as an issue of such government, other entity or bank. When a municipal security is insured by bond insurance, it shall not be considered a security that is issued or guaranteed by the insurer; instead, the issuer of such municipal security will be determined in accordance with the principles set forth above. The foregoing
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restrictions do not limit the percentage of the Fund’s assets that may be invested in municipal securities insured by any given insurer.
Under the 1940 Act, subject to limited exceptions, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in the aggregate in shares of other investment companies and up to 5% of its total assets in any one investment company, provided the investment does not represent more than 3% of the voting stock of the acquired investment company at the time such shares are purchased. As a stockholder in any investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and will remain subject to payment of the Fund’s management, advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent their Fund invests in other investment companies. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may be leveraged and therefore may be subject to the same leverage risks described herein.
In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, the Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies, which may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. The Fund may not:
(1) Sell securities short, except that the Fund may make short sales of securities if, at all times when a short position is open, the Fund owns at least an equal amount of such securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, without payment of any further consideration, securities of the same issuer as, and equal in amount to, the securities sold short, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.
(2) Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act or any exemptive relief obtained thereunder.
(3) Purchase securities of companies for the purpose of exercising control, except to the extent that exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements would be deemed to constitute exercising control.
The restrictions and other limitations set forth above will apply only at the time of purchase of securities and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities.
The Fund may issue senior securities, including Preferred Shares, notes and other evidences of indebtedness (including bank borrowings or commercial paper). If it does so, the Fund may be subject to certain restrictions imposed by either guidelines of one or more NRSROs that may issue ratings for senior securities issued by the Fund or, if the Fund borrows from a lender, by the lender. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. In addition, reverse repurchase agreement counterparties may require certain criteria for securities included within such agreements. If these restrictions were to apply, it is not anticipated that these covenants, guidelines or security criteria would impede Nuveen Asset Management from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies.
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Preferred Securities
The Fund invests in preferred securities. The Fund may invest in all types of preferred securities, including both traditional preferred securities and non-traditional preferred securities. Traditional preferred securities are generally equity securities of the issuer that have priority over the issuer’s Common Shares as to the payment of dividends (i.e., the issuer cannot pay dividends on its Common Shares until the dividends on the Preferred Shares are current) and as to the payout of proceeds of bankruptcy or other liquidation, but are subordinate to an issuer’s senior debt and junior debt as to both types of payments. Additionally, in a bankruptcy or other liquidation, traditional Preferred Shares are generally subordinate to an issuer’s trade creditors and other general obligations.
Traditional preferred securities pay a dividend, typically contingent both upon declaration by the issuer’s board and at times approval by regulators, and on the existence of current earnings (or retained earnings) in sufficient amount to source the payment. Dividend payments can be either cumulative or non-cumulative and can be passed or deferred without limitation at the option of the issuer. Traditional preferred securities typically have no ordinary right to vote for the board of directors, except in some cases voting rights may arise if the issuer fails to pay the preferred share dividends. Traditional preferred securities may be perpetual, or have a term and typically have a fixed liquidation (or “par”) value.
While some preferred securities are issued with a final maturity date, others are perpetual in nature. In certain instances, a final maturity date may be extended and/or the final payment of principal may be deferred at the issuer’s option for a specified time without triggering an event of default for the issuer. No redemption can typically take place unless all cumulative payment obligations to preferred security investors have been met, although issuers may be able to engage in open-market repurchases without regard to any cumulative dividends or interest payable. A portion of the portfolio may include investments in non-cumulative preferred securities, whereby the issuer does not have an obligation to make up any arrearages to holders of such securities. Should an issuer default on its obligations under such a security, the amount of income earned by the Fund may be adversely affected. Non-traditional preferred securities include hybrid preferred securities, contingent convertible capital securities and other types of preferred securities that do not have the traditional features described above. Hybrid-preferred securities often behave similarly as investments in traditional preferred securities and are regarded by market investors as being part of the preferred securities market. Hybrid-preferred securities possess varying combinations of features of both debt and Preferred Shares and as such they may constitute senior debt, junior debt or Preferred Shares in an issuer’s capital structure. As such, hybrid-preferred securities may not be subordinate to a company’s debt securities (as are traditional Preferred Shares). Given the various debt and equity characteristics of hybrid-preferred securities, whether a hybrid-preferred security is classified as debt or equity for purposes of reporting the Fund’s portfolio holdings may be based on the portfolio managers’ determination as to whether its debt or preferred features are preponderant, or based on the assessment of an independent data provider. Such determinations may be subjective.
Hybrid-preferred securities include trust preferred securities. Trust preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest-bearing notes with preferred securities characteristics, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. The trust preferred
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securities market consists of both fixed and adjustable coupon rate securities that are either perpetual in nature or have stated maturity dates. Trust preferred securities may defer payment of income without triggering an event of default. These securities may have many characteristics of equity due to their subordinated position in an issuer’s capital structure. Trust preferred securities may be issued by trusts or other special purpose entities.
Preferred securities may also include certain forms of debt that have many characteristics of Preferred Shares, and that are regarded by the investment marketplace to be part of the broader preferred securities market. Among these “preferred securities” are certain exchange-listed debt issues that historically have several attributes, including trading and investment performance characteristics, in common with exchange-listed traditional preferred stock and hybrid-preferred securities. Generally, these types of “preferred securities” are senior debt or junior debt in the capital structure of an issuer.
Preferred securities generally pay fixed or adjustable rate dividends or interest to investors and have preference over common stock in the payment of dividends or interest and generally the liquidation of a company’s assets, which means that a company typically must pay dividends or interest on its preferred securities before paying any dividends on its common stock. As a general matter, dividend or interest payments on preferred securities may be cumulative or non-cumulative. The dividend or interest rates on preferred securities may be fixed or floating, or convert from fixed to floating at a specified future time; the Fund may invest without limit in such floating-rate and fixed-to-floating rate preferred securities. Floating-rate and fixed-to-floating rate preferred securities may be traditional preferred or hybrid-preferred securities. Floating-rate preferred securities pay a rate of income that resets periodically based on short- and/or longer-term interest rate benchmarks. If the associated interest rate benchmark rises, the income received from the security may increase and therefore the return offered by the floating-rate security may rise as well, making such securities less price sensitive to rising interest rates (or yields). Similarly, a fixed-to-floating rate security may be less price sensitive to rising interest rates (or yields), because the period over which the rate of payment is fixed is shorter than the maturity term of the bond, after which period a floating rate of payment applies. On the other hand, preferred securities are junior to most other forms of the company’s debt, including both senior and subordinated debt. Because of their subordinated position in the capital structure of an issuer, the ability to defer dividend or interest payments for extended periods of time without triggering an event of default for the issuer, and certain other features, preferred securities may have, at times, risks similar to equity instruments. The Fund’s portfolio of preferred securities may consist of fixed rate preferred and adjustable rate preferred securities.
The preferred securities market continues to evolve. New securities may be developed that may be regarded by market investors as being part of the preferred securities market. Where such securities will fall in the capital structure of the issuer will depend on the structure and characteristics of the new security. For purposes of the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Assets in preferred securities and other income producing securities, the Fund considers all of the foregoing types of securities that are commonly viewed in the marketplace as preferred securities to be preferred securities, regardless of their classification in the capital structure of the issuer.
Preferred securities are typically issued by corporations, generally in the form of interest or dividend bearing instruments, or by an affiliated business trust of a corporation, generally in the form of beneficial interests in subordinated debentures or similarly structured securities. Preferred securities may either trade over-the-counter, or trade on an exchange. The preferred securities market is generally divided into the $25 par “retail” and the $1,000 par “institutional” segments. The $25 par segment is
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typified by securities that are listed on the NYSE, which trade and are quoted with accrued dividend or interest income, and which are often callable. The institutional segment is typified by $1,000 par value securities that are not exchange-listed. The Fund may invest in preferred securities of either segment.
Contingent Capital Securities
Contingent capital securities (sometimes referred to as “CoCos”) are securities issued primarily by non-U.S. financial institutions. Specific CoCo structures vary by country of domicile and by each issue. All CoCos have mechanisms that absorb losses or reduces the value of the CoCo due to deterioration of the issuer’s financial condition and status as a going concern. Loss absorption mechanisms, which may include conversion into common equity and principal write-down, are intended for the benefit of the issuer and when triggered will likely negatively impact the value of the CoCo to the detriment of the CoCo investor. Loss absorption mechanisms can be triggered by capital levels or market value metrics of the issuers dropping below a certain predetermined level or at the discretion of the issuer regulator/supervisory entity. Unlike traditional convertible securities, the conversion is not voluntary and the equity conversion or principal write-down features are tailored to the issuer and its regulatory requirements. Due to increased regulatory requirements for higher capital levels for financial institutions, the issuance of CoCo instruments has increased in the last several years and is expected to continue.
Other Equity Securities
Common stock generally represents an equity ownership interest in an issuer. Although common stocks have historically generated higher average total returns than fixed-income securities over the long term, common stocks also have experienced significantly more volatility in those returns and may underperform relative to fixed-income securities during certain periods. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular common stock held by the Fund. Also, prices of common stocks are sensitive to general movements in the stock market and a drop in the stock market may depress the price of common stocks to which the Fund has exposure. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, or the occurrence of political or economic events which affect the issuer. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, which increases borrowing costs and the costs of capital.
Additional types of equity securities (other than preferred securities) in which the Fund may invest include convertible securities (discussed below), REITs, warrants, rights, depositary receipts (which reference ownership of underlying non-U.S. securities) and other types of securities with equity characteristics. The Fund’s equity investments also may include securities of other investment companies (including open-end funds, closed-end funds and ETFs).
Debt Securities
Debt securities in which the Fund may invest include corporate debt securities and U.S. government and agency debt securities. Generally, debt securities typically, but not always, possess the following characteristics: a specified maturity or term, at which time the issuer is contractually obligated to pay the associated principal amount of debt to the debtholders; interest payments that are a contractual and enforceable obligation as of the stated payment date, and not contingent either on payment-by-payment declaration by the issuer’s board or on the demonstrated existence of company earnings as a source for the payment; and do not entitle the holder to exercise governance of or control over the issuer.
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In the capital structure of an issuer, debt securities can be senior debt or junior debt. A senior debt security has priority over any other type of security in a company’s capital structure as to the payment of any promised income (typically denoted as interest) from the issuer, and as to payout of the proceeds of the bankruptcy or other liquidation of the company. At times, the issuer will have pledged specific assets or revenues to secure the rights of the holder of the debt security to payments of interest and principal such that the proceeds of the specific assets or revenues must be used to satisfy these debt obligations prior to being applied to any of the issuer’s other obligations in a bankruptcy or other liquidation. In the event that the assets securing the debt security are not sufficient to fully satisfy such obligations in a bankruptcy or other liquidation, the remainder of such obligations will generally have the same priority as an issuer’s trade creditors and other general obligations, but still have priority of payment relative to the issuer’s Preferred Shares and Common Shares. Sometimes referred to as subordinated or mezzanine debt, junior debt stands behind the senior debt as to its rights to receive promised income payments (again, typically denoted as interest) from the issuer, and payouts of the proceeds of bankruptcy or other liquidation, but will have priority of payment relative to the issuer’s Preferred Shares and Common Shares.
Convertible Securities
Convertible securities are hybrid securities that combine the investment characteristics of bonds and common stocks. Convertible securities typically consist of debt securities or preferred securities that may be converted within a specified period of time (typically for the entire life of the security) into a certain amount of common stock or other equity security of the same or a different issuer at a predetermined price. They also include debt securities with warrants or common stock attached and derivatives combining features of debt securities and equity securities. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt securities, or dividends paid or accrued on preferred securities, until the securities mature or are redeemed, converted or exchanged.
Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to nonconvertible income securities in that they ordinarily provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stocks of the same or similar issuers, but lower yields than comparable nonconvertible securities. The value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value generally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors also may have an effect on the convertible security’s investment value. Convertible securities are subordinate in rank to any senior debt obligations of the same issuer and, therefore, an issuer’s convertible securities entail more risk than its debt obligations.
REITs
REITs are typically publicly traded corporations or trusts that invest in residential or commercial real estate. REITs generally can be divided into the following three types: (i) equity REITs which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains or real estate appreciation; (ii) mortgage REITs which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgage loans and derive their income primarily from interest payments; and (iii) hybrid REITs which combine the characteristics of equity REITs and mortgage REITs. The Fund can invest in common stock, preferred securities, debt securities and convertible securities issued by REITs.
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Foreign Issuers
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers through the direct investment in securities of such companies and through depositary receipts. For purposes of identifying foreign issuers, the Fund will use Bloomberg classifications, which employ the following factors listed in order of importance: (i) the country in which the company’s management is located, (ii) the country in which the company’s securities are primarily listed, (iii) the country from which the company primarily receives revenue and (iv) the company’s reporting currency. The Fund may purchase depositary receipts such as American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). ADRs, EDRs and GDRs are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of foreign issuers and are alternatives to purchasing directly the underlying foreign securities in their national markets and currencies.
The Fund may invest in securities of emerging markets issuers. Emerging markets issuers are those (i) whose securities are traded principally on a stock exchange or over-the-counter in an emerging market country, (ii) organized under the laws of an emerging market country or (iii) whose principal place of business or principal office(s) is in an emerging market country. Emerging market countries include any country other than Canada, the United States and the countries comprising the MSCI EAFE® Index (currently, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom).
Derivatives. The Fund may use derivatives to hedge the risk associated with portfolio holdings or for investment exposure. The specific derivative instruments to be used, or other transactions to be entered into, may include (i) options and futures contracts, including options on common stock, stock indexes, bonds and bond indexes, stock index futures, bond index futures and related instruments, (ii) short sales of securities that the Fund owns or has the right to acquire through the conversion of securities, (iii) structured notes and similar instruments, (iv) credit derivative instruments and (v) currency exchange transactions. Some, but not all, of the derivative instruments may be traded and listed on an exchange. There is no assurance that these derivative strategies will be available at any time or that the Sub-Advisers will determine to use them for the Fund or, if used, that the strategies will be successful.
Under regulations of the CFTC currently in effect, which may change from time to time, with respect to futures contracts to purchase securities and call options on futures contracts purchased by the Fund, the Fund will set aside in a segregated account liquid securities with a value at least equal to the value of instruments underlying such futures contracts less the amount of initial margin on deposit for such contracts. The current view of the staff of the SEC is that the Fund’s long and short positions in futures contracts must be collateralized with cash or certain liquid assets held in a segregated account or “covered” in order to counter the impact of any potential leveraging.
Short-Term Taxable Fixed Income Securities
For temporary defensive purposes or to keep cash on hand fully invested, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its net assets in cash equivalents and short-term taxable fixed-income securities. Short-term taxable fixed income investments are defined to include, without limitation, the following:
(1) U.S. Government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest that are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. Government
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Agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. Government Agency securities include securities issued by (a) the Federal Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration and the Government National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; (b) the Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and the Tennessee Valley Authority, whose securities are supported by the right of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (c) the Federal National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and (d) the Student Loan Marketing Association, whose securities are supported only by its credit. While the U.S. Government provides financial support to such U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it always will do so since it is not so obligated by law. The U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities. Consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.
(2) Certificates of deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or a savings and loan association. Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return and are normally negotiable. The issuer of a certificate of deposit agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon. Under current FDIC regulations, the maximum insurance payable as to any one certificate of deposit is $250,000; therefore, certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured.
(3) Repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities. At the time the Fund purchases securities pursuant to a repurchase agreement, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver such securities to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the securities at a fixed price and time. This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period, since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate. Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; certificates of deposit; or bankers’ acceptances in which the Fund may invest. Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral. If the value of the collateral declines after the agreement is entered into, and if the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. The Adviser monitors the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. The Adviser does so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.
(4) Commercial paper, which consists of short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations. Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation. There is no secondary market for such notes, however, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time. The Adviser will consider the financial condition of the corporation (e.g., earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios) and will continuously monitor the corporation’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund’s liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay
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principal and interest on demand. Investments in commercial paper will be limited to commercial paper rated in the highest categories by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch and that matures within one year of the date of purchase or carries a variable or floating rate of interest.
(5) Bankers’ acceptances, which are credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer. These instruments reflect the obligation both of the bank and of the drawer to pay the full amount of the instrument upon maturity.
(6) Variable amount master demand notes, which are unsecured demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary and provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate according to the terms of the instrument. Because master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and the issuer, they are not normally traded. Although there is no secondary market in the notes, the Fund may demand payment of principal and accrued interest at any time. While the notes are not typically rated by credit rating agencies, issuers of variable amount master demand notes (which are normally manufacturing, retail, financial, and other business concerns) must satisfy the same criteria as set forth above for commercial paper.
(7) Variable rate demand obligations (“VRDOs”), which are securities in which the interest rate is adjusted at pre-designated periodic intervals. VRDOs may include a demand feature which is a put that entitles the holder to receive the principal amount of the underlying security or securities and which may be exercised either at any time on no more than 30 days’ notice or at specified intervals not exceeding 397 calendar days on no more than 30 days’ notice.
Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments
During temporary defensive periods and in order to keep the Fund’s cash fully invested, the Fund may deviate from its investment objectives and may invest any percentage of its net assets in short-term investments including high quality, short-term debt securities (or in securities of other open- or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in preferred securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly).
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may invest in illiquid securities. For this purpose, illiquid securities include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may be resold only pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act but that are deemed to be illiquid, and repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days. The Fund’s Board or its delegate has the ultimate authority to determine, to the extent permissible under the federal securities laws, which securities are liquid or illiquid. The Fund’s Board has delegated to the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers, 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 Fund’s Board has directed the Adviser and the Sub-Advisers to look for such factors as (i) the nature of the market for a security (including the institutional private resale market; the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security; the amount of time normally needed to dispose of the security; and the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer), (ii) the terms of certain securities or other instruments allowing for the disposition to a third party or the issuer thereof (e.g., certain repurchase obligations and demand instruments) and (iii) other permissible relevant factors.
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Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses, and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. Illiquid securities will be priced at a fair value as determined in good faith by the Board or its delegatee.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions
The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date. This type of transaction may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the securities prior to settlement and, because securities are subject to market fluctuations, the value of the securities at time of delivery may be less (or more) than cost. A separate account of the Fund will be established with its custodian consisting of cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times at least equal to the amount of the commitment.
Interest Rate Transactions
In connection with the Fund’s use of leverage through borrowings or the issuance of Preferred Shares, the Fund may enter into interest rate swap or cap transactions. The payment obligation would be based on the notional amount of the swap.
The Fund may use an interest rate cap, which would require it to pay a premium to the cap counterparty and would entitle it, to the extent that a specified variable rate index exceeds a predetermined fixed rate, to receive from the counterparty payment of the difference based on the notional amount. The Fund would use interest rate swaps or caps only with the intent to reduce or eliminate the risk that an increase in short-term interest rates could have on common share net earnings as a result of leverage.
The Fund will generally enter into swaps or caps 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. The Fund intends to maintain in a segregated account with its custodian cash or liquid securities having a value at least equal to the Fund’s net payment obligations under any swap transaction, marked-to-market daily.
The use of interest rate swaps and caps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the Fund’s use of interest rate swaps or caps has the potential to enhance or harm the overall performance of the Fund’s Common Shares. Buying interest rate caps could enhance the performance of the shares by providing a maximum leverage expense. Buying interest rate caps could also decrease the net earnings of the shares in the event that the premium paid by the Fund to the counterparty exceeds the additional amount the Fund would have been required to pay had it not entered into the cap agreement.
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Interest rate swaps and caps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate swaps is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund would not be able to use the anticipated net receipts under the swap or cap to offset the dividend payments on Preferred Shares or interest payments on borrowings. Depending on whether the Fund would be entitled to receive net payments from the counterparty on the swap or cap, which, in turn, would depend on the general state of short-term interest rates at that point in time, such a default could negatively impact the performance of the shares.
Although this will not guarantee that the counterparty does not default, the Fund will not enter into an interest rate swap or cap transaction with any counterparty that a Sub-Adviser believes does not have the financial resources to honor its obligation under the interest rate swap or cap transaction. Further, the Sub-Advisers will continually monitor the financial stability of a counterparty to an interest rate swap or cap transaction in an effort to proactively protect the Fund’s investments.
In addition, at the time the interest rate swap or cap transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that the Fund will not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement will not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction. If this occurs, it could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s Common Shares.
The Fund may choose or be required to reduce its borrowings or other leverage. Such an event would likely result in the Fund seeking to terminate early all or a portion of any swap or cap transaction. Such early termination of a swap could result in a termination payment by or to the Fund. An early termination of a cap could result in a termination payment to the Fund.
Segregation of Assets
As a closed-end investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder, and various interpretive positions of the SEC and its staff. Under current laws, rules and positions, the Fund must maintain liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivative instruments and financial agreements (such as reverse repurchase agreements). Generally, the Fund will maintain an amount of liquid assets with its custodian in an amount at least equal to the current amount of its obligations under derivative instruments and financial agreements, in accordance with SEC guidance. However, the Fund also may “cover” certain obligations by other means such as through ownership of the underlying investment or financial instrument. The Fund also may enter into offsetting transactions with respect to certain instruments consistent with existing SEC staff guidance so that its combined position, coupled with any liquid assets maintained by its custodian, equals its net outstanding obligation in related derivatives or financial agreements.
The SEC recently adopted new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act, which, among other things, imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a fund can enter into and replaces the asset segregation framework previously used by funds to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act. The Fund will comply with the new rule’s requirements on or before the rule’s compliance date in 2022.
The Fund reserves the right to modify its policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the SEC or its staff.
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Other Investment Companies
The Fund may not invest its Managed Assets in securities of other open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act or any exemptive relief obtained thereunder. The Fund generally expects to invest in other investment companies either during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash, such as the period shortly after the Fund receives the proceeds of the offering of its Common Shares, or during periods when there is a shortage of attractive, preferred securities available in the market. As an investor in an investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Holders of Common Shares would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. The Sub-Advisers will take expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in the investment company relative to available preferred securities. In addition, the securities of other investment companies also may be leveraged and therefore will be subject to the same leverage risks described herein. The NAV and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares.
Other Investment Policies and Techniques of the Fund
Portfolio Trading and Turnover Rate. The Fund may engage in portfolio trading when considered appropriate, but short-term trading will not be used as the primary means of achieving the Fund’s investment objectives. High portfolio turnover may result in the realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund, which when distributed to shareholders will be taxable as ordinary income for federal income tax purposes.
Zero Coupon Bonds and Other OID Instruments. A zero coupon bond is a bond that typically does not pay interest for its entire life. When held to its maturity, the holder receives the par value of the zero coupon bond, which generates a return equal to the difference between the purchase price and its maturity value. A zero coupon bond is normally issued and traded at a deep discount from face value. This original issue discount (“OID”) approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound prior to its maturity and reflects the payment deferral and credit risk associated with the instrument. Because zero coupon securities and other OID instruments do not pay cash interest at regular intervals, the instruments’ ongoing accruals require ongoing judgments concerning the collectability of deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. As a result, these securities may be subject to greater value fluctuations and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash on a current basis. Because zero coupon bonds, and OID instruments generally, allow an issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments, they may involve greater payment deferral and credit risk than coupon loans and bonds that pay interest currently or in cash. The Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing the income of these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund will not receive all of the income on a current basis or in cash. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, and use the cash proceeds to make distributions to its shareholders. For accounting purposes, these cash distributions to shareholders will not be treated as a return of capital.
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Further, the Adviser collects management fees on the value of a zero coupon bond or OID instrument attributable to the ongoing non-cash accrual of interest over the life of the bond or other instrument. As a result, the Adviser receives non-refundable cash payments based on such non-cash accruals while investors incur the risk that such non-cash accruals ultimately may not be realized.
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Trustees and Officers
The management of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement (as defined under “Investment Adviser, Sub-Advisers and Portfolio Managers—Investment Management Agreement and Related Fees”), is the responsibility of the Board. The number of trustees of the Fund is ten, all of whom are not interested persons (referred to herein as “independent trustees”). None of the independent trustees has ever been a director, trustee or employee of, or consultant to, Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), Nuveen Fund Advisors, Nuveen Asset Management, or their affiliates. The Board is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, the Class I trustees serving until the 2022 annual meeting, the Class II trustees serving until the 2023 annual meeting and the Class III trustees serving until the 2021 annual meeting, in each case until their respective successors are elected and qualified, as described below. Currently, William C. Hunter, Judith M. Stockdale, Carole E. Stone and Margaret L. Wolff are slated in Class I, John K. Nelson, Terence J. Toth and Robert L. Young are slated in Class II, and Jack B. Evans, Albin F. Moschner and Matthew Thornton III are slated in Class III. If the Fund has Preferred Shares outstanding, two of the Fund’s trustees will be elected by the holders of such Preferred Shares, voting separately as a class. The remaining trustees of the Fund are elected by holders of Common Shares and Preferred Shares, voting separately as a class. In the event that the Fund fails to pay dividends on outstanding Preferred Shares for two years, holders of Preferred Shares are entitled to elect a majority of trustees of the Fund. The officers of the Fund serve indefinite terms until their successor has been duly elected and qualified, their death or their resignation or removal. The names, business addresses and years of birth of the trustees and officers of the Fund, their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each trustee oversees and other directorships they hold are set forth below. Except as noted in the table below, the trustees of the Fund are directors or trustees, as the case may be, of 144 Nuveen-sponsored registered investment companies (the “Nuveen Funds”), which includes 68 open-end mutual funds (the “Nuveen Mutual Funds”), 63 closed-end funds and 13 Nushares ETFs.
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | Other | |||||
Independent Trustees: | ||||||||||
Terence J. Toth 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1959) | Chair of the Board and Trustee | Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2008 | Formerly, Co-Founding Partner, Promus Capital (investment advisory firm) (2008-2017); Director of Quality Control Corporation (manufacturing) (since 2012); formerly, Director, Fulcrum IT Service LLC (information technology services firm to government entities) (2010-2019); formerly, Director LogicMark LLC (health services) (2012-2016); formerly, Director, Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. (asset management) (2008-2013); formerly, CEO and President, Northern Trust Global Investments (financial services) (2004-2007); Executive Vice President, Quantitative Management & Securities Lending (2000-2004); prior thereto, various positions with Northern Trust Company (financial services) (since 1994); Member of Catalyst Schools of Chicago Board (since 2008) and Mather Foundation Board (philanthropy) (since 2012) and is Chair of its Investment Committee; formerly, Member, Chicago Fellowship Board (philanthropy) (2005-2016); formerly, Member, Northern Trust Mutual Funds Board (2005-2007), Northern Trust Global Investments Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Japan Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Securities Inc. Board (2003-2007) and Northern Trust Hong Kong Board (1997-2004). | 144 | None. |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | Other | |||||
Jack B. Evans 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1948) | Trustee | Term—Class III Length of Service— Since 1999 | Chairman (since 2019), formerly, President (1996-2019), The Hall-Perrine Foundation (private philanthropic corporation); Life Trustee of Coe College and the Iowa College Foundation; formerly, Director, Public Member, American Board of Orthapaedic Surgery (2015-2020); formerly, Director (1998-2003), Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; formerly, President and Chief Operating Officer, (1972-1995), SCI Financial Group, Inc. (regional financial services firm); formerly, Member and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System (2000-2004); formerly, Director (1996-2015), The Gazette Company (media and publishing). | 144 | Director and Chairman (since 2009), United Fire Group, a publicly held company; formerly, Director (2000-2004), Alliant Energy. | |||||
William C. Hunter 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1948) | Trustee | Term—Class I Length of Service— Since 2003 | Dean Emeritus, formerly, Dean (2006-2012), Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa; past Director (2005-2015) and past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society; formerly, Director (1997-2007), Credit Research Center at Georgetown University; formerly, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance (2003-2006), School of Business at the University of Connecticut; previously, Senior Vice President and Director of Research (1995-2003) at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. | 144 | Director (since 2009) of Wellmark, Inc.; formerly, Director (2004-2018) of Xerox Corporation. . |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | Other | |||||
Albin F. Moschner 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1952) | Trustee | Term—Class III Length of | Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Northcroft Partners, LLC (management consulting) (since 2012); previously, held positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc. (consumer wireless services), including Consultant (2011-2012), Chief Operating Officer (2008-2011) and Chief Marketing Officer (2004-2008); formerly, President, Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. (telecommunication services) (2000-2003); formerly, President, One Point Services at One Point Communications (telecommunication services) (1999-2000); formerly, Vice Chairman of the Board, Diba, Incorporated (internet technology provider) (1996-1997); formerly, various executive positions (1991-1996), including Chief Executive Officer (1995-1996), with Zenith Electronics Corporation (consumer electronics). | 144 | Formerly, Chairman (2019) and Director (2012-2019), USA Technologies, Inc., a provider of solutions and services to facilitate electronic payment transactions; formerly, Director, Wintrust Financial Corporation (1996-2016). |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | Other | |||||
John K. Nelson 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1962) | Trustee | Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2013 | Member of Board of Directors of Core12 LLC (private firm which develops branding, marketing and communications strategies for clients) (since 2008); served The President’s Council of Fordham University (2010-2019) and previously a Director of the Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (2009-2018); formerly, senior external advisor to the Financial Services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP. (2012-2014); former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Marian University (2010-2014 as trustee, 2011-2014 as Chair); formerly Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO Bank N.V., North America, and Global Head of the Financial Markets Division (2007-2008), with various executive leadership roles in ABN AMRO Bank N.V. between 1996 and 2007. | 144 | None. | |||||
Judith M. Stockdale 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1947) | Trustee | Term—Class I Length of Service— Since 1997 | Board Member of the Land Trust Alliance (national public charity addressing natural land and water conservation in the U.S.) (since 2013); formerly, Board Member of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (national endowment addressing forest health, sustainable forest production and markets, and economic health of forest-reliant communities in the U.S.) (2013-2019); formerly, Executive Director (1994-2012), Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (private foundation endowed to support both natural land conservation and artistic vitality); prior thereto, Executive Director, Great Lakes Protection Fund (endowment created jointly by seven of the eight Great Lake states’ Governors to take a regional approach to improving the health of the Great Lakes) (1990-1994). | 144 | None. |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | Other | |||||
Carole E. Stone 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1947) | Trustee | Term—Class I Length of Service— Since 2007 | Former Director, Chicago Board Options Exchange (2006-2017) and C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated (2009-2017); formerly, Commissioner, New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform (2005-2010). | 144 | Formerly, Director, Cboe Global Markets, Inc.(2010-2020) (formerly named CBOE Holdings, Inc.). | |||||
Matthew Thornton III 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1958) | Trustee | Term—Class III Length of Service— Since 2020 | Formerly, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2018-2019), FedEx Freight Corporation, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”) (provider of transportation, e-commerce and business services through its portfolio of companies); formerly, Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations (2006-2018), Federal Express Corporation, a subsidiary of FedEx; formerly, Member of the Board of Directors (2012-2018), Safe Kids Worldwide®(non-profit organization dedicated to preventing childhood injuries). | 144 | Member of the Board of Directors (since 2014), The Sherwin-Williams Company (develops, manufactures, distributes and sells paints, coatings and related products); Member of the Board of Directors (since 2020), Crown Castle International (provider of communications infrastructure). |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) | Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | Other | |||||
Margaret L. Wolff 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1955) | Trustee | Term—Class I Length of Service— Since 2016 | Formerly, Of Counsel (2005-2014), Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Mergers & Acquisitions Group) (legal services); Member of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (since 2005); Member (since 2004) and Chair (since 2015) of the Board of Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation (philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults); formerly, Member (2005-2015) and Vice Chair (2011- 2015) of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Holyoke College. | 144 | Formerly, Member of the Board of Directors (2013-2017) of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each, a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.). | |||||
Robert L. Young 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1963) | Trustee | Term—Class II Length of Service— Since 2017 | Formerly, Chief Operating Officer and Director, J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (financial services) (2010-2016); formerly, President and Principal Executive Officer (2013-2016), and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (2005-2010), of J.P. Morgan Funds; formerly, Director and various officer positions for J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (formerly, JPMorgan Funds Management, Inc. and formerly, One Group Administrative Services) and JPMorgan Distribution Services, Inc. (financial services) (formerly, One Group Dealer Services, Inc.) (1999-2017). | 144 | None. |
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OFFICERS OF THE FUND:
Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
David J. Lamb 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1963) | Chief Administrative Officer | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2015 | Managing Director of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2020); Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President, of Nuveen, LLC (2006-2017), Vice President prior to 2006. | |||
Mark J. Czarniecki 901 Marquette Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55402 (1979) | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2013 | Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2016) and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2017); Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2018); Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen, LLC (since 2013). | |||
Diana R. Gonzalez 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1978) | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2017 | Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2017); Vice President and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen, LLC (since 2017); Associate General Counsel of Jackson National Asset Management (2012-2017). | |||
Nathaniel T. Jones 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1979) | Vice President and Treasurer | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— | Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2016-2017), formerly, Vice President (2011-2016), of Nuveen, LLC; Managing Director (since 2015) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Chartered Financial Analyst. | |||
Tina M. Lazar 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1961) | Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— | Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2014-2017), of Nuveen Securities, LLC. | |||
Brian J. Lockhart 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1974) | Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2019 | Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly, Vice President (2010-2017), of Nuveen, LLC; Head of Investment Oversight (since September 2017), formerly, Team Leader of Manager Oversight (2015-2017); Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Financial Risk Manager. | |||
Jacques M. Longerstaey 8500 Andrew Carnegie Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28262 (1963) | Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2019 | Senior Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer of Nuveen, LLC (since May 2019); Senior Managing Director (since May 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; formerly, Chief Investment and Model Risk Officer, Wealth & Investment Management Division, Wells Fargo Bank (NA) (2013-2019). |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Kevin J. McCarthy 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1966) | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— | Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Secretary and General Counsel (since 2016) of Nuveen Investments, Inc., formerly, Executive Vice President (2016-2017) and Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (2008-2016); Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Assistant Secretary (since 2008) of Nuveen Securities, LLC, formerly Executive Vice President (2016-2017) and Managing Director (2008-2016); Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, formerly, Co-General Counsel (2011-2020), Executive Vice President (2016-2017), Managing Director, (2008-2016) and Assistant Secretary (2007-2016); Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, formerly, Associate General Counsel (2011-2020), Executive Vice President (2016-2017) and Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (2011-2016); Vice President (since 2007) and Secretary (since 2016) (formerly, Assistant Secretary) of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2010); Senior Managing Director (since 2017) and Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Alternative Investments, LLC. | |||
Jon Scott Meissner 8500 Andrew Carnegie Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28262 (1973) | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— | Managing Director of Mutual Fund Tax and Financial Reporting groups at Nuveen, LLC (since 2017); Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Senior Director of Teachers Advisors, LLC and TIAA-CREF Investment Management, LLC (since 2016); Senior Director (since 2015), Mutual Fund Taxation to the TIAA-CREF Funds, the TIAA-CREF Life Funds, the TIAA Separate Account VA-1 and the CREF Accounts; has held various positions with TIAA since 2004. |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Deann D. Morgan 730 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 (1969) | Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since February 2020 | President of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2020); Executive Vice President, Global Head of Product at Nuveen, LLC (since November 2019); Co-Chief Executive Officer of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2020); Managing Member of MDR Collaboratory LLC (since 2018); Managing Director, Head of Wealth Management Product Structuring & COO Multi Asset Investing, The Blackstone Group (2013-2017). | |||
Christopher M. Rohrbacher 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1971) | Vice President and Assistant Secretary | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2008 | Managing Director (since 2017), General Counsel (since 2020) and Assistant Secretary (since 2016), formerly, Senior Vice President (2016-2017), of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director, Managing Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2020); Managing Director (since 2017) and Managing Associate General Counsel (since 2016), formerly, Senior Vice President (2012-2017) and Assistant General Counsel (2008-2016), of Nuveen, LLC. | |||
William A. Siffermann 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1975) | Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2017 | Managing Director (since 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (2016-2017) and Vice President (2011-2016), of Nuveen, LLC. | |||
E. Scott Wickerham 8500 Andrew Carnegie Boulevard Charlotte, NC 28262 (1973) | Vice President and Controller | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2019 | Senior Managing Director, Head of Fund Administration of Nuveen, LLC (since 2019), formerly, Managing Director; Senior Managing Director (since 2019) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Treasurer (since 2017) of the TIAA-CREF Funds, the TIAA-CREF Life Funds, the TIAA Separate Account VA-1 and Principal Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer (since 2020) and Treasurer (since 2017) to the CREF Accounts; formerly, Senior Director, TIAA-CREF Fund Administration (2014-2015); has held various positions with TIAA since 2006. |
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Name, Business Address and Year of Birth | Position(s) Held with Fund | Term of Office and Length of Time Served with Funds in the Fund Complex | Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | |||
Mark L. Winget 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1968) | Vice President and Secretary | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 2008 | Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2008); Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2019); Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2020); Vice President (since 2010) and Associate General Counsel (since 2019), formerly, Assistant General Counsel (2008-2016), of Nuveen, LLC. | |||
Gifford R. Zimmerman 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 (1956) | Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President | Term—Indefinite Length of Service— Since 1988 | Formerly, Managing Director (2002-2020) and Assistant Secretary (2002-2020) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; formerly, Managing Director (2002-2020), Assistant Secretary (1997-2020) and Co-General Counsel (2011-2020) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2004) and Assistant Secretary (since 1994) of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; formerly, Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (2011-2020); formerly, Vice President and Assistant Secretary of NWQ Investment Management Company (2002-2020), LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (2006-2020) and Winslow Capital Management, LLC (2010-2020); Chartered Financial Analyst. |
Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight
The Board of Directors or the Board of Trustees (as the case may be, each is referred to hereafter as the “Board” and the trustees or directors of the Nuveen Funds, as applicable, are referred to herein as “Trustees”) oversees the operations and management of the Nuveen Funds, including the duties performed for the Nuveen Funds by Nuveen Fund Advisors and each Nuveen Fund’s sub-adviser(s), as applicable. The Board has adopted a unitary board structure. A unitary board consists of one group of Trustees who serve on the board of every Nuveen Fund in the fund complex. In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board, the overall composition of which will, as a body, possess the appropriate skills, diversity (including, among other things, gender, race and ethnicity), independence and experience to oversee the Fund’s business. With this overall framework in mind, when the Board, through its Nominating and Governance Committee discussed below, seeks nominees for the Board, the Trustees consider, not only the candidate’s particular background, skills and experience, among other things, but also whether such background, skills and experience enhance the Board’s diversity and at the same time complement the Board given its current composition and the mix of skills and experiences of the incumbent Trustees. The Nominating and Governance Committee believes that the Board generally
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benefits from diversity of background (including, among other things, gender, race and ethnicity), skills, experience and views among its members, and considers this a factor in evaluating the composition of the Board, but has not adopted any specific policy on diversity or any particular definition of diversity.
The Board believes the unitary board structure enhances good and effective governance, particularly given the nature of the structure of the investment company complex. Funds in the same complex generally are served by the same service providers and personnel and are governed by the same regulatory scheme which raises common issues that must be addressed by the trustees across the fund complex (such as compliance, valuation, liquidity, brokerage, trade allocation or risk management). The Board believes it is more efficient to have a single board review and oversee common policies and procedures which increases the Board’s knowledge and expertise with respect to the many aspects of fund operations that are complex-wide in nature. The unitary structure also enhances the Board’s influence and oversight over Nuveen Fund Advisors and other service providers.
In an effort to enhance the independence of the Board, the Board also has a chair that is an independent trustee. The Board recognizes that a chair can perform an important role in setting the agenda for the Board, establishing the boardroom culture, establishing a point person on behalf of the Board for fund management, and reinforcing the Board’s focus on the long-term interests of shareholders. The Board recognizes that a chair may be able to better perform these functions without any conflicts of interests arising from a position with fund management. Terence J. Toth currently serves as the Independent Chair of the Board. Pursuant to the Fund’s By-Laws, the Chair shall perform all duties incident to the office of Chair of the Board and such other duties as from time to time may be assigned to him or her by the trustees or the By-Laws.
Although the Board has direct responsibility over various matters (such as advisory contracts, underwriting contracts and Fund performance), the Board also exercises certain of its oversight responsibilities through several committees that it has established and which report back to the full Board. The Board believes that a committee structure is an effective means to permit Trustees to focus on particular operations or issues affecting the Nuveen Funds, including risk oversight. More specifically, with respect to risk oversight, the Board has delegated matters relating to valuation and compliance to certain committees (as summarized below) as well as certain aspects of investment risk. In addition, the Board believes that the periodic rotation of Trustees among the different committees allows the Trustees to gain additional and different perspectives of the Fund’s operations. The Board has established six standing committees: the Executive Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Audit Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Closed-End Funds Committee. The Board may also from time to time create ad hoc committees to focus on particular issues as the need arises. The membership and functions of the standing committees are summarized below.
The Executive Committee, which meets between regular meetings of the Board, is authorized to exercise all of the powers of the Board. The members of the Executive Committee are Mr. Toth (Chair), Mr. Moschner and Ms. Wolff. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Executive Committee did not meet.
The Dividend Committee is authorized to declare distributions on each Nuveen Fund’s shares including, but not limited to, regular and special dividends, capital gains and ordinary income distributions. The members of the Dividend Committee are Dr. Hunter, Mr. Moschner, Ms. Wolff and Mr. Young (Chair). During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Dividend Committee met four (4) times.
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The Board has an Audit Committee, in accordance with Section 3(a) (58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), that is composed of Independent Trustees who are also “independent” as that term is defined in the listing standards of the NYSE pertaining to closed-end funds. The Audit Committee assists the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the accounting and reporting policies, processes and practices of the Nuveen Funds, and the audits of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the quality and integrity of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the Nuveen Funds’ compliance with legal and regulatory requirements relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements; the independent auditors’ qualifications, performance and independence; and the pricing procedures of the Nuveen Funds and the internal valuation group of Nuveen. It is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to select, evaluate and replace any independent auditors (subject only to Board and, if applicable, shareholder ratification) and to determine their compensation. The Audit Committee is also responsible for, among other things, overseeing the valuation of securities comprising the Nuveen Funds’ portfolios. Subject to the Board’s general supervision of such actions, the Audit Committee addresses any valuation issues, oversees the Nuveen Funds’ pricing procedures and actions taken by Nuveen’s internal valuation group which provides regular reports to the committee, reviews any issues relating to the valuation of the Nuveen Funds’ securities brought to its attention and considers the risks to the Nuveen Funds in assessing the possible resolutions to these matters. The Audit Committee also may consider any financial risk exposures for the Nuveen Funds in conjunction with performing its functions.
To fulfill its oversight duties, the Audit Committee receives annual and semi-annual reports and has regular meetings with the external auditors for the Nuveen Funds and Nuveen Fund Advisors’ internal audit group at Nuveen Investments. The Audit Committee also may review in a general manner the processes the Board or other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management as well as compliance with legal and regulatory matters relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. Members of the Audit Committee shall be independent (as set forth in the charter) and free of any relationship that, in the opinion of the trustees, would interfere with their exercise of independent judgment as an Audit Committee member. The members of the Audit Committee are Mr. Evans, Dr. Hunter, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Moschner, Mrs. Stockdale and Mrs. Stone (Chair), each of whom is an Independent Trustee of the Nuveen Funds. A copy of the Charter is available at www.nuveen.com/fund-governance. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Audit Committee met four (4) times.
The Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee (the “Compliance Committee”) is responsible for the oversight of compliance issues, risk management and other regulatory matters affecting the Fund that are not otherwise under or within the jurisdiction of the other committees. The Board has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Fund’s compliance and risk matters. As part of its duties, the Compliance Committee reviews the policies and procedures relating to compliance matters and recommends modifications thereto as necessary or appropriate to the full Board; develops new policies and procedures as new regulatory matters affecting the Fund arise from time to time; evaluates or considers any comments or reports from examinations from regulatory authorities and responses thereto; and performs any special reviews, investigations or other oversight responsibilities relating to risk management, compliance and/or regulatory matters as requested by the Board.
In addition, the Compliance Committee is responsible for risk oversight, including, but not limited to, the oversight of risks related to investments and operations. Such risks include, among other
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things, exposures to particular issuers, market sectors, or types of securities; risks related to product structure elements, such as leverage; and techniques that may be used to address those risks, such as hedging and swaps. In assessing issues brought to the Compliance Committee’s attention or in reviewing a particular policy, procedure, investment technique or strategy, the Compliance Committee evaluates the risks to the Fund in adopting a particular approach or resolution compared to the anticipated benefits to the Fund and its shareholders. In fulfilling its obligations, the Compliance Committee meets on a quarterly basis, and at least once a year in person. The Compliance Committee receives written and oral reports from the Fund’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and meets privately with the CCO at each of its quarterly meetings. The CCO also provides an annual report to the full Board regarding the operations of the Fund’s and other service providers’ compliance programs as well as any recommendations for modifications thereto. The Compliance Committee also receives reports from the investment services group of Nuveen regarding various investment risks. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the full Board also participates in discussions with management regarding certain matters relating to investment risk, such as the use of leverage and hedging. The investment services group therefore also reports to the full Board at its quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, Fund performance and the various drivers of such performance. Accordingly, the Board directly and/or in conjunction with the Compliance Committee oversees matters relating to investment risks. Matters not addressed at the committee level are addressed directly by the full Board. The Compliance Committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Compliance Committee are Ms. Wolff, Chair, Mr. Nelson Mr. Thornton, Mr. Toth and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Compliance Committee met six (6) times.
The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for seeking, identifying and recommending to the Board qualified candidates for election or appointment to the Board. In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees matters of corporate governance, including the evaluation of Board performance and processes, the assignment and rotation of committee members, and the establishment of corporate governance guidelines and procedures, to the extent necessary or desirable, and matters related thereto. Although the unitary and committee structure has been developed over the years and the Nominating and Governance Committee believes the structure has provided efficient and effective governance, the Nominating and Governance Committee recognizes that, as demands on the Board evolve over time (such as through an increase in the number of funds overseen or an increase in the complexity of the issues raised), the Nominating and Governance Committee must continue to evaluate the Board and committee structures and their processes and modify the foregoing as may be necessary or appropriate to continue to provide effective governance. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee has a separate meeting each year to, among other things, review the Board and committee structures, their performance and functions, and recommend any modifications thereto or alternative structures or processes that would enhance the Board’s governance over the Fund’s business.
In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee, among other things, makes recommendations concerning the continuing education of Trustees; monitors performance of legal counsel and other service providers; establishes and monitors a process by which security holders are able to communicate in writing with members of the Board; and periodically reviews and makes recommendations about any appropriate changes to trustee compensation. In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee receives suggestions from various sources, including suggestions from fund security holders, as to suitable candidates. Suggestions should be sent in writing to William Siffermann, Manager of Fund Board Relations, Nuveen LLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606. The Nominating and Governance Committee sets appropriate standards and
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requirements for nominations for new Trustees reserves the right to interview any and all candidates and to make the final selection of any new Trustees. In considering a candidate’s qualifications, each candidate must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability (including the time requirements for due diligence site visits to internal and external sub-advisers and service providers) and, if qualifying as an Independent Trustee candidate, independence from the Nuveen Fund Advisors, subadvisors underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities. These skill and experience requirements may vary depending on the current composition of the Board, since the goal is to ensure an appropriate range of skills, diversity and experience, in the aggregate. Accordingly, the particular factors considered and weight given to these factors will depend on the composition of the Board and the skills and backgrounds of the incumbent Trustees at the time of consideration of the nominees. All candidates, however, must meet high expectations of personal integrity, independence, governance experience and professional competence. All candidates must be willing to be critical within the Board and with management and yet maintain a collegial and collaborative manner toward other Board members. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. This committee is composed of the Independent Trustees of the Nuveen Funds. The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Mr. Toth (Chair), Mr. Evans, Dr. Hunter, Mr. Moschner, Mr. Nelson, Mrs. Stockdale, Mrs. Stone, Mr. Thornton, Mrs. Wolff and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Nominating and Governance Committee met four (4) times.
The Closed-End Funds Committee is responsible for assisting the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the Nuveen Funds that are registered as closed-end management investment companies (“Closed-End Funds”). The committee may review and evaluate matters related to the formation and the initial presentation to the Board of any new Closed-End Fund and may review and evaluate any matters relating to any existing Closed-End Fund. The Closed-End Funds Committee receives updates on the secondary closed-end fund market and evaluates the premiums and discounts of the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund, at each quarterly meeting. The Closed-End Funds Committee reviews, among other things, the premium and discount trends in the broader closed-end fund market, by asset category and by closed-end fund; the historical total return performance data for the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund, based on net asset value and price over various periods; the volatility trends in the market; the use of leverage by the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund; the distribution data of the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund, and as compared to peer averages; and a summary of common share issuances, if any, and share repurchases, if any, during the applicable quarter by the Nuveen closed-end funds, including the Fund. The Closed-End Funds Committee regularly engages in more in-depth discussions of premiums and discounts of the Nuveen closed-end funds. Additionally, the Closed-End Funds Committee members participate in workshops to explore, among other things, actions to address discounts of the Nuveen closed-end funds, potential share repurchases and available leverage strategies and their use.
The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Closed-End Funds Committee are Mr. Evans (Chair), Dr. Hunter, Mrs. Wolff, Mr. Toth and Mr. Young. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Closed-End Funds Committee met four (4) times.
Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications. In determining that a particular Trustee was qualified to serve on the Board, the Board considered each Trustee’s background, skills, experience and other attributes in light of the composition of the Board with no particular factor controlling. The Board believes that Trustees need to have the ability to critically review, evaluate,
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question and discuss information provided to them, and to interact effectively with Fund management, service providers and counsel, in order to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties, and the Board believes each Trustee satisfies this standard. An effective Trustee may achieve this ability through his or her educational background; business, professional training or practice; public service or academic positions; experience from service as a board member or executive of investment funds, public companies or significant private or not-for-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Accordingly, set forth below is a summary of the experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this document, that each Trustee should serve in that capacity. References to the experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills of Trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, do not constitute holding out the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise or experience and shall not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board by reason thereof.
Jack B. Evans. Mr. Evans has served as Chairman (since 2019), formerly, President (1996-2019) of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation. Mr. Evans was formerly President and Chief Operating Officer (1972-1995) of the SCI Financial Group, Inc., a regional financial services firm headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 1998 to 2003 as well as a Director of Alliant Energy from 2000 to 2004 and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Evans is Chairman of the Board (since 2009) of United Fire Group, is a Life Trustee of Coe College and the Iowa College Foundation and formerly served as a Director and Public Member of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery from 2015 to 2020 and served on the Board of The Gazette Company from 1996 to 2015. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Coe College and a M.B.A. from the University of Iowa. Mr. Evans joined the Board in 1999.
William C. Hunter. Dr. Hunter became Dean Emeritus of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa in 2012, after having served as Dean of the College since July 2006. He had been Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance at the University of Connecticut School of Business from 2003 to 2006. From 1995 to 2003, he was the Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. He has held faculty positions at Emory University, Atlanta University, the University of Georgia and Northwestern University. He has consulted with numerous foreign central banks and official agencies in Europe, Asia, Central America and South America. He has been a Director of Wellmark, Inc. since 2009. He is a past Director (2005-2015) and a past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society and a past Director (2004-2018) of the Xerox Corporation. Dr. Hunter received his PhD (1978) and MBA (1970) from Northwestern University and his BS from Hampton University (1970). Dr. Hunter joined the Board in 2004.
Albin F. Moschner. Mr. Moschner is a consultant in the wireless industry and, in July 2012, founded Northcroft Partners, LLC, a management consulting firm that provides operational, management and governance solutions. Prior to founding Northcroft Partners, LLC, Mr. Moschner held various positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc., a provider of wireless services, where he was a consultant from February 2011 to July 2012, Chief Operating Officer from July 2008 to February 2011, and Chief Marketing Officer from August 2004 to June 2008. Before he joined Leap Wireless International, Inc., Mr. Moschner was President of the Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. from 2000 to 2003, and President of One Point Services at One Point Communications from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Moschner also served at Zenith Electronics Corporation as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995 to 1996, and as Director, President and
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Chief Operating Officer from 1994 to 1995. Mr. Moschner was formerly Chairman (2019) and a member of the Board of Directors (2012-2019) of USA Technologies, Inc. and, from 1996 until 2016, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Wintrust Financial Corporation. In addition, he is emeritus (since 2018) of the Advisory Boards of the Kellogg School of Management (1995-2018) and the Archdiocese of Chicago Financial Council (2012-2018). Mr. Moschner received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from The City College of New York in 1974 and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University in 1979. Mr. Moschner joined the Board in 2016.
John K. Nelson. Mr. Nelson is on the Board of Directors of Core12, LLC. (since 2008), a private firm which develops branding, marketing, and communications strategies for clients. Mr. Nelson has extensive experience in global banking and markets, having served in several senior executive positions with ABN AMRO Holdings N.V. and its affiliated entities and predecessors, including LaSalle Bank Corporation from 1996 to 2008, ultimately serving as Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO N.V. North America. During his tenure at the bank, he also served as Global Head of its Financial Markets Division, which encompassed the bank’s Currency, Commodity, Fixed Income, Emerging Markets, and Derivatives businesses. He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States and during his tenure with ABN AMRO served as the bank’s representative on various committees of The Bank of Canada, European Central Bank, and The Bank of England. Mr. Nelson previously served as a senior, external advisor to the financial services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP (2012 to 2014). At Fordham University, he served as a director of The President’s Council (2010 to 2019) and previously served as a director of The Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (2009-2018). He served as a trustee and Chairman of The Board of Trustees of Marian University (2011-2013). Mr. Nelson is a graduate of Fordham University and holds a BA in Economics (1984) and an MBA in Finance (1991). Mr. Nelson joined the Board in 2013.
Judith M. Stockdale. Ms. Stockdale retired in 2012 as Executive Director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, a private foundation working in land conservation and artistic vitality in the Chicago region and the Low country of South Carolina. She is currently a board member of the Land Trust Alliance (since 2013). Her previous positions include Executive Director of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, Executive Director of Openlands, and Senior Staff Associate at the Chicago Community Trust. She has served on the Advisory Councils of the National Zoological Park, the Governor’s Science Advisory Council (Illinois) and the Nancy Ryerson Ranney Leadership Grants Program. She has served on the boards of Brushwood Center, Forefront f/k/a Donors Forum and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. Ms. Stockdale, a native of the United Kingdom, has a Bachelor of Science degree in geography from the University of Durham (UK) and a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale University. Ms. Stockdale joined the Board in 1997.
Carole E. Stone. Ms. Stone recently retired from the Board of Directors of the Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (2010-2020) (formerly, CBOE Holdings, Inc.) having served from 2010-2020. She previously served on the Boards of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated. Ms. Stone retired from the New York State Division of the Budget in 2004, having served as its Director for nearly five years and as Deputy Director from 1995 through 1999. She has also served as the Chair of the New York Racing Association Oversight Board, as a Commissioner on the New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform and as a member of the Boards of Directors of several New York State public authorities. Ms. Stone has a Bachelor of Arts from Skidmore College in Business Administration. Ms. Stone joined the Board in 2007.
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Matthew Thornton III. Mr. Thornton has over 40 years of broad leadership and operating experience from his career with FedEx Corporation (“FedEx”), which, through its portfolio of companies, provides transportation, e-commerce and business services. In November 2019, Mr. Thornton retired as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of FedEx Freight Corporation (FedEx Freight), a subsidiary of FedEx, where, from May 2018 until his retirement, he had been responsible for day-to-day operations, strategic guidance, modernization of freight operations and delivering innovative customer solutions. From September 2006 to May 2018, Mr. Thornton served as Senior Vice President, U.S. Operations at Federal Express Corporation (FedEx Express), a subsidiary of FedEx. Prior to September 2006, Mr. Thornton held a range of positions of increasing responsibility with FedEx, including various management positions. In addition, Mr. Thornton currently (since 2014) serves on the Board of Directors of The Sherwin-Williams Company, where he is a member of the Audit Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and the Board of Directors of Crown Castle International (since 2020), where he is a member of the Strategy Committee and the Compensation Committee. Formerly (2012-2018), he was a member of the Board of Directors of Safe Kids Worldwide®, a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention of childhood injuries. Mr. Thornton is a member (since 2014) of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the nation’s premier organization of global black senior executives. He is also a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). Mr. Thornton has been recognized by Black Enterprise on its 2017 list of the Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America and by Ebony on its 2016 Power 100 list of the world’s most influential and inspiring African Americans. Mr. Thornton received a B.B.A. degree from the University of Memphis in 1980 and an M.B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 2001. Mr. Thornton joined the Board in 2020.
Terence J. Toth. Mr. Toth, the Nuveen Funds’ Independent Chair, was a Co-Founding Partner of Promus Capital (2008-2017). From 2010 to 2019, he was Director of a Fulcrum IT Service LLC and from 2012 to 2016, a Director of LogicMark LLC. From 2008 to 2013, he was a Director of Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. From 2004 to 2007, he was Chief Executive Officer and President of Northern Trust Global Investments, and Executive Vice President of Quantitative Management & Securities Lending from 2000 to 2004. He also formerly served on the Board of the Northern Trust Mutual Funds. He joined Northern Trust in 1994 after serving as Managing Director and Head of Global Securities Lending at Bankers Trust (1986 to 1994) and Head of Government Trading and Cash Collateral Investment at Northern Trust from 1982 to 1986. He currently serves on the Quality Control Corporation (since 2012) and Catalyst Schools of Chicago. He is on the Mather Foundation Board (since 2012) and is the Chair of its Investment Committee. Mr. Toth graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, and received his M.B.A. from New York University. In 2005, he graduated from the CEO Perspectives Program at Northwestern University. Mr. Toth joined the Board in 2008.
Margaret L. Wolff. Ms. Wolff retired from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in 2014 after more than 30 years of providing client service in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. During her legal career, Ms. Wolff devoted significant time to advising boards and senior management on U.S. and international corporate, securities, regulatory and strategic matters, including governance, shareholder, fiduciary, operational and management issues. Ms. Wolff has been a trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2005 and, since 2004, she has served as a trustee of The John A. Hartford Foundation (a philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults) where she currently is the Chair. From 2013 to 2017, she was a Board member of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each of which is a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.). From 2005 to 2015, she was a trustee of
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Mt. Holyoke College and served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2011 to 2015. Ms. Wolff received her Bachelor of Arts from Mt. Holyoke College and her Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law. Ms. Wolff joined the Board in 2016.
Robert L. Young. Mr. Young has more than 30 years of experience in the investment management industry. From 1997 to 2017, he held various positions with J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (“J.P. Morgan Investment”) and its affiliates (collectively, “J.P. Morgan”). Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Director of J.P. Morgan Investment from 2010 to 2016 and as President and Principal Executive Officer of the J.P. Morgan Funds from 2013 to 2016. As Chief Operating Officer of J.P. Morgan Investment, Mr. Young led service, administration and business platform support activities for J.P. Morgan’s domestic retail mutual fund and institutional commingled and separate account businesses, and co-led these activities for J.P. Morgan’s global retail and institutional investment management businesses. As President of the J.P. Morgan Funds, Mr. Young interacted with various service providers to these funds, facilitated the relationship between such funds and their boards, and was directly involved in establishing board agendas, addressing regulatory matters, and establishing policies and procedures. Before joining J.P. Morgan, Mr. Young, a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA), was a Senior Manager (Audit) with Deloitte & Touche LLP (formerly, Touche Ross LLP), where he was employed from 1985 to 1996. During his tenure there, he actively participated in creating, and ultimately led, the firm’s midwestern mutual fund practice. Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Dayton and, from 2008 to 2011, he served on the Investment Committee of its Board of Trustees. Mr. Young joined the Board in 2017.
Independent Chairman
Terence J. Toth currently serves as the independent Chair of the Board. Specific responsibilities of the Chair include (a) presiding at all meetings of the Board and of the shareholders; (b) seeing that all orders and resolutions of the Trustees are carried into effect; and (c) maintaining records of and, whenever necessary, certifying all proceedings of the Trustees and the shareholders.
Class I Trustees will serve until the annual meeting of shareholders in 2022; Class II Trustees will serve until the annual meeting of shareholders in 2023; and Class III Trustees will serve until the annual meeting of shareholders in 2021. As each Trustee’s term expires, shareholders will be asked to elect trustees and such trustees shall be elected for a term expiring at the time of the third succeeding annual meeting subsequent to their election or thereafter in each case when their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. These provisions could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws” in the prospectus.
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Beneficial Ownership of Shares of the Fund and the Nuveen Family of Investment Companies by Each Trustee
The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each trustee as of December 31, 2020:
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund | Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustees in Nuveen Family of Investment Companies | |||
Jack B. Evans | None | Over $100,000 | ||
William C. Hunter | None | Over $100,000 | ||
Albin F. Moschner | None | Over $100,000 | ||
John K. Nelson | None | Over $100,000 | ||
Judith M. Stockdale | None | Over $100,000 | ||
Carole E. Stone | None | Over $100,000 | ||
Matthew Thornton III | None | None | ||
Terence J. Toth | None | Over $100,000 | ||
Margaret L. Wolff | None | Over $100,000 | ||
Robert L. Young | None | Over $100,000 |
5% Shareholders
As of March 1, 2021, no shareholders owned of record, or were known by the Fund to own of record or beneficially, five percent or more of any class of shares of the Fund.
As of March 1, 2021, the officers and Trustees as a group beneficially owned less than 1% of any class of the Fund’s outstanding securities. As of March 1, 2021, none of the disinterested Trustees or their immediate family members owned, beneficially, or of record, any securities in (i) an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or (ii) a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.
Compensation
The following table shows, for each Independent Trustee, (1) the aggregate compensation paid to each Trustee by the Fund for its fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, (2) the amount of total compensation paid to each Trustee by the Fund that has been deferred, and (3) the total compensation paid to each Trustee by the Nuveen Funds during the calendar year ended December 31, 2020. The Fund does not have a retirement or pension plan. The officers and Trustee affiliated with Nuveen Investments serve without any compensation from the Fund. Certain of the Nuveen Funds have a deferred compensation plan (the “Compensation Plan”) that permits any Trustee who is not an “interested person” of certain funds to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of his or her compensation as a Trustee. The deferred compensation of a participating Trustee is credited to the book reserve account of a fund when the compensation would otherwise have been paid to the Trustee. The value of the Trustee’s deferral account at any time is equal to the value that the account would have had if contributions to the account had been invested and reinvested in shares of one or more of the eligible Nuveen Funds. At the time for commencing distributions from a Trustee’s deferral account,
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the Trustee may elect to receive distributions in a lump sum or over a period of five years. The Fund will not be liable for any other fund’s obligations to make distributions under the Compensation Plan.
Aggregate Compensation from Fund(1) | Amount of Total Compensation That Has Been Deferred(2) | Total Compensation from Fund and Fund Complex(3) | ||||||||||
Jack B. Evans | $ | 3,967 | $ | 321 | $ | 392,652 | ||||||
William C. Hunter | 4,218 | — | 396,750 | |||||||||
Albin F. Moschner | 3,816 | — | 380,050 | |||||||||
John K. Nelson | 4,362 | — | 417,500 | |||||||||
Judith M. Stockdale | 3,907 | 902 | 400,147 | |||||||||
Carole E. Stone | 4,115 | 1,640 | 404,611 | |||||||||
Matthew Thornton III(4) | — | — | 49,500 | |||||||||
Terence J. Toth | 4,790 | — | 467,300 | |||||||||
Margaret L. Wolff | 3,797 | 1,232 | 385,629 | |||||||||
Robert L. Young | 4,053 | 4,053 | 425,754 |
(1) | The compensation paid, including deferred amounts, to the independent trustees for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 for services to the Fund. |
(2) | Pursuant to a deferred compensation agreement with certain of the Nuveen Funds, deferred amounts are treated as though an equivalent dollar amount has been invested in shares of one or more eligible Nuveen Funds. Total deferred fees for the Fund (including the return from the assumed investment in the eligible Nuveen Funds) payable are stated above. |
(3) | Based on the compensation paid (including any amounts deferred) for the calendar year ended December 31, 2020 for services to the Nuveen open-end and closed-end funds. Because the funds in the Nuveen Fund complex have different fiscal year ends, the amounts shown in this column are presented on a calendar year basis. All trustees except for Mr. Young currently serve as director or trustee of 169 registered investment companies advised by Nuveen Fund Advisors. Mr. Young currently serves as director or trustee of 167 registered investment companies advised by Nuveen Fund Advisors. |
(4) | Mr. Thornton joined the Board effective November 16, 2020. |
Effective January 1, 2020, Independent Trustees receive a $195,000 annual retainer, increased to $200,000 as of January 1, 2021, plus they receive (a) a fee of $6,750 per day, increased to $7,000 per day as of January 1, 2021, for attendance in person or by telephone at regularly scheduled meetings of the Board; (b) a fee of $3,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at special, non-regularly scheduled Board meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (c) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Audit Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (d) a fee of $5,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (e) a fee of $1,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Dividend Committee meetings; (f) a fee of $500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at all other committee meetings ($1,000 for shareholder meetings) where in-person attendance is required and $250 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such committee meetings (excluding shareholder meetings) where in-person attendance is not required, and $100 per meeting when the Executive Committee acts as pricing committee for IPOs, plus, in each case, expenses incurred in attending such meetings; provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held; and (g) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Closed-End Funds
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Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held. In addition to the payments described above, the Chair of the Board receives $90,000, increased to $100,000 as of January 1, 2021, and the chairpersons of the Audit Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee, the Nominating and Governance Committee and the Closed-End Funds Committee receive $15,000 each as additional retainers. Independent Trustees also receive a fee of $3,000 per day, increased to $3,500 per day as of January 1, 2021, for site visits to entities that provide services to the Nuveen funds on days on which no Board meeting is held. When ad hoc committees are organized, the Nominating and Governance Committee will at the time of formation determine compensation to be paid to the members of such committee; however, in general, such fees will be $1,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at ad hoc committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $500 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required. The annual retainer, fees and expenses are allocated among the Nuveen funds on the basis of relative net assets, although management may, in its discretion, establish a minimum amount to be allocated to each fund. In certain instances fees and expenses will be allocated only to those Nuveen funds that are discussed at a given meeting. In certain circumstances, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board may hold in-person meetings by telephonic or videographic means and be compensated at the in-person rate.
The Fund has no employees. The officers of the Fund and the directors of the Fund who are not independent directors serve without any compensation from the Fund.
INVESTMENT ADVISER, SUB-ADVISERS AND PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Investment Adviser. Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. Nuveen Fund Advisors offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. Nuveen Fund Advisors has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolios, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. Nuveen Fund Advisors is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.
Nuveen Fund Advisors is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2020, Nuveen managed approximately $1.2 trillion in assets, of which approximately $156.5 billion was managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors.
Nuveen Fund Advisors has selected its affiliates, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC to serve as the sub-advisers to the Fund. Nuveen Asset Management is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and NWQ is located at 2049 Century Park East, Suite 1600, Los Angeles, California 90067. Nuveen Fund Advisors has engaged the Sub-Advisers, each a registered investment adviser, to oversee day-to-day operations and manage the investment of their respective Fund’s assets on a discretionary basis pursuant to a
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sub-advisory agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and each Sub-Adviser (together, the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”), subject to the supervision of Nuveen Fund Advisors. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, each Sub-Adviser is compensated for the services it provides to its Fund(s) with a portion of the management fee Nuveen Fund Advisors receives from the Fund. Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Sub-Advisers retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.
Investment Management Agreement and Related Fees. Pursuant to an investment management agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors and the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual management fee for the overall advisory and administrative services and general office facilities provided by Nuveen Fund Advisors. The Fund’s management fee is separated into two components—a complex-level component, based on the aggregate amount of all fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors, and a specific fund-level component, based only on the amount of assets within the Fund. This pricing structure enables Nuveen fund shareholders to benefit from growth in the assets within each individual fund as well as from growth in the amount of complex-wide assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors.
Fund Level Fee. The annual fund-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:
Average Daily Managed Assets* | Fund-Level Fee Rate | |||
For the next $500 million | 0.6800 | % | ||
For the next $500 million | 0.6550 | % | ||
For the next $500 billion | 0.6300 | % | ||
For the next $500 billion | 0.6050 | % | ||
For managed assets over $2 billion | 0.5800 | % |
Complex Level Fee. The annual complex-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated by multiplying the current complex-wide fee rate, determined according to the following schedule, by the Fund’s daily managed assets:
Complex-Level Eligible Asset Breakpoint Level* | Effective Complex-Level Fee Rate at Breakpoint Level | |||
$55 billion | 0.2000 | % | ||
$56 billion | 0.1996 | % | ||
$57 billion | 0.1989 | % | ||
$60 billion | 0.1961 | % | ||
$63 billion | 0.1931 | % | ||
$66 billion | 0.1900 | % | ||
$71 billion | 0.1851 | % | ||
$76 billion | 0.1806 | % | ||
$80 billion | 0.1773 | % | ||
$91 billion | 0.1691 | % | ||
$125 billion | 0.1599 | % | ||
$200 billion | 0.1505 | % | ||
$250 billion | 0.1469 | % | ||
$300 billion | 0.1445 | % |
* | The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily “eligible assets” of all Nuveen open-end and closed-end funds. Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen funds or assets in excess of a determined amount (originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in |
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connection with Nuveen Fund Advisors’ assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011, but do include certain assets of certain Nuveen funds that were reorganized into funds advised by an affiliate of Nuveen Fund Advisors during the 2019 calendar year. Eligible assets include closed-end fund assets managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors that are attributable to certain types of leverage. For these purposes, leverage includes the closed-end funds’ use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by the TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by Nuveen Fund Advisors as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining eligible assets in certain circumstances. As of December 31, 2020, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was 0.1557%. |
The following table sets forth the management fee paid by the Fund for the last three fiscal years:
Management Fee Net of Expense Reimbursement Paid for the Fiscal Year Ended | Expense Reimbursement for the Fiscal Year Ended | |||||||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 | $ | 13,364,706 | $ | — | ||||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 | $ | 12,823,581 | $ | — | ||||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 | $ | 12,323,964 | $ | — |
In addition to the Adviser’s management fee, the Fund pays all of its other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its trustees (other than those affiliated with the Adviser), custodian, transfer agency and dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses of issuing any Preferred Shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, listing fees and taxes, if any. All fees and expenses are accrued daily and deducted before payment of distributions to shareholders.
A discussion regarding the Board’s decision to renew the Investment Management Agreement may be found in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.
Sub-Advisory Agreements and Related Fees. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, each Sub-Adviser is compensated for the services it provides to the Fund with a portion of the management fee Nuveen Fund Advisors receives from the Fund with respect to the Sub-Adviser’s allocation of Fund average daily net assets. For the services provided pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, Nuveen Fund Advisors pays the Sub-Advisers a fee, payable monthly, as specified by the following schedule:
Average Daily Net Assets* | Percentage of Management Fee | |||
Up to $125 million | 50.00 | % | ||
For the next $25 million | 47.50 | % | ||
For the next $25 million | 45.00 | % | ||
For the next $25 million | 42.50 | % | ||
Over $200 million | 40.00 | % |
* | For this purpose, “Average Daily Net Assets” includes net assets attributable to any Preferred Shares and the principal amount of borrowings pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement. |
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For the services provided pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreements, Nuveen Fund Advisors paid the following amounts to the Sub-Advisers in the last three fiscal years for services rendered:
Fiscal Year Ended | ||||||||||||
July 31, 2018 | July 31, 2019 | July 31, 2020 | ||||||||||
NWQ | $ | 2,465,383 | $ | 2,402,733 | $ | 2,314,271 | ||||||
Nuveen Asset Management | $ | 5,587,403 | $ | 5,371,585 | $ | 5,224,506 |
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to renew the Sub-Advisory Agreements for the Fund may be found in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.
Portfolio Managers. Unless otherwise indicated, the information below is provided as of the date of this SAI.
Portfolio Management. Douglas Baker, CFA, is a Managing Director at Nuveen Asset Management and a portfolio manager for the Fund and related preferred security strategies. He is the lead portfolio manager for the preferred securities strategies, as well as a co-portfolio manager for the firm’s multi-sector strategies. Douglas is also a member of the Investment Committee, which establishes investment policy for all global fixed income products. He originally joined Nuveen Asset Management in 2006 as a Vice President and Derivatives Analyst, and later that year his responsibilities expanded to include portfolio management duties for the Nuveen Preferred Securities and Income Fund. In addition, he manages Nuveen Asset Management’s derivative overlay group, where he is responsible for implementing derivatives-based hedging strategies across the Nuveen Asset Management complex, as well as managing collateral accounts for several commodity-based strategies.
Brenda A. Langenfeld, CFA, is a Managing Director at Nuveen Asset Management and a portfolio manager for the Fund. She is the co-manager of the preferred securities strategy and related institutional portfolios. She is also a co-manager for the real asset income strategy, which invests in income-generating debt and equity securities from both the real estate and infrastructure segments, since 2015. She started working in the financial services industry with FAF Advisors, Inc. in 2004.
Thomas J. Ray, CFA, is a Managing Director, Co-Head of Fixed Income, and a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager/Analyst for NWQ. Prior to joining NWQ in 2015, Tom was a Private Investor. Prior to that, he served as Chief Investment Officer, President and founding member of Inflective Asset Management, a boutique investment firm specializing in convertible securities. Prior to founding Inflective Asset Management, Tom also served as portfolio manager at Transamerica Investment Management. Tom graduated from University of Wisconsin with a B.B.A in Finance, Investment & Banking and an M.S. in Finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute.
Susi Budiman, CFA, is a Managing Director, Co-Head of Fixed Income, and a Portfolio Manager/Analyst for NWQ. Prior to joining NWQ in 2006, Susi was Portfolio Manager for China Life Insurance Company in Taiwan where she managed multi-sector and multi-currency fixed income portfolios with responsibility for over $1.8 billion in assets under management. Prior to that, she was a currency exchange associate at Fleet National Bank in Singapore covering Asian, Euro, and other major currencies. Susi earned her B.Comm. in Finance from the University of British Columbia and received her M.B.A. in Finance at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern
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California. She earned her Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute in 2006 and is a member of the Los Angeles Society of Financial Analysts. She also earned her Financial Risk Manager designation in 2003.
Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers. The Portfolio Managers also have responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Fund. Information regarding these other accounts is set forth below.
Number of Other Accounts Managed and Assets by Account Type as of July 31, 2020
Portfolio Manager | Type of Account Managed | Number of Accounts | Assets | Number of Accounts with Performance- Based Fees | Assets of Accounts with Performance- Based Fees | |||||||||||||
David Baker | Registered Investment Companies | 5 | $ | 5.53 billion | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Companies | 0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Other Accounts | 865 | $ | 1.06 million | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Brenda A. Langenfeld | Registered Investment Companies | 6 | $ | 7.12 billion | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Companies | 1 | $ | 29.8 million | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Other Accounts | 867 | $ | 2.02 billion | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Thomas J. Ray | Registered Investment Companies | 5 | $ | 2.02 billion | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Companies | 3 | $ | 2.10 million | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Other Accounts | 1049 | $ | 1.03 million | * | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||
Susi Budiman | Registered Investment Companies | 3 | $ | 1.68 billion | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||||
Other Pooled Investment Companies | 3 | $ | 2.10 million | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||||||
Other Accounts | 1046 | $ | 880 million | * | 0 | $ | 0 |
* | Includes approximately $118.5 billion in model-based assets as of July 31, 2020. |
As shown in the above table, the Portfolio Managers may manage accounts in addition to the Fund. The potential for conflicts of interest exists when the Portfolio Managers manage other accounts with similar investment objectives and strategies to the Fund (“Similar Accounts”). Potential conflicts may include, for example, conflicts between investment strategies and conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities.
Responsibility for managing Nuveen Fund Advisors’ clients’ portfolios is organized according to investment strategies. Generally, client portfolios with similar strategies are managed using the same objectives, approach and philosophy. Therefore, portfolio holdings, relative position sizes and sector exposures tend to be similar across similar portfolios which minimizes the potential for conflicts of interest.
Nuveen Fund Advisors may receive more compensation with respect to certain Similar Accounts than that received with respect to the Fund or may receive compensation based in part on the performance of certain Similar Accounts. This may create a potential conflict of interest for the Portfolio Managers by providing an incentive to favor these Similar Accounts when, for example, placing securities transactions. Potential conflicts of interest may arise with both the aggregation and allocation of securities transactions and allocation of limited investment opportunities. Allocations of aggregated trades, particularly trade orders that were only partially completed due to limited availability, and allocation of investment opportunities generally, could raise a potential conflict of interest.
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Each Sub-Adviser has policies and procedures designed to manage these conflicts described above such as allocation of investment opportunities to achieve fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities among its clients over time. For example, orders for the same equity security are aggregated on a continual basis throughout each trading day consistent with each Sub-Adviser’s duty of best execution for its clients. If aggregated trades are fully executed, accounts participating in the trade will be allocated their pro rata share on an average price basis. Partially completed orders will be allocated among the participating accounts on a pro-rata average price basis as well.
Compensation
Nuveen Asset Management. Portfolio managers are compensated through a combination of base salary and variable components consisting of (i) a cash bonus; (ii) a long-term performance award; and (iii) participation in a profits interest plan.
Base salary. A portfolio manager’s base salary is determined based upon an analysis of the portfolio manager’s general performance, experience and market levels of base pay for such position.
Cash bonus. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus that is based on three variables: risk-adjusted investment performance relative to benchmark generally measured over the most recent three and five year periods (unless the portfolio manager’s tenure is shorter), ranking versus Morningstar peer funds generally measured over the most recent three and five year periods (unless the portfolio manager’s tenure is shorter), and management and peer reviews.
Long-term performance award. A portfolio manager is eligible to receive a long-term performance award that vests after three years. The amount of the award when granted is based on the same factors used in determining the cash bonus. The value of the award at the completion of the three-year vesting period is adjusted based on the risk-adjusted investment performance of Fund(s) managed by the portfolio manager during the vesting period and the performance of the TIAA organization as a whole.
Profits interest plan. Portfolio managers are eligible to receive profits interests in Nuveen Asset Management and its affiliate, Teachers Advisors, LLC, which vest over time and entitle their holders to a percentage of the firms’ annual profits. Profits interests are allocated to each portfolio manager based on such person’s overall contribution to the firms.
There are generally no differences between the methods used to determine compensation with respect to the Fund and the Other Accounts shown in the table above.
NWQ. NWQ’s philosophy is to provide performance-based and market-competitive compensation, while mitigating inappropriate or excessive risk taking. There are three primary components of compensation: (1) base and benefits, (2) annual cash award, and (3) equity-like performance-based plans.
Base pay is determined based upon an analysis of the employee’s general performance, experience, and market levels of base pay for such positions. Base salary and annual variable compensation targets are reviewed annually, while other benefit plans are periodically reviewed to ensure competitiveness.
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The variable compensation is an annual cash award that can be a multiple of the base salary. NWQ’s annual variable compensation program includes both subjective and objective criteria with emphasis placed on sustained, long-term performance. The subjective portion of the incentive compensation is based on a qualitative evaluation made by each investment professional’s supervisor taking into consideration a number of factors, including the investment professional’s team collaboration, expense management, support of personnel responsible for asset growth, and his or her compliance with NWQ’s policies and procedures.
Senior employees participate in equity-like profits interest plans, which provide a meaningful opportunity to participate in the long-term success of the business. These profits interests vest over time and entitle participants to a percentage of NWQ’s annual profitability, enabling employees to participate in the growth of the overall value of NWQ. These awards allow participants to benefit directly from the financial performance and growth of NWQ over time and ensure that they have a strong alignment of interests with the firm’s clients over the long term. The profits interests are designed to provide senior personnel with strong incentives to remain with the firm and participate in its success and include non-compete and non-solicitation terms. Additional details regarding the program are proprietary.
Nuveen Asset Management Material Conflicts of Interest. Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple accounts are presented a number of potential conflicts, including, among others, those discussed below.
The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. Nuveen Asset Management seeks to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by having portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline. Most accounts managed by a portfolio manager in a particular investment strategy are managed using the same investment models.
If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one account, an account may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, Nuveen Asset Management has adopted procedures for allocating limited opportunities across multiple accounts.
With respect to many of its clients’ accounts, Nuveen Asset Management determines which broker to use to execute transaction orders, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, with respect to certain other accounts, Nuveen Asset Management may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, Nuveen Asset Management may place separate, non-simultaneous, transactions for a Fund and other accounts which may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment of the Fund or the other accounts.
Some clients are subject to different regulations. As a consequence of this difference in regulatory requirements, some clients may not be permitted to engage in all the investment techniques or transactions or to engage in these transactions to the same extent as the other accounts managed by a portfolio manager. Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where Nuveen Asset
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Management has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of some accounts, with respect to which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities.
Conflicts of interest may also arise when the Sub-Adviser invests one or more of its client accounts in different or multiple parts of the same issuer’s capital structure, including investments in public versus private securities, debt versus equity, or senior versus junior/subordinated debt, or otherwise where there are different or inconsistent rights or benefits. Decisions or actions such as investing, trading, proxy voting, exercising, waiving or amending rights or covenants, workout activity, or serving on a board, committee or other involvement in governance may result in conflicts of interest between clients holding different securities or investments. Generally, individual portfolio managers will seek to act in a manner that they believe serves the best interest of the accounts they manage. In cases where a portfolio manager or team faces a conflict among its client accounts, it will seek to act in a manner that it believes best reflects its overall fiduciary duty, which may result in relative advantages or disadvantages for particular accounts.
Nuveen Asset Management has adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to address these types of conflicts common among investment managers. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.
NWQ Material Conflicts of Interest. Actual or perceived conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple accounts are presented with the following potential conflicts, which are not intended to be an exhaustive list:
● | The management of multiple accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of each account. NWQ seeks to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of the portfolio manager by utilizing investment models for the management of most investment strategies. |
● | If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one account, an account may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible accounts. To deal with these situations, NWQ has adopted procedures for allocating limited opportunities across multiple accounts. |
● | With respect to many of its clients’ accounts, NWQ determines which broker to utilize when placing orders for execution, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, with respect to certain other accounts, NWQ may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, NWQ may place separate transactions for certain accounts which may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transactions, or both, to the detriment of other accounts. NWQ seeks to minimize market impact by using its discretion in releasing orders in a manner which seeks to cause the least possible impact while keeping within the approximate price range of the discretionary block trade. |
● | Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where NWQ has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of some |
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accounts, with respect to which the portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities. NWQ periodically performs a comparative analysis of the performance between accounts with performance fees and those without performance fees. |
NWQ has adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to address these types of conflicts common among investment managers. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.
Ownership of Fund Shares by the Portfolio Managers. As of July 31, 2020, the Portfolio Managers beneficially owned (as determined pursuant to Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act) shares of the Fund having values within the indicated dollar ranges.
Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned in the Fund | |
Douglas Baker | None | |
Brenda Langenfled | None | |
Thomas J. Ray | $10,001—$50,000 | |
Susi Budiman | None |
The Fund, Nuveen Fund Advisors, the Sub-Advisers, Nuveen Investments and other related entities have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, that essentially prohibit certain of their personnel, including the Fund’s portfolio managers, from engaging in personal investments that compete or interfere with, or attempt to take advantage of a client’s, including the Fund’s, anticipated or actual portfolio transactions, and are designed to assure that the interests of clients, including Fund shareholders, are placed before the interests of personnel in connection with personal investment transactions. Personnel subject to the Code of Ethics may purchase shares of the Fund and may generally invest in securities in which the Fund may also invest subject to the restrictions set forth in the Code of Ethics. Text-only versions of the Code of Ethics of the Fund, Nuveen Fund Advisors, the Sub-Advisers and Nuveen Investments can be viewed online or downloaded from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of the Code of Ethics may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
The Fund invests its assets generally in preferred and income producing securities. The Fund may also acquire, directly or through a special-purpose vehicle, equity securities; provided that, under current non-fundamental investment restrictions, the Funds may not purchase securities of issuers for the purpose of exercising control, except to the extent that exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements would be deemed to constitute exercising control. The Sub-Advisers do not consider such activities proxy voting for purposes of Rule 206(4)-6 under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), but nevertheless provides reports to the Fund’s Board on its control activities on a quarterly basis.
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In the rare event that an issuer were to issue a proxy or that the Fund were to receive a proxy issued by a cash management security, the Sub-Advisers would either engage an independent third party to determine how the proxy should be voted or vote the proxy with the consent, or based on the instructions, of the Fund’s Board or its representative. A member of the Sub-Adviser’s legal department would oversee the administration of the voting and ensure that records maintained in accordance with Rule 206(4)-6 of the Advisers Act were filed with the SEC on Form N-PX, provided to the Fund’s Board and made available to shareholders as required by applicable rules.
In the event of a conflict of interest that might arise when voting proxies for the Fund, the Sub-Advisers will defer to the recommendation of an independent third party engaged to determine how the proxy should be voted, or, alternatively, members of the Sub-Adviser’s legal and compliance departments, in consultation with the Board, will examine the conflict of interest and seek to resolve such conflict in the best interests of the Fund. If a member of the Sub-Adviser’s legal or compliance department or the Board has a personal conflict of interest, that member will refrain from participating in the consultation.
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 is available without charge by calling (800) 257-8787 or by accessing the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
Subject to the supervision of the Board and Nuveen Fund Advisors, the Sub-Advisers are responsible for decisions to purchase and sell securities for the Fund, the negotiation of the prices to be paid and the allocation of transactions among various dealer firms. Transactions on stock exchanges involve the payment by the Fund of brokerage commissions. There generally is no stated commission in the case of securities traded in the OTC market, but the prices paid by the Fund generally include an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. Transactions in the OTC market can also be placed with broker-dealers who act as agents and charge brokerage commissions for effecting OTC transactions. The Fund may place its OTC transactions either directly with principal market makers, or with broker-dealers if that is consistent with Sub-Adviser obligations to obtain best qualitative execution. In certain instances, the Fund may make purchases of underwritten issues at prices that include underwriting fees.
Portfolio securities may be purchased directly from an underwriter or in the OTC market from the principal dealers in such securities, unless it appears that a better price or execution may be obtained through other means. Portfolio securities will not be purchased from Nuveen Investments or its affiliates, including the Adviser and Sub-Advisers, except in compliance with the 1940 Act.
It is the policy of each Sub-Adviser to seek the best execution under the circumstances of each trade. The Sub-Advisers will evaluate price as the primary consideration, with the financial condition, reputation and responsiveness of the dealer considered secondary in determining best execution. Given the best execution obtainable, it will be the practice of the Sub-Advisers to select dealers that, in addition, furnish research information (primarily credit analyses of issuers and general economic reports) and statistical and other services to the Sub-Adviser. It is not possible to place a dollar value on information and statistical and other services received from dealers. Since it is only supplementary to a Sub-Adviser’s own research efforts, the receipt of research information is not expected to reduce significantly a Sub-Adviser’s expenses. While the Sub-Advisers will be primarily responsible for the
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placement of the business of the Fund, the policies and practices of the Sub-Advisers in this regard must be consistent with the foregoing and will, at all times, be subject to review by the Board of the Fund.
The Sub-Advisers may manage other investment accounts and investment companies for other clients that may invest in the same types of securities as the Fund and that may have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund. The Sub-Advisers seek to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell assets or securities by the Fund and another advisory account. If an aggregated order cannot be filled completely, allocations will generally be made on a pro rata basis. An order may not be allocated on a pro rata basis where, for example (i) consideration is given to portfolio managers who have been instrumental in developing or negotiating a particular investment; (ii) consideration is given to an account with specialized investment policies that coincide with the particulars of a specific investment; (iii) pro rata allocation would result in odd-lot or de minimis amounts being allocated to a portfolio or other client; or (iv) where a Sub-Adviser reasonably determines that departure from a pro rata allocation is advisable. There may also be instances where the Fund will not participate at all in a transaction that is allocated among other accounts. While these allocation procedures could have a detrimental effect on the price or amount of the securities available to the Fund from time to time, it is the opinion of the Board that the benefits available from a Sub-Adviser’s management outweigh any disadvantage that may arise from such Sub-Adviser’s larger management activities and its need to allocate securities.
The following table sets forth the aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the last three fiscal years:
Brokerage Commissions Paid | ||||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2018 | $ | 26,805 | ||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2019 | $ | 26,556 | ||
Fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 | $ | 62,937 |
During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Fund did not pay commissions in return for research services or hold any securities of its regular broker-dealers.
During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020, the Fund acquired certain securities of its regular brokers or dealers, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act, or of the parents of the brokers or dealers. The following table sets forth those brokers or dealers and states the value of the Fund’s aggregate holdings of the securities of each issuer as of close of the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020:
Broker/Dealer | Issuer | Aggregate Fund Holdings of Broker/Dealer or Parent (as of July 31, 2020) | ||||
Bank of America | Bank of America Corp | $ | 42,217,784 | |||
Barclays Capital | Barclays Bank PLC | 2,728,532 | ||||
Barclays PLC | 20,418,487 | |||||
BNP Paribas Securities Services | BNP Paribas SA | 19,598,450 | ||||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | Citigroup Inc | 55,622,268 | ||||
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC | Credit Suisse Group AG | 29,786,215 | ||||
Cowen and Company, LLC | Cowen Inc | 1,341,502 | ||||
Goldman Sachs + Co LLC | Goldman Sachs Group Inc | 17,294,161 | ||||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | JPMorgan Chase & Co | 46,901,097 | ||||
Morgan Stanley Co Incorporated | Morgan Stanley | 40,595,755 | ||||
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC | Wachovia Capital Trust III | 6,733,551 | ||||
Wells Fargo & Co | 29,437,835 |
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The Fund’s NAV per Common Share is determined as of the close of the regular session trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day the NYSE is open for business. Net asset value is calculated by taking the market value of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing by the total number of shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the NAV per share. All valuations are subject to review by the Fund’s Board or its delegate.
The Fund’s custodian calculates the Fund’s NAV. The custodian uses prices for portfolio securities from a pricing service the Fund’s Board has approved. The pricing service values portfolio securities at the mean between the quoted bid and asked price or the yield equivalent when quotations are readily available. Securities for which quotations are not readily available (which will constitute the majority of the Fund’s portfolio securities) are valued at fair value as determined by the Board in reliance upon data supplied by the pricing service. The pricing service uses methods that consider yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and ratings; dealers’ indications of value; and general market conditions. The pricing service may use electronic data processing techniques or a matrix system, or both. The Fund’s officers review the pricing service’s procedures and valuations, under the general supervision of the Board.
The following is a general summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to a shareholder that acquires, holds and/or disposes of Common Shares of the Fund. This discussion only addresses U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. shareholders who hold their Common Shares as capital assets and does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to particular shareholders in light of their individual circumstances. This discussion also does not address the tax consequences to shareholders who are subject to special rules, including, without limitation, shareholders with large positions in the Fund, financial institutions, insurance companies, dealers in securities or foreign currencies, foreign holders, persons who hold their shares as or in a hedge against currency risk, a constructive sale, or conversion transaction, holders who are subject to the federal alternative minimum tax or tax-exempt or tax-advantaged plans, accounts, or entities. In addition, the discussion does not address any state, local, or foreign tax consequences. The discussion reflects applicable tax laws of the United States as of the date of this SAI, which tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) retroactively or prospectively. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federal income tax concerns affecting the Fund and its shareholders, and the discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice. Investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the specific tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund, including the applicable federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences to them and the effect of possible changes in tax laws.
The Fund has elected to be treated, and intends to continue to qualify each year, as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to regulated investment companies, the Fund must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or non-U.S. currencies, other income derived with
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respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” as defined in the Code; (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested, including through corporations in which the Fund owns a 20% or more voting stock interest, in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other RICs) of a single issuer, or two or more issuers that the Fund controls and are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and (c) distribute each year an amount equal to or greater than the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code, but without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and 90% of its net tax-exempt interest.
If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC in any taxable year, the Fund would be taxed in the same manner as a regular corporation on its taxable income (even if such income were distributed to its shareholders) and distributions to shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. Additionally, all distributions out of earnings and profits (including distributions from net capital gain and net tax-exempt interest) would be taxed to shareholders as ordinary dividend income. Such distributions generally would be eligible (i) to be treated as “qualified dividend income,” as discussed below in the case of noncorporate shareholders and (ii) for the dividends received deduction under Section 243 of the Code (the “Dividends Received Deduction”) in the case of corporate shareholders. In addition, in order to requalify for taxation as a RIC, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make certain distributions.
As a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it distributes to shareholders. The Fund may retain for investment its net capital gain. However, if the Fund retains any net capital gain or any investment company taxable income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their share of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the federal income tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the 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 federal income tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and the net capital gain not otherwise retained by the Fund.
Amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax. To prevent imposition of the excise tax, the Fund must distribute during each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of (1) 98% of its ordinary taxable income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar
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year, (2) 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending July 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary taxable income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years and on which the Fund paid no U.S. federal income tax. To prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement.
The Fund may elect to treat part or all of any “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in determining the Fund’s taxable income, net capital gain, net short-term capital gain, and earnings and profits. The effect of this election is to treat any such “qualified late year loss” as if it had been incurred in the succeeding taxable year in characterizing Fund distributions for any calendar year. A “qualified late year loss” generally includes net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss incurred after October 31 of the current taxable year (commonly referred to as “post-October losses”) and certain other late-year losses.
The treatment of capital loss carryovers for the Fund is similar to the rules that apply to capital loss carryovers of individuals, which provide that such losses are carried over indefinitely. If the Fund has a “net capital loss” (that is, capital losses in excess of capital gains), the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital losses over its net long-term capital gains is treated as a short-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year, and the excess (if any) of the Fund’s net long-term capital losses over its net short-term capital gains is treated as a long-term capital loss arising on the first day of the Fund’s next taxable year. In addition, the carryover of capital losses may be limited under the general loss limitation rules if the Fund experiences an ownership change as defined in the Code.
Nature of Fund’s Investments
Certain investment practices of the Fund are subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may defer the use of certain deductions or losses of the Fund, affect the holding period of securities held by the Fund and alter the character of the gains or losses realized by the Fund. These provisions may also require the Fund to recognize income or gain without receiving cash with which to make distributions in the amounts necessary to satisfy the requirements for maintaining RIC status and for avoiding federal income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
The Fund may invest in preferred securities or other securities the federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by the Fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the Fund, potentially requiring the Fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to comply with the requirements applicable to regulated investment companies under the Code.
The Fund may acquire debt securities that are market discount bonds. A market discount bond is a security acquired in the secondary market at a price below its redemption value (or its adjusted issue price if it is also an original issue discount bond). If the Fund invests in a market discount bond, it will be required to treat any gain recognized on the disposition of such market discount bond as ordinary taxable income to the extent of the accrued market discount unless the Fund elects to include the market discount in taxable income as it accrues.
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If the Fund invests in certain pay-in-kind securities, zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities or, in general, any other securities with original issue discount (or with market discount if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently), the Fund must accrue income on such investments for each taxable year, which generally will be prior to the receipt of the corresponding cash payments. However, the Fund must distribute to shareholders, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), including such income it is required to accrue, to continue to qualify as a RIC and to avoid federal income and excise taxes. Therefore, the Fund may have to dispose of its portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate cash, or may have to leverage itself by borrowing the cash, to satisfy these distribution requirements.
The Fund’s investment in lower rated or unrated debt securities may present issues for the Fund if the issuers of these securities default on their obligations because the federal income tax consequences to a holder of such securities are not certain.
The application of certain requirements for qualification as a RIC and the application of certain other federal income tax rules may be unclear in some respects in connection with investments in certain derivatives and other investments. As a result, the Fund may be required to limit the extent to which it invests in such investments and it is also possible that the IRS may not agree with the Fund’s treatment of such investments. In addition, the tax treatment of derivatives and certain other investments may be affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and guidance issued by the IRS (which could apply retroactively) that could affect the timing, character and amount of the Fund’s income and gains and distributions to shareholders, affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions and otherwise satisfied the requirements to maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid federal income and excise taxes or limit the extent to which the Fund may invest in certain derivatives and other investments in the future.
Generally, the character of the income or gain that the Fund receives from another investment company will pass through to the Fund’s shareholders as long as the Fund and the other investment company each qualify as regulated investment companies. However, to the extent that another investment company that qualifies as a RIC realizes net losses on its investments for a given taxable year, the Fund will not be able to recognize its share of those losses until it disposes of shares of such investment company. Moreover, even when the Fund does make such a disposition, a portion of its loss may be recognized as a long-term capital loss, which will not be treated as favorably for federal income tax purposes as an ordinary deduction. In particular, the Fund will not be able to offset any capital losses from its dispositions of shares of other investment companies against its ordinary income. As a result of the foregoing rules, and certain other special rules, it is possible that the amounts of net investment income and net capital gains that the Fund will be required to distribute to shareholders will be greater than such amounts would have been had the Fund invested directly in the securities held by the investment companies in which it invests, rather than investing in shares of the investment companies. For similar reasons, the character of distributions from the Fund (e.g., long-term capital gain, qualified dividend income, etc.) will not necessarily be the same as it would have been had the Fund invested directly in the securities held by the investment companies in which it invests.
Under the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities generally are
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treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain other instruments, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also may be treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains and losses, referred to under the Code as “Section 988” gains or losses, may increase or decrease the amount of the Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.
If the Fund receives an “excess distribution” with respect to the stock of a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), the Fund itself may be subject to federal income tax on a portion of the excess distribution, whether or not the corresponding income is distributed by the Fund to shareholders. In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC for a taxable year if at least 50% of its assets constitute certain investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is certain investment-type income.
Under the PFIC rules, an excess distribution is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC stock. The Fund itself will be subject to U.S. federal income tax (including interest) on the portion, if any, of an excess distribution that is so allocated to prior taxable years. Certain distributions from a PFIC as well as gain from the sale of PFIC stock are treated as excess distributions. Excess distributions are characterized as ordinary income even though, absent application of the PFIC rules, certain excess distributions might have been classified as capital gain.
Rather than being taxed on the PFIC income as discussed above, the Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment. Under an election that currently is available in certain circumstances, the Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the PFIC’s income and net capital gain annually, regardless of whether distributions are received from the PFIC in a given year. Amounts included in income each year by the Fund arising from such election will be “qualifying income” under the qualifying income requirement for classification as a RIC (as described above) even if not distributed to the Fund, if the Fund derives such income from its business of investing in stock, securities or currencies. In addition, another election may be available that would involve marking to market the Fund’s PFIC shares at the end of each taxable year (and on certain other dates prescribed in the Code), with the result that unrealized gains are treated as though they were realized and treated as ordinary income or loss (subject to certain limitations). If this election were made, federal income tax at the Fund level under the PFIC rules would generally be eliminated, but the Fund could, in limited circumstances, incur nondeductible interest charges. The Fund’s intention to qualify annually as a RIC may limit its options with respect to PFIC shares.
Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains and the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, and may subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders and that will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares.
The Fund’s investments in REITs may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, these distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Investments in REIT equity securities also may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including
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when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT will not qualify for the corporate Dividends Received Deduction and generally will not constitute qualified dividend income. If a REIT is operated in a manner such that it fails to qualify as a REIT, an investment in the REIT would become subject to double taxation, meaning the taxable income of the REIT would be subject to federal income tax at the regular corporate rate without any deduction for dividends paid to shareholders and the dividends would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income (or possibly as qualified dividend income) to the extent of the REIT’s current and accumulated earnings and profits.
“Qualified REIT dividends” (i.e., ordinary REIT dividends other than capital gain dividends and portions of REIT dividends designated as qualified dividend income eligible for capital gain tax rates) are eligible for a 20% deduction by non-corporate taxpayers. This deduction, if allowed in full, equates to a maximum effective tax rate of 29.6% (37% top rate applied to income after 20% deduction). Distributions by the Fund to its shareholders that are attributable to qualified REIT dividends received by the Fund and which the Fund properly reports as “section 199A dividends,” are treated as “qualified REIT dividends” in the hands of non-corporate shareholders. A section 199A dividend is treated as a qualified REIT dividend only if the shareholder receiving such dividend holds the dividend-paying RIC shares for at least 46 days of the 91-day period beginning 45 days before the shares become ex-dividend, and is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to a position in substantially similar or related property. The Fund is permitted to report such part of its dividends as section 199A dividends as are eligible, but is not required to do so.
REITs in which the Fund invests often do not provide complete and final tax information to the Funds until after the time that the Fund issues a tax reporting statement. As a result, the Fund may at times find it necessary to reclassify the amount and character of its distributions to you after it issues your tax reporting statement. When such reclassification is necessary, the Fund (or its administrative agent) will send you a corrected, final Form 1099-DIV to reflect the reclassified information. If you receive a corrected Form 1099-DIV, use the information on this corrected form, and not the information on the previously issued tax reporting statement, in completing your tax returns.
The Fund may invest in REITs that hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”). Under a notice issued by the IRS, a portion of the Fund’s income from a REIT (or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. The notice provides that excess inclusion income of a RIC, such as the Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest directly. In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (a) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (b) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a federal income tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (c) in the case of a foreign shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined by the Code) is a record holder of a share in a RIC, then the RIC will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations.
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Distributions to shareholders of net investment income received by the Fund, and of net short-term capital gains realized by the Fund, if any, will be taxable to its shareholders as ordinary income, except as described below with respect to qualified dividend income. Distributions by the Fund of net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, are taxable as long-term capital gain, regardless of the length of time the shareholder has owned the shares with respect to which such distributions are made. Distributions derived from qualified dividend income and received by a noncorporate shareholder will be taxed at the rates applicable to long-term capital gain. Qualified dividend income generally includes dividends from domestic corporations and dividends from non-U.S. corporations that meet certain specified criteria. In order for some portion of the dividends received by a shareholder to be qualified dividend income, the Fund must meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to the dividend paying stocks in its portfolio and the noncorporate shareholder must meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to its shares of the Fund. A portion of the Fund’s distributions to shareholders may qualify for the Dividends Received Deduction available to corporate shareholders. Taxable distributions are subject to federal income tax whether reinvested in additional shares of the Fund or paid in cash.
Distributions
To be eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income, shareholders generally must hold their shares for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. In order for dividends received by the Fund’s shareholders to be treated as qualified dividend income, the Fund must also meet certain holding period and other requirements with respect to such dividend paying stocks it owns. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income at the Fund level if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for 60 days or fewer 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, 90 days or fewer during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date). In addition to the above holding period requirements, a dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level), (1) 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, (2) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (3) 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 an exception for stock that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States) or (b) treated as a PFIC. The Fund’s investment strategies may limit its ability to make distributions that are eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income for non-corporate shareholders or for the Dividends Received Deduction for corporate shareholders.
Distributions, if any, in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will first reduce the adjusted tax basis of a shareholder’s shares and, after that basis has been reduced to zero, will constitute capital gain to the shareholder (assuming the shares are held as a capital asset).
If the Fund utilizes leverage through borrowings, or otherwise, asset coverage limitations imposed by the 1940 Act as well as additional restrictions that may be imposed by certain lenders on the payment of dividends or distributions potentially could limit or eliminate the Fund’s ability to make distributions on its Common Shares until the asset coverage is restored. These limitations could prevent the Fund from distributing at least 90% of its investment company taxable income and tax-exempt interest as is required under the Code and therefore might jeopardize the Fund’s
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qualification as a RIC and/or might subject the Fund to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax. The Fund endeavors to avoid restrictions on its ability to distribute dividends.
Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, dividends declared in October, November or December, payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in one of those months and paid during the following January, will be treated as having been distributed by the Fund (and received by the shareholders) on December 31 of the year declared.
A dividend or distribution received shortly after the purchase of shares reduces the net asset value of the shares by the amount of the dividend or distribution and, although in effect a return of capital, will be taxable to the shareholder. If the net asset value of shares were reduced below the shareholder’s cost by dividends or distributions representing gains realized on sales of securities, such dividends or distributions, although also in effect returns of capital, would be taxable to the shareholder in the same manner as other dividends or distributions. This is known as “buying a dividend” and should be avoided by taxable investors.
The IRS requires that a RIC that has two or more classes of stock allocate to each such class proportionate amounts of each type of its income (such as ordinary income, capital gains, dividends qualifying for the dividends received deduction, qualified dividend income, interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends) based upon the percentage of total dividends paid out of current or accumulated earnings and profits to each class for the tax year. Accordingly, if the Fund issues Preferred Shares, it intends each year to allocate capital gain dividends, if any, between its Common Shares and Preferred Shares in proportion to the total dividends paid out of current or accumulated earnings and profits to each class with respect to such tax year. Distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, if any, however, would not be allocated proportionately among the Common Shares and Preferred Shares. Since the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits in the event of the issuance of Preferred Shares would first be used to pay dividends on the Preferred Shares, distributions in excess of such earnings and profits, if any, would be made disproportionately to Common Shareholders.
Sale, Exchange or Liquidation of Fund Shares
The sale or exchange of shares of the Fund normally will result in capital gain or loss to shareholders who hold their shares as capital assets. Generally, a shareholder’s gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. The gain or loss on shares held for one year or less will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gains of corporations at the same rates applicable to ordinary income. For noncorporate taxpayers, however, long-term capital gains are currently taxed at a maximum federal income tax rate of 20%, while short-term capital gains and other ordinary income are currently taxed at ordinary income rates. If a shareholder sells or otherwise disposes of shares before holding them for more than six months, any loss on the sale or disposition will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any net capital gain dividends received by the shareholder with respect to such shares. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be disallowed to the extent those shares of the Fund are replaced by other substantially identical shares of the Fund or other substantially identical stock or securities (including through reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition of the original shares. In that event, the basis of the replacement stock or securities will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitation.
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Medicare Tax
Certain noncorporate shareholders are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on some or all of their “net investment income,” which includes items of gross income that are attributable to interest, original issue discount and market discount (but not including tax-exempt interest), as well as net gain from the disposition of other property. This tax generally applies to the extent net investment income, when added to other modified adjusted gross income, exceeds $200,000 for an unmarried individual, $250,000 for a married taxpayer filing a joint return (or a surviving spouse), or $125,000 for a married individual filing a separate return. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers regarding the applicability of this tax in respect of their shares.
Foreign Taxes
Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass through” to the Fund’s shareholders the amount of eligible foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder generally subject to federal income tax will be required to include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income and to use such amount as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability or deduct such amount in lieu of claiming a credit, in each case subject to certain limitations. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified after the close of the Fund’s taxable year whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass through” for that year.
If the Fund does not satisfy the requirements for passing through to its shareholders their proportionate shares of any foreign taxes paid by the Fund, shareholders will not be required to include such taxes in their gross incomes and will not be entitled to a tax deduction or credit for such taxes on their own federal income tax returns.
Under certain circumstances, if the Fund receives a refund of foreign taxes paid in respect of a prior year, the value of Fund shares could be affected or any foreign tax credits or deductions passed through to shareholders in respect of the Fund’s foreign taxes for the current year could be reduced.
Backup Withholding
The Fund may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 24% from all distributions and redemption proceeds payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. This withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s federal income tax liability, provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.
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Foreign Shareholders
U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate, or a foreign corporation (“foreign shareholder”) depends on whether the income of the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder. If a partnership (including an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds Fund shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A partner in a partnership holding Fund shares should consult its tax advisors with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of Fund shares.
If the income from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the foreign shareholder, distributions of investment company taxable income will be subject to a U.S. tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions. Distributions which are reported by the Fund as “interest-related dividends” or “short-term capital gain dividends” are exempt from the 30% withholding tax. Interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends generally represent distributions of interest or short-term capital gains that would not have been subject to U.S. withholding tax at the source if they had been received directly by a foreign person and satisfy certain other requirements.
Distributions of capital gain dividends (including any amounts retained by the Fund which are reported as undistributed capital gains) and gains recognized on the sale or other disposition of our common stock will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate) unless the foreign shareholder is a nonresident alien individual and is physically present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year and meets certain other requirements. However, this 30% tax on capital gains of nonresident alien individuals who are physically present in the United States for more than the 182 day period only applies in exceptional cases because any individual present in the United States for more than 182 days during the taxable year is generally treated as a resident for U.S. income tax purposes; in that case, he or she would be subject to U.S. income tax on his or her worldwide income at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, rather than the 30% U.S. tax. In the case of a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the foreign shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption.
If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, then distributions of investment company taxable income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are reported as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Foreign corporate shareholders also may be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. Certain certification and disclosure requirements, including delivery of a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI, must be satisfied for income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business to be exempt from the 30% withholding described above.
The tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Foreign shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.
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Under legislation known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), the Fund will be required to withhold 30% of the ordinary dividends it pays to shareholders that fail to meet prescribed information reporting or certification requirements. In general, no such withholding will be required with respect to a U.S. person or foreign person that timely provides the certifications required by the Fund or its agent on a valid IRS Form W-9, W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, respectively. Shareholders potentially subject to withholding include foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”), such as foreign investment funds, and non-financial foreign entities (“NFFEs”). To avoid withholding under FATCA, an FFI generally must enter into an information sharing agreement with the IRS in which it agrees to report certain identifying information (including name, address, and taxpayer identification number) with respect to its U.S. account holders (which, in the case of an entity shareholder, may include its direct and indirect U.S. owners), and an NFFE generally must identify itself and may be required to provide other required information to the Fund or other withholding agent regarding its U.S. owners, if any. Such foreign shareholders also may fall into certain exempt, excepted or deemed compliant categories as established by regulations and other guidance. A non-U.S. entity that invests in the Fund will need to provide the Fund with documentation properly certifying the entity’s status under FATCA in order to avoid FATCA withholding. A foreign shareholder resident or doing business in a country that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. to implement FATCA may be subject to different requirements provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement. Foreign shareholders are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these requirements on their investment in Fund shares.
Other Tax Considerations
Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.
Under Treasury regulations, generally, if a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to Common Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder in any single taxable year (or a greater loss over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances
The audited financial statements, financial highlights and notes thereto and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report thereon appearing in the Fund’s Annual Report for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 are incorporated herein by reference in this SAI. The Fund’s Annual Report may be obtained without charge by calling (312) 917-7700 or on Nuveen’s website at www.nuveen.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this SAI.
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The custodian of the Fund’s assets is State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 (the “Custodian”). The Custodian performs custodial, fund accounting and portfolio accounting services. The Fund’s transfer, shareholder services and dividend paying agent is Computershare. Computershare is located at 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, provides auditing services to the Fund. The principal business address of KPMG is 200 East Randolph Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.
Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, DC.
A Registration Statement on Form N-2, including amendments thereto, relating to the shares of the Fund offered hereby, has been filed by the Fund with the SEC, Washington, D.C. The Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement, including any exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to the Fund and the shares offered hereby, reference is made to the Fund’s Registration Statement. Copies of the Registration Statement may be inspected without charge at the SEC’s principal office in Washington, D.C., and copies of all or any part thereof may be obtained from the SEC upon the payment of certain fees prescribed by the SEC.
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RATINGS OF INVESTMENTS
S&P Global Ratings
The following rating definitions are for long-term and short-term credit ratings for both issuer and issue ratings. These types of credit ratings cover the broadest set of credit risk factors and are not limited in scope. Some refer to these as the “traditional” credit ratings.
A. Issue Credit Ratings
An S&P Global Ratings issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects S&P Global Ratings’ view of the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and this opinion may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.
Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.
Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Long-term issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on S&P Global Ratings’ analysis of the following considerations:
• | The likelihood of payment—the capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitments on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; |
• | The nature and provisions of the financial obligation, and the promise we impute; and |
• | The protection afforded by, and relative position of, the financial obligation in the event of a bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights. |
Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
AAA
An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
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AA
An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A
An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB
An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB, B, CCC, CC, and C
Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB
An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
B
An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC
An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
CC
An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P Global Ratings expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
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C
An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.
D
An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
NR
This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P Global Ratings does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
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.
Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P Global Ratings. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.
A-2
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.
A-3
A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
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B
A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
C
A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.
D
A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P Global Ratings believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
Dual Ratings
Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’ or ‘A-1+/A-1’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).
For more information on S&P Global Ratings, please visit www.standardandpoors.com.
Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.
A brief description of the applicable Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moody’s) follows:
Municaipal Bonds
Aaa
Bonds that are rated ‘Aaa’ 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
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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 issues.
Aa
Bonds mat are rated ‘Aa’ 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 mat make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in ‘Aaa’ securities.
A
Bonds that are rated ‘A’ 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 that suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.
Baa
Bonds that are rated ‘Baa’ are considered as 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
Bonds that are rated ‘Ba’ are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class.
B
Bonds that are rated ‘B’ generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa
Bonds that are rated ‘Caa’ are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.
Ca
Bonds that are rated ‘Ca’ represent obligations that are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
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C
Bonds that are rated ‘C’ are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor Prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
#(hatchmark): Represents issues that are secured by escrowed funds held in cash, held in trust, invested and reinvested in direct, non-callable, non-prepayable United States government obligations or non-callable, non-prepayable obligations unconditionally guaranteed by the U.S. Government, Resolution Funding Corporation debt obligations.
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 that begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting condition attaches. The parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of the basis of the condition.
(P): When applied to forward delivery bonds, indicates 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: Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1,2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates mat the issue ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.
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.
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SG
This designation denotes speculative quality. Debt instruments in this category lack margins of protection.
Commercial Paper
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability 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. |
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt 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, may be more subject to variation than is the case for Prime-2 securities. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.
Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term debt 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.
For more information on Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., please visit www.moodys.com.
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Fitch Ratings
A brief description of the applicable Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) ratings symbols and meanings (as published by Fitch) follows:
Long-Term Credit Ratings
Investment Grade
AAA
Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA
Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A
High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB
Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
BB
Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists that supports the servicing of financial commitments.
B
Highly Speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.
CCC
Substantial credit risk. Default is a real possibility.
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CC
Very high levels of credit risk. Default of some kind appears probable.
C
Near default. A default or default-like process has begun, or the issuer is in standstill, or for a closed funding vehicle, payment capacity is irrevocably impaired. Conditions that are indicative of a ‘C’ category rating for an issuer include:
a. | the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation; |
b. | the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation; |
c. | the formal announcement by the issuer or their agent of a distressed debt exchange; |
d. | a closed financing vehicle where payment capacity is irrevocably impaired such that it is not expected to pay interest and/or principal in full during the life of the transaction, but where no payment default is imminent. |
RD
Restricted default. ‘RD’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has experienced:
a. | an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation, but |
b. | has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation, or other formal winding-up procedure, and |
c. | has not otherwise ceased operating. |
This would include:
i. | the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt; |
ii. | the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation; |
iii. | the extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; ordinary execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations. |
D
Default. ‘D’ ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch’s opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure or that has otherwise ceased business.
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Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.
In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agency’s opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuer’s financial obligations or local commercial practice.
Short-Term Credit Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-term deposit ratings may be adjusted for loss severity. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.
Fl
Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2
Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3
Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B
Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C
High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.
RD
Restricted Default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.
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D
Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
Notes to Long-term and Short-term ratings:
“+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘FT.
‘NR’ indicates that Fitch Ratings does not rate the issuer or issue in question.
‘Withdrawn’: A rating is withdrawn when Fitch Ratings deems the amount of information available to be inadequate for rating purposes, or when an obligation matures, is called, or refinanced.
Rating Watch: Ratings are placed on Rating Watch to notify investors that there is a reasonable probability of a rating change and the likely direction of such change. These are designated as “Positive”, indicating a potential upgrade, “Negative”, for a potential downgrade, or “Evolving”, if ratings may be raised, lowered or maintained. Rating Watch is typically resolved over a relatively short period.
A Rating Outlook indicates the direction a rating is likely to move over a one to two year period. Outlooks may be positive, stable, or negative. A positive or negative Rating Outlook does not imply a rating change is inevitable. Similarly, ratings for which outlooks are ‘stable’ could be downgraded before an outlook moves to positive or negative if circumstances warrant such an action. Occasionally, Fitch Ratings may be unable to identify the fundamental trend. In these cases, the Rating Outlook may be described as evolving.
For more information about Fitch, Inc., please visit www.fitchratings.com.
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Nuveen Preferred & Income Opportunities Fund
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
March 18, 2021