Prospectus Supplement
(to Prospectus dated October 17, 2019)
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.
4,462,000 Shares of Common Stock
Subscription Rights for Shares of Common Stock
4,462,000 Shares of Common Stock Issuable Upon Exercise of Rights to Subscribe for Such Shares
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) is issuing transferable subscription rights (“Rights”) to its stockholders of record as of September 3, 2020 (the “Record Date” and such stockholders, “Record Date Stockholders”). These Rights will allow Record Date Stockholders to subscribe for new shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Shares”), of the Fund in an aggregate amount of up to 4,462,000 Common Shares (the “Offer”). Record Date Stockholders will receive one Right for each Common Share held on the Record Date. For every three Rights held, a Record Date Stockholder is entitled to purchase one Common Share of the Fund. Record Date Stockholders who fully exercise their Rights may also, in certain circumstances, purchase additional Common Shares pursuant to an over-subscription privilege. The number of Rights to be issued to a Record Date Stockholder will be rounded up to the nearest number of Rights evenly divisible by three. Fractional shares will not be issued upon the exercise of the Rights. Accordingly, new Common Shares may be purchased only pursuant to the exercise of Rights in integral multiples of three.
The Rights are transferable and will be admitted for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol ‘‘OPP.RT” during the course of the Offer. The Fund’s Common Shares are currently listed, and the new Common Shares issued in this Offer will also be listed, on the NYSE under the symbol “OPP.” As of August 13, 2020, the last reported net asset value (“NAV”) per Common Share was $14.93 and the last reported sales price per Common Share on the NYSE was $14.51.
The Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on October 1, 2020, unless the Offer is extended as described in this Prospectus Supplement (the “Expiration Date”). The subscription price per Common Share will be determined based upon a formula equal to 92.5% of the reported NAV or 95% of the market price per Common Share, whichever is higher, on the Expiration Date, unless the Offer is extended. Market price per Common Share will be determined based on the average of the last reported sales price of a Common Share on the NYSE for the five trading days preceding (and not inclusive of) the Expiration Date.
Rights holders will not know the subscription price at the time of exercise and will be required initially to pay for both the Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the primary subscription and, if eligible, any additional Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the over-subscription privilege, at the estimated subscription price of $13.81 per Common Share and, except in limited circumstances, will not be able to rescind their subscription. Rights acquired in the secondary market may not participate in the over-subscription privilege.
Exercising your Rights and investing in the Fund involves a high degree of risk and may be considered speculative. Before exercising your Rights and investing in the Fund, you should read the discussion of the material risks in “Risks” beginning on page 28 of the accompanying Prospectus.
In addition, you should consider the following:
| ● | Stockholders who do not exercise their Rights will, at the completion of the Offer, own a smaller proportional interest in the Fund than if they exercised their Rights, which will proportionately decrease the relative voting power of those stockholders. |
| ● | Because the Subscription Price per Common Share may be below the NAV per Common Share on the Expiration Date, you will likely experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate NAV of your Common Shares if you do not participate in the Offer and you will likely experience a reduction in the NAV per share of your common stock whether or not you participate in the Offer. |
| ● | All participating and non-participating stockholders will experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate NAV of your Common Shares because you will indirectly bear the expenses of the Offer. This will disproportionately affect holders of Common Shares (“Stockholders”) who do not exercise their Rights. |
| ● | The Fund cannot state precisely the extent of this dilution if you do not exercise your Rights because the Fund does not know what the Subscription Price per Common Share will be when the Offer expires, or what proportion of the Rights will be exercised. Assuming the full Primary Subscription is exercised, the Fund’s NAV per share of common stock would be reduced by approximately $0.29 or -1.92% per Common Share. Actual amounts may vary due to rounding, the final subscription price, the amount of Rights exercised and other estimates. |
| ● | Any Common Shares issued a result of the Offer will not be record date shares for the Fund’s monthly distributions to be paid in August 2020 or September 2020. |
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus Supplement or the accompanying Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
| | Per Common Share | | | Total3 | |
Estimated subscription price 1 | | $ | 13.81 | | | $ | 61,620,220 | |
Estimated sales load | | $ | 0.00 | | | $ | 0 | |
Estimated primary offering expenses 2 | | $ | 0.02 | | | $ | 99,700 | |
Estimated net proceeds to Fund 1 | | $ | 13.79 | | | $ | 61,520,520 | |
(1) | Estimated as if August 13, 2020 were the expiration date. As of the close of August 13, 2020, the Fund’s NAV per Common Share was $14.93 and the average of the last reported sales price for the five trading days preceding (and not inclusive of) August 13, 2020 was $14.52. See “Terms of the Offer-The Subscription Price.” |
(2) | Offering expenses payable by the Fund (and indirectly by all of the Fund’s Stockholders, including those who do not exercise their Rights) are estimated at approximately $99,700 which includes fees to the subscription agent and information agent estimated to be approximately $35,000 in the aggregate, inclusive of out of pocket expenses. |
(3) | Assumes all Rights are exercised at the estimated subscription price per Common Share. All of the Rights offered may not be exercised and the price may be higher or lower than the estimated amount. |
Assuming all Common Shares offered are purchased in the Offer, the proportionate interest held by non-exercising Stockholders will decrease upon completion of the Offer. As with any Common Shares, the price of the Fund’s Common Shares fluctuates with market conditions and other factors. As of August 13, 2020, the Common Shares were trading at a discount to their NAV. Since the inception of the Fund, the Common Shares have traded at a discount of as much as 22.84%. As described more fully in this Prospectus Supplement, Record Date Stockholders who fully exercise all Rights initially issued to them are entitled to buy those Common Shares referred to as “over-subscription shares” that were not purchased by other Rights holders. If enough over-subscription shares are available, all such requests will be honored in full. If the requests for over-subscription shares exceed the over-subscription shares available, the available over-subscription shares will be allocated pro rata among those fully exercising Record Date Stockholders who over-subscribe based on the number of Rights originally issued to them by the Fund.
The Fund. The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
Investment Objective. The Fund’s investment objective is current income and overall total return. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by allocating its Managed Assets (as defined below) among the two principal investment strategies described below:
Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy (10% - 35% of Managed Assets): This strategy seeks to (i) generate returns through investments in closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds and business development companies (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”) that invest primarily in income-producing securities, and (ii) derive value from the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds.
Opportunistic Income Strategy (65% - 90% of Managed Assets): This strategy seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in fixed income instruments and other investments, including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, and real estate investment trusts. At least 50% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy is invested in mortgage-backed securities.
An investment in the Fund is not appropriate for all investors. No assurances can be given that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
This Prospectus Supplement and accompanying Prospectus sets forth concisely the information about the Fund and the Offer that a prospective investor ought to know before investing in the Fund and participating in the Offer. You should read this Prospectus Supplement and accompanying Prospectus, which contains important information about the Fund, before deciding whether to invest in the Fund’s Common Shares, and retain them for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information, dated October 17, 2019 (the “SAI”), containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into the accompanying Prospectus, which means that it is part of the accompanying Prospectus for legal purposes. You may request a free copy of the SAI (the table of contents of which is on page 87 of the accompanying Prospectus), annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund, or make shareholder inquiries, by calling (855) 862-6092 (toll free), by writing to the Fund at 325 North LaSalle Street, Suite 645, Chicago, IL 60654, or by visiting the Fund’s and the Adviser’s website at www.rivernorth.com (information included on the website does not form a part of this Prospectus Supplement or accompanying Prospectus), or from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Fund's annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 is also available at the following hyperlink: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1678130/000139834419016355/fp0044949_ncsr.htm. For additional information, all holders of Rights should contact the Information Agent, Georgeson LLC (“Georgeson” or the “Information Agent”) toll free at (800) 905-7281 or send a written request to Georgeson at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor, New York, NY 10104.
Investing in the Fund’s Common Shares involves certain risks. See “Risks” beginning on page S-10 of the Prospectus Supplement and page 28 of the accompanying Prospectus.
The Fund, or the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests, may invest in securities of any credit quality, including, without limit, securities that are rated below investment grade, except that, under normal market conditions, no more than 60% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in below investment grade and “senior loan” Underlying Funds, and the Fund invests at least 20% of the Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy in securities rated investment grade (or unrated securities judged by the Subadviser (as defined
below) to be of comparable quality). Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. See “Risks—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk” in the accompanying Prospectus.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund may allocate between 10% and 35% of its Managed Assets to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy and between 65% and 90% of its Managed Assets to the Opportunistic Income Strategy. Subject to the foregoing ranges, the Adviser (as defined below) determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. See “Investment Philosophy and Process” in the accompanying Prospectus. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, including assets attributable to leverage, minus liabilities (other than debt representing leverage and any preferred stock that may be outstanding).
Investment Adviser and Subadviser. The Fund’s investment adviser is RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and the Fund’s subadviser is DoubleLine® Capital LP (the “Subadviser”). See “Management of the Fund” in the accompanying Prospectus.
Contingent Conversion Feature. The Fund’s Charter provides that, during calendar year 2021, the Fund will call a shareholder meeting for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company. If approved by shareholders, the Fund will seek to convert to an open-end management investment company within 12 months of such approval. If not approved by shareholders, the Fund will continue operating as a closed-end management investment company. See “Contingent Conversion Feature” in the accompanying Prospectus.
Leverage. The Fund may borrow money and/or issue preferred stock, notes or debt securities for investment purposes. The Fund currently anticipates that it could also obtain leverage through the use of reverse repurchase agreements. Since the holders of Common Shares pay all expenses related to the issuance of debt or use of leverage, any use of leverage would create a greater risk of loss for the Common Shares than if leverage is not used. See “Risks—Leverage Risks” in the accompanying Prospectus.
The Fund’s 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.
Capitalized terms used herein that are not otherwise defined shall have the meanings assigned to them in the accompanying Prospectus.
Prospectus Supplement dated August 26, 2020
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page |
Prospectus Supplement | |
Prospectus Supplement Summary | S-1 |
Summary of Fund Expenses | S-8 |
Risks | S-10 |
Capitalization | S-11 |
Use of Proceeds | S-12 |
Description of the Offer | S-12 |
Dilution and Other Investment Considerations for the Offer | S-21 |
Dividends and Distributions | S-22 |
Legal Matters | S-23 |
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | S-23 |
Additional Information | S-23 |
Prospectus
| Page |
Prospectus Summary | 1 |
Summary Of Fund Expenses | 14 |
Financial Highlights | 16 |
Market and Net Asset Value Information | 18 |
The Fund | 19 |
The Offering | 19 |
Use Of Proceeds | 20 |
Investment Objective, Strategies And Policies | 20 |
Investment Philosophy and Process | 24 |
Contingent Conversion Feature | 25 |
Use Of Leverage | 26 |
Risks | 28 |
Management Of The Fund | 60 |
Net Asset Value | 62 |
Dividends And Distributions | 62 |
Dividend Reinvestment Plan | 64 |
Description Of The Fund’s Securities | 65 |
Certain Provisions Of The Fund’s Charter And Bylaws And Of Maryland Law | 69 |
Repurchase Of Shares | 76 |
Rights Offerings | 77 |
Conversion To Open-End Fund | 77 |
U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters | 77 |
Plan of Distribution | 82 |
Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, Dividend Disbursing Agent and Custodian | 85 |
Legal Matters | 85 |
Control Persons | 85 |
Additional Information | 85 |
The Fund’s Privacy Policy | 86 |
Table Of Contents For The Statement Of Additional Information | 87 |
CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Prospectus Supplement, the accompanying Prospectus and the statement of additional information contain “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words “may,” “will,” “intend,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “anticipate,” and similar terms and the negative of such terms. By their nature, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Several factors that could materially affect the Fund’s actual results are the performance of the portfolio of securities the Fund holds, the price at which the Fund’s Common Shares will trade in the public markets and other factors discussed in the Fund’s periodic filings with the SEC. Currently known risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Fund’s expectations include, but are not limited to, the factors described in the “Risks” section of the accompanying Prospectus. The Fund urges you to review carefully that section for a more detailed discussion of the risks of an investment in the Fund’s securities.
Although the Fund believes that the expectations expressed in the Fund’s forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the Fund’s forward-looking statements. The Fund’s future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to change and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, such as those disclosed in the “Risks” section of the accompanying Prospectus. All forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus Supplement or the accompanying Prospectus are made as of the date of this Prospectus Supplement or the accompanying Prospectus, as the case may be. Except for the Fund’s ongoing obligations under the federal securities laws, the Fund does not intend, and the Fund undertakes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement.
Prospectus Supplement Summary
This is only a summary of information contained elsewhere in this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the Fund’s shares of common stock (the “Common Shares’’). You should carefully read the more detailed information contained in this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus and the statement of additional information (“SAI’’), dated October 17, 2019, especially the information set forth under the heading “Risks”.
The Fund
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) is a Maryland corporation registered as a diversified, closed-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund commenced operations and completed its initial public offering of Common Shares in September 2016, raising approximately $215 million in equity after payment of offering expenses (and including the exercise of the overallotment option). In December 2019, the Fund issued 2,371,081 additional Common Shares as a result of its offering of transferable subscription rights to purchase Common Shares. As of August 13, 2020, the Fund had 13,384,686 shares of its Common Shares outstanding and net assets applicable to such shares of $199,816,796. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not issued any shares of preferred stock (“Preferred Shares”). An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Purpose of the Offer
The Board of Directors of the Fund (the “Board”), based on the recommendation of RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser” or “RiverNorth”), the Fund’s investment adviser, and DoubleLine® Capital LP (the “Subadviser” or
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“DoubleLine”), has determined that it would be in the best interest of the Fund and its existing stockholders to increase the assets of the Fund so that the Fund may be in a better position to take advantage of investment opportunities that may arise without having to reduce existing Fund holdings.
The Board also believes that a larger number of outstanding Common Shares and a larger number of holders of common stock (“Stockholders”) could increase the level of market interest in and visibility of the Fund, and improve the trading liquidity of the Fund’s shares on the NYSE. In making this determination, the Board considered a number of factors, including potential benefits and costs. This rights offering seeks to reward existing Stockholders by giving them the opportunity to purchase additional Common Shares at a price that may be below the market price and/or NAV without incurring any commission or charge. The distribution of these rights, which themselves may have intrinsic value, will also give non-participating Stockholders the potential of receiving a cash payment upon the sale of their rights, which may be viewed as partial compensation for the possible dilution of their interests in the Fund as a result of this offer.
The Board believes that increasing the size of the Fund may result in certain economies of scale, which may lower the Fund’s expenses as a proportion of average net assets because the Fund’s fixed costs can be spread over a larger asset base. There can be no assurance that by increasing the size of the Fund, the Fund’s expense ratio will be lowered. There can be no assurance that this rights offering (or the investment of the proceeds of this rights offering) will be successful or that the level of trading on the Fund’s shares on the NYSE will increase.
Important Terms of the Offer
The Fund is issuing transferable subscription rights (“Rights”) to its Stockholders of record as of September 3, 2020 (the “Record Date” and such stockholders, “Record Date Stockholders”). These Rights will allow Record Date Stockholders to subscribe for new Common Shares of the Fund in an aggregate amount of approximately 4,462,000 Common Shares (the “Offer”). Record Date Stockholders will receive one Right for each Common Share held on the Record Date. For every three Rights held, you are entitled to purchase one new Common Share of the Fund. Record Date Stockholders who fully exercise their Rights may also, in certain circumstances, purchase additional Common Shares pursuant to an over-subscription privilege. The number of Rights to be issued to each Record Date Stockholder will be rounded up to the nearest number of Rights evenly divisible by three. Fractional shares will not be issued upon the exercise of the Rights. Accordingly, new Common Shares may be purchased only pursuant to the exercise of Rights in integral multiples of three.
The Rights are transferable and will be admitted for trading on the NYSE under the symbol “OPP.RT” during the course of the Offer. The Fund’s Common Shares are currently listed, and the new Common Shares issued in this Offer will also be listed, on the NYSE under the symbol “OPP”. On August 13, 2020, the last reported net asset value (“NAV”) per Common Share was $14.93 and the last reported sales price per Common Share on the NYSE was $14.51.
The Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on October 1, 2020, unless the Offer is extended as described in this Prospectus Supplement (the “Expiration Date”).
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The subscription price (“Subscription Price”) per Common Share will be determined based upon a formula equal to 92.5% of the reported NAV or 95% of the market price per Common Share, whichever is higher, on the Expiration Date, unless the Offer is extended. Market price per Common Share will be determined based on the average of the last reported sales price of a Common Share on the NYSE for the five trading days preceding (and not inclusive of) the Expiration Date. Common Shares of the Fund, as a closed-end fund, can trade at a discount to NAV. Upon expiration of the Offer, the Fund expects that Common Shares will likely be issued at a price below NAV per share.
Rights holders may not know the Subscription Price at the time of exercise and will be required initially to pay for both the Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the primary subscription and, if eligible, any additional Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the over-subscription privilege at the estimated Subscription Price of $13.81 per Common Share and, except in limited circumstances, will not be able to rescind their subscription.
Rights acquired in the secondary market may not participate in the over-subscription privilege.
The Rights exercisable for one Common Share for each three Rights exercised at the Subscription Price will be referred to in the remainder of this Prospectus Supplement as the “primary subscription.”
The Fund will not be issuing share certificates for the Common Shares issued pursuant to this Offer. Issuance of Common Shares will be made electronically via book entry by DST Systems, Inc. (“DST”), the Fund’s transfer agent.
Any Common Shares issued a result of the Offer will not be record date shares for the Fund’s monthly distributions to be paid in August 2020 or September 2020.
Important Dates to Remember
Please note that the dates in the table below may change if the Offer is extended.
Event | Date |
Record Date | September 3, 2020 |
Subscription Period | September 8, 2020 to October 1, 2020* |
Expiration Date | October 1, 2020* |
Payment for Guarantees of Delivery Due | October 5, 2020* |
Confirmation to Participants | By October 12, 2020* |
* Unless the Offer is extended.
Over-Subscription Privilege
Record Date Stockholders who fully exercise all Rights initially issued to them are entitled to buy those Common Shares, referred to as “over-subscription shares,” that were not purchased by other Rights holders at the same Subscription Price. If enough over-subscription shares are available, all such requests will be honored in full. If the requests for over-subscription shares exceed the over-subscription shares available, the available over-subscription shares will be allocated pro rata among those fully exercising Record Date Stockholders who over-subscribe based on the number of Rights originally issued to them by the Fund. Common Shares acquired pursuant to the over-subscription privilege are subject to allotment.
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Rights acquired in the secondary market may not participate in the over-subscription privilege.
If Stockholders do not participate in the over-subscription offer (if any), their percentage ownership may be further diluted.
Notwithstanding the above, the Board has the right, in its absolute discretion, to eliminate the over-subscription privilege with respect to the over-subscription shares if it considers it to be in the best interest of the Fund to do so. The Board may make that determination at any time, without prior notice to Rights holders or others, up to and including the seventh day following the Expiration Date. See “Terms of the Offer-Over-Subscription Privilege.”
Sale of Rights
The Rights are transferable until the completion of the Subscription Period and will be admitted for trading on the NYSE. Although no assurance can be given that a market for the Rights will develop, trading in the Rights on the NYSE will begin two Business Days (defined below) prior to the Record Date and may be conducted until the close of trading on the last NYSE trading day prior to the completion of the Subscription Period. For purposes of this Prospectus Supplement, a “Business Day” means any day on which trading is conducted on the NYSE.
The value of the Rights, if any, will be reflected by the market price. Rights may be sold by individual holders or may be submitted to the Subscription Agent for sale (please see “Terms of the Offer-Method of Transferring Rights”). Any Rights submitted to the Subscription Agent for sale must be received by the Subscription Agent on or before September 24, 2020, five Business Days prior to the completion of the Subscription Period, due to normal settlement procedures. Selling stockholders are responsible for all brokerage commissions incurred by the Subscription Agent as well as other fees and expenses associated with a transfer of Rights.
Rights that are sold will not confer any right to acquire any Common Shares in the over-subscription, and any Record Date Stockholder who sells any Rights will not be eligible to participate in the over-subscription.
Trading of the Rights on the NYSE will be conducted on a when-issued basis until and including the date on which the Subscription Certificates are mailed to Record Date Stockholders, and thereafter will be conducted on a regular way basis until and including the last NYSE trading day prior to the completion of the Subscription Period. Common Shares will begin trading ex-Rights one Business Day prior to the Record Date.
If the Subscription Agent receives Rights for sale in a timely manner, it will use its best efforts to sell the Rights on the NYSE. The Subscription Agent will also attempt to sell any Rights (i) a Rights holder is unable to exercise because the Rights represent the right to subscribe for less than one new Common Share or (ii) attributable to Stockholders whose record addresses are outside the United States or who have an Army Post Office (“APO”) or Fleet Post Office (“FPO”) address. See “Restrictions on Foreign Stockholders” and “Terms of the Offer-Foreign Restrictions.”
Any commissions will be paid by the selling Rights holders. Neither the Fund nor the Subscription Agent will be responsible if Rights cannot be sold and neither has guaranteed any minimum sales price for the Rights. If the Rights can be sold,
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sales of these Rights will be deemed to have been effected at the weighted average price received by the Subscription Agent on the day such Rights are sold, less any applicable brokerage commissions, taxes and other expenses.
Method for Exercising Rights
Rights may be exercised by completing and signing the reverse side of the subscription certificate evidencing the Rights (the “Subscription Certificate”) and mailing it in the envelope provided, or otherwise delivering the completed and signed Subscription Certificate to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Subscription Agent”), together with payment for the Common Shares as described below under “Payment for Shares of Stock.” Rights may also be exercised through a Rights holder’s broker, who may charge the Rights holder a servicing fee in connection with such exercise. See “Terms of the Offer-Method for Exercising Rights” and “Terms of the Offer-Payment for Shares of Stock.”
Restrictions on Foreign Stockholders
Subscription Certificates will only be mailed to Record Date Stockholders whose addresses are within the United States (other than an APO or FPO address). Record Date Stockholders whose addresses are outside the United States or who have an APO or FPO address and who wish to subscribe to the Offer either in part or in full should contact the Information Agent or Subscription Agent in writing or by recorded telephone conversation no later than five Business Days prior to the Expiration Date. The Fund will determine whether the Offer may be made to any such Record Date Stockholder. The Offer will not be made in any jurisdiction where it would be unlawful to do so. If the Subscription Agent has received no instruction by the fifth Business Day prior to the Expiration Date or the Fund has determined that the Offer may not be made to a particular Record Date Stockholder, the Subscription Agent will attempt to sell all of such stockholder’s Rights and remit the net proceeds, if any, to such stockholder. If the Rights can be sold, sales of these Rights will be deemed to have been effected at the weighted average price received by the Subscription Agent on the day the Rights are sold, less any applicable brokerage commissions, taxes and other expenses.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters
The Fund urges you to consult your own tax adviser with respect to the particular tax consequences of the Offer. See “Terms of the Offer-Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” for more information on the tax consequences of the Offer.
Adviser and Subadviser
The Fund’s investment adviser is RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and the Fund’s subadviser is DoubleLine® Capital LP (the “Subadviser”). The Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. The Subadviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy. Subject to the ranges noted below, the Adviser determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, including assets attributable to leverage, minus liabilities (other than debt representing leverage and any preferred stock that may be outstanding). See “Management of the Fund” in the accompanying Prospectus.
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The Fund pays the Adviser a management fee payable on a monthly basis at the annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily Managed Assets for the services it provides. The Adviser (not the Fund) has agreed to pay the Subadviser a subadvisory fee payable on a monthly basis at the annual rate of 0.50% of the Fund’s average daily Managed Assets for the services it provides. As a result, the Adviser and the Subadviser are paid more if the Fund uses leverage directly, which creates a potential conflict of interest for the Adviser and the Subadviser. The Subadviser will seek to manage that potential conflict by utilizing leverage only when it determines such action is in the best interests of the Fund. For more information on the Adviser and the Subadviser, as well as the fees and expenses, see “Summary of Fund Expenses” and “Management of the Fund” on pages 14 and 60 of the accompanying Prospectus.
Benefits to the Adviser and Subadviser
The Adviser and Subadviser will benefit from the Offer because each firm’s fee is based on the Fund’s Managed Assets. See “Management of the Fund” on page 60 of the accompanying Prospectus. It is not possible to state precisely the amount of additional compensation the Adviser and Subadviser will receive as a result of the Offer because the proceeds of the Offer will be invested in additional portfolio securities, which will fluctuate in value. However, assuming all Rights are exercised at the estimated Subscription Price of $13.81 and that the Fund receives the maximum proceeds of the Offer, the annual compensation to be received by the Adviser would be increased by approximately $615,000. In determining that the Offer was in the best interest of stockholders, the Board was cognizant of this benefit.
Dilution and other Investment Considerations
Stockholders who do not exercise their Rights will, at the completion of the Offer, own a smaller proportional interest in the Fund than if they exercised their Rights, which will proportionately decrease the relative voting power of those stockholders. Because the Subscription Price per Common Share may be below the NAV per Common Share on the Expiration Date, you will likely experience a reduction in the NAV per Common Share of your Common Shares whether or not you participate in the Offer. In addition, whether or not you exercise your Rights, you will experience a dilution of NAV of the Common Shares because you will indirectly bear the expenses of this Offer, which include, among other items, SEC registration fees, printing expenses and the fees assessed by service providers. This dilution of NAV will disproportionately affect Stockholders who do not exercise their Rights. The Fund cannot state precisely the extent of this dilution if you do not exercise your Rights because the Fund does not know what the NAV per Common Share will be when the Offer expires, or what proportion of the Rights will be exercised.
Assuming, for example, that all Rights are exercised, the Subscription Price is $13.81 and the Fund’s NAV per Common Share at the expiration of the Offer is $14.93, the Fund’s NAV per Common Share (after payment of estimated offering expenses) would be reduced by approximately $0.29 (-1.92%) per Common Share. See “Dilution and other Investment Considerations.”
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If you do not wish to exercise your Rights, you should consider selling them as set forth in this Prospectus Supplement. The Fund cannot give any assurance, however, that a market for the Rights will develop or that the Rights will have any marketable value.
The offer may increase the volatility of the market price of the Common Shares. In addition, the Offer could be under-subscribed, in which case RiverNorth will not have as much proceeds to invest on behalf of the Fund. See “Dilution and other Investment Considerations.”
Use of Proceeds
Unless otherwise specified in this Prospectus Supplement, the Fund anticipates that investment of the proceeds will be made in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as appropriate investment opportunities are identified. It is currently anticipated that the Fund will be able to invest substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of Common Shares in accordance with its investment objective and policies within three months after the completion of such offering. Pending such investment, the proceeds may be invested in cash, cash equivalents, short-term debt securities or U.S. government securities. See “Use of Proceeds.”
Dividends and Distributions
The Board has approved a level distribution policy (the “Level Distribution Policy”) for the Fund. Under the Level Distribution Policy the Fund intends to make monthly distributions to common shareholders, but at a constant and fixed (but not guaranteed) rate (that is annually reset) equal to 12.5% of the average of the Fund’s NAV per share as reported for the final five trading days of the preceding calendar year.
For more information about the Level Distribution Policy, see “Dividends and Distributions.”
Any Common Shares issued a result of the Offer will not be record date shares for the Fund’s monthly distribution to be paid in August 2020 or September 2020.
Use of Leverage
The Fund may borrow money and/or issue Preferred Shares, notes or debt securities for investment purposes. These practices are known as leveraging. The Adviser determines whether or not to engage in leverage based on its assessment of conditions in the debt and credit markets. There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful during any period in which it is employed. The Fund has entered into a $75,000,000 secured, revolving, evergreen credit facility with U.S. Bank National Association (the “USB Facility”). For more information about the credit facility and the Fund’s use of leverage, see “Summary of Fund Expenses” and “Use of Leverage—Effects of Leverage” in the accompanying Prospectus. The Fund currently anticipates that it could also obtain leverage through the use of reverse repurchase agreements.
The use by the Fund of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks as leverage since the proceeds derived from such reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities. See “Risks—Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risks” in the accompanying Prospectus.
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Summary of Fund Expenses
The following table shows estimated Fund expenses as a percentage of net assets attributable to Common Shares. The purpose of the following table and the example below is to help you understand the fees and expenses that you, as a Common Shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The expenses shown in the table and related footnotes, along with the example, are based on the Fund’s capital structure as of December 31, 2019. As of such date, the Fund had $73,500,000 of leverage outstanding pursuant to the USB Facility. See “Use of Leverage” in the Accompanying Prospectus. Such leverage represented 24% of Managed Assets as of December 31, 2019. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown below.
Shareholder Transaction Expenses | As a Percentage of Offering Price |
Sales Load | None |
Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees | None(1) |
Expenses of the Offer | |
Offering Expenses Borne by the Fund (as a percentage of net assets attributable to Common Shares before the Offer) | 0.05%(2) |
| As a Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares (Assumes 24% Leverage is Outstanding) |
Annual Expenses | |
Management fee(3) | 1.32% |
Interest payments on borrowed funds(4) | 0.76% |
Dividends on Preferred Shares | 0.00%(5) |
Other expenses | 0.44% |
Acquired fund fees and expenses(6) | 0.39% |
Total annual expenses | 2.91% |
The expenses shown in the table under “Other expenses” and “Total annual expenses” are based in part on estimated amounts for the Fund’s 12 months of operations after December 31, 2019 unless otherwise indicated and assumes that the Fund has not issued any additional Common Shares.
Example(7)
The example illustrates the expenses you would pay on a $1,000 investment in Common Shares, including the estimated costs of the Offer to be borne by Stockholders of $99,700 assuming (1) that the Fund’s net assets following (and after giving effect to) the Offer do not increase or decrease, (2) “Total annual expenses” of 2.91% of net assets attributable to Common Shares, and (3) a 5% annual return.
| 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
Total Expenses Incurred | $30 | $91 | $154 | $324 |
The example should not be considered a representation of future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those assumed.
(1) | There will be no brokerage charges with respect to Common Shares issued directly by the Fund under the dividend reinvestment plan. You will pay brokerage charges in connection with open market purchases or if you direct the plan agent to sell your Common Shares held in a dividend reinvestment account. |
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(2) | The fees and expenses of the Offer will be borne by the Fund and indirectly by all of its Stockholders, including those who did not exercise their Rights. The expenses of the Offer to be paid by the Fund are not included in the Annual Expenses table. Offering expenses borne by Stockholders will result in a reduction of capital of the Fund and the NAV of the Common Shares. |
(3) | The management fee is charged as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily Managed Assets, as opposed to net assets. With leverage, Managed Assets are greater in amount than net assets, because Managed Assets include borrowings for investment purposes. The market value of the Fund’s derivatives are used for purposes of calculating Managed Assets. The management fee of 1.00% of the Fund’s Managed Assets represents 1.32% of net assets attributable to Common Shares assuming the use of leverage in an amount of 24% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. |
(4) | Interest and fees on leverage in the table reflect the cost to the Fund of borrowings, expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets as of December 31, 2019, based on interest rates in effect as of December 31, 2019. The table assumes total borrowings of $73,500,00 which reflects leverage in an amount representing 24% of Managed Assets. See “Use of Leverage—Effects of Leverage” in the accompanying Prospectus. |
(5) | As of the date of this Prospectus Supplement, the Fund has not issued any Preferred Shares. |
(6) | The “Acquired fund fees and expenses” disclosed above are based on the expense ratios for the most recent fiscal year of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund has invested, which may change substantially over time and, therefore, significantly affect “Acquired fund fees and expenses.” These amounts are based on the total expense ratio disclosed in each Underlying Fund’s most recent shareholder report. Some of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests (or may invest) charge incentive fees based on the Underlying Funds’ performance. The 0.39% shown as “Acquired fund fees and expenses” reflects the operating expenses of the Underlying Funds and transaction-related fees. Certain Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests (or may invest) generally charge a management fee of 1.00% to 2.00% and up to a 20% incentive fee on income and/or capital gains, which are included in “Acquired fund fees and expenses,” as applicable. The “Acquired fund fees and expenses” disclosed above, however, do not reflect any performance-based fees or allocations paid by the Underlying Funds that are calculated solely on the realization and/or distribution of gains, or on the sum of such gains and unrealized appreciation of assets distributed in-kind, as such fees and allocations for a particular period may be unrelated to the cost of investing in the Underlying Funds. Acquired fund fees and expenses are borne indirectly by the Fund, but they are not reflected in the Fund’s financial statements; and the information presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund’s financial highlights. |
(7) | The example should not be considered a representation of future expenses and includes the expenses of the Offer. The example assumes that the estimated “Other expenses” set forth in the table are accurate and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at NAV of Common Shares and that the Fund is engaged in leverage of 24% of Managed Assets, assuming interest and fees on leverage of 2.71% The interest and fees on leverage is expressed as an interest rate and represents interest and fees payable on the USB Facility. See “Use of Leverage” in the accompanying Prospectus. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. Moreover, the Fund’s actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% annual return shown in the example. |
The purpose of the table and the example above is to help investors understand the fees and expenses that they, as Stockholders, would bear directly or indirectly. For additional information with respect to the Fund’s expenses, see “Management of the Fund” on page 60 of the accompanying Prospectus.
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Risks
Effective immediately, the following is added to the “Risks” section beginning on page 28 of the Prospectus:
Pandemic Risk
The continuing spread of an infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel strain of coronavirus (known as COVID-19) has caused volatility, severe market dislocations and liquidity constraints in many markets, including securities the Fund holds, and may adversely affect the Fund’s investments and operations. The outbreak was first detected in December 2019 and subsequently spread globally. The transmission of COVID-19 and efforts to contain its spread have resulted in international and domestic travel restrictions and disruptions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, event and service cancellations or interruptions, disruptions to business operations (including staff reductions), supply chains and consumer activity, as well as general concern and uncertainty that has negatively affected the economic environment. These disruptions have led to instability in the marketplace, including stock and credit market losses and overall volatility. The impact of COVID-19, and other infectious illness outbreaks, epidemics or pandemics that may arise in the future, could adversely affect the economies of many nations or the entire global economy, the financial performance of individual issuers, borrowers and sectors and the health of the markets generally in potentially significant and unforeseen ways. In addition, the impact of infectious illnesses, such as COVID-19, in emerging market countries may be greater due to generally less established healthcare systems. This crisis or other public health crises may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally.
The Fund, the Adviser and SubAdviser have in place business continuity plans reasonably designed to ensure that they maintain normal business operations, and that the Fund, its portfolio and assets are protected. However, in the event of a pandemic or an outbreak, such as COVID-19, there can be no assurance that the Fund, its advisers and service providers, or the Fund’s portfolio companies or Underlying Funds, will be able to maintain normal business operations for an extended period of time or will not lose the services of key personnel on a temporary or long-term basis due to illness or other reasons. A pandemic or disease could also impair the information technology and other operational systems upon which the Fund’s advisers rely and could otherwise disrupt the ability of the Fund’s service providers to perform essential tasks.
The foregoing could lead to a significant economic downturn or recession, increased market volatility, a greater number of market closures, higher default rates and adverse effects on the values and liquidity of securities or other assets. Such impacts, which may vary across asset classes, may adversely affect the performance of the Fund’s investments, the Fund and your investment in the Fund. In certain cases, an exchange or market may close or issue trading halts on either specific securities or even the entire market, which may result in the Fund being, among other things, unable to buy or sell certain securities or financial instruments or to accurately price its investments.
Governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world, such as the U.S. Federal Reserve, have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with changes to fiscal and monetary policy, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. Certain of those policy changes are being implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such policy changes may adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities. The effect of recent efforts undertaken by the U.S. Federal Reserve to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the reduction of the federal funds target rate, and other monetary and fiscal actions that may be taken by the U.S. federal government to stimulate the U.S. economy, are not yet fully known. The duration of the COVID-19 outbreak and its full impacts are also unknown, resulting in a high degree of uncertainty for potentially extended periods of time, especially in certain sectors in which the Fund may make investments.
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Effective immediately, the following is added to the “Risks – Fixed Income Securities Risk: Interest Rate Risk” section on page 30 of the Prospectus:
The Fund’s and the Underlying Funds’ investments, interest payment obligations and financing terms may be based on floating rates, such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). On July 27, 2017, the head of the UK Financial Conduct Authority announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. Regulators and industry working groups have suggested alternative reference rates, but global consensus is lacking and the process for amending existing contracts or instruments to transition away from LIBOR remains unclear. There also remains uncertainty and risk regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to include enhanced provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. As such, the transition away from LIBOR may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, reduced values of LIBOR-related investments, and reduced effectiveness of hedging strategies.
Effective immediately, the sixth paragraph under the “Foreign Investments” section on page 15 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information is replaced with the following:
In June 2016, voters in the United Kingdom (“UK”) approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”), commonly referred to as “Brexit”. The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, with a transition period currently set to end on December 31, 2020, during which the parties will negotiate their future relationship. There is significant uncertainty regarding the potential consequences for Brexit. The political divisions within the UK, as well as those between the UK and the EU, which the referendum vote has highlighted coupled with the uncertain consequences of Brexit, may have a significant impact upon the UK and European economies as well as the broader global economy. The Fund may be exposed to risks related to Brexit, including volatile trading markets and significant and unpredictable currency fluctuations. Securities issued by companies domiciled in the UK could be subject to changing regulatory and tax regimes. Banking and financial services companies that operate in the UK or EU could be disproportionately impacted by these actions. Further insecurity in EU membership or the abandonment of the euro could exacerbate market and currency volatility and negatively impact investments in securities issued by companies located in EU countries. Brexit also may cause additional member states to contemplate departing the EU, which would likely perpetuate political and economic instability in the region and cause additional market disruption in global financial markets. As a result, markets in the UK, Europe and globally could experience increased volatility and illiquidity, and potentially lower economic growth which in return could potentially have an adverse effect on the value of the Fund’s investments.
Capitalization
The following table sets forth the Fund’s capitalization using figures for this Offer as of August 13, 2020:
| ● | on a historical basis as of December 31, 2019. |
| ● | on a pro forma as adjusted basis to reflect (1) the assumed sale of 4,462,000 of the Fund’s Common Shares at $13.81 per share (the estimated Subscription Price) in an offering under this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus, and (2) the investment of net proceeds assumed from such offering in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies, after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by the Fund of $99,700. |
| Actual | As Adjusted |
Common Shares, $0.0001 par value per share, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 13,384,868 outstanding (actual) 17,846,868 shares outstanding (as adjusted) | $ 241,039,933 | $ 302,560,453 |
Total Distributable Earnings | (9,761,902) | (9,761,902) |
Total Capitalization | $ 231,278,031 | $ 292,798,551 |
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Use of Proceeds
The Fund estimates the net proceeds of the Offer to be approximately $61,520,520. This figure is based on an estimated Subscription Price per Common Share of $13.81 and assumes all new Common Shares offered are sold and that the expenses related to the Offer estimated at approximately $99,700 are paid.
The Adviser and Subadviser anticipate that investment of the proceeds will be made in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as appropriate investment opportunities are identified, which is expected to be completed or substantially completed within approximately three months from receipt. Pending such investment, the proceeds may be invested in cash, cash equivalents, short-term debt securities or U.S. government securities. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns and reduce the Fund’s distributions to common shareholders.
Description of the Offer
Purpose of the Offer
The Board has determined, based on the recommendation of the Adviser and Subadviser, that it would be in the best interests of the Fund and its existing Stockholders to increase the assets of the Fund available for investment, thereby permitting the Fund to be in a better position to more fully take advantage of investment opportunities that may arise without having to reduce existing Fund holdings. In making this determination, the Board considered a number of factors, including potential benefits and costs. The Offer seeks to reward existing Stockholders by giving them the right to purchase additional Common Shares at a price that may be below market and/or NAV without incurring any commission charge. The distribution to Stockholders of transferable Rights, which themselves may have intrinsic value, will also afford non-subscribing stockholders the potential of receiving a cash payment upon sale of such Rights, receipt of which may be viewed as partial compensation for the possible dilution of their interests in the Fund.
The Adviser and Subadviser will benefit from the Offer because each firm’s fee is based on the Fund’s Managed Assets. See “Management of the Fund.” It is not possible to state precisely the amount of additional compensation the Adviser and Subadviser will receive as a result of the Offer because the proceeds of the Offer will be invested in additional portfolio securities, which will fluctuate in value. However, assuming all Rights are exercised at the estimated Subscription Price of $13.81 and that the Fund receives the maximum proceeds of the Offer, the annual compensation to be received by the Adviser would be increased by approximately $615,000. In determining that the Offer was in the best interest of Stockholders, the Board was cognizant of this benefit.
This is the Fund’s second rights offering. The Fund may, in the future and at its discretion, choose to make additional rights offerings from time to time for a number of shares and on terms that may not be similar to the Offer. The Offer may not be successful. The completion of the Offer may result in an immediate dilution of the NAV per Common Share for all existing Stockholders, including those who fully exercise their Rights.
Important Terms of the Offer
The Fund is issuing to Record Date Stockholders Rights to subscribe for additional Common Shares. Each Record Date Stockholder is being issued one transferable Right for each Common Share owned on the Record Date. The Offer entitles the holder to acquire at the Subscription Price one Common Share for each three Rights held, rounded up to the nearest number of Rights evenly divisible by three. Fractional shares will not be issued upon the exercise of the Rights. Accordingly, Common Shares may be purchased only pursuant to the exercise of Rights in integral multiples of three.
In the case of Common Shares held of record by Cede & Co. (“Cede”) as nominee for the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or any other depository or nominee, the number of Rights issued to Cede or such other depository or nominee will be adjusted to permit rounding up (to the nearest number of Rights evenly divisible by three) of the Rights to be received by beneficial owners for whom it is the holder of record only if Cede or such other depository or nominee provides to the Fund on or before the close of business on September 15, 2020 a written representation to the number of Rights required for such rounding.
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Rights may be exercised at any time during the period (the “Subscription Period”), which commences on September 8, 2020 and ends at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on October 1, 2020, unless extended by the Fund. See “Expiration of the Offer.”
If all of the Rights are exercised in the primary subscription, the Fund will experience an approximate 33.3% increase in Common Shares outstanding.
In addition, any Record Date Stockholder who fully exercises all Rights initially issued to him is entitled to subscribe for Common Shares available for Primary Subscription (the “Primary Subscription Shares”) that were not otherwise subscribed for by other Rights holders on the Primary Subscription.
The entitlement to subscribe for unsubscribed Primary Subscription Shares is available only to those Record Date Stockholders who fully exercise all Rights initially issued to them and only on the basis of their Record Date holdings and will be referred to in the remainder of this Prospectus Supplement as the “Over-Subscription Privilege.”
For purposes of determining the maximum number of Shares a Record Date Stockholder may acquire pursuant to the Offer, broker-dealers whose Common Shares are held of record by Cede, nominee for DTC, or by any other depository or nominee, will be deemed to be the holders of the Rights that are issued to Cede or such other depository or nominee on their behalf. Common Shares acquired pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege are subject to allotment, which is more fully discussed below under “Over-Subscription Privilege.” Rights acquired in the secondary market may not participate in the Over-Subscription Privilege.
The method by which Rights may be exercised and Common Shares paid for is set forth below in “Method of Exercising Rights” and “Payment for Shares of Stock.” A Rights holder will have no right to rescind a purchase after the Subscription Agent has received payment. See “Payment for Shares of Stock” below. Common Shares issued pursuant to an exercise of Rights will be listed on the NYSE. Common Shares issued in connection with the Offer will not be evidenced by share certificates.
The Rights are transferable until the Expiration Date and will be admitted for trading on the NYSE. Although no assurance can be given that a market for the Rights will develop, trading in the Rights on the NYSE will begin two Business Days prior to the Record Date and may be conducted until the close of trading on the last NYSE trading day prior to the Expiration Date due to normal settlement procedures.
Rights that are sold will not confer any right to acquire any Common Shares in the Over-Subscription Privilege. Trading of the Rights on the NYSE will be conducted on a when-issued basis until and including the date on which the Subscription Certificates are mailed to Record Date Stockholders and thereafter, will be conducted on a regular way basis until and including the last NYSE trading day prior to the Expiration Date. The method by which Rights may be transferred is set forth below under “Method of Transferring Rights.” The Common Shares will begin trading ex-Rights one Business Day prior to the Record Date.
Nominees who hold Common Shares for the account of others, such as banks, broker-dealers, or depositories for securities, should notify the respective beneficial owners of such Shares as soon as possible to ascertain such beneficial owners’ intentions and to obtain instructions with respect to the Rights. Nominees should also notify holders purchasing Rights in the secondary market that such Rights may not participate in the Over-Subscription Privilege. If the beneficial owner so instructs, the nominee will complete the Subscription Certificate and submit it to the Subscription Agent with proper payment. In addition, beneficial owners of the Common Shares or Rights held through such a nominee should contact the nominee and request the nominee to effect transactions in accordance with such beneficial owner’s instructions.
Any Common Shares issued a result of the Offer will not be record date shares for the Fund’s monthly distribution to be paid in August 2020 or September 2020.
The Fund will not be issuing share certificates for the Common Shares issued pursuant to this Offer. Issuance of Common Shares will be made electronically via book entry by DST, the Fund’s transfer agent.
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Subscription Price
The Subscription Price will be determined based upon a formula equal to 92.5% of the reported NAV or 95% of the market price per Common Share, whichever is higher, on the Expiration Date, unless the Offer is extended. Market price per Common Share will be determined based on the average of the last reported sales price of a Common Share on the NYSE for the five trading days preceding (and not inclusive of) the Expiration Date. Based on reported NAV and market price per Common Share as of August 13, 2020, the Subscription Price would be $13.81 (the “estimated Subscription Price”).
Because the expiration date of the subscription period will be October 1, 2020 (unless the Fund extends the Subscription Period), Rights holders may not know the Subscription Price at the time of exercise and will be required initially to pay for both the Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the Primary Subscription (i.e., the Rights to acquire new Common Shares during the Subscription Period) and, if eligible, any additional Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege at the estimated Subscription Price of $13.81 per Common Share and, except in limited circumstances, will not be able to rescind their subscription.
The Fund announced the Offer after the close of trading on August 13, 2020. The NAV per Common Share at the close of business on August 13, 2020, was $14.93. The last reported sales price of a Common Share on the NYSE on that date was $14.51 representing a discount of -2.81% in relation to the then current NAV per Common Share and a premium of 5.07% in relation to the estimated Subscription Price.
Common Shares of the Fund, as a closed-end fund, can trade at a discount to NAV. Upon expiration of the Offer, Common Shares will likely be issued at a price below NAV per share.
Over-Subscription Privilege
The Board has the right in its absolute discretion to eliminate the Over-Subscription Privilege if it considers it to be in the best interest of the Fund to do so. The Board may make that determination at any time, without prior notice to Rights holders or others, up to and including the seventh day following the Expiration Date. If the Over-Subscription Privilege is not eliminated, it will operate as set forth below.
Rights holders who are Record Date Stockholders are entitled to subscribe for additional Common Shares at the same Subscription Price pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege, subject to certain limitations and subject to allotment.
Record Date Stockholders who fully exercise all Rights initially issued to them are entitled to buy those Common Shares that were not purchased by other Rights holders (the “Over-Subscription Shares”) at the same Subscription Price. If enough Over-Subscription Shares are available, all such requests will be honored in full. If the requests for Over-Subscription Shares exceed the Over-Subscription Shares available, the available Over-Subscription Shares will be allocated pro rata among those Record Date Stockholders who over-subscribe based on the number of Rights originally issued to them by the Fund.
Record Date Stockholders who are fully exercising their Rights during the Subscription Period should indicate, on the Subscription Certificate that they submit with respect to the exercise of the Rights issued to them, how many Common Shares they are willing to acquire pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege. Rights acquired in the secondary market may not participate in the Over-Subscription Privilege.
To the extent sufficient Over-Subscription Shares are not available to fulfill all over-subscription requests, the Over-Subscription Shares will be allocated pro-rata among those Record Date Stockholders who over-subscribe based on the number of Rights originally issued to them by the Fund. The allocation process may involve a series of allocations in order to assure that the Over-Subscription Shares available are distributed on a pro rata basis.
The formula to be used in allocating the Over-Subscription Shares available is as follows: (Stockholder’s number of Rights originally issued to them by the Fund divided by the total number of Rights of all over-subscribing Record Date Stockholders) multiplied by Over-Subscription Shares available for distribution.
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Banks, broker-dealers, trustees and other nominee holders of Rights will be required to certify to the Subscription Agent, before any Over-Subscription Privilege may be exercised with respect to any particular beneficial owner, as to the aggregate number of Rights exercised during the Subscription Period and the number of Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege by such beneficial owner and that such beneficial owner’s subscription was exercised in full. Nominee holder over-subscription forms and beneficial owner certification forms will be distributed to banks, broker-dealers, trustees and other nominee holders of rights with the Subscription Certificates. Nominees should also notify holders purchasing Rights in the secondary market that such Rights may not participate in the Over-Subscription Privilege.
The Fund will not offer or sell any Common Shares that are not subscribed for during the Subscription Period or pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege.
Sale and Transferability of Rights
The value of the Rights, if any, will be reflected by the market price of the Rights. Rights may be sold by individual holders or may be submitted to the Subscription Agent for sale. Any Rights submitted to the Subscription Agent for sale must be received by the Subscription Agent on or before September 24, 2020, five Business Days prior to the completion of the Subscription Period, due to normal settlement procedures.
Rights that are sold will not confer any right to acquire any Common Shares in the Over-Subscription, and any Record Date Stockholder who sells any Rights will not be eligible to participate in the Over-Subscription Privilege.
The Rights evidenced by a single Subscription Certificate may be transferred in whole by endorsing the Subscription Certificate for transfer in accordance with the accompanying instructions. A portion of the Rights evidenced by a single Subscription Certificate (but not fractional Rights) may be transferred by delivering to the Subscription Agent a Subscription Certificate properly endorsed for transfer, with instructions to register the portion of the Rights evidenced thereby in the name of the transferee (and to issue a new Subscription Certificate to the transferee evidencing the transferred Rights). In this event, a new Subscription Certificate evidencing the balance of the Rights will be issued to the Rights holder or, if the Rights holder so instructs, to an additional transferee.
Holders wishing to transfer all or a portion of their Rights (but not fractional Rights) should allow at least five Business Days prior to the Expiration Date for (i) the transfer instructions to be received and processed by the Subscription Agent, (ii) a new Subscription Certificate to be issued and transmitted to the transferee or transferees with respect to transferred Rights, and to the transferor with respect to retained Rights, if any, and (iii) the Rights evidenced by the new Subscription Certificates to be exercised or sold by the recipients thereof. Neither the Fund nor the Subscription Agent shall have any liability to a transferee or transferor of Rights if Subscription Certificates are not received in time for exercise or sale prior to the Expiration Date.
Except for the fees charged by the Subscription Agent (which will be paid by the Fund as described below), all commissions, fees and other expenses (including brokerage commissions and transfer taxes) incurred in connection with the purchase, sale or exercise of Rights will be for the account of the transferor of the Rights, and none of these commissions, fees or expenses will be paid by the Fund or the Subscription Agent.
The Fund anticipates that the Rights will be eligible for transfer through, and that the exercise of the Offer may be effected through, the facilities of DTC.
Sales by Subscription Agent
Holders of Rights who are unable or do not wish to exercise any or all of their Rights may instruct the Subscription Agent to sell any unexercised Rights. The Subscription Certificates representing the Rights to be sold by the Subscription Agent must be received on or before September 24, 2020, the fifth business day before the Expiration Date. Upon the timely receipt of the appropriate instructions to sell Rights, the Subscription Agent will use its best efforts to complete the sale and will remit the proceeds of sale, net of commissions, to
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the holders. The Subscription Agent will also attempt to sell any Rights (i) a Rights holder is unable to exercise because the Rights represent the right to subscribe for less than one new Common Share or (ii) attributable to stockholders whose record addresses are outside the United States or who have an APO or FPO address.
If the Rights can be sold, sales of the Rights will be deemed to have been effected at the weighted average price received by the Subscription Agent on the day such Rights are sold, less any applicable brokerage commissions, taxes and other expenses. The selling Rights holder will pay all brokerage commissions incurred by the Subscription Agent.
The Subscription Agent will automatically attempt to sell any unexercised Rights that remain unclaimed as a result of Subscription Certificates being returned by the postal authorities as undeliverable as of the fifth Business Day prior to the Expiration Date. These sales will be made net of commissions on behalf of the nonclaiming Rights holders. Proceeds from those sales will be held by the Fund’s transfer agent, for the account of the nonclaiming Rights holder until the proceeds are either claimed or escheated. There can be no assurance that the Subscription Agent will be able to complete the sale of any of these Rights and neither the Fund nor the Subscription Agent has guaranteed any minimum sales price for the Rights. All of these Rights will be sold at the market price, if any, through an exchange or market trading the Rights.
Stockholders are urged to obtain a recent trading price for the Rights on the NYSE from their broker, bank, financial advisor or the financial press.
Method for Exercising Rights
Rights may be exercised by completing and signing the reverse side of the Subscription Certificate and mailing it in the envelope provided, or otherwise delivering the completed and signed Subscription Certificate to the Subscription Agent, together with payment for the Common Shares as described below under “Payment for Shares of Stock.” Rights may also be exercised through a Rights holder’s broker, who may charge the Rights holder a servicing fee in connection with such exercise.
Completed Subscription Certificates must be received by the Subscription Agent prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on the Expiration Date (unless payment is effected by means of a notice of guaranteed delivery as described below under “Payment for Shares of Stock”). The Subscription Certificate and payment should be delivered to the Subscription Agent at the following addresses:
If By Mail: | Computershare Trust Company, N.A. Attn: Corporate Actions Voluntary Offer P.O. Box 43011 Providence, RI 02940-3011 |
If By Overnight Courier: | Computershare Trust Company, N.A. Attn: Corporate Actions Voluntary Offer 150 Royall Street Suite V Canton, MA 02021 |
Subscription Agent
The Subscription Agent is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The Subscription Agent will receive from the Fund an amount estimated to be approximately $25,000, comprised of the fee for its services and the reimbursement for certain expenses related to the Offer.
Information Agent
Inquiries by all holders of Rights should be directed to: the Information Agent, Georgeson, toll-free at (800) 905-7281 or please send a written request to: 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor, New York, NY 10104; holders may also consult their brokers or nominees.
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Expiration of the Offer
The Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on October 1, 2020, unless extended by the Fund (the “Expiration Date”). Rights will expire on the Expiration Date and thereafter may not be exercised.
Payment for Shares
Holders of Rights who acquire Common Shares on Primary Subscription or pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege may choose between the following methods of payment:
| (1) | A subscription will be accepted by the Subscription Agent if, prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the Expiration Date, the Subscription Agent has received a written notice of guaranteed delivery from a bank, a trust company, or an NYSE member, guaranteeing delivery of: (i) payment for the Common Shares subscribed for in the Primary Subscription and additional Common Shares subscribed for pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege to the Subscription Agent based on the estimated Subscription Price of $13.81 per Common Share, and (ii) a properly completed and executed Subscription Certificate. |
| | The Subscription Agent will not honor a notice of guaranteed delivery if a properly completed and executed Subscription Certificate and full payment is not received by the Subscription Agent by the close of business on the second Business Day after the Expiration Date. The notice of guaranteed delivery may be delivered to the Subscription Agent in the same manner as Subscription Certificates at the addresses set forth above, or may be transmitted to the Subscription Agent email transmission to canoticeofguarantee@computershare.com. Any transmission of other materials will not be accepted and will not be considered a valid submission for the Offer. This e-mail transmission can only be used for the notice of guaranteed delivery. |
| (2) | Alternatively, a holder of Rights can send the Subscription Certificate together with payment in the form of a personal check drawn upon a U.S. bank payable to the Subscription Agent. To be accepted, the payment, together with the executed Subscription Certificate, must be received by the Subscription Agent at the addresses noted above prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the Expiration Date. The Subscription Agent will deposit all checks received by it prior to the Expiration Date into a segregated account pending proration and distribution of the Common Shares issued pursuant to the Offer. The Subscription Agent will not accept cash as a means of payment for Common Shares issued pursuant to the Offer. |
EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH BELOW, A PAYMENT PURSUANT TO THIS METHOD MUST BE IN UNITED STATES DOLLARS BY PERSONAL CHECK DRAWN UPON A U.S. BANK, MUST BE PAYABLE TO THE SUBSCRIPTION AGENT, COMPUTERSHARE (ACTING ON BEHALF OF COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.), AND MUST ACCOMPANY AN EXECUTED SUBSCRIPTION CERTIFICATE TO BE ACCEPTED.
If the aggregate Subscription Price paid by a Record Date Stockholder is insufficient to purchase the number of Common Shares that the holder indicates are being subscribed for, or if a Record Date Stockholder does not specify the number of Common Shares to be purchased, then the Record Date Stockholder will be deemed to have exercised first, the Primary Subscription Rights (if not already fully exercised) and second, the Over-Subscription Privilege to the full extent of the payment tendered. If the aggregate Subscription Price paid by such holder is greater than the Common Shares he has indicated an intention to subscribe, then the Rights holder will be deemed to have exercised first, the Primary Subscription Rights (if not already fully subscribed) and second, the Over-Subscription Privilege to the full extent of the excess payment tendered.
Any payment required from a holder of Rights must be received by the Subscription Agent by the Expiration Date, or if the Rights holder has elected to make payment by means of a notice of guaranteed delivery, on the second Business Day after the Expiration Date. Whichever of the two methods of payment described above is used, issuance and delivery of the Common Shares purchased are subject to collection of checks and actual payment pursuant to any notice of guaranteed delivery.
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Within six Business Days following the Expiration Date (the “Confirmation Date”), a confirmation will be sent by the Subscription Agent to each holder of Rights (or, if the Common Shares are held by Cede or any other depository or nominee, to Cede or such other depository or nominee), showing (i) the number of Common Shares acquired pursuant to the Primary Subscription, (ii) the number of Over-Subscription Shares, if any, acquired pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege, (iii) the per Common Share and total purchase price for the Common Shares and (iv) any excess to be refunded by the Fund to such holder as a result of payment for Common Shares pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege which the holder is not acquiring.
Any excess payment to be refunded by the Fund to a holder of Rights, or to be paid to a holder of Rights as a result of sales of Rights on his behalf by the Subscription Agent or exercises by Record Date Stockholders of their Over-Subscription Privilege, will be mailed by the Subscription Agent to the holder within ten Business Days after the Expiration Date. If any Rights holder exercises its right to acquire Common Shares pursuant to the Over-Subscription Privilege, any excess payment, which would otherwise be refunded to the Rights holder, will be applied by the Fund toward payment for Common Shares acquired pursuant to exercise of the Over-Subscription Privilege, if any.
A Rights holder will have no right to rescind a purchase after the Subscription Agent has received payment either by means of a notice of guaranteed delivery or a check.
If a holder of Rights who acquires Common Shares pursuant to the Primary Subscription or the Over-Subscription Privilege does not make payment of any amounts due, the Fund reserves the right to take any or all of the following actions: (i) find other purchasers for such subscribed-for and unpaid-for Common Shares; (ii) apply any payment actually received by it toward the purchase of the greatest whole number of Common Shares which could be acquired by such holder upon exercise of the Primary Subscription or the Over-Subscription Privilege; (iii) sell all or a portion of the Common Shares purchased by the holder, in the open market, and apply the proceeds to the amounts owed; and (iv) exercise any and all other rights or remedies to which it may be entitled, including, without limitation, the right to set off against payments actually received by it with respect to such subscribed Common Shares and to enforce the relevant guaranty of payment.
Nominees who hold Common Shares for the account of others, such as brokers, dealers or depositories for securities, should notify the respective beneficial owners of the Common Shares as soon as possible to ascertain such beneficial owners’ intentions and to obtain instructions with respect to the Rights. If the beneficial owner so instructs, the record holder of the Rights should complete Subscription Certificates and submit them to the Subscription Agent with the proper payment. In addition, beneficial owners of Common Shares or Rights held through such a nominee should contact the nominee and request the nominee to effect transactions in accordance with the beneficial owner’s instructions. Banks, broker-dealers and trust companies that hold Common Shares for the accounts of others are advised to notify those persons that purchase Rights in the secondary market that such Rights may not participate in the Over-Subscription Privilege.
THE INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMPANYING THE SUBSCRIPTION CERTIFICATES SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY AND FOLLOWED IN DETAIL. DO NOT SEND SUBSCRIPTION CERTIFICATES TO THE FUND.
The method of delivery of Subscription Certificates and payment of the aggregate Subscription Price to the Subscription Agent will be at the election and risk of the Rights holders, but, if sent by mail, it is recommended that the certificates and payments be sent by registered mail, properly insured, with return receipt requested, and that a sufficient number of days be allowed to ensure delivery to the Subscription Agent and clearance of payment prior to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the Expiration Date. Because uncertified personal checks may take at least five Business Days or more to clear, you are strongly urged to pay, or arrange for payment to be delivered to the Agent as promptly as possible to ensure the check has sufficient time to clear. Payments by certified bank check, cashier’s check or money order will not be accepted.
All questions concerning the timeliness, validity, form and eligibility of any exercise of Rights will be determined by the Fund, whose determinations will be final and binding. The Fund, in its sole discretion, may waive any defect or irregularity, or permit a defect or irregularity to be corrected within such time as it may determine, or reject the purported exercise of any Right. Subscriptions will not be deemed to have been
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received or accepted until all irregularities have been waived or cured within such time as the Fund determines in its sole discretion. Neither the Fund nor the Subscription Agent will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity in connection with the submission of Subscription Certificates or incur any liability for failure to give such notification.
Rights holders who have exercised their rights will have no right to rescind their subscription after receipt by the subscription agent of the completed Subscription Certificate together with payment for Common Shares, except as described under “Notice of net asset value decline.”
Foreign Restrictions
Subscription Certificates will only be mailed to Record Date Stockholders whose addresses are within the United States (other than an APO or FPO address). Record Date Stockholders whose addresses are outside the United States or who have an APO or FPO address and who wish to subscribe to the Offer either in part or in full should contact the Information Agent or Subscription Agent in writing or by recorded telephone conversation no later than five Business Days prior to the Expiration Date. The Fund will determine whether the Offer may be made to any such Record Date Stockholder. If the Subscription Agent has received no instruction by the fifth Business Day prior to the Expiration Date or the Fund has determined that the Offer may not be made to a particular Stockholder, the Subscription Agent will attempt to sell all of such Stockholder’s Rights and remit the net proceeds, if any, to such Stockholder. If the Rights can be sold, sales of these Rights will be deemed to have been effected at the weighted average price received by the Subscription Agent on the day the Rights are sold, less any applicable brokerage commissions, taxes and other expenses.
Notice of Net Asset Value Decline
In accordance with SEC regulatory requirements, the Fund has undertaken to suspend the Offer until the Fund amends this Prospectus Supplement if, after the effective date of this Prospectus Supplement, the Fund’s NAV declines more than 10% from the Fund’s NAV as of that date. If this occurs, the Expiration Date will be extended, and the Fund will notify Record Date Stockholders of the decline and permit them to cancel their exercise of Rights.
Delivery of Shares
Participants in the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan (the “Plan”) will have any Common Shares acquired pursuant to the Offer credited to their stockholder dividend reinvestment accounts in the Plan. Stockholders whose shares are held of record by DTC or by any other depository or nominee on their behalf or their broker-dealers’ behalf will have any Shares acquired during the subscription period credited to the account of DTC or other depository or nominee. No certificates will be issued or delivered with respect to Common Shares issued and sold in the Offer.
Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters
The following is a general summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Offer under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder (“Treasury regulations”), and other applicable authorities in effect as of the date of this Prospectus Supplement that are generally applicable to Record Date Stockholders and other Rights holders who are “United States persons” within the meaning of the Code, and does not address any foreign, state, local or other tax consequences. These authorities may be changed, possibly with retroactive effect, or subject to new legislative, administrative or judicial action. The Fund has not requested a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of legal counsel as to any tax matters related to the Offer. This discussion does not take into account any considerations that may relate to special classes of Record Date Stockholders or other Rights holders. Record Date Stockholders and other Rights holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences, including U.S. federal, state, local, foreign or other tax consequences, relevant to their particular circumstances.
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The Fund believes that the value of a Right will not be includible in the income of a Record Date Stockholder at the time the Right is issued, and the Fund will not report to the Internal Revenue Service that a Record Date Stockholder has income as a result of the issuance of the Right; however, there is no guidance directly on point concerning certain aspects of the Offer. The remainder of this discussion assumes that the receipt of the Rights by Record Date Stockholders will not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Except as provided below, the basis of a Right issued to a Record Date Stockholder will be zero, and the basis of the Common Share with respect to which the Right was issued (the “Old Common Share”) will remain unchanged. The Record Date Stockholder only is required to allocate the basis of the Old Common Share and the Right in proportion to their respective fair market values on the date of distribution if (i) either (a) the fair market value of the Right on the date of distribution is at least 15% of the fair market value of the Old Common Share on that date, or (b) the Record Date Stockholder affirmatively elects (in the manner set out in Treasury regulations) to allocate to the Right a portion of the basis of the Old Common Share and (ii) the Right does not expire unexercised in the hands of the Record Date Stockholder (i.e., the Record Date Stockholder either exercises or sells the Right following its issuance).
No loss will be recognized by a Record Date Stockholder if a Right distributed to such Record Date Stockholder expires unexercised in the hands of such Record Date Stockholder. The basis of a Right purchased in the market will generally be its purchase price. If a Right that has been purchased in the market expires unexercised, the holder will recognize a loss equal to the basis of the Right.
Any gain or loss on the sale of a Right or, in the case of Rights purchased in the market, any loss from a Right that expires unexercised, will be a capital gain or loss if the Right is held as a capital asset (which in the case of Rights issued to Record Date Stockholders will depend on whether the Old Common Share is held as a capital asset), and will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the holding period of the Right exceeds (or is deemed to exceed) one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitation. The holding period of a Right issued to a Record Date Stockholder will include the holding period of the Old Common Share.
No gain or loss will be recognized by a Rights holder upon the exercise of a Right, and the basis of any share acquired upon exercise of the right (the “New Common Share”) will equal the sum of the basis, if any, of the Right and the subscription price for the New Common Share. When a Rights holder exercises a Right, the Rights holder’s holding period in the New Common Shares does not include the time during which the Rights holder held the unexercised Right; the holding period for the New Common Shares will begin no later than the date following the date of exercise of the Right.
You should consult a tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of acquiring, holding, disposing of and exercising Rights, and of allowing Rights to expire, in your particular circumstances, as well as any tax consequences that may arise under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing jurisdiction.
Employee Plan Considerations
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and the Code contain certain fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction provisions applicable to Rights holders that are employee benefit plans subject to ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, including corporate savings and 401(k) plans, Keogh Plans of self-employed individuals and Individual Retirement Accounts (“IRA”) (each, a “Benefit Plan” and collectively, “Benefit Plans”). Due to the complexity of these rules and the penalties for noncompliance, fiduciaries of Benefit Plans and other retirement plans should consult with their counsel and advisors regarding the consequences of their exercise or transfer of Rights under ERISA and the Code.
The exercise of Rights will require the future funding of cash. See “The Offer-Subscription Price.” Benefit Plans should be aware that additional contributions of cash to the Benefit Plan necessary in order to fund the exercise of Rights may be treated as Benefit Plan contributions and, particularly when taken together with contributions previously made, may result in issues under the rules governing contributions and reductions, and give rise to possible excise taxes. For example, in the case of Benefit Plans qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code, and certain other retirement plans, additional cash contributions could cause the maximum contribution limitations of Section 415 of the Code and other tax-qualification rules to be violated. Benefit Plans
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contemplating making additional cash contributions to the Benefit Plan to fund the exercise of Rights should consult with their counsel prior to making such contributions. There may also be reportable distributions, and other adverse tax and ERISA consequences, if Rights are sold or transferred by a Benefit Plan. If any portion of an IRA is used as security for a loan, the portion so used could be treated as distributed to the IRA depositor, and other adverse consequences could arise.
ERISA contains fiduciary responsibility requirements, and ERISA and the Code contain prohibited transaction rules, that may impact the exercise or transfer of Rights. Due to the complexity of these rules and the penalties for noncompliance, Benefit Plans should consult with their counsel and other advisors regarding the consequences of their exercise or transfer of Rights under ERISA and the Code.
Dilution and Other Investment Considerations for the Offer
Estimated Dilution.
Assuming, for example, that all Rights are exercised, the Subscription Price is $13.81 and the Fund’s NAV per Common Share at the expiration of the Offer is $14.93, the Fund’s NAV per Common Share (after payment of estimated offering expenses) would be reduced by approximately $0.29 (-1.92%) per Common Share.
Stockholders who do not exercise their Rights will, at the completion of the Offer, own a smaller proportional interest in the Fund than if they exercised their Rights, which will proportionately decrease the relative voting power of those stockholders. Because the Subscription Price per Common Share will be below the NAV per Common Share on the Expiration Date, you will experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate NAV of your Common Shares if you do not participate in the Offer and you will experience a reduction in the NAV per share of Common Shares of your Common Shares whether or not you participate in the Offer. In addition, whether or not you exercise your Rights, you will experience a dilution of NAV of the Common Shares because you will indirectly bear the expenses of this Offer, which include, among other items, SEC registration fees, printing expenses and the fees assessed by service providers. This dilution of NAV will disproportionately affect Stockholders who do not exercise their Rights. The Fund cannot state precisely the extent of this dilution if you do not exercise your Rights because the Fund does not know what the NAV per share of Common Shares will be when the Offer expires, or what proportion of the Rights will be exercised.
The Fund cannot state precisely the amount of any dilution because it is not known at this time what the subscription price or NAV per share of Common Shares will be on the Expiration Date or what proportion of the Rights will be exercised. The Offer may increase the volatility of the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares. In addition, the Offer could be under-subscribed, in which case RiverNorth will not have as much proceeds to invest on behalf of the Fund (see “Use of Proceeds”). The likely impact of the Offer on NAV per share of Common Shares is shown by the following example, assuming a $13.81 estimated Subscription Price per Common Share:
Example (assumes that NAV per share is above Subscription Price per share)1
NAV2 | | $ | 14.93 | |
Subscription Price | | $ | 13.81 | |
Reduction in NAV($)3 | | $ | (0.29 | ) |
Reduction in NAV(%)3 | | | -1.92 | % |
(1) | This example assumes that the full Primary Subscription is exercised. Actual amounts may vary due to rounding. |
(2) | This example assumes that the Fund’s NAV on the Expiration Date is $14.93 per share of Common Shares and that the Fund’s average market price is less than the NAV on that date. The Subscription Price used in this example was determined based on a formula equal to 92.5% of the reported NAV on the Expiration Date or 95% of the average of the last reported sales price of a Common Share on the NYSE for the five trading days preceding (and not inclusive of) the Expiration Date, whichever is higher, unless the Offer is extended. |
(3) | Assumes $99,700 in estimated offering expenses. |
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If you do not wish to exercise your Rights, you should consider selling them as set forth in this Prospectus Supplement and accompanying Prospectus. Any cash you receive from selling your Rights should serve as partial compensation for any possible dilution of your interest in the Fund. The Fund cannot give assurance, however, that a market for the Rights will develop or that the Rights will have any marketable value.
Risk of Increase in Share Price Volatility; Decrease in Share Price.
The Offer may result in increased volatility in the market price of the Common Shares or a decrease in the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares.
Under-Subscription.
It is possible that the Offer will not be fully subscribed. Under-subscription of the Offer could have an impact on the net proceeds of the Offer and whether the Fund achieves its stated goals of the Offer.
Effect on Large Stockholders
The Fund’s largest Stockholders, Record Date Stockholders of more than 5% of the outstanding Common Shares of the Fund, could increase their percentage ownership in the Fund through the exercise of the Primary Subscription and Over-Subscription Privilege.
Dividends and Distributions
The Board has approved and the Fund has implemented a level distribution policy (the “Level Distribution Policy”). Under the Level Distribution Policy the Fund intends to make monthly distributions to stockholders, but at a constant and fixed (but not guaranteed) rate (that is annually reset) equal to 12.5% of the average of the Fund’s NAV per share (the “Distribution Amount”) as reported for the final five trading days of the preceding calendar year. The Board may amend the Level Distribution Policy, the Distribution Amount or distribution intervals, or the Fund may cease distributions entirely, at any time, without prior notice to stockholders.
The Fund’s intention under the Level Distribution Policy is that monthly distributions paid to stockholders throughout a calendar year will be at least equal to the Distribution Amount (plus any additional amounts that may be required to be included in a distribution for federal or excise tax purposes).
Under the Level Distribution Policy, to the extent that sufficient investment income is not available on a monthly basis, the Fund’s distributions could consist of return of capital in order to maintain the distribution rate. The amount treated as a return of capital will reduce a shareholder’s adjusted basis in the shareholder’s shares, thereby increasing the potential gain or reducing the potential loss on the sale of shares. Investors should not make any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the Fund’s distributions or from the terms of the Fund’s Level Distribution Policy. Dividends and distributions may be payable in cash or common shares, with shareholders having the option to receive additional common shares in lieu of cash.
The Fund may at times, in its discretion, pay out less than the entire amount of net investment income earned in any particular period and may at times pay out such accumulated undistributed income in addition to net investment income earned in other periods in order to permit the Fund to maintain a more stable level of distributions. As a result, the dividend paid by the Fund to common shareholders for any particular period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income earned by the Fund during such period. The Fund’s ability to maintain a stable level of distributions to shareholders will depend on a number of factors, including the stability of income received from its investments. The amount of monthly distributions could vary depending on a number of factors, including the costs of any leverage. As portfolio and market conditions change, the amount of dividends on the Fund’s Common Shares could change. For federal income tax purposes, the Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income each year to both reduce its federal income tax liability and to avoid a potential federal excise tax. The Fund intends to distribute all realized net capital gains, if any, at least annually.
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Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such incurrence the Fund has an asset coverage of at least 300% of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of indebtedness. Additionally, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not declare any dividend or other distribution upon any class of its capital shares, or purchase any such capital shares, unless the aggregate indebtedness of the Fund has, at the time of the declaration of any such dividend or distribution or at the time of any such purchase, an asset coverage of at least 300% after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution, or purchase price, as the case may be.
In addition to the limitations imposed by the 1940 Act described above, certain lenders may impose additional restrictions on the payment of dividends or distributions on the Common Shares in the event of a default on the Fund’s borrowings. If the Fund’s ability to make distributions on its Common Shares is limited, such limitations could, under certain circumstances, impair the ability of the Fund to maintain its qualification for federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company, which would have adverse tax consequences for shareholders. See “Use of Leverage” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” in the accompanying Prospectus.
Legal Matters
Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Chapman and Cutler LLP and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. Chapman and Cutler LLP and Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP may rely as to certain matters of Maryland law on the opinion of Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler, P.A.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Cohen & Company, Ltd., 1350 Euclid Avenue, Suite 800, Cleveland Ohio 44115 serves as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund and will annually render an opinion on the financial statements of the Fund.
Additional Information
The Fund will be subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the 1940 Act and in accordance therewith files reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov containing reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, including the Fund, that file electronically with the SEC.
This Prospectus Supplement and accompanying Prospectus constitutes part of a Registration Statement filed by the Fund with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933 and the 1940 Act. This Prospectus Supplement and accompanying Prospectus omits certain of the information contained in the Registration Statement, and reference is hereby made to the Registration Statement and related exhibits for further information with respect to the Fund and the Common Shares offered hereby. Any statements contained herein concerning the provisions of any document are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or otherwise filed with the SEC. Each such statement is qualified in its entirety by such reference. The complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the fee prescribed by its rules and regulations or free of charge through the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov).
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4,462,000 Shares of Common Stock
Subscription Rights for Shares of Common Stock
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.
PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT
August 26, 2020
$300,000,000
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Subscription Rights for Common Stock
Subscription Rights for Preferred Stock
Subscription Rights for Common and Preferred Stock
The Fund. RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company.
Investment Objective. The Fund’s investment objective is current income and overall total return. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by allocating its Managed Assets (as defined below) among the two principal investment strategies described below:
Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy (10% - 35% of Managed Assets): This strategy seeks to (i) generate returns through investments in closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds and business development companies (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”) that invest primarily in income-producing securities, and (ii) derive value from the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds.
Opportunistic Income Strategy (65% - 90% of Managed Assets): This strategy seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in fixed income instruments and other investments, including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, and real estate investment trusts. At least 50% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy is invested in mortgage-backed securities.
The Fund may offer, from time to time, up to $300,000,000 aggregate initial offering price of (i) shares of its common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Common Shares”), (ii) shares of its preferred stock (“Preferred Shares”), and/or (iii) subscription rights to purchase Common Shares, Preferred Shares or both (“Rights” and, together with the Common Shares and Preferred Shares, “Securities”), in one or more offerings in amounts, at prices and on terms set forth in a supplement to this Prospectus. See “Description Of The Fund’s Securities” beginning on page 65. See also “Risks—Risks Associated with Offerings of Additional Common Shares,” “Risks—Risks of Issuing Rights” and “Risks—Leverage Risks.”
The Fund may offer Securities directly to one or more purchasers, including existing common shareholders and/or preferred shareholders in a Rights offering, through agents that the Fund or the purchasers designate from time to time, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the particular offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of the Fund’s Securities, and will set forth any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between the Fund and such agents or underwriters or among the underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. The prospectus supplement relating to any sale of preferred stock will set forth the liquidation preference and information about the dividend period, dividend rate, any call protection or non-call period and other matters. A supplement to this Prospectus relating to any offering of subscription rights will set forth the number of shares (common or preferred) issuable upon the exercise of each right and the other terms of such rights offering, including whether the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of such rights are convertible into Common Shares. The Fund may not sell Securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this Prospectus and a prospectus supplement. For more information about the manner in which the Fund may offer shares of its common stock, see “Plan of Distribution.”
The currently outstanding shares of the Fund’s common stock are, and the shares of the Fund’s common stock offered in this Prospectus will be, subject to notice of issuance, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the trading or “ticker” symbol “OPP.” The net asset value of the Fund’s common stock on September 12, 2019 was $17.75 per share, and the last sale price of the Fund’s common stock on the NYSE on such date was $17.36. Shares of common stock of closed-end funds, like the Fund, frequently trade at discounts to their net asset values. If the shares of the Fund’s common stock trade at a discount to net asset value, the risk of loss may increase for purchasers in an offering under this prospectus, especially for those investors who expect to sell their shares in a relatively short period after purchasing shares in such an offering. See “Risks—Market Discount.” Following a Rights offering, a shareholder may experience dilution in net asset value per share of stock if the subscription price per share is below the net asset value per share on the expiration date. See “Risks—Risks of Issuing Rights.”
The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth whether or not the Preferred Shares offered in this Prospectus will be listed or traded on any securities exchange. If the Fund’s Preferred Shares are not listed on a securities exchange, there may be no active secondary trading market for such shares and an investment in such shares may be illiquid.
The Prospectus sets forth concisely the information about the Fund and the Securities that a prospective investor ought to know before investing in the Fund. You should read this Prospectus and the related prospectus supplement, which contain important information about the Fund, before deciding whether to invest in the Fund’s Securities, and retain them for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information, dated October 17, 2019 (the “SAI”), containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the 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 Prospectus, the SAI (the table of contents of which is on page 87 of this Prospectus), annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund, or make shareholder inquiries, by calling (855) 862-6092, by writing to the Fund at 325 North LaSalle Street, Suite 645, Chicago, IL 60654, or by visiting the Fund’s and the Adviser’s website at www.rivernorth.com (information included on the website does not form a part of this Prospectus), or from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the SEC, paper copies of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders will no longer be sent by mail unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from the Fund or from your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website at www.rivernorth.com, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.
If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. You may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically by contacting your financial intermediary or, if you are a direct investor, by calling (855) 862-6092.
You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge. If you invest through a financial intermediary, you can contact your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. If you invest directly with the Fund, you can call (855) 862-6092 to let the Fund know you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all funds held in your account if you invest through a financial intermediary or all funds held with the fund complex if you invest directly with the Fund.
Investing in the Fund involves certain risks. See “Risks” beginning on page 28 of this Prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The Fund, or the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests, may invest in securities of any credit quality, including, without limit, securities that are rated below investment grade, except that, under normal market conditions, no more than 60% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in below investment grade and “senior loan” Underlying Funds, and the Fund invests at least 20% of the Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy in securities rated investment grade (or unrated securities judged by the Subadviser (as defined below) to be of comparable quality). Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities and are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. See “Risks—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”
Under normal market conditions, the Fund may allocate between 10% and 35% of its Managed Assets to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy and between 65% and 90% of its Managed Assets to the Opportunistic Income Strategy. Subject to the foregoing ranges, the Adviser (as defined below) determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. See “Investment Philosophy and Process.” “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, including assets attributable to leverage, minus liabilities (other than debt representing leverage and any preferred stock that may be outstanding).
Investment Adviser and Subadviser. The Fund’s investment adviser is RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC and the Fund’s subadviser is DoubleLine® Capital LP. See “Management of the Fund.”
Contingent Conversion Feature. The Fund’s Charter provides that, during calendar year 2021, the Fund will call a shareholder meeting for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company. If approved by shareholders, the Fund will seek to convert to an open-end management investment company within 12 months of such approval. If not approved by shareholders, the Fund will continue operating as a closed-end management investment company. See “Contingent Conversion Feature.”
Leverage. The Fund may borrow money and/or issue preferred stock, notes or debt securities for investment purposes. The Fund currently anticipates that it could also obtain leverage through the use of reverse repurchase agreements. Since the holders of common stock pay all expenses related to the issuance of debt or use of leverage, any use of leverage would create a greater risk of loss for the Fund’s common stock than if leverage is not used. See “Risks—Leverage Risks.”
The Fund’s 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.
Prospectus dated October 17, 2019.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page |
Prospectus Summary | 1 |
Summary Of Fund Expenses | 14 |
Financial Highlights | 16 |
Market and Net Asset Value Information | 18 |
The Fund | 19 |
The Offering | 19 |
Use Of Proceeds | 20 |
Investment Objective, Strategies And Policies | 20 |
Investment Philosophy and Process | 24 |
Contingent Conversion Feature | 25 |
Use Of Leverage | 26 |
Risks | 28 |
Management Of The Fund | 60 |
Net Asset Value | 62 |
Dividends And Distributions | 62 |
Dividend Reinvestment Plan | 64 |
Description Of The Fund’s Securities | 65 |
Certain Provisions Of The Fund’s Charter And Bylaws And Of Maryland Law | 69 |
Repurchase Of Shares | 76 |
Rights Offerings | 77 |
Conversion To Open-End Fund | 77 |
U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters | 77 |
Plan of Distribution | 82 |
Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, Dividend Disbursing Agent and Custodian | 85 |
Legal Matters | 85 |
Control Persons | 85 |
Additional Information | 85 |
The Fund’s Privacy Policy | 86 |
Table Of Contents For The Statement Of Additional Information | 87 |
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and any related prospectus supplement. The Fund has not authorized any other person 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 to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information provided by 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 results of operations may have changed since that date.
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY |
This is only a summary of information contained elsewhere in this Prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the Fund’s securities offered by this Prospectus. You should review the more detailed information contained in this Prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), including the documents incorporated by reference. In particular, you should carefully read the section entitled “Risks” in this Prospectus. |
The Fund | RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”) is a Maryland corporation registered as a diversified, closed-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund commenced operations and completed its initial public offering of common stock in September 2016, raising approximately $215 million in equity after payment of offering expenses (and including the exercise of the overallotment option). As of June 30, 2019, the Fund had 11,013,787 shares of its common stock outstanding and net assets applicable to such shares of $199,213,000. The shares of the Fund’s common stock offered by this Prospectus are called “Common Shares” and the holders of Common Shares are called “Common Shareholders.” As used hereinafter in this Prospectus, unless the context requires otherwise, “common shares” refers to the shares of the Fund’s common stock currently outstanding as well as those Common Shares offered by this Prospectus and the holders of common shares are called “common shareholders.” As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not issued any shares of preferred stock (“Preferred Shares”). An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors. |
The Offering | The Fund may offer, from time to time, up to $300,000,000 aggregate initial offering price of (i) Common Shares, (ii) Preferred Shares, and/or (iii) subscription rights to purchase Common Shares, Preferred Shares or both (“Rights” and, together with the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares, “Securities) in one or more offerings in amounts, at prices and on terms set forth in one or more supplements to this Prospectus. See “Description Of The Fund’s Securities.” See also “Risks—Risks Associated with Offerings of Additional Common Shares,” “Risks—Risks of Issuing Rights” and “Risks—Leverage Risks.” |
| The Fund may offer Securities directly to one or more purchasers, including existing common shareholders and/or preferred shareholders in a Rights offering, through agents that the Fund or the purchasers designate from time to time, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of the Securities, and will set forth any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between the Fund and such agents or underwriters or among underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. The prospectus supplement relating to any sale of preferred stock will set forth the liquidation preference and information about the dividend period, dividend rate, any call protection or non-call period and other matters. A supplement to this Prospectus relating to any offering of subscription rights will set forth the number of shares (common or preferred) issuable upon the exercise of each right and the other terms of such rights offering, including whether the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of such right are convertible into Common Shares. The Fund may not sell Securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this Prospectus and a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of the Securities. See “Plan of Distribution.” |
| Offerings of Common Shares will be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, which generally require that the public offering price of common shares of a closed-end investment company (exclusive of distribution commissions and discounts) must equal or exceed the net asset value per share of the company’s common stock (calculated within 48 hours of pricing), absent shareholder approval or under certain other circumstances. The Fund may, however, issue Common Shares pursuant to exercises of Rights at prices below net asset value. See “Risks—Risks of Issuing Rights.” |
Use of Proceeds | Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the Fund expects to invest the net proceeds from any sales of Securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as stated below, or use such proceeds for other general corporate purposes within approximately three months of receipt of such proceeds. Pending any such use, the proceeds may be invested in cash, cash equivalents, short-term debt securities or U.S. government securities. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns and reduce the Fund’s distributions to common shareholders. |
Investment Adviser and Subadviser | The Fund’s investment adviser is RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and the Fund’s subadviser is DoubleLine® Capital LP (the “Subadviser”). The Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets (as defined below) allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy (as described below). The Subadviser is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy (as described below). Subject to the ranges noted below, the Adviser determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. See “Management of the Fund.” |
Investment Objective | The Fund’s investment objective is current income and overall total return. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. |
Principal Investment Strategies and Policies | The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by allocating its Managed Assets among the two principal strategies described below. The Adviser determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. See “Risks—Asset Allocation Risk.” Under normal market conditions, the Fund may allocate between 10% and 35% of its Managed Assets to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy (as described below) and 65% to 90% of its Managed Assets to the Opportunistic Income Strategy (as described below). See “Investment Philosophy and Process.” |
| Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy (10%-35% of Managed Assets). This strategy seeks to (i) generate returns through investments in closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and business development companies (“BDCs,” and, together with the Fund’s investments in closed-end funds and ETFs, the “Underlying Funds”) that invest primarily in income-producing securities, and (ii) derive value from the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds. See “Risks—Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy Risk.” All Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests are registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). |
| Under normal market conditions: (i) no more than 20% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in “equity” Underlying Funds; (ii) no more than 60% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in below investment grade (also known as “high yield” and “junk”) and “senior loan” Underlying Funds; and (iii) no more than 25% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in “emerging market income” Underlying Funds. The Fund will also limit its investments in closed-end funds (including BDCs) that have been in operation for less than one year to no more than 10% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. The Fund will not invest in inverse ETFs or leveraged ETFs. The types of Underlying Funds referenced in this paragraph are categorized in accordance with the fund categories established and maintained by Morningstar, Inc. The investment parameters stated above (and elsewhere in this Prospectus) apply only at the time of purchase. The Fund’s shareholders indirectly bear the expenses, including the management fees, of the Underlying Funds. See “Risks—Underlying Fund Risks.” |
| The Underlying Funds in which the Adviser seeks to invest will generally focus on a broad range of fixed income securities or sectors, including Underlying Funds that invest in the following securities or sectors: convertible securities, preferred stocks, high yield securities, exchange-traded notes, structured notes, dividend strategies, covered call option strategies, real estate-related investments, energy, utility and other income-oriented strategies. In addition, the Fund may invest directly in debt securities issued by certain credit-oriented, unlisted Underlying Funds, including BDCs, identified by the Adviser in its due diligence process (“Private Debt”). The Adviser believes investments in Private Debt can provide the Fund with the opportunity to obtain more favorable terms than similar publicly traded debt investments with similar risk profiles. See “Risks—Private Debt Risk.” |
| The Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest in securities that are rated below investment grade, including those receiving the lowest ratings from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC business (“S&P”), Fitch Ratings, a part of the Fitch Group (“Fitch”), or Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser or Subadviser (as defined below) to be of comparable credit quality, which indicates that the security is in default or has little prospect for full recovery of principal or interest. See “Risks—Defaulted and Distressed Securities Risk.” Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities. Below investment grade securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Lower rated below investment grade securities are considered more vulnerable to nonpayment than other below investment grade securities and their issuers are more dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet their financial commitments. The lowest rated below investment grade securities are typically already in default. See “Risks—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.” |
| The Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests will not include those that are advised or subadvised by the Adviser, the Subadviser or their affiliates. |
| Under normal circumstances, the Fund intends to maintain long positions in Underlying Funds; however, the Fund may at times establish hedging positions. Hedging positions may include short sales and derivatives, such as options, futures and swaps (“Hedging Positions”). Under normal market conditions, no more than 30% of the Fund’s Managed Assets is in Hedging Positions (as determined based on the market value of such Hedging Positions). See “Risks—Derivatives Risks” and “Risks—Options and Futures Risks.” |
| A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security that it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market price of the security. The Fund may benefit from a short position when the shorted security decreased in value. The Fund will not engage in any short sales of securities issued by closed-end funds and BDCs. See “Investment Objective, Strategies and Policies—Principal Investment Strategies—Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy” and “Risks—Short Sale Risks.” |
| Under the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy, the Fund also may attempt to enhance the return on the cash portion of its portfolio by investing in total return swap agreements. A total return swap agreement provides the Fund with a return based on the performance of an underlying asset, in exchange for fee payments to a counterparty based on a specific rate. The difference in the value of these income streams is recorded daily by the Fund, and is typically settled in cash at least monthly. If the underlying asset declines in value over the term of the swap, the Fund would be required to pay the dollar value of that decline plus any applicable fees to the counterparty. The Fund may use its own net asset value or any other reference asset that the Adviser chooses as the underlying asset in a total return swap. The Fund will limit the notional amount of all total return swaps in the aggregate to 15% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. See “Investment Objective, Strategies and Policies—Principal Investment Strategies—Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy“ and “Risks—Swap Risks.” |
| Opportunistic Income Strategy (65%-90% of Managed Assets). This strategy seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in fixed income instruments and other investments, including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). At least 50% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy is invested in mortgage-backed securities. See “Risks—Fixed Income Securities Risks,” “Risks—Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk” and “Risks—Municipal Securities Risk.” |
| Under this strategy, the Fund may invest in securities of any credit quality, including, without limit, securities that are rated below investment grade, except that the Fund invests at least 20% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy in securities rated investment grade (or unrated securities judged by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality). In addition, the Subadviser does not currently expect that the Fund will invest more than 15% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy in corporate debt securities (excluding mortgage-backed securities) or sovereign debt instruments rated below B- by Moody’s and below B3 by S&P or Fitch (or unrated securities determined by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality). The Fund’s investments in below investment grade securities under this strategy may include securities receiving the lowest ratings from S&P (i.e., D-), Fitch (i.e., D-) or Moody’s (i.e., C3), or comparably rated by another NRSRO or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser or Subadviser to be of comparable credit quality, which indicates that the security is in default or has little prospect for full recovery of principal or interest. See “Risks—Defaulted and Distressed Securities Risk.” Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities. Below investment grade securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Lower rated below investment grade securities are considered more vulnerable to nonpayment than other below investment grade securities and their issuers are more dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet their financial commitments. The lowest rated below investment grade securities are typically already in default. See “Risks—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.” |
| The Fund invests no more than 20% of its Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy in non-U.S. investments, including emerging market investments. See “Risks—Emerging Market Investments.” |
| Investments under the Opportunistic Income Strategy may include substantial investments in mortgage-backed securities, including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”). These RMBS investments have undergone extreme volatility over the past several years, driven primarily by high default rates and the securities being downgraded to “junk” status. See “Risks—Mortgage-Backed Securities Risks.” |
| Investments under the Opportunistic Income Strategy may include mortgage- or asset-backed securities of any kind, including, by way of example, mortgage- or asset-related securities not subject to the credit support of the U.S. Government or any agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government, including obligations backed or supported by sub-prime mortgages, which are subject to certain special risks. See “Risks—Mortgage-Backed Securities Risks.” |
| Mortgage- or asset-backed securities may include, among other things, securities issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its agencies, or its instrumentalities or sponsored corporations, or securities of domestic or foreign private issuers. Mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be issued or guaranteed by banks or other financial institutions, special-purpose vehicles established for such purpose, or private issuers, or by government agencies or instrumentalities. Privately issued mortgage-backed securities include any mortgage-backed security other than those issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S Government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Mortgage-backed securities may include, without limitation, interests in pools of residential mortgages or commercial mortgages, and may relate to domestic or non-U.S. mortgages. Mortgage-backed securities include, but are not limited to, securities representing interests in, collateralized or backed by, or whose values are determined in whole or in part by reference to any number of mortgages or pools of mortgages or the payment experience of such mortgages or pools of mortgages, including Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”), which could include resecuritizations of REMICs, mortgage pass-through securities, inverse floaters, collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations, collateralized debt obligations, multiclass pass-through securities, private mortgage pass-through securities, stripped mortgage securities (generally interest-only and principal-only securities), and securitizations of various receivables, including, for example, credit card and automobile finance receivables. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may represent an inverse interest-only class of security for which the holders are entitled to receive no payments of principal and are entitled only to receive interest at a rate that will vary inversely with a specified index or reference rate, or a multiple thereof. |
| The Fund may purchase other types of debt securities and other income-producing investments of any kind, including, by way of example, U.S. Government securities; debt securities issued by domestic or foreign corporations; obligations of foreign sovereigns or their agencies or instrumentalities; equity, mortgage, or hybrid REIT securities; bank loans (including, among others, participations, assignments, senior loans, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities); municipal securities and other debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises. See “Investment Objective, Strategies and Policies—Principal Investment Strategies—Opportunistic Income Strategy.” |
| “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, including assets attributable to leverage, minus liabilities (other than debt representing leverage and any preferred stock that may be outstanding). |
| In addition to the foregoing principal investment strategies of the Fund, the Adviser also may allocate the Fund’s Managed Assets among cash and short-term investments. See “Investment Policies and Techniques—Temporary Investments and Defensive Position” in the SAI. There are no limits on the Fund’s portfolio turnover, and the Fund may buy and sell securities to take advantage of potential short-term trading opportunities without regard to length of time and when the Adviser or Subadviser believes investment considerations warrant such action. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was approximately 27%. |
| Unless otherwise specified, the investment policies and limitations of the Fund are not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed without a vote of the common shareholders. The Fund’s investment objective and certain investment restrictions specifically identified as such in the SAI are considered fundamental and may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, which includes common shares and Preferred Shares, if any, voting together as a single class, and the holders of the outstanding Preferred Shares, if any, voting as a single class. See “Investment Restrictions” in the SAI. |
Investment Philosophy and Process | The Adviser allocates the Fund’s assets among the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy and the Opportunistic Income Strategy (as described above). The amount allocated to each of the principal strategies may change depending on the Adviser’s assessment of market risk, security valuations, market volatility, and the prospects for earning income and capital appreciation. See “Risks—Multi-Manager Risk.” |
| Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. The Adviser considers a number of factors when selecting Underlying Funds, including fundamental and technical analysis to assess the relative risk and reward potential throughout the financial markets. The term “tactical” is used to indicate that the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to this strategy invests in closed-end funds to take advantage of pricing discrepancies in the closed-end fund market. |
| In selecting closed-end funds, the Adviser opportunistically utilizes a combination of short-term and longer-term trading strategies to seek to derive value from the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds. The Adviser employs both a quantitative and qualitative approach in its selection of closed-end funds and has developed proprietary screening models and algorithms to trade closed-end funds by identifying pricing aberrations. The Adviser’s mean reversion investing looks to capitalize on changes within the pricing of a closed-end fund and, based upon its research and analysis, a view that it will revert to historical pricing. The Adviser employs the following trading strategies, among others: |
| Statistical Analysis (Mean Reversion) |
| • | Using proprietary quantitative models, the Adviser seeks to identify closed-end funds that are trading at compelling absolute and/or relative discounts. |
| • | The Adviser will attempt to capitalize on the perceived mispricing if the Adviser believes that the discount widening is irrational and expects the discount to narrow to longer-term mean valuations. |
| Corporate Actions |
| • | The Adviser pursues investments in closed-end funds that have announced, or the Adviser believes are likely to announce, certain corporate actions that may drive value for their shareholders. |
| • | The Adviser has developed trading strategies that focus on closed-end fund tender offers, rights offerings, shareholder distributions, open-endings and liquidations. |
| Shareholder Activism |
| • | The Adviser assesses activism opportunities by determining a closed-end fund’s susceptibility to dissident activity and analyzing the composition of the fund’s shareholder register. The Fund, in seeking to achieve its investment objective, will not take activist positions in the Underlying Funds. |
| In employing its trading strategies, the Adviser conducts an extensive amount of due diligence on various fund sponsors, investment managers and funds, including actively monitoring regulatory filings, analyzing a fund’s registration statements, financial statements and organizational documents, as well as conducting proprietary research, such as speaking with fund sponsors, underwriters, sell-side brokers and investors. |
| See “Investment Philosophy and Process—Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy.” |
| Opportunistic Income Strategy. The term “opportunistic” is used to indicate that the portion of this strategy’s Managed Assets devoted to any particular asset class will vary depending on the Subadviser’s view of what investments offer potentially attractive risk-adjusted returns under then-existing market conditions. |
| With respect to its investments in mortgage-backed securities, the Subadviser utilizes a unique investment process that first examines the macroeconomic status of the mortgage-backed sector. This analysis includes reviewing information regarding interest rates, yield curves and spreads, credit analysis of the issuers and a general analysis of the markets generally. From this detailed analysis, along with assessment of other economic data including market trends, unemployment data and pending legislation, the Subadviser identifies subsectors within the mortgage sector which the Subadviser believes offer the highest potential for return. The Subadviser then applies a qualitative analysis that evaluates market trends and portfolio analytics, including looking at factors such as duration, level of delinquencies, default history and recovery rates. Finally, the Subadviser performs a quantitative analysis of the potential investment, essentially performing a stress test of the potential investment’s underlying portfolio of mortgages. Only when a potential investment has passed the Subadviser’s screening will it be added to the strategy’s portfolio. |
| The Subadviser allocates the Opportunistic Income Strategy assets among market sectors, and among investments within those sectors, in an attempt to construct a portfolio providing a high level of current income and the potential for capital appreciation consistent with what the Subadviser considers an appropriate level of risk in light of market conditions prevailing at the time. Implementation of portfolio asset allocation decisions is made by the Subadviser’s portfolio managers after consultation with the Subadviser’s Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committee, a committee consisting of portfolio managers, traders and analysts which contributes to fixed-income asset allocation decisions made on behalf of the Fund by the Subadviser. The Subadviser will select investments over time to implement its long-term strategic investment view. It also will buy and sell securities opportunistically in response to short-term market, economic, political, or other developments or otherwise as opportunities may present themselves. In selecting individual securities for investment by the Fund, the Subadviser uses a bottom-up security selection process, reflecting in-depth research and analysis. The Subadviser will manage the Opportunistic Income Strategy of the Fund under an integrated risk management framework overseen by the Fund’s portfolio management team and Subadviser’s risk management committee. |
| Portfolio securities in the Opportunistic Income Strategy may be sold at any time. Sales may occur when the Subadviser determines to take advantage of a better investment opportunity, because the Subadviser believes the portfolio securities no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities, because the Subadviser perceives a deterioration in the credit fundamentals of the issuer, or because the Subadviser believes it would be appropriate for other investment reasons, such as to adjust the duration or other characteristics of the investment portfolio. |
Contingent Conversion Feature | The Fund’s Charter provides that, during calendar year 2021, the Fund will call a shareholder meeting for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company (such meeting date, as may be adjourned, the “Conversion Vote Date”). Such shareholder meeting may be postponed (prior to convening the meeting) or adjourned in accordance with the By-Laws of the Fund and Maryland law to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date for the meeting. A vote on such Conversion Vote Date to convert the Fund to an open-end management investment company under the Charter requires approval by a majority of the Fund’s total outstanding shares. A majority is defined as greater than 50% of the Fund’s total outstanding shares. If approved by shareholders on the Conversion Vote Date, the Fund will seek to convert to an open-end management investment company within 12 months of such approval. Any such shareholder approval will be in addition to the vote or consent of the Fund’s shareholders otherwise required by federal law or by any agreement between the Fund and any national securities exchange. If the requisite number of votes to convert the Fund to an open-end management investment company is not obtained on the Conversion Vote Date, the Fund will continue operating as a closed-end management investment company. See “Conversion to Open-End Fund” and “Risks—Contingent Conversion Risk” below. |
Use of Leverage | The Fund may borrow money and/or issue Preferred Shares, notes or debt securities for investment purposes. These practices are known as leveraging. The Adviser determines whether or not to engage in leverage based on its assessment of conditions in the debt and credit markets. On December 16, 2016, the Fund entered into a $75,000,000 secured, revolving, evergreen credit facility with U.S. Bank National Association (the “USB Facility”). The borrowing rate under the USB Facility is equal to one-month LIBOR plus 0.95%. The average principal balance and interest rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 was approximately $73,500,000 and 3.31%, respectively. As of June 30, 2019, the principal amount of borrowings under the USB Facility was $73,500,000, representing approximately 27% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. As of June 30, 2019, the Fund had $1,500,000 in unutilized funds available for borrowing under the USB Facility. The Fund’s common shares are junior in liquidation and distribution rights to amounts owed pursuant to the USB Facility. See “Summary of Fund Expenses” and “Use of Leverage—Effects of Leverage.” The Fund currently anticipates that it could also obtain leverage through the use of reverse repurchase agreements. To date, the Fund has not issued any Preferred Shares or debt securities. |
| Pursuant to the provisions of the 1940 Act, the Fund may borrow or issue notes or debt securities in an amount up to 33 1/3% of its total assets and may issue Preferred Shares in an amount up to 50% of its total assets (including the proceeds from leverage). The Underlying Funds that the Fund invests in may also use leverage. |
| Notwithstanding the limits discussed above, the Fund may enter into derivatives or other transactions (e.g., reverse repurchase agreements and total return swaps) that may provide leverage (other than through borrowings or the issuance of Preferred Shares), but which are not subject to the foregoing limitation if the Fund earmarks or segregates liquid assets (or enters into offsetting positions) in accordance with applicable Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regulations and interpretations to cover its obligations under those transactions and instruments. These additional transactions will not cause the Fund to pay higher advisory or administration fee rates than it would pay in the absence of such transactions. However, these transactions entail additional expenses (e.g., transaction costs) which are borne by the Fund. |
| The use of leverage by the Fund can magnify the effect of any losses. If the income and gains earned on the securities and investments purchased with leverage proceeds are greater than the cost of the leverage, returns will be greater than if leverage had not been used. Conversely, if the income and gains from the securities and investments purchased with such proceeds do not cover the cost of leverage, returns will be less than if leverage had not been used. The use of leverage magnifies gains and losses to common shareholders. Since the holders of common stock pay all expenses related to the issuance of debt or use of leverage, any use of leverage would create a greater risk of loss for the common shares than if leverage is not used. There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful during any period in which it is employed. See “Use of Leverage” and “Risks—Leverage Risks.” |
| Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase the securities at an agreed upon price, date and interest payment. At the time the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it may establish and maintain a segregated account with its custodian containing, or designate on its books and records, cash and/or liquid assets having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). If the Fund establishes and maintains such a segregated account, or earmarks such assets as described, a reverse repurchase agreement will not be considered a senior security under the 1940 Act and therefore will not be considered a borrowing by the Fund under the foregoing limitation; however, under certain circumstances in which the Fund does not establish and maintain such segregated account, or earmark such assets on its books and records, such reverse repurchase agreement is considered a borrowing for the purpose of the Fund’s limitation on borrowings. The use by the Fund of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks as leverage since the proceeds derived from such reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities. See “Risks—Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risks.” |
Dividends and Distributions | The Fund’s Board of Directors has approved, and the Fund has implemented as of January 1, 2019, a level distribution policy (the “Level Distribution Policy.” Under the Level Distribution Policy, the Fund intends to make monthly distributions to common shareholders at a constant and fixed (but not guaranteed) rate (which is annually reset) equal to 12.5% of the average of the Fund’s NAV per share as reported for the final five trading days of the preceding calendar year. |
| Under the Level Distribution Policy, to the extent that sufficient investment income is not available on a monthly basis, the Fund’s distributions could consist of return of capital in order to maintain the distribution rate. The amount treated as a return of capital will reduce a shareholder’s adjusted basis in the shareholder’s shares, thereby increasing the potential gain or reducing the potential loss on the sale of shares. Investors should not make any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the Fund’s distributions or from the terms of the Fund’s Level Distribution Policy. Dividends and distributions may be payable in cash or common shares, with shareholders having the option to receive additional common shares in lieu of cash. The Fund may at times, in its discretion, pay out less than the entire amount of net investment income earned in any particular period and may at times pay out such accumulated undistributed income in addition to net investment income earned in other periods in order to permit the Fund to maintain a more stable level of distributions. As a result, the dividend paid by the Fund to common shareholders for any particular period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income earned by the Fund during such period. The Fund’s ability to maintain a stable level of distributions to shareholders will depend on a number of factors, including the stability of income received from its investments. The amount of monthly distributions could vary depending on a number of factors, including the costs of any leverage. As portfolio and market conditions change, the amount of dividends on the Fund’s common shares could change. For federal income tax purposes, the Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income each year to both reduce its federal income tax liability and to avoid a potential federal excise tax. The Fund intends to distribute all realized net capital gains, if any, at least annually. See “Dividends and Distributions.” |
Dividend Reinvestment Plan | The Fund has a dividend reinvestment plan (the “Plan”) commonly referred to as an “opt-out” plan. Each common shareholder who participates in the Plan will have all distributions of dividends and capital gains automatically reinvested in additional common shares. The automatic reinvestment of dividends and distributions in common shares will not relieve participants of any federal, state or local income tax that may be payable (or required to be withheld) on such dividends and distributions, even though such participants have not received any cash with which to pay the resulting tax. |
| Common shareholders who elect not to participate in the Plan will receive all distributions in cash. All correspondence or questions concerning the Plan, including how a common shareholder may opt out of the Plan, should be directed to U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, (855) 862-6092, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 (the “Plan Administrator”). Beneficial owners of common shares who hold their common shares in the name of a broker or nominee should contact the broker or nominee to determine whether and how they may participate in, or opt out of, the Plan. See “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters.” |
Listing of Common Shares | The Fund’s currently outstanding common shares are, and the Common Shares offering in this Prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement will be, subject to notice of issuance, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the trading or “ticker” symbol “OPP.” The net asset value of the Fund’s common shares at the close of business on September 12, 2019 was $17.75, and the last sale price of the common shares on the NYSE on such date was $17.36. |
Risk Considerations | Risk is inherent in all investing. Investing in any investment company security involves risks, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or even that you may lose part or all of your investment. Therefore, before investing in the Fund, you should consider the risks more fully set forth under “Risks” beginning on page 28 (as well as the other information in this Prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and the SAI), which provides a discussion of the principal risk factors associated with an investment in the Fund specifically, as well as those factors generally associated with an investment in a company with investment objectives, investment policies, capital structure or trading markets similar to the Fund. Given the nature of the Fund’s investment strategies, these principal risks include risks associated with investments in fixed income securities, mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations, below investment grade securities and Underlying Funds; risks associated with the use of leverage; and risks related to interest rates. |
Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, Dividend Disbursing Agent and Custodian | The Fund has retained U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC as administrator, fund accountant, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent and US Bank, NA as custodian. In addition, Centric Fund Services, LLC will provide certain other administrative services for the Fund. The Adviser and the Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the activities of the administrator, fund accountant, transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent and custodian. See “Administrator, Fund Accountant, Transfer Agent, Dividend Disbursing Agent and Custodian.” |
SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES
The following table shows estimated Fund expenses as a percentage of net assets attributable to common shares. The purpose of the following table and the example below is to help you understand the fees and expenses that you, as a Common Shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The expenses shown in the table and related footnotes, along with the example, are based on the Fund’s capital structure as of June 30, 2019. As of such date, the Fund had $73,500,000 of leverage outstanding pursuant to the USB Facility. Such leverage represented 27% of Managed Assets as of June 30, 2019. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown below.
Shareholder Transaction Expenses | As a Percentage of Offering Price |
Sales Load | ---%* |
Offering Expenses Borne by the Fund (excluding Preferred Shares Offering Expenses)(as a percentage of offering price) | ---%* |
Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees | None(1) |
Preferred Shares Offering Expenses Borne by the Fund (as a percentage of net asset attributable to Common Shares) | ---%* |
| As a Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares (Assumes 27% Leverage is Outstanding) |
Annual Expenses | |
Management fee(2) | 1.37% |
Administration fee(2) | 0.30% |
Interest payments on borrowed funds(3) | 1.24% |
Dividends on Preferred Shares | 0.00%(4) |
Dividend and Interest Expenses on Short Sales | 0.00% |
Other expenses | 0.25% |
Acquired fund fees and expenses(5) | 0.49% |
Total annual expenses | 3.65% |
The purpose of the table above and the example below is to help you understand the fees and expenses that you, as a Common Shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The expenses shown in the table under “Other expenses” and “Total annual expenses” are based in part on estimated amounts for the Fund’s 12 months of operations after June 30, 2019 unless otherwise indicated and assumes that the Fund has not issued any additional Common Shares.
Example(6)
The example illustrates the expenses you would pay on a $1,000 investment in Common Shares, assuming (1) “Total annual expenses” of 3.65% of net assets attributable to common shares, and (2) a 5% annual return.
| 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
Total Expenses Incurred | $37 | $112 | $189 | $391 |
The example should not be considered a representation of future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those assumed.
| * | The applicable prospectus supplement to be used in connection with any sales of Common Shares or Preferred Shares will set forth any applicable sales load and the estimated offering expenses borne by the Fund. |
| (1) | There will be no brokerage charges with respect to common shares issued directly by the Fund under the dividend reinvestment plan. You will pay brokerage charges in connection with open market purchases or if you direct the plan agent to sell your common shares held in a dividend reinvestment account. |
| (2) | The management fee and administration fee are charged as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily Managed Assets, as opposed to net assets. With leverage, Managed Assets are greater in amount than net assets, because Managed Assets includes borrowings for investment purposes. The market value of the Fund’s derivatives are used for purposes of calculating Managed Assets. The management fee of 1.00% of the Fund’s Managed Assets represents 1.37% of net assets attributable to Common Shares assuming the use of leverage in an amount of 27% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. |
| (3) | Interest and fees on leverage in the table reflect the cost to the Fund of borrowings, expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets as of June 30, 2019, based on interest rates in effect as of June 30, 2019. The table assumes total borrowings of $73,500,000, which reflects leverage in an amount representing 27% of Managed Assets. See “Use of Leverage—Effects of Leverage. |
| (4) | As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not issued any Preferred Shares. The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the expenses related to any Preferred Shares issued in the future. |
| (5) | The “Acquired fund fees and expenses” disclosed above are based on the expense ratios for the most recent fiscal year of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund has invested, which may change substantially over time and, therefore, significantly affect “Acquired fund fees and expenses.” These amounts are based on the total expense ratio disclosed in each Underlying Fund’s most recent shareholder report. Some of the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests (or may invest) charge incentive fees based on the Underlying Funds’ performance. The 0.49% shown as “Acquired fund fees and expenses” reflects the operating expenses of the Underlying Funds and transaction-related fees. Certain Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests (or may invest) generally charge a management fee of 1.00% to 2.00%, which is included in “Acquired fund fees and expenses,” as applicable. The “Acquired fund fees and expenses” disclosed above, however, do not reflect any performance-based fees or allocations paid by the Underlying Funds that are calculated solely on the realization and/or distribution of gains, or on the sum of such gains and unrealized appreciation of assets distributed in-kind, as such fees and allocations for a particular period may be unrelated to the cost of investing in the Underlying Funds. Acquired fund fees and expenses are borne indirectly by the Fund, but they are not reflected in the Fund’s financial statements; and the information presented in the table will differ from that presented in the Fund’s financial highlights. |
| (6) | The example does not include sales load or estimated offering costs. The example should not be considered a representation of future expenses. The example assumes that the estimated “Other expenses” set forth in the table are accurate and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at net asset value and that the Fund is engaged in leverage of 27% of Managed Assets, assuming interest and fees on leverage of 3.39%. The interest and fees on leverage is expressed as an interest rate and represents interest and fees payable on the USB Facility. See “Use of Leverage.” Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. Moreover, the Fund’s actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% annual return shown in the example. |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The information in the following table shows selected data for a common share outstanding throughout each period listed below. The information in this table for the years ended June 30, 2019, June 30, 2018 and the period ended June 30, 2017 is derived from the Fund’s financial statements audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the Fund’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, whose report on the 2019 financial statements and the financial highlights for the years ended June 30, 2019, June 30, 2018 and for the period from September 28, 2016 through June 30, 2017 is contained in the Fund’s 2019 Annual Report. The 2019 Annual Report is incorporated by reference into the Fund’s SAI and is available from the Fund upon request.
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. |
Financial Highlights | |
| | For the Year Ended June 30, 2019 | | | For the Year Ended June 30, 2018 | | | For the Period Ended June 30, 2017(a) | |
Net asset value - beginning of period | | $ | 18.75 | | | $ | 20.04 | | | $ | 19.60 | |
Income/(Loss) from investment operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income(b) | | | 0.94 | | | | 1.06 | | | | 0.94 | |
Net realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on investments | | | 0.40 | | | | (0.64 | ) | | | 0.46 | |
Total income/(loss) from investment operations | | | 1.34 | | | | 0.42 | | | | 1.40 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Less distributions: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
From net investment income | | | (1.18 | ) | | | (1.40 | )(c) | | | (0.92 | ) |
From tax return of capital | | | (0.82 | ) | | | (0.31 | ) | | | | |
Total distributions | | | (2.00 | ) | | | (1.71 | ) | | | (0.92 | ) |
Offering costs on issuance of common stock | | | — | | | | — | | | | (0.04 | ) |
Net increase/(decrease) in net asset value | | | (0.66 | ) | | | (1.29 | ) | | | 0.44 | |
Net asset value - end of period | | $ | 18.09 | | | $ | 18.75 | | | $ | 20.04 | |
Per common share market value - end of period | | $ | 17.06 | | | $ | 17.69 | | | $ | 19.54 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Total return based on net asset value(d) | | | 7.78 | % | | | 2.12 | % | | | 7.10 | %(e) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Total return based on market value(d) | | | 8.50 | % | | | (0.65 | )% | | | 2.50 | %(e) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ratios/Supplemental Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net assets, end of period (in thousands) | | $ | 199,213 | | | $ | 206,561 | | | | 220,768 | |
Ratio of expenses to average net assets(f)(g) | | | 3.16 | % | | | 2.67 | % | | | 2.14 | %(h) |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets(b) | | | 5.17 | % | | | 5.42 | % | | | 5.28 | %(h) |
Portfolio turnover rate | | | 27 | % | | | 23 | % | | | 35 | %(e) |
Facility loan payable (in thousands) | | $ | 73,500 | | | $ | 73,500 | | | $ | 71,500 | |
Asset coverage per $1,000 of facility loan payable(i) | | $ | 3,711 | | | $ | 3,811 | | | $ | 4,090 | |
(a) | Commenced operations on September 28, 2016. |
(b) | Recognition of net investment income by the Fund is affected by the timing of the declarations of dividends by the underlying closed-end funds in which the Fund invests. The ratio does not include net investment income of the closed-end funds in which the Fund invests. |
(c) | Includes net realized gain distributions of (0.09). |
(d) | Total return in the above table represents the rate that the investor would have earned or lost on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of dividends. The net asset value and market price returns will differ depending upon the level of any discount from or premium to net asset value at which the Fund’s shares traded during the period. Total return based on market value does not reflect sales load. |
(f) | Includes interest expenses of 1.23% for the year ended June 30, 2019, 0.87% for the year ended June 30, 2018 and 0.46%(e) for the period from September 28, 2016 (commencement of operations) through June 30, 2017. |
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. |
Financial Highlights | |
(g) | Does not include expenses of the closed-end funds in which the Fund invests. |
(i) | Calculated by subtracting the Fund’s total liabilities (excluding the facility loan and accumulated unpaid interest on facility loan) from the Fund’s total assets and dividing by the outstanding facility loan balance. |
MARKET AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION
The Fund’s currently outstanding common shares are, and the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement will be, subject to notice of issuance, listed on the NYSE. The Fund’s common shares commenced trading on the NYSE on September 28, 2016.
The Fund’s common shares have traded both at a premium and at a discount in relation to net asset value. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from net asset value. The Fund’s issuance of the Common Shares 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, which may put downward pressure on the market price for the Fund’s common shares. See “Risks—Market Discount.”
The following table sets forth for each of the periods indicated the high and low closing market prices for common shares of the Fund on the NYSE, the net asset value per share and the premium or discount to net asset value per share at which the Fund’s common shares were trading. Net asset value is determined daily as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). See “Net Asset Value” for information as to the determination of the Fund’s net asset value.
| | | | | PREMIUM/(DISCOUNT) |
| MARKET PRICE(1) | NET ASSET VALUE (2) | TO NET ASSET VALUE(3) |
Quarter Ended | High | Low | High | Low | High | Low |
December 31, 2016 | $20.07 | $18.17 | $19.69 | $19.48 | 2.63% | -7.24% |
March 31, 2017 | $19.13 | $18.34 | $19.98 | $19.69 | -3.88% | -6.90% |
June 30, 2017 | $19.54 | $18.68 | $20.28 | $19.81 | -2.64% | -6.22% |
September 30, 2017 | $19.54 | $18.91 | $20.25 | $19.96 | -2.64% | -5.57% |
December 31, 2017 | $19.60 | $18.12 | $20.08 | $19.68 | -2.25% | -8.58% |
March 31, 2018 | $18.49 | $17.64 | $19.80 | $19.11 | -5.45% | -8.55% |
June 30, 2018 | $17.89 | $17.25 | $19.22 | $18.71 | -5.58% | -8.85% |
September 30, 2018 | $17.96 | $16.94 | $18.80 | $18.34 | -4.47% | -7.63% |
December 31, 2018 | $17.33 | $15.08 | $18.37 | $17.48 | -5.63% | -13.74% |
March 31, 2019 | $16.98 | $16.15 | $18.00 | $17.68 | -5.35% | -9.37% |
June 30, 2019 | $17.32 | $16.40 | $18.13 | $17.76 | -4.15% | -8.64% |
| (1) | Based on high and low closing market price for the respective quarter. |
| (2) | Based on the net asset value calculated on the day of the high and low closing market prices, as applicable, as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). |
| (3) | Calculated based on the information presented. |
The last reported sale price, net asset value per share and percentage discount to net asset value per share of the common shares as of September 12, 2019 were $17.36, $17.75 and -2.20%, respectively. As of June 30, 2019, the Fund had 11,013,787 common shares outstanding and net assets of the Fund were 199,213,009.
THE FUND
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc. (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 Maryland corporation on June 22, 2016. On September 27, 2016, the Fund issued an aggregate of 10,500,000 shares of its common stock in its initial public offering. Pursuant to an overallotment option, the Fund issued an additional 508,519 shares of its common stock for a total of 11,008,519 shares. The Fund’s currently outstanding common stock is, and common stock offered in this Prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement will be, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “OPP.” The Fund’s principal office is located at 325 North LaSalle Street, Suite 645, Chicago, Illinois 60654, and its telephone number is (312) 832-1440. The shares of the Fund’s common stock offered by this Prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement are hereinafter called “Common Shares” and the holders of Common Shares are called “Common Shareholders.” As used in this Prospectus, unless the context requires otherwise, “common shares” refers to the shares of the Fund’s common stock currently outstanding as well as those Common Shares offered by this Prospectus and the holders of common shares are called “common shareholders.”
The following table provides information about the Fund’s outstanding securities as of June 30, 2019:
Title of Class | Amount Authorized | Amount Held by the Fund or for Its Account | Amount Outstanding |
Common shares | 50,000,000 | 0 | 11,013,787 |
THE OFFERING
The Fund may offer, from time to time, up to $300,000,000 aggregate initial offering price of (i) Common Shares, (ii) shares of its preferred stock (“Preferred Shares”), and/or (iii) subscription rights to purchase Common Shares, Preferred Shares or both (“Rights” and, together with the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares, “Securities) in one or more offerings in amounts, at prices and on terms set forth in one or more supplements to this Prospectus. See “Description Of the Fund’s Securities.” See also “Risks—Risks Associated with Offerings of Additional Common Shares,” “Risks—Risks of Issuing Rights” and “Risks—Leverage Risks.”
The Fund may offer Securities directly to one or more purchasers, including existing common shareholders and/or preferred shareholders in a Rights offering, through agents that the Fund or the purchasers designate from time to time, or to or through underwriters or dealers. The prospectus supplement relating to the offering will identify any agents or underwriters involved in the sale of the Securities, and will set forth any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between the Fund and such agents or underwriters or among underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. The prospectus supplement relating to any sale of preferred stock will set forth the liquidation preference and information about the dividend period, dividend rate, any call protection or non-call period and other matters. A supplement to this Prospectus relating to any offering of subscription rights will set forth the number of shares (common or preferred) issuable upon the exercise of each right and the other terms of such Rights offering, including whether the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of such right are convertible into Common Shares. The Fund may not sell Securities through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this Prospectus and a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of the Securities. See “Plan of Distribution.”
The Fund may offer Common Shares or Preferred Shares on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis. Offerings of Common Shares will be subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act, which generally require that the public offering price of common shares of a closed-end investment company (exclusive of distribution commissions and discounts) must equal or exceed the net asset value per share of the company’s common stock (calculated within 48 hours of pricing), absent shareholder approval or under certain other circumstances. The Fund may, however, issue Common Shares pursuant to exercises of Rights at prices below net asset value. See “Risks—Risks of Issuing Rights.”
USE OF PROCEEDS
Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement, the Fund expects to invest the net proceeds from any sales of Securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as stated below, or use such proceeds for other general corporate purposes within approximately three months of receipt of such proceeds. Pending any such use, the proceeds may be invested in cash, cash equivalents, short-term debt securities or U.S. government securities. A delay in the anticipated use of proceeds could lower returns and reduce the Fund’s distributions to common shareholders.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE, STRATEGIES AND POLICIES
Investment Objective
The Fund’s investment objective is current income and overall total return. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by allocating its Managed Assets between the two principal strategies described below. Subject to the ranges noted below, the Adviser determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. See “Risks—Asset Allocation Risk.” Under normal market conditions, the Fund may allocate between 10% and 35% of its Managed Assets to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy and 65% to 90% of its Managed Assets to the Opportunistic Income Strategy. See “Investment Philosophy and Process.” The Fund, in seeking to achieve its investment objective, will not take activist positions in the Underlying Funds.
Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy (10%-35% of Managed Assets). This strategy seeks to (i) generate returns through investments in closed-end funds, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and business development companies (“BDCs,” and, together with the Fund’s investments in closed-end funds and ETFs, the “Underlying Funds”) that invest primarily in income producing securities, and (ii) derive value from the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds. See “Risks—Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy Risk.” All Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests are registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
Under normal market conditions: (i) no more than 20% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in “equity” Underlying Funds; (ii) no more than 60% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in below investment grade (also known as “high yield” and “junk”) and “senior loan” Underlying Funds; and (iii) no more than 25% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy is invested in “emerging market income” Underlying Funds. The Fund will also limit its investments in closed-end funds (including BDCs) that have been in operation for less than one year to no more than 10% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. The Fund will not invest in inverse ETFs or leveraged ETFs. The types of Underlying Funds referenced in this paragraph are categorized in accordance with the fund categories established and maintained by Morningstar, Inc. The investment parameters stated above (and elsewhere in this Prospectus) apply only at the time of purchase. The Fund’s shareholders indirectly bear the expenses, including the management fees, of the Underlying Funds. See “Risks—Underlying Fund Risks.”
The Underlying Funds in which the Adviser seeks to invest will generally focus on a broad range of fixed income securities or sectors, including Underlying Funds that invest in the following securities or sectors: convertible securities, preferred stocks, high yield securities, exchange-traded notes, structured notes, dividend strategies, covered call option strategies, real estate-related investments, energy, utility and other income-oriented strategies. In addition, the Fund may invest directly in debt securities issued by certain credit-oriented, unlisted Underlying Funds, including BDCs, identified by the Adviser in its due diligence process (“Private Debt”). The Adviser believes investments in Private Debt can provide the Fund with the opportunity to obtain more favorable terms than similar publicly traded debt investments with similar risk profiles. See “Risks—Private Debt Risk.”
The Fund may invest in Underlying Funds that invest in securities that are rated below investment grade, including those receiving the lowest ratings from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC business (“S&P”), Fitch Ratings, a part of the Fitch Group (“Fitch”), or Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or comparably rated by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser or Subadviser (as defined below) to be of comparable credit quality, which indicates that the security is in default or has little prospect for full recovery of principal or interest. See “Risks—Defaulted and Distressed Securities Risk.” Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities. Below investment grade securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Lower rated below investment grade securities are considered more vulnerable to nonpayment than other below investment grade securities and their issuers are more dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet their financial commitments. The lowest rated below investment grade securities are typically already in default. See “Risks—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”
The Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests will not include those that are advised or subadvised by the Adviser, the Subadviser or their affiliates.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund intends to maintain long positions in Underlying Funds and other portfolio securities; however, the Fund may at times establish hedging positions. Hedging positions may include short sales and derivatives, such as options, futures and swaps (“Hedging Positions”). Under normal market conditions, no more than 30% of the Fund’s Managed Assets is in Hedging Positions (as determined based on the market value of such Hedging Positions). See “Risks—Derivatives Risks” and “Risks—Options and Futures Risks.”
A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security that it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market price of the security. The Fund will not engage in any short sales of securities issued by closed-end funds and BDCs. To complete the short sale, the Fund must arrange through a broker to borrow the security in order to deliver it to the buyer. The Fund is obligated to replace the borrowed security by purchasing it at a market price at or prior to the time it must be returned to the lender. The price at which the Fund is required to replace the borrowed security may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. The Fund will incur a loss if the price of the security sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the price of the security declines between those dates. See “Risks—Short Sale Risks.”
Under the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy, the Fund also may attempt to enhance the return on the cash portion of its portfolio by investing in total return swap agreements. A total return swap agreement provides the Fund with a return based on the performance of an underlying asset, in exchange for fee payments to a counterparty based on a specific rate. The difference in the value of these income streams is recorded daily by the Fund, and is typically settled in cash at least monthly. If the underlying asset declines in value over the term of the swap, the Fund would be required to pay the dollar value of that decline plus any applicable fees to the counterparty. The Fund may use its own net asset value or any other reference asset that the Adviser chooses as the underlying asset in a total return swap. The Fund will limit the notional amount of all total return swaps in the aggregate to 15% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. Using the Fund’s own net asset value as the underlying asset in the total return swap serves to reduce cash drag (the impact of cash on the Fund’s overall return) by replacing it with the impact of market exposure based upon the Fund’s own investment holdings. This type of total return swap would provide the Fund with a return based on its net asset value. Like any total return swap, the Fund would be subject to counterparty risk and the risk that its own net asset value declines in value. See “Risks—Swap Risks.”
Opportunistic Income Strategy (65%-90% of Managed Assets). This strategy seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through investments in fixed income instruments and other investments, including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). At least 50% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy is invested in mortgage-backed securities. See “Risks—Fixed Income Securities Risks,” “Risks—Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk” and “Risks—Municipal Securities Risk.”
Under this strategy, the Fund may invest in securities of any credit quality, including, without limit, securities that are rated below investment grade, except that the Fund invests at least 20% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy in securities rated investment grade (or unrated securities judged by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality). In addition, the Subadviser does not currently expect that the Fund will invest more than 15% of the Managed Assets allocated to this strategy in corporate debt securities (excluding mortgage-backed securities) or sovereign debt instruments rated below B- by Moody’s and below B3 by S&P or Fitch (or unrated securities determined by the Subadviser to be of comparable quality). The Fund’s investments in below investment grade securities under this strategy may include securities receiving the lowest ratings from S&P (i.e., D-), Fitch (i.e., D-) or Moody’s (i.e., C3), or comparably rated by another NRSRO or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser or Subadviser to be of comparable credit quality, which indicates that the security is in default or has little prospect for full recovery of principal or interest. See “Risks—Defaulted and Distressed Securities Risk.” Below investment grade securities are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities. Below investment grade securities are considered speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Lower rated below investment grade securities are considered more vulnerable to nonpayment than other below investment grade securities and their issuers are more dependent on favorable business, financial and economic conditions to meet their financial commitments. The lowest rated below investment grade securities are typically already in default. See “Risks—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risk.”
The Fund invests no more than 20% of its Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy in non-U.S. investments, including emerging market investments. See “Risks—Emerging Markets Risk.”
Investments under the Opportunistic Income Strategy may include, without any limitation as to the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to this strategy, mortgage-backed securities, including agency and non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”). These RMBS investments have undergone extreme volatility over the past several years, driven primarily by high default rates and the securities being downgraded to “junk” status. See “Risks—Mortgage-Backed Securities Risks.”
Investments under the Opportunistic Income Strategy may include mortgage- or asset-backed securities of any kind, including, by way of example, mortgage- or asset-related securities not subject to the credit support of the U.S. Government or any agency or instrumentality of the U.S. Government, including obligations backed or supported by sub-prime mortgages, which are subject to certain special risks. See “Risks—Mortgage-Backed Securities Risks.”
Mortgage- or asset-backed securities may include, among other things, securities issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its agencies, or its instrumentalities or sponsored corporations, or securities of domestic or foreign private issuers. Mortgage- or asset-backed securities may be issued or guaranteed by banks or other financial institutions, special-purpose vehicles established for such purpose, or private issuers, or by government agencies or instrumentalities. Privately issued mortgage-backed securities include any mortgage-backed security other than those issued or guaranteed as to principal or interest by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities. Mortgage-backed securities may include, without limitation, interests in pools of residential mortgages or commercial mortgages, and may relate to domestic or non-U.S. mortgages. Mortgage-backed securities include, but are not limited to, securities representing interests in, collateralized or backed by, or whose values are determined in whole or in part by reference to any number of mortgages or pools of mortgages or the payment experience of such mortgages or pools of mortgages, including Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits (“REMICs”), which could include resecuritizations of REMICs, mortgage pass-through securities, inverse floaters, collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations, collateralized debt obligations, multiclass pass-through securities, private mortgage pass-through securities, stripped mortgage securities (generally interest-only and principal-only securities), and securitizations of various receivables, including, for example, credit card and automobile finance receivables. Certain mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may represent an inverse interest-only class of security for which the holders are entitled to receive no payments of principal and are entitled only to receive interest at a rate that will vary inversely with a specified index or reference rate, or a multiple thereof.
The Fund may purchase other types of debt securities and other income-producing investments of any kind, including, by way of example, U.S. Government securities; debt securities issued by domestic or foreign corporations; obligations of foreign sovereigns or their agencies or instrumentalities; equity, mortgage, or hybrid REIT securities; bank loans (including, among others, participations, assignments, senior loans, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities); municipal securities and other debt securities issued by states or local governments and their agencies, authorities and other government-sponsored enterprises.
“Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, including assets attributable to leverage, minus liabilities (other than debt representing leverage and any preferred stock that may be outstanding).
In addition to the foregoing principal investment strategies of the Fund, the Adviser also may allocate the Fund’s Managed Assets among cash and short-term investments. See “Investment Policies and Techniques—Temporary Investments and Defensive Position” in the SAI. There are no limits on the Fund’s portfolio turnover, and the Fund may buy and sell securities to take advantage of potential short-term trading opportunities without regard to length of time and when the Adviser or Subadviser believes investment considerations warrant such action. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was approximately 27%.
Unless otherwise specified, the investment policies and limitations of the Fund are not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed without a vote of the holders of the common shareholders. The Fund’s investment objective and certain investment restrictions specifically identified as such in the SAI are considered fundamental and may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, which includes common shares and Preferred Shares, if any, voting together as a single class, and the holders of the outstanding Preferred Shares, if any, voting as a single class. See “Investment Restrictions” in the SAI.
INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY AND PROCESS
The Adviser allocates the Fund’s assets between the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy and the Opportunistic Income Strategy (as described above). The amount allocated to each of the principal strategies may change depending on the Adviser’s assessment of market risk, security valuations, market volatility, and the prospects for earning income and capital appreciation. See “Risks—Multi-Manager Risk.”
Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. The Adviser considers a number of factors when selecting Underlying Funds, including fundamental and technical analysis to assess the relative risk and reward potential throughout the financial markets. The term “tactical” is used to indicate that the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to this strategy invests in closed-end funds to take advantage of pricing discrepancies in the closed-end fund market.
In selecting closed-end funds, the Adviser opportunistically utilizes a combination of short-term and longer-term trading strategies to seek to derive value from the discount and premium spreads associated with closed-end funds by identifying pricing aberrations. The Adviser employs both a quantitative and qualitative approach in its selection of closed-end funds and has developed proprietary screening models and algorithms to trade closed-end funds. The Adviser’s mean reversion investing looks to capitalize on changes within the pricing of a closed-end fund and, based upon its research and analysis, a view that it will revert to historical pricing. The Adviser employs the following trading strategies, among others:
Statistical Analysis (Mean Reversion)
| • | Using proprietary quantitative models, the Adviser seeks to identify closed-end funds that are trading at compelling absolute and/or relative discounts. |
| • | The Adviser will attempt to capitalize on the perceived mispricing if the Adviser believes that the discount widening is irrational and expects the discount to narrow to longer-term mean valuations. |
Corporate Actions
| • | The Adviser pursues investments in closed-end funds that have announced, or the Adviser believes are likely to announce, certain corporate actions that may drive value for their shareholders. |
| • | The Adviser has developed trading strategies that focus on closed-end fund tender offers, rights offerings, shareholder distributions, open-endings and liquidations. |
Shareholder Activism
| • | The Adviser assesses activism opportunities by determining a closed-end fund’s susceptibility to dissident activity and analyzing the composition of the fund’s shareholder register. The Fund, in seeking to achieve its investment objective, will not take activist positions in the Underlying Funds. |
In employing its trading strategies, the Adviser conducts an extensive amount of due diligence on various fund sponsors, investment managers and funds, including actively monitoring regulatory filings, analyzing a fund’s registration statements, financial statements and organizational documents, as well as conducting proprietary research, such as speaking with fund sponsors, underwriters, sell-side brokers and investors.
Opportunistic Income Strategy. The term “opportunistic” is used to indicate that the portion of this strategy’s Managed Assets devoted to any particular asset class will vary depending on the Subadviser’s view of what investments offer potentially attractive risk-adjusted returns under then-existing market conditions.
With respect to its investments in mortgage-backed securities, the Subadviser utilizes a unique investment process that first examines the macroeconomic status of the mortgage-backed sector. This analysis includes reviewing information regarding interest rates, yield curves and spreads, credit analysis of the issuers and a general analysis of the markets generally. From this detailed analysis, along with assessment of other economic data including market trends, unemployment data and pending legislation, the Subadviser identifies subsectors within the mortgage sector which the Subadviser believes offer the highest potential for return. The Subadviser then applies a qualitative analysis that evaluates market trends and portfolio analytics, including looking at factors such as duration, level of delinquencies, default history and recovery rates. Finally, the Subadviser performs a quantitative analysis of the potential investment, essentially performing a stress test of the potential investment’s underlying portfolio of mortgages. Only when a potential investment has passed the Subadviser’s screening will it be added to the strategy’s portfolio.
The Subadviser allocates the Opportunistic Income Strategy assets among market sectors, and among investments within those sectors, in an attempt to construct a portfolio providing a high level of current income and the potential for capital appreciation consistent with what the Subadviser considers an appropriate level of risk in light of market conditions prevailing at the time. Implementation of portfolio asset allocation decisions is made by the Subadviser’s portfolio managers after consultation with the Subadviser’s Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committee, a committee consisting of portfolio managers and analysts which contributes to fixed-income asset allocation decisions made on behalf of the Fund by the Subadviser. The Subadviser will select investments over time to implement its long-term strategic investment view. It also will buy and sell securities opportunistically in response to short-term market, economic, political, or other developments or otherwise as opportunities may present themselves. In selecting individual securities for investment by the Fund, the Subadviser uses a bottom-up security selection process, reflecting in-depth research and analysis. The Subadviser will manage the Opportunistic Income Strategy of the Fund under an integrated risk management framework overseen by the Fund’s portfolio management team and the Subadviser’s risk management committee.
Portfolio securities in the Opportunistic Income Strategy may be sold at any time. Sales may occur when the Subadviser determines to take advantage of a better investment opportunity, because the Subadviser believes the portfolio securities no longer represent relatively attractive investment opportunities, because the Subadviser perceives a deterioration in the credit fundamentals of the issuer, or because the Subadviser believes it would be appropriate for other investment reasons, such as to adjust the duration or other characteristics of the investment portfolio.
CONTINGENT CONVERSION FEATURE
The Fund’s Charter provides that, during calendar year 2021, the Fund will call a shareholder meeting for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company (such meeting date, as may be adjourned, the “Conversion Vote Date”). Such shareholder meeting may be postponed (prior to convening the meeting) or adjourned in accordance with the By-Laws of the Fund and Maryland law to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date for the meeting. A vote on such Conversion Vote Date to convert the Fund to an open-end management investment company under the Charter requires approval by a majority of the Fund’s total outstanding shares. A majority is defined as greater than 50% of the Fund’s total outstanding shares. If approved by shareholders on the Conversion Vote Date, the Fund will seek to convert to an open-end management investment company within 12 months of such approval. Any such shareholder approval will be in addition to the vote or consent of the Fund’s shareholders otherwise required by federal law or by any agreement between the Fund and any national securities exchange. If the requisite number of votes to convert the Fund to an open-end management investment company is not obtained on the Conversion Vote Date, the Fund will continue in operation as a closed-end management investment company. See “Conversion to Open-End Fund” and “Risks—Contingent Conversion Risk” below.
USE OF LEVERAGE
The Fund may borrow money and/or issue Preferred Shares, notes or debt securities for investment purposes. These practices are known as leveraging. The Adviser determines whether or not to engage in leverage based on its assessment of conditions in the debt and credit markets. On December 16, 2016, the Fund entered into a $75,000,000 secured, revolving, evergreen credit facility with U.S. Bank National Association (the “USB Facility”). The borrowing rate under the USB Facility is equal to one-month LIBOR plus 0.95%. The average principal balance and interest rate for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 was approximately $73,500,000 and 3.31%, respectively. As of June 30, 2019, the principal amount of borrowings under the USB Facility was $73,500,000, representing approximately 27% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. As of June 30, 2019, the Fund had $1,500,000 in unutilized funds available for borrowing under the USB Facility. The Fund’s common shares are junior in liquidation and distribution rights to amounts owed pursuant to the USB Facility. See “Summary of Fund Expenses” and “—Effects of Leverage.” The Fund currently anticipates that it could also obtain leverage through the use of reverse repurchase agreements. To date, the Fund has not issued any Preferred Shares or debt securities.
The issuance of Common Shares offered by this Prospectus will enable the Fund to increase the aggregate amount of its leverage. The Fund may achieve such increase in leverage through additional borrowings and/or the issuance of Preferred Shares and/or debt securities. However, there is no assurance that the Fund will increase the amount of its leverage or utilize leverage in addition to the USB Facility or that, if additional leverage is utilized, it will be successful in enhancing the level of the Fund’s current distributions. It is possible that the Fund will be unable to obtain additional leverage. If the Fund is unable to increase its leverage after the issuance of Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus, there could be an adverse impact on the return to common shareholders. In addition, to the extent additional leverage is utilized, the Fund may consequently be subject to certain financial covenants and restrictions that are not currently imposed on the Fund. The Fund’s common shares are likely to be junior in liquidation and distribution rights to amounts owed pursuant to any additional leverage instruments that may be utilized by the Fund in the future.
The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by lenders or by one or more rating agencies that may issue ratings for any senior securities issued by the Fund. Borrowing covenants or rating agency guidelines may impose asset coverage or Fund composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. For example, under the agreement for the USB Facility, the Fund may be restricted from issuing senior securities representing indebtedness to an amount that could be less than what it might otherwise be permitted to issue under the 1940 Act.
Notwithstanding the limits discussed above, the Fund may enter into derivatives or other transactions (e.g., reverse repurchase agreements and total return swaps) that may provide leverage (other than through borrowings or the issuance of Preferred Shares), but which are not subject to the foregoing limitations if the Fund earmarks or segregates liquid assets (or enters into offsetting positions) in accordance with applicable SEC regulations and interpretations to cover its obligations under those transactions and instruments. These additional transactions will not cause the Fund to pay higher advisory or administration fee rates than it would pay in the absence of such transactions, although the dollar amount of these fees payable by the Fund will increase and decrease along with increases to and decreases in the value of the Fund’s Managed Assets. However, these transactions entail additional expenses (e.g., transaction costs) which are borne by the Fund. These types of transactions have the potential to increase returns to common shareholders, but they also involve additional risks. This additional leverage will increase the volatility of the Fund’s investment portfolio and could result in larger losses than if the transactions were not entered into. However, to the extent that the Fund enters into offsetting transactions or owns positions covering its obligations, the leveraging effect is expected to be minimized or eliminated.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after doing so the Fund has an asset coverage of at least 300% of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of indebtedness (i.e., such indebtedness may not exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Fund’s total assets including the amount borrowed). Additionally, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not declare any dividend or other distribution upon any class of its shares, or purchase any such shares, unless the aggregate indebtedness of the Fund has, at the time of the declaration of any such dividend or distribution or at the time of any such purchase, asset coverage of at least 300% after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution, or purchase price, as the case may be. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue Preferred Shares unless immediately after such issuance the total asset value of the Fund’s portfolio is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding Preferred Shares (i.e., such liquidation value may not exceed 50% of the Fund’s Managed Assets). In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its common shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the net asset value of the Fund’s portfolio (determined after deducting the amount of such dividend or other distribution) is at least 200% of such liquidation value of the Preferred Shares. If Preferred Shares are issued, the Fund intends, to the extent possible, to purchase or redeem shares, from time to time, to maintain coverage of any Preferred Shares of at least 200%. Normally, common shareholders will elect the directors of the Fund except that the holders of any Preferred Shares will elect two directors. In the event the Fund failed to pay dividends on its Preferred Shares for two years, holders of Preferred Shares would be entitled to elect a majority of the directors until the dividends are paid.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities held by the Fund with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase the securities at an agreed upon price, date and interest payment. At the time the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it may establish and maintain a segregated account with its custodian containing, or designate on its books and records, cash and/or liquid assets having a value not less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest). If the Fund establishes and maintains such a segregated account, or earmarks such assets as described, a reverse repurchase agreement will not be considered a senior security under the 1940 Act and therefore will not be considered a borrowing by the Fund under the foregoing limitation; however, under certain circumstances in which the Fund does not establish and maintain such segregated account, or earmark such assets on its books and records, such reverse repurchase agreement is considered a borrowing for the purpose of the Fund’s limitation on borrowings. The use by the Fund of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks as leverage since the proceeds derived from such reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities. The Fund’s use of leverage through reverse repurchase agreements is subject to the Fund’s policy with respect to the use of leverage. See “Risks—Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk.”
Effects of Leverage. The aggregate principal amount of borrowings under the USB Facility represented approximately 27% of Managed Assets as of June 30, 2019. Asset coverage with respect to borrowings under the USB Facility was 370% and the Fund had $1,500,000 in unutilized funds available for borrowing under the USB Facility as of that date. The borrowing rate under the USB Facility is equal to one-month LIBOR plus 0.95%. In addition, under the USB Facility, the Fund pays a commitment fee equal to an annual rate of 0.10% on $75,000,000. The Fund incurred a $75,000 administrative fee upon entering in to the USB Facility in 2016. The total annual interest rate and fee rate as of June 30, 2019 was 3.39%.
Assuming that the Fund’s leverage costs remain as described above (at an assumed average annual cost of 3.39%), the annual return that the Fund’s portfolio must experience (net of expenses) in order to cover its leverage costs would be 1.25%.
The following table is furnished in response to requirements of the SEC. It is designed to illustrate the effect of leverage on total return on common shares, assuming investment portfolio total returns (comprised of income, net expenses and changes in the value of investments held in the Fund’s portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. These assumed investment portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of what the Fund’s investment portfolio returns will be. In other words, the Fund’s actual returns may be greater or less than those appearing in the table below. The table further reflects the use of leverage representing approximately 27% of the Fund’s Managed Assets, net of expenses, and the Fund’s current annual leverage interest and fee rate of 3.39%. See “ Risks—Leverage Risks.” The table does not reflect any offering costs of Common Shares or leverage.
Assumed Portfolio Return | -10.00% | -5.00% | 0.00% | 5.00% | 10.00% |
Common Share Total Return | -14.94% | -8.10% | -1.25% | 5.59% | 12.44% |
Total return is composed of two elements—the dividends on common shares paid by the Fund (the amount of which is largely determined by the Fund’s net investment income after paying the cost of leverage) and realized and unrealized gains or losses on the value of the securities the Fund owns. As the table shows, leverage generally increases the return to common shareholders when portfolio return is positive or greater than the costs of leverage and decreases return when the portfolio return is negative or less than the costs of leverage.
During the time in which the Fund is using leverage, the amount of the fees paid to the Adviser (and from the Adviser to the Subadviser) for investment management services (and subadvisory services) is higher than if the Fund did not use leverage because the fees paid are calculated based on the Fund’s Managed Assets. This may create a conflict of interest between the Adviser and the Subadviser, on the one hand, and common shareholders, on the other. Also, because the leverage costs are borne by the Fund at a specified interest rate, only the Fund’s common shareholders bear the cost of the Fund’s management fees and other expenses. There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful during any period in which it is employed.
RISKS
Investing in any investment company security involves risk, including the risk that you may receive little or no return on your investment or even that you may lose part or all of your investment. This section discusses the principal risk factors associated with an investment in the Fund specifically, as well as those factors generally associated with an investment in a company with an investment objective, investment policies, capital structure or trading markets similar to the Fund. Investors should consider the following risk factors and special considerations as well as the other information in this Prospectus prior to investing in the Fund’s Common Shares. In addition, the Statement of Additional Information contains further information regarding the risks identified below and additional risks associated with an investment in the Fund.
Investment-Related Risks:
With the exception of Underlying Fund risk (and except as otherwise noted below), the following risks apply to the direct investments the Fund may make, and generally apply to the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds. That said, each risk described below may not apply to each Underlying Fund.
Investment and Market Risks
An investment in Common Shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount invested. An investment in Common Shares represents an indirect investment in the Underlying Funds owned by the Fund. The value of the Fund or the Underlying Funds, like other market investments, may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Overall stock market risks may also affect the net asset value of the Fund or the Underlying Funds. Factors such as domestic and foreign economic growth and market conditions, interest rate levels and political events affect the securities markets. The Common Shares at any point in time may be worth less than the original investment, even after taking into account any reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
Management Risks
The Adviser’s and the Subadviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of a particular asset class or individual security in which the Fund invests may prove to be incorrect and there is no guarantee that the Adviser’s or the Subadviser’s judgment, as applicable, will produce the desired results. Similarly, the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds are subject to the judgment of the Underlying Funds’ managers which may prove to be incorrect. In addition, the Adviser and Subadviser will have limited information as to the portfolio holdings of the Underlying Funds at any given time. This may result in the Adviser and Subadviser having less ability to respond to changing market conditions. The Fund may allocate its assets so as to under-emphasize or over-emphasize its investments under the wrong market conditions, in which case the Fund’s net asset value may be adversely affected.
In addition, the Fund depends on the diligence, skill and business contacts of the investment professionals of the Adviser and the Subadviser to achieve the Fund’s investment objective. In particular, the Adviser and Subadviser are dependent upon the expertise of their respective portfolio management teams to implement the Fund’s strategies. If the Adviser or the Subadviser were to lose the services of one or more key individuals, including members of their portfolio management teams, each may not be able to hire qualified replacements or may require an extended time to do so. This could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective and could have an adverse effect on an investment in the Fund.
Fixed Income Securities Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities generally represent the obligation of an issuer to repay to the investor (or lender) the amount borrowed plus interest over a specified time period. Fixed income securities increase or decrease in value based on changes in interest rates. If rates increase, the value of the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s fixed income securities generally declines. On the other hand, if rates fall, the value of the fixed income securities generally increases. The issuer of a fixed income security may not be able to make interest and principal payments when due. This risk is increased in the case of issuers of high yield securities, also known as “junk” bonds. The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in fixed income securities of any credit quality, maturity or duration. Fixed income securities risks include components of the following additional risks (in addition to those described elsewhere in this Prospectus):
| • | Issuer Risk. The value of fixed income securities may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, leverage, reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services, historical and projected earnings, and the value of its assets. Changes in an issuer’s credit ratings or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the fund’s investment in that issuer. |
| • | Credit Risk. The issuer of a fixed income security may not be able to make interest and principal payments when due. Generally, the lower the credit rating of a security, the greater the risk that the issuer will default on its obligation, which could result in a loss to a fund. The Fund and the Underlying Funds in which it invests may invest in securities that are rated in the lowest investment grade category. Issuers of these securities are more vulnerable to changes in economic conditions than issuers of higher grade securities. |
| • | High Yield Securities/Junk Bond Risk. The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in high yield securities, also known as “junk bonds.” High yield securities are not considered to be investment grade. High yield securities may provide greater income and opportunity for gain, but entail greater risk of loss of principal. High yield securities are predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. The market for high yield securities is generally less active than the market for higher quality securities. This may limit the ability of a fund to sell high yield securities at the price at which it is being valued for purposes of calculating net asset value. See “—Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risks.” |
| • | Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that the debt securities in the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s portfolio will decline in value because of increases in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates rise, bond prices fall, and vice versa. In addition, as interest rates decline, issuers of debt securities may prepay principal earlier than scheduled, forcing the Fund or the Underlying Fund to reinvest in lower-yielding securities and potentially reducing the Fund’s or the Underlying 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 and the Underlying Fund’s value. Securities with longer maturities tend to produce higher yields, but are more sensitive to changes in interest rates and are subject to greater fluctuation in value. In typical market interest rate environments, the prices of longer-term debt securities generally fluctuate more than prices of shorter-term debt securities as interest rates change. These risks may be greater in the current market environment because, as of the date of this Prospectus, certain interest rates are near historic lows. In addition, this rise in interest rates may negatively impact the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund’s future income relating to leverage, as the fund will be required to earn more income on its investments to recoup any increased costs of leverage. The Fund’s and the Underlying Fund’s net investment income and, as a result the net asset value and market price for the common shares, could be negatively impacted by an increase in interest rates due to the inability of Fund or Underlying Fund portfolio companies to service interest payment obligations and principal loan repayments. Similarly, distributions to common shareholders may be negatively impacted to the extent the Fund’s investments yield less income available for distribution. |
Mortgage-Backed Securities Risks
Mortgage-backed securities represent participation interests in pools of residential mortgage loans purchased from individual lenders by a federal agency or originated and issued by private lenders. The Fund invests in mortgage-backed securities and is subject to the following risks:
| • | Credit and Market Risks of Mortgage-Backed Securities. Investments by the Fund in fixed rate and floating rate mortgage-backed securities entail normal credit risks (i.e., the risk of non-payment of interest and principal) and market risks (i.e., the risk that interest rates and other factors could cause the value of the instrument to decline). Many issuers or servicers of mortgage-backed securities guarantee timely payment of interest and principal on the securities, whether or not payments are made when due on the underlying mortgages. This kind of guarantee generally increases the quality of a security, but does not mean that the security’s market value and yield will not change. The value of all mortgage-backed securities may also change because of changes in the market’s perception of the creditworthiness of the organization that issued or guarantees them. In addition, an unexpectedly high rate of defaults on the mortgages held by a mortgage pool may limit substantially the pool’s ability to make payments of principal or interest to a Fund as a holder of such securities, reducing the values of those securities or in some cases rendering them worthless. |
Like bond investments, the value of fixed rate mortgage-backed securities will tend to rise when interest rates fall, and fall when rates rise. Floating rate mortgage-backed securities will generally tend to have more moderate changes in price when interest rates rise or fall, but their current yield will be affected. The Fund may also purchase securities that are not guaranteed. In addition, the mortgage-backed securities market in general may be adversely affected by changes in governmental legislation or regulation. Factors that could affect the value of a mortgage-backed security include, among other things, the types and amounts of insurance which a mortgage carries, the default and delinquency rate of the mortgage pool, the amount of time the mortgage loan has been outstanding, the loan-to-value ratio of each mortgage and the amount of overcollateralization or undercollateralization of a mortgage pool.
Ongoing developments in the residential mortgage market may have additional consequences to mortgage-backed securities. Delinquencies and losses have at times increased with respect to securitizations involving residential mortgage loans and may continue to increase as a result of any weakening of the housing market and the seasoning of securitized pools of mortgage loans. Many so-called “sub-prime” mortgage pools are currently distressed and may be trading at significant discounts to their face value. See “Risks—Mortgage Market/Sub-Prime Risk.”
Additionally, mortgage lenders have adjusted their loan programs and underwriting standards, which has reduced the availability of mortgage credit to prospective mortgagors. This has resulted in reduced availability of financing alternatives for mortgagors seeking to refinance their mortgage loans. The reduced availability of refinancing options for mortgagors has resulted in higher rates of delinquencies, defaults and losses on mortgage loans, particularly in the case of, but not limited to, mortgagors with adjustable rate mortgage loans or interest-only mortgage loans that experience significant increases in their monthly payments following the adjustment date or the end of the interest-only period (see “—Adjustable Rate Mortgages” below for further discussion of adjustable rate mortgage risks). These events, alone or in combination with each other and with any adverse economic conditions in the general economy, may contribute to higher delinquency and default rates on mortgage loans. The tighter underwriting guidelines for residential mortgage loans, together with lower levels of home sales and reduced refinance activity, also may have contributed to a reduction in the prepayment rate for mortgage loans generally and this may continue.
The Federal Housing Finance Agent (“FHFA”), as conservator or receiver of the Federal National Mortgage Corporation (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac prior to its appointment if it determines that performance of the contract is burdensome and repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of Fannie Mae’s or Freddie Mac’s affairs. In the event the guaranty obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac are repudiated, the payments of interest to holders of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such mortgage-backed securities are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders.
Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac without any approval, assignment or consent. If FHFA were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party.
| • | Prepayment, Extension and Redemption Risks of Mortgage-Backed Securities. Mortgage-backed securities reflect an interest in monthly payments made by the borrowers who receive the underlying mortgage loans. Although the underlying mortgage loans are for specified periods of time, such as 20 or 30 years, the borrowers can, and historically have paid them off sooner. When a prepayment happens, a portion of the mortgage-backed security which represents an interest in the underlying mortgage loan will be prepaid. A borrower is more likely to prepay a mortgage which bears a relatively high rate of interest. This means that in times of declining interest rates, a portion of the Fund’s higher yielding securities are likely to be redeemed and the Fund will probably be unable to replace them with securities having as great a yield. Prepayments can result in lower yields to shareholders. The increased likelihood of prepayment when interest rates decline also limits market price appreciation of mortgage-backed securities. This is known as prepayment risk. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to extension risk. Extension risk is the possibility that rising interest rates may cause prepayments to occur at a slower than expected rate. This particular risk may effectively change a security which was considered short or intermediate-term into a long-term security. Long-term securities generally fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than short or intermediate-term securities. In addition, a mortgage-backed security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer. If a mortgage-backed security held by a Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem or “pay-off” the security, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. |
| • | Illiquidity Risk of Mortgage-Backed Securities. The liquidity of mortgage-backed securities varies by type of security; at certain times the Fund may encounter difficulty in disposing of such investments. Because mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid than other securities, the Fund may be more susceptible to liquidity risks than funds that invest in other securities. In the past, in stressed markets, certain types of mortgage-backed securities suffered periods of illiquidity if disfavored by the market. |
| • | Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities include securities that reflect an interest in, or are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities. |
| • | Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. There are certain risks associated specifically with collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”). CMOs are debt obligations collateralized by mortgage loans or mortgage pass-through securities. The average life of CMOs is determined using mathematical models that incorporate prepayment assumptions and other factors that involve estimates of future economic and market conditions. These estimates may vary from actual future results, particularly during periods of extreme market volatility. Further, under certain market conditions, the average weighted life of certain CMOs may not accurately reflect the price volatility of such securities. For example, in periods of supply and demand imbalances in the market for such securities and/or in periods of sharp interest rate movements, the prices of CMOs may fluctuate to a greater extent than would be expected from interest rate movements alone. CMOs issued by private entities are not obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government, its agencies or instrumentalities and are not guaranteed by any government agency, although the securities underlying a CMO may be subject to a guarantee. Therefore, if the collateral securing the CMO, as well as any third party credit support or guarantees, is insufficient to make payment, the holder could sustain a loss. See “—Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk.” |
| • | Illiquidity of Mortgage Markets. The residential and commercial mortgage markets in the U.S. and abroad have faced economic pressures which create risks for investors in mortgage-related securities. In many instances, because of falling housing prices, the underlying collateral has resulted in devaluation, in some instances below the amount owned on the mortgage. This increases the possibility of foreclosure. Additionally, banks have increased loan underwriting requirements which limits the number of qualified real estate purchasers, putting further downward price pressure on properties on the market. |
| • | Residual and Equity Tranches. A key feature of a mortgage-related security structure is the prioritization of the cash flows from a pool of collateral securities among the several tranches of the security. Multiple tranches of securities are typically issued by trusts holding pools of mortgage-backed securities, offering investors various maturity and credit risk characteristics. Tranches are categorized as senior, mezzanine and equity, according to their degree of risk. The most senior tranche of a mortgage-backed security has the greatest collateralization and pays the lowest interest rate. If there are defaults or the collateral otherwise underperforms, scheduled payments to senior tranches take precedence over those of mezzanine tranches and scheduled payments to mezzanine tranches take precedence over those to residual/equity tranches. Lower tranches represent lower degrees of credit quality and pay higher interest rates intended to compensate for the attendant risks. The return on the lower tranches of non-agency mortgage-backed securities is especially sensitive to the rate of defaults in the collateral pool. The lowest tranche (i.e. the “equity” or “residual” tranche) specifically receives the residual interest payments (i.e., whatever money that is left over after the higher tranches have been paid) rather than a fixed interest rate. Under normal market conditions, the Fund may invest up to 20% of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy in the lower tranches of non-agency mortgage-backed securities, including equity tranches. However, the Fund’s exposure to such lower tranches of non-agency mortgage-backed securities may be greater as a result of any investments in such securities by the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests, which Underlying Funds may not be restricted in their ability to invest in such securities. |
| • | Adjustable Rate Mortgages. Adjustable rate mortgages (“ARMs”) contain maximum and minimum rates beyond which the mortgage interest rate may not vary over the lifetime of the security. In addition, many ARMs provide for additional limitations on the maximum amount by which the mortgage interest rate may adjust for any single adjustment period. Alternatively, certain ARMs contain limitations on changes in the required monthly payment. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on an ARM, any excess interest is added to the principal balance of the mortgage loan, which is repaid through future monthly payments. If the monthly payment for such an instrument exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable mortgage interest rate and the principal payment required at such point to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess is utilized to reduce the then-outstanding principal balance of the ARM. |
| • | In addition, certain ARMs may provide for an initial fixed, below-market or “teaser” interest rate. During this initial fixed-rate period, the payment due from the related mortgagor may be less than that of a traditional loan. However, after the “teaser” rate expires, the monthly payment required to be made by the mortgagor may increase dramatically when the interest rate on the mortgage loan adjusts. This increased burden on the mortgagor may increase the risk of delinquency or default on the mortgage loan and in turn, losses on the mortgage-backed securities. |
| • | Interest and Principal Only Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in “stripped mortgage-backed securities,” which pay to one class all of the interest from the mortgage assets (the interest-only, or “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only, or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including prepayments) on the underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. If the assets underlying the IO class experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to recoup fully, or at all, its initial investment in these securities. Conversely, PO class securities tend to decline in value if prepayments are slower than anticipated. |
Mortgage Market/Sub-Prime Risk
The residential mortgage market in the United States has experienced difficulties that, when present, may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on residential mortgage loans (especially subprime loans, which refer to loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their loans, and second-lien mortgage loans), and a decline in or flattening of housing values (as has been experienced in recent years and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates. Also, during such periods of market difficulties, a number of residential mortgage loan originators experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Owing largely to the foregoing, reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have at times caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen.
Corporate Debt Securities Risk
Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of an issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. In addition, corporate restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers or similar corporate transactions are often financed by an increase in a corporate issuer’s debt securities. As a result of the added debt burden, the credit quality and market value of an issuer’s existing debt securities may decline significantly. Corporate debt securities come in many varieties and may differ in the way that interest is calculated, the amount and frequency of payments, the type of collateral, if any, and the presence of special features (e.g., conversion rights). The Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s investments in corporate debt securities may include, but are not limited to, senior, junior, secured and unsecured bonds, notes and other debt securities, and may be fixed rate, floating rate, zero coupon and inflation linked, among other things.
Prices of corporate debt securities fluctuate and, in particular, are subject to several key risks including, but not limited to, interest rate risk, credit risk, prepayment risk and spread risk. The market value of a corporate bond may be affected by the credit rating of the issuer, the issuer’s performance, perceptions of the issuer in the market place, management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services.
Credit and Below Investment Grade Securities Risks
Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security may be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a security may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability or willingness to make such payments. Credit risk may be heightened for the Fund because it and the Underlying Funds may invest in below investment grade securities, which are commonly referred to as “junk” and “high yield” securities; such securities, while generally offering the potential for higher yields than investment grade securities with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the possibility of dividend or interest deferral, default or bankruptcy, and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay dividends or interest and repay principal. The below investment grade securities receiving the lowest rating from an NRSRO are typically already in default. In addition, below investment grade securities are generally susceptible to decline in market value due to adverse economic and business developments and are often unsecured and subordinated to other creditors of the issuer. The market values for below investment grade securities tend to be very volatile, and these securities are generally less liquid than investment grade securities. See “Investment Policies and Techniques—Below Investment Grade Securities” in the SAI for additional discussion of below investment grade securities risks. See also “—Defaulted and Distressed Securities Risk” below.
Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy Risk
The Fund invests in closed-end funds as a principal part of the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. Shares of closed-end funds listed for trading on a securities exchange frequently trade at a price per share that is less than the net asset value per share, the difference representing the “market discount” of such shares. The market price of such shares may be affected by factors such as net asset value, dividend or distribution levels and their stability (which will in turn be affected by levels of dividend and interest payments by the fund’s portfolio holdings, the timing and success of the fund’s investment strategies, regulations affecting the timing and character of fund distributions, fund expenses and other factors), supply of and demand for the shares, trading volume of the shares, general market, interest rate and economic conditions and other factors beyond the control of the closed-end fund.
A closed-end fund’s market discount may be due in part to the investment objective of long-term appreciation, which is sought by many closed-end funds, as well as to the fact that the shares of closed-end funds are not redeemable by the holder upon demand to the issuer at the next determined net asset value, but rather, are subject to supply and demand in the secondary market. A relative lack of secondary market purchasers of closed-end fund shares also may contribute to such shares trading at a discount to their net asset value.
The Fund may invest in shares of closed-end funds that are trading at a discount to net asset value or at a premium to net asset value. There can be no assurance that the market discount on shares of any closed-end fund purchased by the Fund will ever decrease. In fact, it is possible that this market discount may increase and the Fund may suffer realized or unrealized capital losses due to further decline in the market price of the securities of such closed-end funds, thereby adversely affecting the net asset value of the Fund’s common shares. Similarly, there can be no assurance that any shares of a closed-end fund purchased by the Fund at a premium will continue to trade at a premium or that the premium will not decrease subsequent to a purchase of such shares by the Fund.
Closed-end funds may issue senior securities (including preferred stock and debt obligations) for the purpose of leveraging the closed-end fund’s common shares in an attempt to enhance the current return to such closed-end fund’s common shareholders. The Fund’s investment in the common shares of closed-end funds that are financially leveraged may create an opportunity for greater total return on its investment, but at the same time may be expected to exhibit more volatility in market price and net asset value than an investment in shares of investment companies without a leveraged capital structure. See “—Underlying Fund Risks.”
Underlying Fund Risks
The Fund invests in Underlying Funds such as other closed-end funds and ETFs. The expenses of the Fund will generally be higher than the direct expenses of other fund shares. The Fund indirectly bears fees and expenses charged by the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests in addition to the Fund’s direct fees and expenses. See “Summary of Fund Expenses” for a further description of such fees and their impact on the expenses of the Fund. The Fund may also incur brokerage costs when it purchases shares of Underlying Funds. Furthermore, investments in Underlying Funds could affect the timing, amount and character of distributions to common shareholders and therefore may increase the amount of taxes payable by investors in the Fund. The value of your investment in the Fund will go up and down with the prices of Underlying Fund shares (and other securities) in which the Fund invests. Similarly, the value of the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds will go up and down with the prices of the securities in which the Underlying Funds invest.
The Fund will incur higher and additional expenses when it invests in Underlying Funds. There is also the risk that the Fund may suffer losses due to the investment practices or operations of the Underlying Funds. To the extent that the Fund invests in one or more Underlying Funds that concentrate in a particular industry, the Fund would be vulnerable to factors affecting that industry and the concentrating Underlying Funds’ performance, and that of the Fund, may be more volatile than Underlying Funds that do not concentrate. In addition, one Underlying Fund may purchase a security that another Underlying Fund is selling.
As the Fund invests at least a portion of its Managed Assets in closed-end funds, ETFs and/or BDCs, the Fund’s performance will depend to a greater extent on the overall performance of closed-end funds, ETFs and BDCs generally, in addition to the performance of the specific Underlying Funds (and other assets) in which the Fund invests. The use of leverage by Underlying Funds magnifies gains and losses on amounts invested and increases the risks associated with investing in Underlying Funds. Further, the Underlying Funds are not subject to the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions. The Fund generally receives information regarding the portfolio holdings of Underlying Funds only when that information is made available to the public. The Fund cannot dictate how the Underlying Funds invest their assets. The Underlying Funds may invest their assets in securities and other instruments, and may use investment techniques and strategies, that are not described in this Prospectus. Common shareholders bear two layers of fees and expenses with respect to the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds because each of the Fund and the Underlying Fund will charge fees and incur separate expenses. See “Summary of Fund Expenses” for a further description of such fees and their impact on the expenses of the Fund. In addition, subject to applicable 1940 Act limitations, the Underlying Funds themselves may purchase securities issued by registered and unregistered funds (e.g., common stock, preferred stock, auction rate preferred stock), and those investments would be subject to the risks associated with Underlying Funds and unregistered funds (including a third layer of fees and expenses, i.e., the Underlying Fund will indirectly bear fees and expenses charged by the funds in which the Underlying Fund invests, in addition to the Underlying Fund’s own fees and expenses). An Underlying Fund with positive performance may indirectly receive a performance fee from the Fund, even when the Fund’s overall returns are negative. Additionally, the Fund’s investment in an Underlying Fund may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the Underlying Fund’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, the distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. As a result of these factors, the use of the fund of funds structure by the Fund could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
The Fund may invest in BDCs as a principal part of the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy. BDCs generally invest in less mature U.S. private companies or thinly traded U.S. public companies which involve greater risk than well-established publicly-traded companies. While BDCs are expected to generate income in the form of dividends, certain BDCs during certain periods of time may not generate such income. The Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of any management fees and other operating expenses incurred by the BDCs and of any performance-based or incentive fees payable by the BDCs in which it invests, in addition to the expenses paid by the Fund. BDCs generally charge a management fee of up to 2.0% and up to a 20% incentive fee on income and/or capital gains. The use of leverage by BDCs magnifies gains and losses on amounts invested and increases the risks associated with investing in BDCs. A BDC may make investments with a larger amount of risk of volatility and loss of principal than other investment options and may also be highly speculative and aggressive.
Investments in closed-end funds that elect to be treated as BDCs may be subject to a high degree of risk. BDCs typically invest in and lend to small and medium-sized private and certain public companies that may not have access to public equity markets or capital raising. As a result, a BDC’s portfolio typically will include a substantial amount of securities purchased in private placements, and its portfolio may carry risks similar to those of a private equity or private debt fund. Securities that are not publicly registered may be difficult to value and may be difficult to sell at a price representative of their intrinsic value. Small and medium-sized companies also may have fewer lines of business so that changes in any one line of business may have a greater impact on the value of their stock than is the case with a larger company. Some BDCs invest substantially, or even exclusively, in one sector or industry group and therefore carry risk of that particular sector or industry group. To the extent a BDC focuses its investments in a specific sector, the BDC will be susceptible to adverse conditions and economic or regulatory occurrences affecting the specific sector or industry group, which tends to increase volatility and result in higher risk. Investments in BDCs are subject to various other risks, including management’s ability to meet the BDC’s investment objective and to manage the BDC’s portfolio when the underlying securities are redeemed or sold, during periods of market turmoil and as investors’ perceptions regarding a BDC or its underlying investments change. BDC shares are not redeemable at the option of the BDC shareholder and, as with shares of other closed-end funds, they may trade in the secondary market at a discount to their NAV.
Private Debt Risk
The primary risk associated with investments in Private Debt is that the issuer may default on principal and/or interest payments. Such a default would have the effect of lessening the income generated by the Fund and/or the value of the Private Debt. Private Debt is subject to certain other risks associated with fixed income investments. See “—Fixed Income Securities Risks.” Private Debt often may be illiquid, is typically not listed on an exchange, and is traded less actively than similar securities of publicly traded issuers. For certain Private Debt investments, trading may only be possible through the assistance of the broker who originally participated in the offering of the security and has a relationship with the issuer. Due to the limited trading market, independent pricing services may be unable to provide a price for Private Debt, and the fair value of the securities may be determined in good faith under procedures approved by the Board of Directors of the Fund, which typically will include the use of one or more independent broker quotes.
Defaulted and Distressed Securities Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in defaulted and distressed securities. Legal difficulties and negotiations with creditors and other claimants are common when dealing with defaulted or distressed companies. Defaulted or distressed companies may be insolvent, in bankruptcy or undergoing some other form of financial restructuring. In the event of a default, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. The repayment of defaulted bonds is subject to significant uncertainties, and in some cases, there may be no recovery of repayment. Defaulted bonds might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Because of the relative illiquidity of defaulted or distressed debt and equity securities, short sales are difficult, and the Fund and most Underlying Funds primarily maintain long positions. Some relative value trades are possible, where an investor sells short one class of a defaulted or distressed company’s capital structure and purchases another. With distressed investing, often there is a time lag between when the Fund and an Underlying Fund makes an investment and when the Fund and the Underlying Fund realizes the value of the investment. In addition, the Fund and an Underlying Fund may incur legal and other monitoring costs in protecting the value of the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s claims.
Loan Risk
The Fund or an Underlying Fund’s investment in loans includes the risk that (i) if a fund holds a loan through another financial intermediary, or relies on a financial intermediary to administer the loan, its receipt of principal and interest on the loan may be subject to the credit risk of that financial intermediary; (ii) it is possible that any collateral securing a loan may be insufficient or unavailable to the fund, because, for example, the value of the collateral securing a loan can decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate, and that the fund’s rights to collateral may be limited by bankruptcy or insolvency laws; (iii) investments in highly leveraged loans or loans of stressed, distressed, or defaulted issuers may be subject to significant credit and liquidity risk; (iv) a bankruptcy or other court proceeding could delay or limit the ability of the fund to collect the principal and interest payments on that borrower’s loans or adversely affect the fund’s rights in collateral relating to a loan; (v) there may be limited public information available regarding the loan; (vi) the use of a particular interest rate benchmark, such as LIBOR, may limit the fund’s ability to achieve a net return to shareholders that consistently approximates the average published Prime Rate of U.S. banks; further, LIBOR is being phased out by the end of 2021 and there remains some uncertainty regarding the future utilization of LIBOR and the nature of any replacement rate; (vii) the prices of certain floating rate loans that include a feature that prevents their interest rates from adjusting if market interest rates are below a specified minimum level may be more sensitive to changes in interest rates should interest rates rise but remain below the applicable minimum level; (viii) if a borrower fails to comply with various restrictive covenants that are typically in loan agreements, the borrower may default in payment of the loan; (ix) the fund’s investments in Senior Loans (as further discussed below) may be subject to increased liquidity and valuation risks, risks associated with collateral impairment or access, and risks associated with investing in unsecured loans; (x) opportunities to invest in loans or certain types of loans, such as Senior Loans, may be limited; (xi) transactions in loans may settle on a delayed basis, and the fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a substantial period of time after the sale, which may result in sale proceeds related to the sale of loans not being available to make additional investments or to meet a fund’s redemption obligations until potentially a substantial period after the sale of the loans; and (xii) loans may be difficult to value and may be illiquid, which may adversely affect an investment in the fund.
| • | Bank Loans—Assignments and Participations Risks. A fund may purchase “assignments” of bank loans from lenders. The purchaser of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning lender. Assignments may, however, be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, and the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. Additionally, a fund may invest in “participations” in bank loans. Participations by a fund in a lender’s portion of a bank loan typically will result in the fund having a contractual relationship only with such lender, not with the borrower. As a result, the fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by such lender of such payments from the borrower. |
In connection with purchasing loan participations, a fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the loan participation. As a result, the fund may be subject to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower. Certain loan participations may be structured in a manner designed to prevent purchasers of participations from being subject to the credit risk of the lender with respect to the participation, but even under such a structure, in the event of the lender’s insolvency, the lender’s servicing of the participation may be delayed and the assignability of the participation impaired.
A fund may have difficulty disposing of loans and loan participations because to do so it will have to assign or sell such securities to a third party. Because there is no liquid market for many such securities, the Fund anticipates that such securities could be sold only to a limited number of institutional investors. The lack of a liquid secondary market may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and a fund’s ability to dispose of particular loans and loan participations when necessary to meet the fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid secondary market for loans and loan participations also may make it more difficult for a fund to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the fund’s portfolio and calculating its net asset value.
| • | Bank Loans—Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities Risk. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are borrowing arrangements in which the lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. A revolving credit facility differs from a delayed funding loan in that as the borrower repays the loan, an amount equal to the repayment may be borrowed again during the term of the revolving credit facility. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities usually provide for floating or variable rates of interest. These commitments may have the effect of requiring a fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise be desirable to do so (including a time when the company’s financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). |
Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to resell such instruments. As a result, a fund may be unable to sell such investments at an opportune time or may have to resell them at less than fair market value. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are subject to credit, interest rate and liquidity risk.
| • | Senior Loan Risks. The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in senior secured floating rate and fixed-rate loans made to or issued by U.S. or non-U.S. banks or other corporations (“Senior Loans”). Senior Loans typically pay interest at rates that are re-determined periodically on the basis of a floating base lending rate (such as the LIBOR Rate) plus a premium. Senior Loans are typically of below investment grade quality (i.e., high yield securities). Senior Loans generally (but not always) hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a borrower and are often secured with collateral. |
There is less readily available and reliable information about most Senior Loans than is the case for many other types of instruments, including listed securities. Senior Loans are not listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system and as such, many Senior Loans are illiquid, meaning that the Fund and an Underlying Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain Senior Loans, the market is more volatile than for liquid, listed securities and may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. The market for Senior Loans could be disrupted in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase or decrease in interest rates. Senior Loans, like most other debt obligations, are subject to the risk of default. Default in the payment of interest or principal on a Senior Loan will result in a reduction of income to the Fund or an Underlying Fund, a reduction in the value of the Senior Loan and a potential decrease in the Fund’s net asset value of the common shares.
The Fund or the Underlying Funds may acquire or hold Senior Loans of borrowers that are experiencing, or are more likely to experience, financial difficulty, including Senior Loans issued to highly leveraged borrowers or borrowers that have filed for bankruptcy protection. Borrowers may have outstanding debt obligations, including Senior Loans, that are rated below investment grade. The Fund or an Underlying Fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in Senior Loans that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated at the time of purchase but are deemed by the Fund or an Underlying Fund’s adviser’s to be of comparable quality. The values of Senior Loans of borrowers that have filed for bankruptcy protection or that are experiencing payment difficulty could be affected by, among other things, the assessment of the likelihood that the lenders ultimately will receive repayment of the principal amount of such Senior Loans, the likely duration, if any, of a lapse in the scheduled payment of interest and repayment of principal and prevailing interest rates. There is no assurance that the Fund or an Underlying Fund will be able to recover any amount on Senior Loans of such borrowers or that sale of the collateral granted in connection with Senior Loans would raise enough cash to satisfy the borrower’s payment obligation or that the collateral can or will be liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy, liquidation may not occur and the bankruptcy court may not give lenders the full benefit of their senior position in the capital structure of the borrower.
Asset-Backed Securities Risk
Asset-backed securities are bonds or notes backed by loan paper or accounts receivable originated by banks, credit card companies or other providers of credit. An investment in asset-backed securities involves the risk that borrowers may default on the obligations that underlie the asset-backed security and that, during periods of falling interest rates, asset-backed securities may be called or prepaid, which may result in the Fund having to reinvest proceeds in other investments at a lower interest rate, and the risk that the impairment of the value of the collateral underlying a security in which the Fund invests (due, for example, to non-payment of loans) will result in a reduction in the value of the security.
Certain asset-backed securities do not have the benefit of the same security interest in the related collateral as do mortgage-backed securities; nor are they provided government guarantees of repayment. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured, and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. In addition, some issuers of automobile receivables permit the servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related automobile receivables. The impairment of the value of assets (tangible or intangible) underlying an asset-backed security, such as a result of non-payment of loans or non-performance of other collateral or underlying assets, may result in a reduction in the value of such asset-backed securities and losses to the Fund.
Illiquid Securities Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in illiquid securities. It may not be possible to sell or otherwise dispose of illiquid securities both at the price and within the time period deemed desirable by a fund. Illiquid securities also may be difficult to value.
Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Company Risks
The Fund, and the Underlying Funds in which it invests, may invest in securities without regard to market capitalization. Investments in securities of micro-, small- and medium-sized companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies, because these securities typically are traded in lower volume and issuers are typically more subject to changes in earnings and future earnings prospects. Micro-, small- and medium-sized companies often have narrower markets for their goods and/or services and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. Furthermore, these companies often have limited product lines, services, markets or financial resources, or are dependent on a small management group. Since these stocks are not well known to the investing public, do not have significant institutional ownership and are followed by relatively few security analysts, there will normally be less publicly available information concerning these securities compared to what is available for the securities of larger companies. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, can decrease the value and liquidity of securities held by the Fund. As a result, micro-, small- and medium-sized companies’ performance can be more volatile and the companies face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio. The risks are intensified for investments in micro-cap companies.
Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk
The risks of an investment in a collateralized debt obligation (“CDO”) depend largely on the quality and type of the collateral and the tranche of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), Collateralized loan obligations and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market, or other relevant measures of liquidity, may exist for CDOs allowing a CDO potentially to be deemed liquid by the Adviser or Subadviser under liquidity policies approved by the Board. In addition to the risks associated with debt instruments (e.g., interest rate risk and credit risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the possibility that the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
REIT Risks
The Fund, and the Underlying Funds in which it invests, may invest in equity, mortgage and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest in real estate, mortgage REITs invest in loans secured by real estate and hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate. Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. The value of equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while the value of mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers and self-liquidation. REITs also are subject to the possibilities of failing to qualify for tax free pass-through of income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and failing to maintain their exemption from registration under the 1940 Act. Investment in REITs involves risks similar to those associated with investing in small capitalization companies, and REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are subject to interest rate risks. When interest rates decline, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REIT’s investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. By investing in REITs directly or indirectly through the Underlying Funds, the Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of the expenses of the REITs. The expenses at the REIT level are not included in the Fund’s expense table as acquired fund fees and expenses.
Equity Securities Risks
The Underlying Funds may invest in equity securities. While equity securities have historically generated higher average returns than fixed income securities, equity securities have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. An adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of an issuer’s equity securities held by an Underlying Fund. Equity security 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 when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. The value of a particular equity security may fall in value. The prices of stocks change in response to many factors, including the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer, the value of its assets, management decisions, decreased demand for an issuer’s products or services, increased production costs, general economic conditions, interest rates, currency exchange rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity. The value of an Underlying Fund’s shares will go up and down due to movement in the collective returns of the individual securities held by the Underlying Fund. Common stocks are subordinate to preferred stocks and debt in a company’s capital structure, and if a company is liquidated, the claims of secured and unsecured creditors and owners of preferred stocks take precedence over the claims of those who own common stocks. In addition, equity security prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase.
Preferred Stock Risk
Preferred stock represents the senior residual interest in the assets of an issuer after meeting all claims, with priority to corporate income and liquidation payments over the issuer’s common stock. As such, preferred stock is inherently riskier than the bonds and other debt instruments of the issuer, but less risky than its common stock. Certain preferred stocks contain provisions that allow an issuer under certain conditions to skip (in the case of “non-cumulative” preferred stocks) or defer (in the case of “cumulative” preferred stocks) dividend payments. Preferred stocks often contain provisions that allow for redemption in the event of certain tax or legal changes or at the issuer’s call. Preferred stocks typically do not provide any voting rights, except in cases when dividends are in arrears beyond a certain time period. There is no assurance that dividends on preferred stocks in which the Fund invests will be declared or otherwise made payable. If the Fund owns preferred stock that is deferring its distributions, the Fund may be required to report income for U.S. federal income tax purposes while it is not receiving cash payments corresponding to such income. When interest rates fall below the rate payable on an issue of preferred stock or for other reasons, the issuer may redeem the preferred stock, generally after an initial period of call protection in which the stock is not redeemable. Preferred stocks may be significantly less liquid than many other securities, such as U.S. Government securities, corporate debt and common stock.
Warrants Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in warrants. Warrants do not carry with them the right to dividends or voting rights with respect to the securities that they entitle their holder to purchase and they do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuer. As a result, warrants may be considered to have more speculative characteristics than certain other types of investments. In addition, the value of a warrant does not necessarily change with the value of the underlying securities and a warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date.
Derivatives Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may enter into derivatives. Derivative transactions involve investment techniques and risks different from those associated with the Fund’s other investments. Generally, a derivative is a financial contract the value of which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate, or index, and may relate to individual debt or equity instruments, interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, related indexes and other assets. Derivatives can be volatile and involve various types and degrees of risk, depending upon the characteristics of a particular derivative. Derivatives may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest, meaning that a small investment in a derivative could have a large potential impact on the performance of a fund. The Fund or an Underlying Fund could experience a loss if derivatives do not perform as anticipated, if they are not correlated with the performance of other investments which they are used to hedge or if the fund is unable to liquidate a position because of an illiquid secondary market. The market for many derivatives is, or can suddenly become, illiquid. Changes in liquidity may result in significant, rapid and unpredictable changes in the prices of derivatives. When used for speculative purposes, derivatives will produce enhanced investment exposure, which will magnify gains and losses. Certain derivatives transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. The use of leverage may cause a fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements. Leverage may cause a fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This is because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the fund’s portfolio securities. Further, using derivatives may include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives and the inability of derivatives to correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. The Fund and the Underlying Funds also are subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties to the derivatives contracts purchased by such fund. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations under a derivative contract due to financial difficulties, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery under the derivative contract in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding. The Fund or an Underlying Fund may obtain only a limited recovery or may obtain no recovery in such circumstances. See “—Option and Futures Risks” and “—Swap Risks.”
Options and Futures Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in options and futures contracts for hedging purposes. The use of futures and options transactions entails certain special risks. In particular, the variable degree of correlation between price movements of futures contracts and price movements in the related securities position of a fund could create the possibility that losses on the hedging instrument are greater than gains in the value of a fund’s position. In addition, futures and options markets could be illiquid in some circumstances and certain over-the-counter options could have no markets. As a result, in certain markets, a fund might not be able to close out a transaction without incurring substantial losses. Although a fund’s use of futures and options transactions for hedging should tend to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged position, at the same time it will tend to limit any potential gain to a fund that might result from an increase in value of the position. There is also the risk of loss by a fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund or an Underlying Fund has an open position in a futures contract or option thereon. Finally, the daily variation margin requirements for futures contracts create a greater ongoing potential financial risk than would purchases of options, in which case the exposure is limited to the cost of the initial premium. However, because option premiums paid by the Fund or an Underlying Fund are small in relation to the market value of the investments underlying the options, buying options can result in large amounts of leverage. This leverage offered by trading in options could cause the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s net asset value to be subject to more frequent and wider fluctuation than would be the case if the Fund or an Underlying Fund did not invest in options.
If the Fund or an Underlying Fund purchases an option and the price of the underlying stock fails to move in the expected direction, the Fund or Underlying Fund will lose most or all of the amount the fund paid for the option, plus commission costs. If the Fund or an Underlying Fund writes (“sells”) an option and the price of the underlying stock fails to move in the expected direction, the Fund’s or Underlying Fund’s losses could easily exceed the proceeds it received when it wrote the options.
Swap Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may enter into interest rate, index, total return and currency swap agreements and, other than total return swap agreements (as discussed herein), such agreements are utilized by the Fund for hedging purposes (if at all). All of these agreements are considered derivatives. Swap agreements are two-party contracts under which the fund and a counterparty, such as a broker or dealer, agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on an agreed-upon underlying asset or investment over the term of the swap. The use of swap transactions is a highly specialized activity which involves strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. If the Adviser, Subadviser or an Underlying Fund’s investment adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of default risks, market spreads, liquidity or other applicable factors or events, the investment performance of the Fund or Underlying Fund would diminish compared with what it would have been if these techniques were not used. Swaps and swap options can be used for a variety of purposes, including: to manage fund exposure to changes in interest or foreign currency exchange rates and credit quality; as an efficient means of adjusting fund overall exposure to certain markets; in an effort to enhance income or total return or protect the value of portfolio securities; to serve as a cash management tool; and to adjust portfolio duration.
There are risks in the use of swaps. Swaps could result in losses if interest or foreign currency exchange rates or credit quality changes are not correctly anticipated by the Adviser, Subadviser or Underlying Fund manager. Total return swaps could result in losses if the reference index, security, or investments do not perform as anticipated. Total return swaps involve an enhanced risk that the issuer or counterparty will fail to perform its contractual obligations. Total return swaps may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the full notional amount of the swap. To the extent the Fund or an Underlying Fund enters into a total return swap on equity securities, the Fund or the Underlying Fund will receive the positive performance of a notional amount of such securities underlying the total return swap. In exchange, the Fund or the Underlying Fund will be obligated to pay the negative performance of such notional amount of securities. Therefore, the Fund or the Underlying Fund assumes the risk of a substantial decrease in the market value of the equity securities. The use of swaps may not always be successful; using them could lower fund total return, their prices can be highly volatile, and the potential loss from the use of swaps can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such instruments. Also, the other party to a swap agreement could default on its obligations or refuse to cash out the fund’s investment at a reasonable price, which could turn an expected gain into a loss.
Short Sale Risks
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may engage in short sales. However, the Fund will not engage in any short sales of securities issued by closed-end funds and business development companies. Such transactions are utilized by the Fund for hedging purposes. A short sale is a transaction in which a fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline. Positions in shorted securities are speculative and more risky than long positions (purchases) in securities because the maximum sustainable loss on a security purchased is limited to the amount paid for the security plus the transaction costs, whereas there is no maximum attainable price of the shorted security. Therefore, in theory, securities sold short have unlimited risk. Short selling will also result in higher transaction costs (such as interest and dividends), directly or indirectly through the investments in Underlying Funds, and may result in higher taxes, which reduce a fund’s return.
If a security sold short increases in price, a fund may have to cover its short position at a higher price than the short sale price, resulting in a loss. With respect to a fund’s short positions, the Fund must borrow those securities to make delivery to the buyer. A fund may not be able to borrow a security that it needs to deliver or it may not be able to close out a short position at an acceptable price and may have to sell related long positions before it had intended to do so. As a result, a fund may not be able to successfully implement its short sale strategy due to the limited availability of desired securities or for other reasons.
When borrowing a security for delivery to a buyer, a fund also may be required to pay a premium and other transaction costs, which would increase the cost of the security sold short. A fund must normally repay to the lender an amount equal to any dividends or interest earned while the loan is outstanding. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses a fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale. Also, the lender of a security may terminate the loan at a time when a fund is unable to borrow the same security for delivery. In that case, a fund would need to purchase a replacement security at the then current market price or “buy in” by paying the lender an amount equal to the costs of purchasing the security.
Until a fund replaces a borrowed security, it is required to maintain a segregated account of cash or liquid assets to cover the fund’s short position. Securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the position they are covering is outstanding, unless they are replaced with similar securities. Additionally, a fund must maintain sufficient liquid assets (less any additional collateral held by the broker), marked-to-market daily, to cover its short sale obligations. This may limit a fund’s investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risks
The use by the Fund of reverse repurchase agreements involves many of the same risks associated with the Fund’s use of bank borrowings since the proceeds derived from such reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities. See “—Leverage Risks.” Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities acquired in connection with the reverse repurchase agreement may decline below the price of the securities the Fund has sold but is obligated to repurchase, and that the securities may not be returned to the Fund. Also, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained in lieu of sale by the Fund in connection with the reverse repurchase agreement may decline in price.
Foreign Investing Risks
The Fund, and the Underlying Funds in which the Fund invests, may invest in foreign securities. Because the Fund and the Underlying Funds may hold foreign debt and equity securities, including the debt of foreign governments and supranational organizations, and American Depositary Receipts, the Fund is subject to foreign investing risk.
Investments in foreign securities may be affected by currency controls and exchange rates; different accounting, auditing, financial reporting, and legal standards and practices; expropriation; changes in tax policy; social, political and economic instability; greater market volatility; differing securities market structures; higher transaction costs; and various administrative difficulties, such as delays in clearing and settling portfolio transactions or in receiving payment of dividends. In addition, changes in government administrations or economic or monetary policies in the United States or abroad could result in appreciation or depreciation of the Fund’s securities. These risks may be heightened in connection with investments in emerging or developing countries. An investment in depositary receipts is subject to many of the same risks as when investing directly in foreign securities. The effect of worldwide or regional economic and political instability on specific foreign markets or issuers may be difficult to predict or evaluate, and some national economies continue to show profound instability, which may in turn affect their international trading partners. In addition, the Underlying Funds owned by the Fund may purchase loans from obligors located in non-U.S. jurisdictions. It may be more difficult and costly for the Fund to enforce the terms of loans against foreign obligors than obligors of loans in U.S. jurisdictions. Adverse economic conditions in such jurisdictions, as well as foreign exchange rate fluctuations may affect the ability and incentive of foreign obligors to make timely payments of principal and interest on their loans. Collection on purchased loans may also be affected by economic and political conditions in the country or region in which the obligor is located. Rights and remedies available to enforce loan obligations and any security interest relating thereto will depend on the relevant country’s laws, including insolvency laws and laws specifying the priority of payments to creditors, all of which may be significantly different from U.S. law. Accordingly, the actual rates of delinquencies, defaults and losses on foreign loans could be higher than those experienced with loans located in the U.S. See “—Currency Risk” and “—Emerging Markets Risk.”
Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in foreign developed countries. These risks include (i) the smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity, (ii) significant price volatility, (iii) restrictions on foreign investment, and (iv) possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales, and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or the creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by an Underlying Fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative.
Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Economic sanctions could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or groups of securities for a substantial period of time, and may make the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s investments in such securities harder to value. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets, or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by an Underlying Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil.
Currency Risk
To the extent that the Fund invests in securities denominated in, or whose issuers receive revenue in, foreign currencies, it will be subject to currency risk. This is the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of Hedging Positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency hedged. In either event, the dollar value of an investment in the Fund would be adversely affected. Currencies in non-U.S. countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational agencies, such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad.
Emerging Markets Risk
Investment in emerging market securities involves greater risk than that associated with investment in securities of issuers in developed foreign countries. These risks include volatile currency exchange rates, periods of high inflation, increased risk of default, greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability, less governmental supervision and regulation of securities markets, weaker auditing and financial reporting standards, lack of liquidity in the markets, and the significantly smaller market capitalizations of emerging market issuers.
Sovereign Debt Obligation Risks
The Fund or the Underlying Funds may invest in sovereign debt obligations, which is sovereign debt issued by foreign governments and their respective sub-divisions, agencies or instrumentalities, government sponsored enterprises and supranational government entities. Supranational entities include international organizations that are organized or supported by one or more government entities to promote economic reconstruction or development and by international banking institutions and related governmental agencies. Examples include the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the “World Bank”), the European Coal and Steel Community, the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Each supranational entity’s lending activities are limited to a percentage of its total capital (including “callable capital” contributed by its governmental members at the entity’s call), reserves and net income. There is no assurance that participating governments will be able or willing to honor their commitments to make capital contributions to a supranational entity.
Investment in sovereign debt obligations involves special risks not present in corporate debt obligations. The issuer of the sovereign debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund and the Underlying Funds may have limited recourse in the event of a default. During periods of economic uncertainty, the market prices of sovereign debt may be more volatile than prices of U.S. debt obligations. In the past, certain emerging markets have encountered difficulties in servicing their debt obligations, withheld payments of principal and interest, and declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on their sovereign debts.
Certain countries have historically experienced, and may continue to experience, high rates of inflation, high interest rates, exchange rate fluctuations, large amounts of external debt, balance of payments and trade difficulties and extreme poverty and unemployment. The issuer or governmental authority that controls the repayment of a country’s debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation and, in the case of a government debtor, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the government debtor’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. Government debtors may default on their debt and also may be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a debtor’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations.
Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the government debtor, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts on a timely basis. Holders of government debt, including the Fund and the Underlying Funds, may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to government debtors.
As a result of the foregoing, a government obligor may default on its obligations. If such an event occurs, the Fund or an Underlying Fund may have limited (or no) legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. Remedies must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the ability of the holder of foreign government debt securities to obtain recourse may be subject to the political climate in the relevant country. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of more senior fixed income securities, such as commercial bank debt, will not contest payments to the holders of other foreign government debt securities in the event of default under their commercial bank loan agreements. There is no bankruptcy proceeding by which sovereign debt on which governmental entities have defaulted may be collected in whole or in part.
Government obligors in emerging market countries are among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. See “Risks—Emerging Markets Risk.” The issuers of the government debt securities in which the Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest have in the past experienced substantial difficulties in servicing their external debt obligations, which led to defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Restructuring arrangements have included, among other things, reducing and rescheduling interest and principal payments by negotiating new or amended credit agreements, and obtaining new credit to finance interest payments. Holders of certain foreign government debt securities may be requested to participate in the restructuring of such obligations and to extend further loans to their issuers. There can be no assurance that the foreign government debt securities in which the Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest will not be subject to similar restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may adversely affect the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s holdings. Furthermore, certain participants in the secondary market for such debt may be directly involved in negotiating the terms of these arrangements and may therefore have access to information not available to other market participants.
Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the Euro and the European Monetary Union (“EMU”) has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Any partial or complete dissolution of the EMU could have significant adverse effects on currency and financial markets, and on the values of the Fund’s portfolio investments. See “—Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risks.”
Investments in a foreign country’s government debt securities also involves currency risk. See “—Currency Risk.”
U.S. Government Securities Risk
The Fund and the Underlying Funds may invest in U.S. Government securities, which are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government or its agencies, instrumentalities or government-sponsored enterprises. Some U.S. Government securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; others are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; others are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; and still others are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality.
The U.S. Government’s guarantee of ultimate payment of principal and timely payment of interest on certain U. S. Government securities owned by the Fund or an Underlying Fund does not imply that the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund’s shares are guaranteed or that the price of the Fund’s or the Underlying Fund’s shares will not fluctuate. In addition, securities issued by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and Federal Home Loan Banks are not obligations of, or insured by, the U.S. Government. If a U.S. Government agency or instrumentality in which the Fund or an Underlying Fund invests defaults, and the U.S. Government does not stand behind the obligation, the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s share price or yield could fall. Securities of certain U.S. Government sponsored entities are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Government. All U.S. Government obligations are subject to interest rate risk.
Municipal Securities Risk
Municipal securities are long-term fixed rate debt obligations that generally decline in value with increases in interest rates, when an issuer’s financial condition worsens or when the rating on a bond is decreased. Many municipal securities may be called or redeemed prior to their stated maturity. Lower-quality revenue bonds and other credit-sensitive municipal securities carry higher risks of default than general obligation bonds. In addition, the amount of public information available about municipal securities is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds and municipal securities may be less liquid than such securities. Special factors, such as legislative changes and local and business developments, may adversely affect the yield and/or value of the Fund’s or Underlying Fund’s investments in municipal securities. Other factors include the general conditions of the municipal securities market, the size of the particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. The ability of municipal issuers to make timely payments of interest and principal may be diminished during general economic downturns and as governmental cost burdens are reallocated among federal, state and local governments. Issuers of municipal securities might seek protection under bankruptcy laws. In the event of bankruptcy of such an issuer, holders of municipal securities could experience delays in collecting principal and interest and such holders may not be able to collect all principal and interest to which they are entitled.
Structured Notes Risks
The Underlying Funds may invest in structured notes. Structured notes are subject to a number of fixed income risks including general market risk, interest rate risk, and the risk that the issuer on the note may fail to make interest and/or principal payments when due, or may default on its obligations entirely. In addition, because the performance of structured notes tracks the performance of the underlying debt obligation, structured notes generally are subject to more risk than investing in a simple note or bond issued by the same issuer. It is impossible to predict whether the referenced factor (such as an index or interest rate) or prices of the underlying securities will rise or fall. To the extent that an Underlying Fund invests in structured notes, the Underlying Fund may be more volatile than other funds that do not invest in structured notes. The actual trading prices of structured notes may be significantly different from the principal amount of the notes. If an Underlying Fund sells the structured notes prior to maturity, it may suffer a loss of principal. At final maturity, structured notes may be redeemed in cash or in kind, which is at the discretion of the issuer. If the notes are redeemed in kind, a fund would receive shares of stock at a depressed price. To the extent that a structured note is not principal-protected through an insurance feature, the note’s principal will not be protected. In the case of a decrease in the value of the underlying asset, an Underlying Fund would receive shares at a value less than the original amount invested; while an increase in the value of an underlying asset will not increase the return on the note.
Rating Agency Risk
Ratings agencies such as S&P, Moody’s or other NRSROs provide ratings on debt securities based on their analyses of information they deem relevant. Ratings are opinions or judgments of the credit quality of an issuer and may prove to be inaccurate. In addition, there may be a delay between events or circumstances adversely affecting the ability of an issuer to pay interest and or repay principal and a NRSRO’s decision to downgrade a security. Further, a rating agency may have a conflict of interest with respect to a security for which it assigns a particular rating if, for example, the issuer or sponsor of the security pays the rating agency for the analysis of its security, which could affect the reliability of the rating.
Legislation and Regulatory Risks
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 or the issuers of such assets. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the entities and/or securities in which the Fund or an Underlying Fund invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund or an Underlying Fund is regulated. New or amended regulations may be imposed by the CFTC, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the Federal Reserve or other financial regulators, other governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets that could adversely affect the Fund or the Underlying Funds. 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. The Fund and the Underlying Funds also may be adversely affected by changes in the enforcement or interpretation of existing statutes and rules by these governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations.
In general, the imposition of any additional legal or regulatory requirements could make compliance more difficult and expensive, affect the manner in which the Fund conduct its business and adversely affect the Fund’s profitability.
Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risks
The ongoing U.S. military and related action around the world, as well as the continuing threat of terrorist attacks, could have significant adverse effects on the U.S. economy, the stock market and world economies and markets generally. A disruption of financial markets or other terrorist attacks could adversely affect the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s service providers and/or the Fund’s or an Underlying Fund’s operations as well as interest rates, secondary trading, credit risk, inflation and other factors relating to the common shares. The Fund cannot predict the effects or likelihood of similar events in the future on the U.S. and world economies, the market value of the common shares or the net asset value of the Fund. Assets of companies, including those held in the Fund’s portfolio, could be direct targets, or indirect casualties, of an act of terrorism.
Defensive Measures
The Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as a defensive measure in response to adverse market conditions or opportunistically at the discretion of the Adviser or Subadviser. During these periods, the Fund may not be pursuing its investment objective.
Structural Risks:
Market Discount
Shares of common stock of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value. This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund’s net asset value could decrease as a result of its investment activities and may be greater for investors expecting to sell their Common Shares in a relatively short period following completion of an offering under this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplement.
Although the value of the Fund’s net assets is generally considered by market participants in determining whether to purchase or sell common shares, whether investors will realize gains or losses upon the sale of the common shares will depend entirely upon whether the market price of the common shares at the time of sale is above or below the investor’s purchase price for the common shares. Because the market price of the common shares is affected by factors such as net asset value, dividend and distribution levels and their stability (which are in turn affected by levels of dividend and interest payments by the Fund’s portfolio holdings, the timing and success of the Fund’s investment strategies, regulations affecting the timing and character of the Fund’s distributions, the Fund’s expenses and other factors), supply of and demand for the common shares, trading volume of the common shares, general market, interest rate and economic conditions, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot predict whether the Common Shares offered under this prospectus will trade at, below or above net asset value or at, below or above the public offering price thereof. The foregoing risks also apply to the closed-end funds in which the Fund invests.
Market Impact Risk
The sale of the Common Shares (or the perception that such sales may occur) may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for the Fund’s common shares through increasing the number of shares available, which may put downward pressure on the market price for the Fund’s common shares. These sales also might make it more difficult for the Fund to sell additional equity securities in the future at a time and price the Fund deems appropriate. See “—Risks Associated with Offerings of Additional Common Shares.”
Investment Style Risk
The Fund is managed by allocating the Fund’s assets to two different strategies as described in this Prospectus. This may cause the Fund to underperform funds that do not limit their investments to these two strategies during periods when these strategies underperform other types of investments.
Not a Complete Investment Program
The Fund is intended for investors seeking current income and overall total return over the long-term, and is not intended to be a short-term trading vehicle. An investment in the common shares of the Fund should not be considered a complete investment program. Each investor should take into account the Fund’s investment objective and other characteristics as well as the investor’s other investments when considering an investment in the Common Shares. An investment in the Fund may not be appropriate for all investors.
Multi-Manager Risk
Fund performance is dependent upon the success of the Adviser and the Subadviser in implementing the Fund’s investment strategies in pursuit of its investment objective. To a significant extent, the Fund’s performance will depend on the success of the Adviser’s methodology in allocating the Fund’s assets between each of the principal investment strategies. The Adviser and the Subadviser’s investment styles may not always be complementary, which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund. Because the Adviser and the Subadviser each makes investment decisions independently, it is possible that the Adviser and the Subadviser may, at any time, take positions that in effect may be opposite of positions taken by each other. In such cases, the Fund will incur brokerage and other transaction costs without accomplishing any net investment results. The multi-manager approach could increase the Fund’s portfolio turnover rates, which may result in higher levels of realized capital gains or losses with respect to the Fund’s portfolio securities, and higher broker commissions and other transaction costs. The trading costs and tax consequences associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund’s performance. See “—Investment Style Risk.”
In addition, the Subadviser’s implementation of the Opportunistic Income Strategy means that, at any point in time, the Subadviser will manage 65-90% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. To the extent the Subadvisory Agreement is terminated or not renewed, Fund performance will become dependent on the Adviser or a new subadviser successfully implementing the Opportunistic Income Strategy. There is no assurance that a suitable replacement to the Subadviser could be found if the Subadvisory Agreement is terminated or not renewed. Any such termination or non-renewal of the Subadvisory Agreement can have an adverse effect on an investment in the Fund. In addition, to the extent the Adviser retains the responsibility of implementing the Opportunistic Income Strategy of the Fund following the termination or non-renewal of the Subadvisory Agreement, the approval of the Fund’s stockholders will likely not be required.
Asset Allocation Risk
To the extent that the Adviser’s asset allocation between the Fund’s principal investment strategies may fail to produce the intended result, the Fund’s return may suffer. Additionally, the potentially active asset allocation style of the Fund may lead to changing allocations over time and represent a risk to investors who target fixed asset allocations.
Leverage Risks
Since the common shareholders pay all expenses related to the issuance of debt or use of leverage, the use of leverage through borrowing of money, issuance of debt securities or the issuance of Preferred Shares for investment or other purposes creates risks for common shareholders. Leverage is a speculative technique that exposes the Fund to greater risk and increased costs than if it were not implemented. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio is magnified when the Fund uses leverage. As a result, leverage may cause greater changes in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund will also have to pay interest on its borrowings or dividends on Preferred Shares, if any, which may reduce the Fund’s return. The leverage costs may be greater than the Fund’s return on the underlying investment. The Fund’s leveraging strategy may not be successful.
The Fund has utilized leverage primarily through borrowings under the UBS Facility. So long as the Fund’s portfolio provides a higher rate of return, net of expenses, than the interest rate on borrowed money, the leverage may cause common shareholders to receive a higher current rate of return than if the Fund were not leveraged. If, however, long-term and/or short-term rates rise, the interest rate on borrowed money could exceed the rate of return on securities held by the Fund, reducing return to common shareholders. The state of the credit markets may, from time to time, adversely affect the ability of the Fund to borrow money for investment purposes and may cause an increase in borrowing costs, which would reduce returns to common shareholders.
In addition to the foregoing, the use of leverage involves risks and special considerations for common shareholders, including:
| • | the likelihood of greater volatility of net asset value, market price and dividend rate of the common shares than a comparable portfolio without leverage; |
| • | the risk that fluctuations in interest rates on reverse repurchase agreements, borrowings or on short-term debt or in the interest or dividend rates on any debt securities or Preferred Shares that the Fund must pay will reduce the return to the common shareholders; |
| • | the effect of leverage in a declining market, which is likely to cause a greater decline in the net asset value of the common shares than if the Fund were not leveraged, may result in a greater decline in the market price of the common shares; |
| • | when the Fund uses financial leverage, the investment management fees payable to the Adviser and the subadvisory fees payable by the Adviser to the Subadviser are higher than if the Fund did not use leverage. This may create a conflict of interest between the Adviser and the Subadviser, on the one hand, and common shareholders, on the other; and |
| • | leverage may increase operating costs, which may reduce total return. |
The use of leverage requires the Fund to segregate assets to cover its obligations (or, if the Fund borrows money or issues Preferred Shares, to maintain asset coverage in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act). While the segregated assets are invested in liquid securities, they may not be used for other operational purposes. Consequently, the use of leverage may limit the Fund’s flexibility and may require that the Fund sell other portfolio investments to pay Fund expenses, to maintain assets in an amount sufficient to cover the Fund’s leveraged exposure or to meet other obligations at a time when it may be disadvantageous to sell such assets. See also “—Reverse Repurchase Agreements Risk” and “Use of Leverage.”
The funds borrowed pursuant to a borrowing program (such as the USB Facility) or obtained through the issuance of Preferred Shares constitute a substantial lien and burden by reason of their prior claim against the income of the Fund and against the net assets of the Fund in liquidation. The rights of lenders to receive payments of interest on and repayments of principal of any borrowings made by the Fund under a borrowing program are senior to the rights of common shareholders and the holders of Preferred Shares with respect to the payment of dividends or upon liquidation. Certain types of leverage may result in the Fund being subject to covenants relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition and may impose special restrictions on the Fund’s use of various investment techniques or strategies or in its ability to pay dividends and other distributions on common shares in certain instances. The Fund may not be permitted to declare dividends or other distributions, including dividends and distributions with respect to common shares or Preferred Shares, or purchase common shares or Preferred Shares, unless, at the time thereof, the Fund meets these asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements and no event of default exists under any borrowing program. In addition, the Fund may not be permitted to pay dividends on common shares unless all dividends on the Preferred Shares and/or accrued interest on borrowings have been paid or set aside for payment. In an event of default under a borrowing program, the lenders may have the right to cause a liquidation of collateral (i.e., sell assets of the Fund) and, if any such default is not cured, the lenders may be able to control the liquidation as well. The Fund also may be subject to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for the Preferred Shares or other leverage securities issued by the Fund. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or Fund composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act.
The loan documents under the USB Facility include provisions that restrict the Fund’s ability to pledge its assets and contain customary events of default including failure of the Fund to meet the asset coverage test of the 1940 Act. There is no assurance that the Fund will not violate financial covenants relating to financial leverage in the future. In such event, the Fund may be required to repay all outstanding borrowings immediately. In order to repay such amounts, the Fund may be required to sell assets quickly which could have a material adverse effect on the Fund and could trigger negative tax implications. In addition, the Fund would be precluded from declaring or paying any distribution on the common shares during the continuance of such event of default.
Leverage risk would also apply to the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds to the extent an Underlying Fund uses leverage.
The issuance of Common Shares offered by this Prospectus and any related prospectus supplement will enable the Fund to increase the aggregate amount of its leverage. However, it is possible that the Fund will be unable to obtain additional leverage. If the Fund is unable to increase its financial leverage after the issuance of additional Common Shares pursuant to this Prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, there could be an adverse impact on the return to common shareholders.
Potential Conflicts of Interest Risk
The Adviser, the Subadviser and the portfolio managers of the Fund have interests which may conflict with the interests of the Fund. In particular, the Adviser and the Subadviser each manages and/or advises other investment funds or accounts with the same or similar investment objective and strategies as the Fund. As a result, the Adviser, the Subadviser and the Fund’s portfolio managers may devote unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund and those other funds and accounts, and may not be able to formulate as complete a strategy or identify equally attractive investment opportunities as might be the case if they were to devote substantially more attention to the management of the Fund. The Adviser, the Subadviser and the Fund’s portfolio managers may identify a limited investment opportunity that may be suitable for multiple funds and accounts, and the opportunity may be allocated among these several funds and accounts, which may limit the Fund’s ability to take full advantage of the investment opportunity. Additionally, transaction orders may be aggregated for multiple accounts for purpose of execution, which may cause the price or brokerage costs to be less favorable to the Fund than if similar transactions were not being executed concurrently for other accounts. Furthermore, it is theoretically possible that a portfolio manager could use the information obtained from managing a fund or account to the advantage of other funds or accounts under management, and also theoretically possible that actions could be taken (or not taken) to the detriment of the Fund. At times, a portfolio manager may determine that an investment opportunity may be appropriate for only some of the funds and accounts for which he or she exercises investment responsibility, or may decide that certain of the funds and accounts should take differing positions with respect to a particular security. In these cases, the portfolio manager may place separate transactions for one or more funds or accounts which may affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the detriment or benefit of one or more other funds and accounts. For example, a portfolio manager may determine that it would be in the interest of another account to sell a security that the Fund holds, potentially resulting in a decrease in the market value of the security held by the Fund.
Conflicts potentially limiting the Fund’s investment opportunities may also arise when the Fund and other clients of the Adviser or Subadviser invest in, or even conduct research relating to, different parts of an issuer’s capital structure, such as when the Fund owns senior debt obligations of an issuer and other clients own junior tranches of the same issuer. In such circumstances, decisions over whether to trigger an event of default, over the terms of any workout, or how to exit an investment may result in conflicts of interest. In order to minimize such conflicts, a portfolio manager may avoid certain investment opportunities that would potentially give rise to conflicts with other clients of the Adviser or Subadviser (as applicable) or result in the Adviser or Subadviser receiving material, non-public information, or the Adviser and Subadviser may enact internal procedures designed to minimize such conflicts, which could have the effect of limiting the Fund’s investment opportunities. Additionally, if the Adviser or Subadviser acquires material non-public confidential information in connection with its business activities for other clients, a portfolio manager or other investment personnel may be restricted from purchasing securities or selling certain securities for the Fund or other clients.
The portfolio managers also may engage in cross trades between funds and accounts, may select brokers or dealers to execute securities transactions based in part on brokerage and research services provided to the Adviser or the Subadviser which may not benefit all funds and accounts equally and may receive different amounts of financial or other benefits for managing different funds and accounts. Finally, the Adviser, the Subadviser and their affiliates may provide more services to some types of funds and accounts than others.
The Fund, Adviser and/or Subadviser (as applicable) have adopted policies and procedures that address the foregoing potential conflicts of interest, including policies and procedures to address the allocation of investment opportunities, execution of portfolio transactions, personal trading by employees and other potential conflicts of interest that are designed to ensure that all accounts of the Adviser and Subadviser are treated equitably. There is no guarantee that the policies and procedures adopted by the Adviser, the Subadviser and the Fund will be able to identify or mitigate the conflicts of interest that arise between the Fund and any other investment funds or accounts that the Adviser and/or the Subadviser may manage or advise from time to time. For further information on potential conflicts of interest, see “Management of the Fund—Conflicts of Interest” in the SAI.
In addition, while the Fund is using leverage, the amount of the fees paid to the Adviser (and by the Adviser to the Subadviser) for investment advisory and management services are higher than if the Fund did not use leverage because the fees paid are calculated based on the Fund’s Managed Assets, which include assets purchased with leverage. Therefore, the Adviser and the Subadviser have a financial incentive to leverage the Fund, which creates a conflict of interest between the Adviser and the Subadviser on the one hand and the common shareholders of the Fund on the other.
Contingent Conversion Risk
The Fund will bear the costs associated with calling a shareholder meeting for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company. In the event of conversion to an open-end management investment company, the shares would cease to be listed on the NYSE or other national securities exchange, and such shares would thereafter be redeemable at the Fund’s net asset value at the option of the shareholder, rather than traded in the secondary market at market price, which, for closed-end fund shares, may at times be at a premium to the Fund’s net asset value. Any borrowings (other than borrowings from a bank) or preferred stock of the Fund would need to be repaid or redeemed upon conversion and, accordingly, a portion of the Fund’s portfolio may need to be liquidated, potentially resulting in, among other things, lower current income. In addition, open-end management investment companies may be subject to continuous asset in-flows and out-flows that can complicate portfolio management and limit the Fund’s ability to make certain types of investments. As a result, the Fund may incur increased expenses and may be required to sell portfolio securities at inopportune times in order to accommodate such flows. See “Contingent Conversion Feature.”
Risks Associated with Offerings of Additional Common Shares
The voting power of current common shareholders will be diluted to the extent that current common shareholders do not purchase Common Shares in any future offerings of Common Shares or do not purchase sufficient Common Shares to maintain their percentage interest. If the Fund is unable to invest the proceeds of such offering as intended, the Fund’s per common share distribution may decrease and the Fund may not participate in market advances to the same extent as if such proceeds were fully invested as planned. Were the expenses of the offering to exceed the amount by which the sale price exceeded the Fund’s then current net asset value per common share, shareholders would experience a dilution of the aggregate net asset value per common share. This dilution would be experienced by all common shareholders, irrespective of whether they purchased Common Shares in any such offering.
Risks Associated with Offering Preferred Shares
In the event any additional series of fixed rate preferred shares are issued and such shares are intended to be listed on an exchange, prior application will have been made to list such shares on an exchange. During an initial period, which is not expected to exceed 30 days after the date of its initial issuance, such shares may not be listed on any securities exchange. During such period, the underwriters may make a market in such shares, although they will have no obligation to do so. Consequently, an investment in such shares may be illiquid during such period. Fixed rate preferred shares may trade at a premium to or discount from liquidation value for various reasons, including changes in interest rates, perceived credit quality and other factors.
Risks of Issuing Rights
There are risks associated with an offering of Rights (in addition to the risks discussed herein related to the offering of Common Shares and Preferred Shares). Shareholders who do not exercise their Rights may, at the completion of such an offering, own a smaller proportional interest in the Fund than if they exercised their Rights. As a result of such an offering, a shareholder may experience dilution in net asset value per share if the subscription price per share is below the net asset value per share on the expiration date. If the subscription price per share is below the net asset value per share of the Fund’s shares on the expiration date, a shareholder will experience an immediate dilution of the aggregate net asset value of such shareholder’s shares if the shareholder does not participate in such an offering and the shareholder will experience a reduction in the net asset value per share of such shareholder’s shares whether or not the shareholder participates in such an offering. Such a reduction in net asset value per share may have the effect of reducing the market price of the shares. The Fund cannot state precisely the extent of this dilution (if any) if the shareholder does not exercise such shareholder’s Rights because the Fund does not know what the net asset value per share will be when the offer expires or what proportion of the Rights will be exercised. If the subscription price is substantially less than the then current net asset value per share at the expiration of a Rights offering, such dilution could be substantial. Any such dilution or accretion will depend upon whether (i) such shareholders participate in the Rights offering, and (ii) the Fund’s net asset value per share is above or below the subscription price on the expiration date of the Rights offering.
In addition to the economic dilution described above, if a shareholder does not exercise all of their Rights, the shareholder will incur voting dilution as a result of the Rights offering. This voting dilution will occur because the shareholder will own a smaller proportionate interest in the Fund after the Rights offering than prior to the Rights offering.
There is a risk that changes in market conditions may result in the underlying Common Shares or Preferred Shares purchasable upon exercise of Rights being less attractive to investors at the conclusion of the subscription period. This may reduce or eliminate the value of the Rights. If investors exercise only a portion of the Rights, the number of Common Shares or Preferred Shares issued may be reduced, and the shares may trade at less favorable prices than larger offerings for similar securities.
Rights issued by the Fund may be transferable or non-transferable rights. In a non-transferable Rights offering, common and/or preferred shareholders who do not wish to exercise their Rights will be unable to sell their Rights. In a transferable Rights offering, the Fund will use its best efforts to ensure an adequate trading market for the Rights; however, investors may find that there is no market to sell Rights they do not wish to exercise.
Cyber Security Risk
With the increased use of the Internet and because information technology (“IT”) systems and digital data underlie most of the Fund’s operations, the Fund and the Adviser, Subadviser, transfer agent, and other service providers and the vendors of each (collectively “Service Providers”) are exposed to the risk that their operations and data may be compromised as a result of internal and external cyber-failures, breaches or attacks (“Cyber Risk”). This could occur as a result of malicious or criminal cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include actions taken to: (i) steal or corrupt data maintained online or digitally, (ii) gain unauthorized access to or release confidential information, (iii) shut down the Fund or Service Provider website through denial-of-service attacks, or (iv) otherwise disrupt normal business operations. However, events arising from human error, faulty or inadequately implemented policies and procedures or other systems failures unrelated to any external cyber-threat may have effects similar to those caused by deliberate cyber-attacks.
Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its Service Providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders or cause an investment in the Fund to lose value. For instance, such attacks, failures or other events may interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the Fund’s ability to calculate its net asset value, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, or cause reputational damage. Such attacks, failures or other events could also subject the Fund or its Service Providers to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. Insurance protection and contractual indemnification provisions may be insufficient to cover these losses. The Fund or its Service Providers may also incur significant costs to manage and control Cyber Risk. While the Fund and its Service Providers have established IT and data security programs and have in place business continuity plans and other systems designed to prevent losses and mitigate Cyber Risk, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that cyber-attacks may be highly sophisticated.
Cyber Risk is also present for issuers of securities or other instruments in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause a Fund’s investment in such issuers to lose value.
Confidential Information Access Risk
The Fund is subject to the risk that the intentional or unintentional receipt of material, non-public information (“Confidential Information”) by the Adviser or Subadviser could limit the Fund’s ability to sell certain investments held by the Fund or pursue certain investment opportunities on behalf of the Fund, potentially for a substantial period of time. Also, certain issuers of floating rate loans or other investments may not have any publicly traded securities and may offer private information pursuant to confidentiality agreements or similar arrangements. The Subadviser may access such private information, while recognizing that the receipt of that information could potentially limit the Fund’s ability to trade in certain securities, including if the issuer of such floating rate loans or other investments later issues publicly traded securities. In addition, in circumstances when the Subadviser declines to receive Confidential Information from issuers of floating rate loans or other investments, the Fund may be disadvantaged in comparison to other investors, including with respect to evaluating the issuer and the price the Fund would pay or receive when it buys or sells those investments, and the Fund may not take advantage of investment opportunities that it otherwise might have if it had received such Confidential Information. In managing the Fund, the Subadviser may seek to avoid the receipt of Confidential Information about the issuers of floating rate loans or other investments being considered for acquisition by the Fund or held in the Fund’s portfolio if the receipt of the Confidential Information would restrict one or more of the Subadviser’s clients, including, potentially, the Fund, from trading in securities they hold or in which they may invest.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Maryland law and the Fund’s Charter and Bylaws include 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, including the adoption of a staggered Board of Directors and the supermajority voting requirements discussed herein. These provisions could deprive the holders of common shares of opportunities to sell their common shares at a premium over the then current market price of the common shares or at net asset value. See “Certain Provisions of the Fund’s Charter and Bylaws and of Maryland Law.” This risk would also apply to many of the Fund’s investments in Underlying Funds.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
Board of Directors
The Fund’s Board of Directors has overall responsibility for management of the Fund. The Board of Directors decides upon matters of general policy and generally oversees the actions of the Adviser, the Subadviser and the other service providers of the Fund. The name and business address of the Board of Directors and officers of the Fund, and their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years, are set forth under “Board Members and Officers” in the SAI.
Investment Adviser
RiverNorth Capital Management, LLC (“RiverNorth” or the “Adviser”), a registered investment adviser, is the Fund’s investment adviser and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy, managing the Fund’s business affairs and providing certain administrative services. The Adviser is also responsible for determining the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing its implementation. Subject to the ranges noted above, the Adviser determines the portion of the Fund’s Managed Assets to allocate to each strategy and may, from time to time, adjust the allocations. RiverNorth, founded in 2000, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of RiverNorth Financial Holdings LLC and is located at 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 645, Chicago, Illinois 60654. As of June 30, 2019, RiverNorth managed approximately $3.8 billion for registered open-end management investment companies, registered closed-end management investment companies and private investment vehicles. See “Management of the Fund” in the SAI.
Subadviser
DoubleLine® Capital LP is the Fund’s subadviser and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy. Founded in 2009, the Subadviser is located at 333 South Grand Avenue, 18th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90071. The Subadviser is registered with the SEC and as of June 30, 2019, manages approximately $140 billion for individuals and institutions. The Subadviser was founded by Jeffrey E. Gundlach in December 2009.
Portfolio Management
Patrick W. Galley, CFA is a co-portfolio manager of the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy for the Fund. Mr. Galley is the Chief Investment Officer for the Adviser. Mr. Galley heads the Adviser’s research and investment team and oversees all portfolio management activities at the Adviser. Mr. Galley also serves as the President and Chairman of the RiverNorth Funds, a mutual fund complex for which RiverNorth serves as the investment adviser. Prior to joining the Adviser in 2004, he was most recently a Vice President at Bank of America in the Global Investment Bank’s Portfolio Management group, where he specialized in analyzing and structuring corporate transactions for investment management firms in addition to closed-end and open-end funds, hedge funds, funds of funds, structured investment vehicles and insurance/reinsurance companies. Mr. Galley graduated with honors from Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Finance. He has received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, is a member of the CFA Institute and is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.
Stephen O’Neill, CFA is a co-portfolio manager of the Tactical Closed-End Fund Income Strategy for the Fund. Mr. O’Neill conducts qualitative and quantitative analysis of closed-end funds and their respective asset classes at RiverNorth. Prior to joining RiverNorth Capital in 2007, Mr. O’Neill was most recently an Assistant Vice President at Bank of America in the Global Investment Bank’s Portfolio Management group. At Bank of America, he specialized in the corporate real estate, asset management, and structured finance industries. Mr. O’Neill graduated magna cum laude from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a B.S. in Finance. Mr. O’Neill has received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, is a member of the CFA Institute, and is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.
Jeffrey E. Gundlach is a co-portfolio manager of the Opportunistic Income Strategy for the Fund. Mr. Gundlach is the founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Subadviser. He is also the Chairman of the Subadviser’s Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committee. Mr. Gundlach is a graduate of Dartmouth College, summa cum laude, with degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy. He attended Yale University as a Ph.D. candidate in Mathematics.
Jeffrey J. Sherman is a co-portfolio manager of the Opportunistic Income Strategy for the Fund. Mr. Sherman joined the Subadviser in December 2009. He is the Deputy Chief Investment Officer, participates on the Fixed Income Asset Allocation Committee and is a portfolio manager for derivative-based and multi-asset strategies. Mr. Sherman holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of the Pacific and an M.S. in Financial Engineering from the Claremont Graduate University. He is a CFA charterholder.
The Fund’s SAI provides information about the compensation received by the portfolio managers of the Fund, other accounts that they manage and their ownership of the Fund’s equity securities.
Investment Advisory and Subadvisory Agreements
Pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for managing the Fund’s affairs, subject at all times to the general oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors. The Fund has agreed to pay the Adviser a management fee payable on a monthly basis at the annual rate of 1.00% of the Fund’s average daily Managed Assets for the services it provides.
In addition to the fees of the Adviser, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including, but not limited to, compensation of its directors (other than those affiliated with the Adviser or the Subadviser), custodial expenses, transfer agency and dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses of any leverage, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing prospectuses, shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, and taxes, if any.
Pursuant to a Subadvisory Agreement, the Adviser has delegated daily management of the Fund’s Managed Assets allocated to the Opportunistic Income Strategy to the Subadviser, who is paid by the Adviser and not the Fund. The Adviser (and not the Fund) has agreed to pay the Subadviser a subadvisory fee payable on a monthly basis at the annual rate of 0.50% of the Fund’s average daily Managed Assets for the service it provides.
Because the fees received by the Adviser and the Subadviser are based on the Managed Assets of the Fund, the Adviser and the Subadviser have a financial incentive for the Fund to use leverage, which may create a conflict of interest between the Adviser and the Subadviser, on the one hand, and common shareholders, on the other. Because leverage costs are borne by the Fund at a specified interest rate, the Fund’s investment management fees and other expenses, including expenses incurred as a result of any leverage, are paid only by common shareholders and not by holders of Preferred Shares or through borrowings. See “Use of Leverage.”
A discussion of the basis for the Board of Directors’ renewals of the Fund’s Investment Advisory and Subadvisory Agreements will be provided in the Fund’s annual (or semi-annual) shareholder reports.
In addition, under a License Agreement, the Subadviser has consented to the use by the Fund of the identifying word or name “DoubleLine” in the name of the Fund, and to the use of certain associated trademarks in accordance with the terms of the License Agreement. Such consent is conditioned upon the employment of the Subadviser or a designated affiliate or related party thereof as investment subadviser to the Fund under the Subadvisory Agreement.
The license will continue until the expiration or termination of the Subadvisory Agreement, or until earlier terminated pursuant to the License Agreement. If at any time the Fund ceases to employ the Subadviser or a designated affiliate or related party as investment subadviser of the Fund under the Subadvisory Agreement, the Fund will be required to cease using the word or name “DoubleLine” in the name of the Fund, and cease making use of the associated trademarks, as set forth in the License Agreement.
NET ASSET VALUE
Net asset value per share (“NAV”) is determined daily as of the close of the regular trading session on the NYSE (usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Net asset value is calculated by dividing the value of all of the securities and other assets of the Fund, less the liabilities (including accrued expenses and indebtedness) and the aggregate liquidation value of any outstanding Preferred Shares, by the total number of common shares outstanding.
The Fund’s assets, including its investments in Underlying Funds, are generally valued at their market value using market quotations. The Fund may use independent pricing services to provide market quotations. Prices obtained from independent pricing services use various observable inputs, including, but not limited to, information provided by broker-dealers, pricing formulas, such as dividend discount models, option valuation formulas, estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics and discounted cash flow models that might be applicable. If a market valuation for a security is unavailable or deemed to be an unreliable indicator of current market value, the Fund will seek to obtain a broker quote from an external data vendor or directly from broker-dealers. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed delivery basis are marked-to-market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Short-term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost; however, securities with a demand feature exercisable within seven days are generally valued at par. Exchange-traded options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. If market quotations are not available or, in the Adviser or Subadviser’s opinion, market quotations do not reflect market value, or if an event occurs after the close of trading on the domestic or foreign exchange or market on which the security is principally traded (but prior to the time the NAV is calculated) that materially affects market value, the security will be valued at fair value according to policies approved by the Fund’s Board of Directors. For example, if trading in a portfolio security is halted and does not resume before the Fund calculates its NAV, the security may need to be fair valued using the Fund’s fair value pricing policies. Fair valuation involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security may differ materially from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. The Fund invests in Underlying Funds. The Fund’s NAV is calculated based, in part, upon the market prices of the Underlying Funds in its portfolio, and the prospectuses of those companies explain the circumstances under which they will use fair value pricing and the effects of doing so.
DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund’s Board of Directors has approved, and the Fund has implemented as of January 1, 2019, a level distribution policy (the “Level Distribution Policy). Under the Level Distribution Policy, the Fund intends to make monthly distributions to common shareholders at a constant and fixed (but not guaranteed) rate (which is annually reset) equal to 12.5% of the average of the Fund’s NAV per share (the “Distribution Amount”) as reported for the final five trading days of the preceding calendar year. The Board may amend the Level Distribution Policy, the Distribution Amount or distribution intervals, or the Fund may cease distributions entirely, at any time, without prior notice to common shareholders. The Fund’s intention under the Level Distribution Policy is that monthly distributions paid to common shareholders throughout a calendar year will be at least equal to the Distribution Amount (plus any additional amounts that may be required to be included in a distribution for federal or excise tax purposes).
Under the Level Distribution Policy, to the extent that sufficient investment income is not available on a monthly basis, the Fund’s distributions could consist of return of capital in order to maintain the distribution rate. The amount treated as a return of capital will reduce a shareholder’s adjusted basis in the shareholder’s shares, thereby increasing the potential gain or reducing the potential loss on the sale of shares. Investors should not make any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of the Fund’s distributions or from the terms of the Fund’s Level Distribution Policy. Dividends and distributions may be payable in cash or common shares, with shareholders having the option to receive additional common shares in lieu of cash. The Fund may at times, in its discretion, pay out less than the entire amount of net investment income earned in any particular period and may at times pay out such accumulated undistributed income in addition to net investment income earned in other periods in order to permit the Fund to maintain a more stable level of distributions. As a result, the dividend paid by the Fund to common shareholders for any particular period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income earned by the Fund during such period. The Fund’s ability to maintain a stable level of distributions to shareholders will depend on a number of factors, including the stability of income received from its investments. The amount of monthly distributions could vary depending on a number of factors, including the costs of any leverage. As portfolio and market conditions change, the amount of dividends on the Fund’s common shares could change. For federal income tax purposes, the Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income each year to both reduce its federal income tax liability and to avoid a potential federal excise tax. The Fund intends to distribute all realized net capital gains, if any, at least annually
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness unless immediately after such incurrence the Fund has an asset coverage of at least 300% of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of indebtedness. Additionally, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not declare any dividend or other distribution upon any class of its capital shares, or purchase any such capital shares, unless the aggregate indebtedness of the Fund has, at the time of the declaration of any such dividend or distribution or at the time of any such purchase, an asset coverage of at least 300% after deducting the amount of such dividend, distribution, or purchase price, as the case may be.
While any Preferred Shares are outstanding, the Fund may not declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its common shares, unless at the time of such declaration, (i) all accumulated preferred dividends have been paid and (ii) the net asset value of the Fund’s portfolio (determined after deducting the amount of such dividend or other distribution) is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding Preferred Shares (expected to be equal to the original purchase price per share plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends thereon).
In addition to the limitations imposed by the 1940 Act described above, certain lenders may impose additional restrictions on the payment of dividends or distributions on the common shares in the event of a default on the Fund’s borrowings. If the Fund’s ability to make distributions on its common shares is limited, such limitations could, under certain circumstances, impair the ability of the Fund to maintain its qualification for federal income tax purposes as a regulated investment company, which would have adverse tax consequences for shareholders. See “Use of Leverage” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters.”
DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN
The Fund has a dividend reinvestment plan commonly referred to as an “opt-out” plan. Unless the registered owner of common shares elects to receive cash by contacting U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (the “Plan Administrator”), all dividends declared on common shares will be automatically reinvested by the Plan Administrator for shareholders in the Fund’s Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”), in additional common shares. Common shareholders who elect not to participate in the Plan will receive all dividends and other distributions in cash paid by check mailed directly to the shareholder of record (or, if the common shares are held in street or other nominee name, then to such nominee) by the Plan Administrator as dividend disbursing agent. Participation in the Plan is completely voluntary and may be terminated or resumed at any time without penalty by notice if received and processed by the Plan Administrator prior to the dividend record date; otherwise such termination or resumption will be effective with respect to any subsequently declared dividend or other distribution. Such notice will be effective with respect to a particular dividend or other distribution (together, a “Dividend”). Some brokers may automatically elect to receive cash on behalf of common shareholders and may re-invest that cash in additional common shares. Reinvested Dividends will increase the Fund’s Managed Assets on which the management fee is payable to the Adviser (and by the Adviser to the Subadviser).
Whenever the Fund declares a Dividend payable in cash, non-participants in the Plan will receive cash and participants in the Plan will receive the equivalent in common shares. The common shares will be acquired by the Plan Administrator for the participants’ accounts, depending upon the circumstances described below, either (i) through receipt of additional unissued but authorized common shares from the Fund (“Newly Issued Common Shares”) or (ii) by purchase of outstanding common shares on the open market (“Open-Market Purchases”) on the NYSE or elsewhere. If, on the payment date for any Dividend, the closing market price plus estimated brokerage commissions per common share is equal to or greater than the net asset value per common share, the Plan Administrator will invest the Dividend amount in Newly Issued Common Shares on behalf of the participants. The number of Newly Issued Common Shares to be credited to each participant’s account will be determined by dividing the dollar amount of the Dividend by the Fund’s net asset value per common share on the payment date. If, on the payment date for any Dividend, the net asset value per common share is greater than the closing market value plus estimated brokerage commissions (i.e., the Fund’s common shares are trading at a discount), the Plan Administrator will invest the Dividend amount in common shares acquired on behalf of the participants in Open-Market Purchases.
In the event of a market discount on the payment date for any Dividend, the Plan Administrator will have until the last business day before the next date on which the common shares trade on an “ex-dividend” basis or 30 days after the payment date for such Dividend, whichever is sooner (the “Last Purchase Date”), to invest the Dividend amount in common shares acquired in Open-Market Purchases. It is contemplated that the Fund will pay monthly income Dividends. If, before the Plan Administrator has completed its Open-Market Purchases, the market price per common share exceeds the net asset value per common share, the average per common share purchase price paid by the Plan Administrator may exceed the net asset value of the common shares, resulting in the acquisition of fewer common shares than if the Dividend had been paid in Newly Issued Common Shares on the Dividend payment date. Because of the foregoing difficulty with respect to Open-Market Purchases, the Plan provides that if the Plan Administrator is unable to invest the full Dividend amount in Open-Market Purchases during the purchase period or if the market discount shifts to a market premium during the purchase period, the Plan Administrator may cease making Open-Market Purchases and may invest the uninvested portion of the Dividend amount in Newly Issued Common Shares at the net asset value per common share at the close of business on the Last Purchase Date.
The Plan Administrator maintains all shareholders’ accounts in the Plan and furnishes written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including information needed by shareholders for tax records. Common shares in the account of each Plan participant will be held by the Plan Administrator on behalf of the Plan participant, and each shareholder proxy will include those shares purchased or received pursuant to the Plan. The Plan Administrator will forward all proxy solicitation materials to participants and vote proxies for shares held under the Plan in accordance with the instructions of the participants.
Beneficial owners of common shares who hold their common shares in the name of a broker or nominee should contact the broker or nominee to determine whether and how they may participate in the Plan. In the case of common shareholders such as banks, brokers or nominees which hold shares for others who are the beneficial owners, the Plan Administrator will administer the Plan on the basis of the number of common shares certified from time to time by the record shareholder’s name and held for the account of beneficial owners who participate in the Plan.
There will be no brokerage charges with respect to common shares issued directly by the Fund. However, each participant will pay a pro rata share of brokerage commissions incurred in connection with Open-Market Purchases. The automatic reinvestment of Dividends will not relieve participants of any federal, state or local income tax that may be payable (or required to be withheld) on such Dividends, even though such participants have not received any cash with which to pay the resulting tax. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters” below. Participants that request a sale of common shares through the Plan Administrator are subject to brokerage commissions.
The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan. There is no direct service charge to participants with regard to purchases in the Plan; however, the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants.
All correspondence or questions concerning the Plan should be directed to the Plan Administrator at U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC, 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND’S SECURITIES
The following summary of the terms of the common shares of the Fund does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Maryland General Corporation Law, and to the Fund’s Charter and the Fund’s Bylaws, copies of which are filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement.
The Fund’s authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, all of which is initially classified as common shares.
In general, shareholders or subscribers for the Fund’s stock have no personal liability for the debts and obligations of the Fund because of their status as shareholders or subscribers, except to the extent that the subscription price or other agreed consideration for the stock has not been paid.
Under the Fund’s Charter, the Board of Directors is authorized to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of stock into other classes or series of stock and authorize the issuance of shares of stock without obtaining shareholder approval. Also, the Fund’s Board of Directors, with the approval of a majority of the entire Board, but without any action by the shareholders of the Fund, may amend the Fund’s Charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock of the Fund or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that the Fund has authority to issue.
Common Stock
The Fund’s common shares have no preemptive, conversion, exchange, appraisal or redemption rights, and each share has equal voting, dividend, distribution and liquidation rights.
Common shareholders are entitled to receive dividends if and when the Board of Directors declares dividends from funds legally available. Whenever Fund Preferred Shares or borrowings are outstanding, common shareholders will not be entitled to receive any distributions from the Fund unless all accrued dividends on the Preferred Shares and interest and principal payments on borrowings have been paid, and unless the applicable asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act would be satisfied after giving effect to the distribution as described above.
In the event of the Fund’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up, common shares would be entitled to share ratably in all of the Fund’s assets that are legally available for distribution after the Fund pays all debts and other liabilities and subject to any preferential rights of holders of Preferred Shares, if any Preferred Shares are outstanding at such time.
Common shareholders are entitled to one vote per share. All voting rights for the election of directors are noncumulative, which means that, assuming there are no Preferred Shares are outstanding, the holders of more than 50% of the common shares will elect 100% of the directors then nominated for election if they choose to do so and, in such event, the holders of the remaining common shares will not be able to elect any Directors.
The Fund’s Charter authorizes the Board of Directors to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of common stock into other classes or series of stock. Prior to issuance of shares of each class or series, the Board of Directors is required by Maryland law and by the Fund’s Charter to set the terms, preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for each class or series. Thus, the Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of common shares with terms and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for common shareholders or otherwise be in their best interest. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has no plans to classify or reclassify any unissued shares of common stock.
The currently outstanding common shares are, and the Common Shares offered in this Prospectus will be, subject to notice of issuance, listed on the NYSE under the trading or “ticker” symbol “OPP.” Under the rules of the NYSE applicable to listed companies, the Fund is required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders in each year. As of June 30, 2019, the Fund had 11,013787 common shares outstanding.
The provisions of the 1940 Act generally require that the public offering price (less underwriting commissions and discounts) of common shares sold by a closed-end investment company must equal or exceed the net asset value of such company’s common shares (calculated within 48 hours of the pricing of such offering), unless such a sale is made in connection with an offering to existing holders of shares of common stock or with the consent of a majority of its common stockholders. The Fund may, from time to time, seek the consent of common shareholders to permit the issuance and sale by the Fund of Common Shares at a price below the Fund’s then-current net asset value, subject to certain conditions. If such consent is obtained, the Fund may, contemporaneous with and in no event more than one year following the receipt of such consent, sell Common Shares at a price below net asset value in accordance with any conditions adopted in connection with the giving of such consent. Additional information regarding any consent of common shareholders obtained by the Fund and the applicable conditions imposed on the issuance and sale by the Fund of Common Shares at a price below net asset value will be disclosed in the prospectus supplement relating to any such offering of Common Shares at a price below net asset value. See also “—Subscription Rights” below.
Preferred Stock
The Fund’s Charter authorizes the Board of Directors to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of stock into other classes or series of stock, including Preferred Shares, without the approval of common shareholders. Prior to issuance of any shares of Preferred Shares, the Board of Directors is required by Maryland law and by the Fund’s Charter to set the terms, preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms or conditions of redemption for such shares. Thus, the Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of Preferred Shares with terms and conditions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for common shareholders or otherwise be in their best interest. The prospectus supplement for any potential offering of preferred shares will describe the terms and conditions of those shares, including information regarding the liquidation preference, distribution rate, any optional or mandatory redemption provisions, and whether the preferred shares are convertible into common shares. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not issued any Preferred Shares.
Any issuance of Preferred Shares must comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Specifically, the Fund is not permitted under the 1940 Act to issue Preferred Shares unless immediately after such issuance the total asset value of the Fund’s portfolio is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding Preferred Shares. Among other requirements, including other voting rights, the 1940 Act requires that the holders of any Preferred Shares, voting separately as a single class, have the right to elect at least two directors at all times. In addition, subject to the prior rights, if any, of the holders of any other class of senior securities outstanding, the holders of any Preferred Shares would have the right to elect a majority of the Fund’s directors at any time two years’ dividends on any Preferred Shares are unpaid.
Preferred Shares of the Fund would be senior to the common shares with respect to the payment of dividends and the distributions of the assets of the Fund upon liquidation. In addition, all Preferred Shares of the Fund would be pari passu with one another and junior to the Fund’s senior securities representing indebtedness. See “Use of Leverage”.
The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth whether or not the shares of the Fund’s preferred stock offered in this Prospectus will be listed or traded on any securities exchange. If the shares of the Fund’s preferred stock are not listed on a securities exchange, there may be no active secondary trading market for such shares and an investment in such shares may be illiquid.
Subscription Rights
The Fund may issue Rights to (i) common shareholders to purchase Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares or (ii) preferred shareholders to purchase Preferred Shares (subject to applicable law). Rights may be issued independently or together with any other offered Security and may or may not be transferable by the person purchasing or receiving the Rights. In connection with a Rights offering to common and/or preferred shareholders, the Fund would distribute certificates evidencing the Rights and a prospectus supplement, containing all of the material terms of the Rights agreement relating to such Rights (the “Subscription Rights Agreement”), to the Fund’s common or preferred shareholders, as applicable, as of the record date that the Fund sets for determining the shareholders eligible to receive Rights in such Rights offering. For complete terms of the Rights, please refer to the actual terms of such Rights which will be set forth in the Subscription Rights Agreement.
The applicable prospectus supplement would describe the following terms of Rights in respect of which this Prospectus is being delivered:
| • | the period of time the offering would remain open (which will be open a minimum number of days such that all record holders would be eligible to participate in the offering and will not be open longer than 120 days); |
| • | the title of such subscription Rights; |
| • | the exercise price for such Rights (or method of calculation thereof); |
| • | the number of such Rights issued in respect of each common share; |
| • | the number of Rights required to purchase a single preferred share; |
| • | the extent to which such Rights are transferable and the market on which they may be traded if they are transferable; |
| • | if applicable, a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the issuance or exercise of such Rights; |
| • | the date on which the right to exercise such Rights will commence, and the date on which such right will expire (subject to any extension); |
| • | the extent to which such Rights include an over-subscription privilege with respect to unsubscribed securities and the terms of such over-subscription privilege; |
| • | any termination right the Fund may have in connection with such Rights offering; |
| • | the expected trading market, if any, for Rights; and |
| • | any other terms of such Rights, including exercise, settlement and other procedures and limitations relating to the transfer and exercise of such Rights. |
Exercise of Rights. Each Right would entitle the holder of the Right to purchase for cash such number of shares at such exercise price as in each case is set forth in, or be determinable as set forth in, the prospectus supplement relating to the Rights offered thereby. Rights would be exercisable at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for such Rights set forth in the prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, all unexercised Rights would become void.
Upon expiration of the Rights offering and the receipt of payment and the Rights certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the Rights agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, the Fund would issue, as soon as practicable, the shares purchased as a result of such exercise. To the extent permissible under applicable law, the Fund may determine to offer any unsubscribed offered Securities directly to persons other than shareholders, to or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such methods, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Subscription Rights to Purchase Common and Preferred Stock
The Fund may issue Rights which would entitle holders to purchase both Common Shares and Preferred Shares in a ratio to be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. In accordance with the 1940 Act, at least three subscription rights to purchase Common Shares would be required to subscribe for one Common Share. It is expected that Rights to purchase both Common Shares and Preferred Shares would require holders to purchase an equal number of Common Shares and Preferred Shares, and would not permit holders to purchase an unequal number of Common Shares or Preferred Shares, or purchase only Common Shares or only Preferred Shares. For example, such an offering might be structured such that three Rights would entitle an investor to purchase one Common Share and one Preferred Share, and such investor would not be able to choose to purchase only a Common Share or only a Preferred Share upon the exercise of his, her or its Rights.
The Common Shares and Preferred Shares issued pursuant to the exercise of any such Rights, however, would at all times be separately tradeable securities. Such Common Shares and Preferred Shares would not be issued as a “unit” or “combination” and would not be listed or traded as a “unit” or “combination” on a securities exchange, such as the NYSE, at any time. The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth additional details regarding an offering of Rights to purchase Common Shares and Preferred Shares.
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE FUND’S CHARTER AND BYLAWS AND OF MARYLAND LAW
The following summary of certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) and of the Charter and Bylaws of the Fund does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Maryland General Corporation Law, and to the Fund’s Charter and the Fund’s Bylaws, copies of which are exhibits to the Registration Statement.
General
The MGCL and the Fund’s Charter and Bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of limiting the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund, to cause it to engage in certain transactions or to modify its structure.
These provisions could have the effect of depriving common shareholders of an opportunity to sell their common shares by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund in a tender offer or similar transaction. On the other hand, these provisions may require persons seeking control of the Fund to negotiate with the Fund’s management regarding the price to be paid for the common shares required to obtain such control, promote continuity and stability and enhance the Fund’s ability to pursue long-term strategies that are consistent with its investment objective.
The Board of Directors has concluded that the potential benefits of these provisions outweigh their possible disadvantages.
Classified Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is divided into three classes of directors serving staggered three-year terms. The initial terms of the first, second and third classes will expire at the first, second and third annual meetings of shareholders, respectively, and, in each case, until their successors are duly elected and qualify. Upon expiration of their terms, directors of each class will be elected to serve for three-year terms and until their successors are duly elected and qualify and at each annual meeting one class of directors will be elected by the shareholders. A classified Board of Directors promotes continuity and stability of management but makes it more difficult for shareholders to change a majority of the directors because it generally takes at least two annual elections of directors for this to occur. The Fund believes that classification of the Board of Directors will help to assure the continuity and stability of the Fund’s strategies and policies as determined by the Board of Directors.
Election of Directors
The MGCL provides that, unless the charter or bylaws of a corporation provide otherwise, which the Fund’s Charter and the Fund’s Bylaws do not, a plurality of all the votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is present is sufficient to elect a director.
Number of Directors; Vacancies
The Fund’s Charter provides that the number of directors will be set only by the Board of Directors in accordance with the Bylaws. The Bylaws provide that a majority of the Fund’s entire Board of Directors may at any time increase or decrease the number of directors, provided that there may be no fewer than three directors and no more than 12 directors.
The Fund’s Charter provides that the Fund elects, at such time as the Fund becomes eligible to make such an election (i.e., when the Fund has at least three independent directors and the common shares are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934), to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL regarding the filling of vacancies on the Board of Directors. Accordingly, at such time, except as may be provided by the Board of Directors in setting the terms of any class or series of Preferred Shares, any and all vacancies on the Board of Directors may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, and any director elected to fill a vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies, subject to any applicable requirements of the 1940 Act.
Removal of Directors
The Fund’s Charter provides that, subject to the rights of the holders of one or more class or series of Preferred Shares to elect or remove directors, a director may be removed from office only for cause (as defined in the Charter) and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors.
Absence of Cumulative Voting
There is no cumulative voting in the election of the Fund’s directors. Cumulative voting means that holders of stock of a corporation are entitled, in the election of directors, to cast a number of votes equal to the number of shares that they own multiplied by the number of directors to be elected. Because a shareholder entitled to cumulative voting may cast all of his or her votes for one nominee or disperse his or her votes among nominees as he or she chooses, cumulative voting is generally considered to increase the ability of minority shareholders to elect nominees to a corporation’s Board of Directors. In general, the absence of cumulative voting means that the holders of a majority of the Fund’s shares can elect all of the directors then standing for election and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any directors.
Approval of Extraordinary Corporate Actions
The Fund’s Charter requires the favorable vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors and the favorable vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the common shares and Preferred Shares (if any) entitled to be voted on the matter, voting together as a single class, to advise, approve, adopt or authorize the following:
| • | a “Business Combination,” which includes the following: |
| o | a merger, consolidation or statutory share exchange of the Fund with or into another person; |
| o | an issuance or transfer by the Fund (in one or a series of transactions in any 12-month period) of any securities of the Fund to any person or entity for cash, securities or other property (or combination thereof) having an aggregate fair market value of $1,000,000 or more, excluding issuances or transfers of debt securities of the Fund, sales of securities of the Fund in connection with a public offering, issuances of securities of the Fund pursuant to a dividend reinvestment plan adopted by the Fund, issuances of securities of the Fund upon the exercise of any stock subscription rights distributed by the Fund and portfolio transactions effected by the Fund in the ordinary course of business; or |
| o | a sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition by the Fund (in one or a series of transactions in any 12-month period) to or with any person or entity of any assets of the Fund having an aggregate fair market value of $1,000,000 or more except for portfolio transactions (including pledges of portfolio securities in connection with borrowings) effected by the Fund in the ordinary course of its business; |
| • | the voluntary liquidation or dissolution of the Fund or charter amendment to terminate the Fund’s existence; |
| • | the conversion of the Fund from a closed-end company to an open-end company (except pursuant to the contingent conversion feature described above), and any amendments necessary to effect the conversion; or |
| • | unless the 1940 Act or federal law requires a lesser vote, any shareholder proposal as to specific investment decisions made or to be made with respect to the Fund’s assets as to which shareholder approval is required under federal or Maryland law. |
However, the common shareholder vote described above will not be required with respect to the foregoing transactions (other than those as to which common shareholder approval is required under federal or Maryland law) if they are approved by a vote of two-thirds of the Continuing Directors (as defined below). In that case, if Maryland law requires common shareholder approval, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast thereon by common shareholders of the Fund will be required. In addition, if the Fund has any Preferred Shares outstanding, the holders of a majority of the outstanding Preferred Shares voting separately as a class, would be required under the 1940 Act to adopt any plan of reorganization that would adversely affect the holders of the Preferred Shares, to convert the Fund to an open-end investment company or to deviate from any of the Fund’s fundamental investment policies.
“Continuing Director” means any member of the Board of Directors who is not an Interested Party (as defined below) or an affiliate of an Interested Party and has been a member of the Board of Directors for a period of at least 12 months, or has been a member of the Board of Directors since August 17, 2016, or is a successor of a Continuing Director who is unaffiliated with an Interested Party and is recommended to succeed a Continuing Director by a majority of the Continuing Directors then on the Board of Directors.
“Interested Party” means any person, other than an investment company advised by the Adviser or any of its affiliates, which enters, or proposes to enter, into a Business Combination with the Fund.
In addition, the Fund’s Charter requires the favorable vote of two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors to advise, approve, adopt or authorize any of the following:
| • | the election and removal of officers; |
| • | the nomination of candidates to the Board of Directors (including the election of directors to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors resulting from the increase in size of the Board of Directors or the death, resignation or removal of a director, in which case the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the remaining directors in office shall be required); |
| • | the creation of and delegation of authority and appointment of members to committees of the Board of Directors; |
| • | amendments to the Fund’s Bylaws (which may only be effected by the Board of Directors, not the common shareholders); |
| • | Charter amendments (except for the provisions relating to the contingent conversion feature described above) and any other action requiring common shareholder approval; and |
| • | entering into, terminating or amending an investment advisory agreement. |
The Board of Directors has determined that the foregoing supermajority requirements applicable to certain votes of the directors and the common shareholders, which are greater than the minimum requirements permitted under Maryland law or the 1940 Act, are in the best interests of the Fund. Reference should be made to the Charter on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions. See also “Conversion to Open-End Fund.”
Action by Shareholders
Under the MGCL, common shareholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of common shareholders or, unless the charter provides for common shareholder action by less than unanimous written consent (which is not the case in the Fund’s Charter), by unanimous written consent in lieu of a meeting. These provisions, combined with the requirements of the Fund’s Bylaws regarding the calling of a common shareholder-requested special meeting, as discussed below, may have the effect of delaying consideration of a common shareholder proposal until the next annual meeting.
Procedures for Shareholder Nominations and Proposals
The Fund’s Bylaws provide that any common shareholder desiring to make a nomination for the election of directors or a proposal for new business at a meeting of common shareholders must comply with the advance notice provisions of the Bylaws. Nominations and proposals that fail to follow the prescribed procedures will not be considered. The Board of Directors believes that it is in the Fund’s best interests to provide sufficient time to enable management to disclose to common shareholders information about a slate of nominations for directors or proposals for new business. This advance notice requirement also may give management time to solicit its own proxies in an attempt to defeat any slate of nominations should management determine that doing so is in the best interest of common shareholders generally. Similarly, adequate advance notice of common shareholder proposals will give management time to study such proposals and to determine whether to recommend to the common shareholders that such proposals be adopted. For common shareholder proposals to be included in the Fund’s proxy materials, the common shareholder must comply with all timing and information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
Calling of Special Meetings of Shareholders
The Fund’s Bylaws provide that special meetings of common shareholders may be called by the Board of Directors or by certain of its officers. Additionally, the Fund’s Bylaws provide that, subject to the satisfaction of certain procedural and informational requirements by the common shareholders requesting the meeting, a special meeting of common shareholders will be called by the Fund’s Secretary upon the written request of common shareholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting.
No Appraisal Rights
As permitted by the MGCL, the Fund’s Charter provides that common shareholders will not be entitled to exercise appraisal rights, unless the Fund’s Board of Directors determines that such rights apply.
Limitations on Liabilities
The Fund’s Charter provides that the personal liability of the Fund’s directors and officers for monetary damages is eliminated to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law. Maryland law currently provides that directors and officers of corporations that have adopted such a provision will generally not be so liable, except to the extent that (i) it is proven that the person actually received an improper benefit or profit in money, property, or services for the amount of the benefit or profit in money, property, or services actually received; and (ii) a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to the person is entered in a proceeding based on a finding in the proceeding that the person’s action, or failure to act, was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty and was material to the cause of action adjudicated in the proceeding.
The Fund’s Charter delegates the Fund, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law, to indemnify and advance expenses to the Fund’s directors and officers. The Fund’s Bylaws provide that the Fund will indemnify its officers and directors against liabilities to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law and the 1940 Act, and that it shall advance expenses to such persons prior to a final disposition of an action. The rights of indemnification provided in the Fund’s Charter and Bylaws are not exclusive of any other rights which may be available under any insurance or other agreement, by resolution of common shareholders or directors or otherwise.
Authorized Shares
The Fund’s Charter authorizes the issuance of 50,000,000 common shares, and authorizes a majority of the Fund’s Board of Directors, without common shareholder approval, to increase the number of authorized common shares and to classify and reclassify any unissued shares into one or more classes or series of stock and set the terms thereof. The issuance of capital stock or any class or series thereof without common shareholder approval may be used by the Fund’s Board of Directors consistent with its duties to deter attempts to gain control of the Fund. Further, the Board of Directors could authorize the issuance Preferred Shares with terms and conditions that could have the effect of discouraging a takeover or other transaction that some of the Fund’s shareholders might believe to be in their best interests.
Anti-Takeover Provisions of Maryland Law
Maryland Unsolicited Takeovers Act
Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the Maryland General Corporation Law permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary provision in the charter or bylaws, to any or all of five provisions:
| • | a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director; |
| • | a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of directors; |
| • | a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred; and |
| • | a majority requirement for the calling of a special meeting of shareholders. |
The Fund has elected to be subject to a requirement that a vacancy on the Board of Directors be filled only by the remaining directors and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors in which the vacancy occurred and, otherwise, retains its right to opt into any of the other provisions. The charter of a corporation may contain a provision or the board of directors may adopt a provision that prohibits the corporation from electing to be subject to any or all of the provisions of Subtitle 8.
Maryland Business Combination Act
The provisions of the Maryland Business Combination Act (the “MBCA”) do not apply to a closed-end investment company, such as the Fund, unless the Board of Directors has affirmatively elected to be subject to the MBCA by a resolution. To date, the Fund has not made such an election but may make such an election under Maryland law at any time. Any such election, however, could be subject to certain of the 1940 Act limitations discussed below under “Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act” and would not apply to any person who had become an interested shareholder (as defined below) before the time that the resolution was adopted.
Under the MBCA, “business combinations” between a Maryland corporation and an interested shareholder or an affiliate of an interested shareholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder. These business combinations include a merger, consolidation, share exchange, or, in circumstances specified in the MBCA, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities. An interested shareholder is defined as:
| • | any person who beneficially owns ten percent or more of the voting power of the corporation’s shares; or |
| • | an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner of ten percent or more of the voting power of the then outstanding voting stock of the corporation |
| • | A person is not an interested shareholder under the MBCA if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which he otherwise would have become an interested shareholder. However, in approving a transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by the board. |
After the five-year prohibition, any business combination between the Maryland corporation and an interested shareholder generally must be recommended by the board of directors of the corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least:
| • | 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation; and |
| • | two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested shareholder with whom or with whose affiliate the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder. |
These super-majority vote requirements do not apply if the corporation’s common shareholders receive a minimum price, as defined in the MBCA, for their shares in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested shareholder for its shares.
The MBCA permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by the board of directors before the time that the interested shareholder becomes an interested shareholder.
Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act
The Fund, in its Charter, has exempted all of its shares from the application of the Maryland Control Share Acquisition Act (the “MCSAA”). In order to avail itself of the provisions of this Act, the Charter would have to be amended (which would require the approval of the holders of at least a majority of the votes entitled to be cast) and the Board of Directors would have to affirmatively elect to be subject to the MCSAA by a resolution. Any such election, however, would be subject to the 1940 Act limitations discussed below and would not apply to any person who had become a holder of control shares (as defined below) before the time that the resolution was adopted.
The MCSAA provides that control shares of a Maryland corporation acquired in a control share acquisition have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Shares owned by the acquirer, by officers of the acquirer or by an employee of the acquirer who is also a director of the acquirer are excluded from shares entitled to vote on the matter. Control shares are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquirer or in respect of which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:
| • | one-tenth or more but less than one-third, |
| • | one-third or more but less than a majority, or |
| • | a majority or more of all voting power. |
Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained shareholder approval. A control share acquisition means the acquisition of control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition may compel the board of directors of the corporation to call a special meeting of shareholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. The right to compel the calling of a special meeting is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including an undertaking to pay the expenses of the meeting. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any shareholders meeting.
If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the MCSAA, then the corporation may redeem for fair value any or all of the control shares, except those for which voting rights have previously been approved. The right of the corporation to redeem control shares is subject to certain conditions and limitations. Fair value is determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquirer or of any meeting of shareholders at which the voting rights of the shares are considered and not approved. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a shareholders meeting and the acquirer becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares entitled to vote, all other shareholders may exercise appraisal rights. The fair value of the shares as determined for purposes of appraisal rights may not be less than the highest price per share paid by the acquirer in the control share acquisition.
Inhibiting a closed-end investment company’s ability to utilize the MCSAA is Section 18(i) of the 1940 Act which provides that “every share of stock . . . issued by a registered management company . . . shall be a voting stock and have equal voting rights with every other outstanding voting stock,” thereby preventing the Fund from issuing a class of shares with voting rights that vary within that class. There are currently different views, however, on whether or not the MCSAA conflicts with Section 18(i) of the 1940 Act. One view is that implementation of the MCSAA would conflict with the 1940 Act because it would deprive certain shares of their voting rights. Another view is that implementation of the MCSAA would not conflict with the 1940 Act because it would limit the voting rights of shareholders who choose to acquire shares of stock that put them within the specified percentages of ownership rather than limiting the voting rights of the shares themselves. In a November 15, 2010 letter, the staff of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management expressed the view that, based on the wording of, and purposes underlying, the 1940 Act generally, and Section 18(i) specifically, a closed-end fund, by opting in to the MCSAA, would be acting in a manner inconsistent with Section 18(i) of the 1940 Act. In light of the foregoing, the Fund has exempted its Shares from the MCSAA, thereby disabling the Fund from electing to be subject to the MCSAA. In the absence of a judgment of a federal court of competent jurisdiction or the issuance of a rule or regulation of the SEC or a published interpretation by the SEC or its staff that the provisions of the MCSAA are not inconsistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act, or a change to the provisions of the 1940 Act having the same effect, the Fund does not intend to amend its Charter to remove the exemption or to make any such election.
Additionally, if the Fund were to amend its Charter and subsequently elect to be subject to the MCSAA, it would not apply (a) to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the Fund is a party to the transaction or (b) to acquisitions approved or exempted by the Fund’s Charter or the Fund’s Bylaws.
Contingent Conversion Feature
The Charter provides that, during calendar year 2021, the Fund will call a shareholder meeting for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company. Such provision in the Charter may be amended only by a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. If approved by shareholders on the Conversion Vote Date, the Fund will seek to convert to an open-end management investment company within 12 months of such approval. See “Contingent Conversion Feature.”
REPURCHASE OF SHARES
Shares of closed-end funds often trade at a discount to net asset value, and the Fund’s shares may also trade at a discount to their net asset value, although it is possible that they may trade at a premium above net asset value. The market price of the common shares will be determined by such factors as relative demand for and supply of shares in the market, the Fund’s net asset value, general market and economic conditions and other factors beyond the control of the Fund.
Although common shareholders will not have the right to redeem their shares, the Fund may (but is not obligated to) take action to repurchase shares in the open market or make tender offers for its shares at net asset value. During the pendency of any tender offer, the Fund will publish how common shareholders may readily ascertain the net asset value. Repurchase of the common shares may have the effect of reducing any market discount to net asset value.
There is no assurance that, if action is undertaken to repurchase or tender for shares, such action will result in the shares trading at a price which approximates their net asset value. Although share repurchases and tenders could have a favorable effect on the market price of the shares, you should be aware that the acquisition of shares by the Fund will decrease the total assets of the Fund and, therefore, have the effect of increasing the Fund’s expense ratio and may adversely affect the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment objective. To the extent the Fund may need to liquidate investments to fund repurchases of shares, this may result in portfolio turnover which will result in additional expenses being borne by the Fund and its shareholders. The Board of Directors currently considers the following factors to be relevant to a potential decision to repurchase shares: the extent and duration of the discount, the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio, and the impact of any action on the Fund and market considerations. Any share repurchases or tender offers will be made in accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the 1940 Act.
RIGHTS OFFERINGS
The Fund may in the future, and at its discretion, choose to make offerings of Rights to (i) common shareholders to purchase Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares and/or (ii) preferred shareholders to purchase Preferred Shares (subject to applicable law). A future Rights offering may be transferable or non-transferable. Any such future Rights offering will be made in accordance with the 1940 Act. Under the laws of Maryland, the Board is authorized to approve rights offerings without obtaining shareholder approval. The staff of the SEC has interpreted the 1940 Act as not requiring shareholder approval of a transferable rights offering to purchase common stock at a price below the then current net asset value so long as certain conditions are met, including: (i) a good faith determination by a fund’s Board that such offering would result in a net benefit to existing shareholders; (ii) the offering fully protects shareholders’ preemptive rights and does not discriminate among shareholders (except for the possible effect of not offering fractional rights); (iii) management uses its best efforts to ensure an adequate trading market in the rights for use by shareholders who do not exercise such rights; and (iv) the ratio of a transferable rights offering does not exceed one new share for each three rights held.
CONVERSION TO OPEN-END FUND
Pursuant to the Fund’s Charter, the Fund will call a shareholder meeting during calendar year 2021 for the purpose of voting to determine whether the Fund should convert to an open-end management investment company, even if the Board of Directors fails to recommend the proposal or declare the proposal advisable or recommends that the stockholders reject it. If the conversion is approved by shareholders, the Fund will seek to convert to an open-end investment company within 12 months of such approval. See “Contingent Conversion Feature.”
The Fund may be converted to an open-end investment company at any time if approved by the Board of Directors and the shareholders. See “Certain Provisions of the Fund’s Charter and Bylaws and of Maryland Law” for a discussion of the voting requirements applicable to conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company and any related Charter amendments. If the Fund converted to an open-end investment company, it would be required to redeem all Preferred Shares then outstanding (possibly requiring in turn that it liquidate a portion of its investment portfolio). Conversion to open-end status could also require the Fund to modify certain investment restrictions and policies. 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 permitted under the 1940 Act) at their net asset value, less such redemption charge, if any, as might be in effect at the time of redemption. In order to avoid maintaining large cash positions or liquidating favorable investments to meet redemptions, open-end investment companies typically engage in a continuous offering of their shares. Open-end investment companies are thus subject to periodic asset in-flows and out-flows that can complicate portfolio management. The Board of Directors may at any time (but is not required to) propose conversion of the Fund to open-end status, depending upon its judgment regarding the advisability of such action in light of circumstances then prevailing.
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX MATTERS
The following is a summary discussion 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 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, banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, dealers in securities or foreign currencies, traders in securities that have elected to mark-to-market their securities holdings, foreign holders, persons who hold their shares as or in a hedge against currency risk, or as part of a constructive sale, straddle or conversion transaction, or tax-exempt or tax-deferred plans, accounts, or entities. In addition, the discussion does not address any state, local, or foreign tax consequences. The discussion reflects applicable income tax laws of the United States as of the date hereof, which tax laws may be changed or subject to new interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) retroactively or prospectively, which could affect the continued validity of this summary. 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 advisors before making an investment in the Fund to determine the specific tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund, including the applicable federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences as well as the effect of possible changes in tax laws.
The Fund has elected to be treated, and to qualify each year, as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), so that it will generally not pay U.S. federal income tax on income and capital gains timely distributed (or treated as being distributed, as described below) to shareholders. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes to its shareholders at least 90% of the sum of (i) its “investment company taxable income” as that term is defined in the Code (which includes, among other things, dividends, taxable interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses and certain net foreign exchange gains as reduced by certain deductible expenses) without regard to the deduction for dividends paid, and (ii) the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest, if any, over certain disallowed deductions, the Fund will be relieved of U.S. federal income tax on any income of the Fund, including long-term capital gains, distributed to shareholders. However, if the Fund retains any investment company taxable income or “net capital gain” (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), it will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate federal income tax rates (currently at a maximum rate of 21%) on the amount retained. The Fund intends to distribute at least annually all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid), net tax-exempt interest, if any, and net capital gain. Under the Code, the Fund will generally be subject to a nondeductible 4% federal excise tax on the portion of its undistributed ordinary income and capital gains if it fails to meet certain distribution requirements with respect to each calendar year. In order to avoid the 4% federal excise tax, the required minimum distribution is generally equal to the sum of 98% of the Fund’s ordinary income (computed on a calendar year basis, and taking into account certain deferrals and elections), plus 98.2% of the Fund’s capital gain net income (generally computed for the one-year period ending on October 31) plus undistributed amounts from prior years on which the Fund paid no federal income tax. The Fund generally intends to make distributions in a timely manner in an amount at least equal to the required minimum distribution and therefore, under normal circumstances, does not expect to be subject to this excise tax. However, the Fund may also decide to distribute less and pay the federal excise taxes.
If, for any taxable year, the Fund did not qualify as a regulated investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be treated as a U.S. corporation subject to U.S. federal income tax, and possibly state and local income tax, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In such event, the Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, would generally constitute ordinary dividends, which would generally be eligible for the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders, and non-corporate shareholders would generally be able to treat such distributions as “qualified dividend income” eligible for reduced rates of U.S. federal income taxation, provided in each case that certain holding period and other requirements are satisfied.
A common shareholder will have all dividends and distributions automatically reinvested in shares of common stock of the Fund (unless the shareholder “opts out” of the Plan). For shareholders subject to U.S. federal income tax, all dividends will generally be taxable regardless of whether the shareholder takes them in cash or they are reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. Distributions of the Fund’s investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) will generally be taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. However, a portion of such distributions derived from certain corporate dividends, if any, may qualify for either the dividends received deduction available to corporate shareholders under Section 243 of the Code or the reduced rates of U.S. federal income taxation for “qualified dividend income” available to non-corporate shareholders under Section 1(h)(11) of the Code, provided in each case certain holding period and other requirements are met. Distributions of net capital gain, if any, that are properly reported by the Fund are generally taxable as long-term capital gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes without regard to the length of time a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. If the Fund received dividends from an Underlying Fund that qualifies as a regulated investment company, and the Underlying Fund designates such dividends as qualified dividend income or as eligible for the dividends received deduction, then the Fund is permitted in turn to designate a portion of its distributions as qualified dividend income and/or as eligible for the dividends received deduction, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the Underlying Fund.
A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, if any, will be treated by a shareholder as a tax-free return of capital, which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his, her or its shares. To the extent that the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his, her, or its shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from the sale or exchange of such shares. The U.S. federal income tax status of all dividends and distributions will be designated by the Fund and reported to shareholders annually. The Fund can provide no assurance regarding the portion of its dividends that will qualify for the dividends received deduction or for qualified dividend income treatment.
The Fund intends to distribute all realized net capital gains, if any, at least annually. If, however, the Fund were to retain any net capital gain, the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to shareholders who, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income as long-term capital gain, their proportionate share of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate share of the federal income tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. If such an event occurs, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, generally be increased by the difference between the amount of undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.
Any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December with a record date in such a month and paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as paid by the Fund and received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it is declared.
If a shareholder’s distributions are automatically reinvested in additional common shares, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the shareholder will be treated as having received a taxable distribution in the amount of the cash dividend that the shareholder would have received if the shareholder had elected to receive cash, unless the distribution is in newly issued shares of the Fund that are trading at or above net asset value, in which case the shareholder will be treated as receiving a taxable distribution equal to the fair market value of the stock the shareholder receives.
Certain of the investment practices of the Fund or an Underlying Fund are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert tax-advantaged, long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Fund or an Underlying Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the timing as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (vi) produce income that will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 90% income test and (vii) adversely alter the intended characterization of certain complex financial transactions. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. The Fund will monitor its investments and transactions and may make certain federal income tax elections where applicable in order to mitigate the effect of these provisions, if possible.
The Fund will not be able to offset gains distributed by one Underlying Fund in which it invests against losses realized by another Underlying Fund in which the Fund invests. Redemptions of shares in an Underlying Fund, including those resulting from changes in the allocation among Underlying Funds, could also cause additional distributable gains to shareholders of the Fund. A portion of any such gains may be short-term capital gains that would be distributable as ordinary income to shareholders of the Fund. Further, a portion of losses on redemptions of shares in the Underlying Funds may be deferred under the wash sale rules. Additionally, the Fund’s investment in an Underlying Fund may result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the Underlying Fund’s earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, the distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. As a result of these factors, the use of the fund of funds structure by the Fund could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
Investments in distressed debt obligations that are at risk of or in default may present special federal income tax issues for the Fund. The federal income tax consequences to a holder of such securities are not entirely certain. If the Fund’s characterization of such investments were successfully challenged by the IRS or the IRS issues guidance regarding investments in such securities, it may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions or otherwise satisfied the requirements to maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid federal income and excise taxes.
The Fund or an Underlying Fund may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries, including taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains with respect to its investments in those countries, which would, if imposed, reduce the yield on or return from those investments. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. 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, or if at least 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of each quarter of its taxable year is represented by interests in other regulated investment companies, the Fund may elect to “pass through” to its shareholders the amount of foreign taxes paid or deemed paid by the Fund. If the Fund so elects, each of its shareholders would be required to include in gross income, even though not actually received, its pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid or deemed paid by the Fund, but would be treated as having paid its pro rata share of such foreign taxes and would therefore be allowed to either deduct such amount in computing taxable income or use such amount (subject to various limitations) as a foreign tax credit against federal income tax (but not both).
Sales, exchanges and other dispositions of the Fund’s shares generally are taxable events for shareholders that are subject to U.S. federal income tax. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors with reference to their individual circumstances to determine whether any particular transaction in the Fund’s shares is properly treated as a sale or exchange for federal income tax purposes, as the following discussion assumes, and the tax treatment of any gains or losses recognized in such transactions. Gain or loss will generally be equal to the difference between the amount of cash and the fair market value of other property received and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares sold or exchanged. Such gain or loss will generally be characterized as capital gain or loss and will be long-term if the shareholder’s holding period for the shares is more than one year and short-term if it is one year or less. However, any loss realized by a shareholder upon the sale or other disposition of shares with a tax holding period of six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any amounts treated as distributions of long-term capital gain with respect to such shares. For the purposes of calculating the six-month period, the holding period is suspended for any periods during which the shareholder’s risk of loss is diminished as a result of holding one or more other positions in substantially similar or related property or through certain options, short sales or contractual obligations to sell. The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited. In addition, losses on sales or other dispositions of shares may be disallowed under the “wash sale” rules in the event that substantially identical stock or securities are acquired (including those made pursuant to reinvestment of dividends) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after a sale or other disposition of shares. In such a case, the disallowed portion of any loss generally would be included in the U.S. federal income tax basis of the shares acquired.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts. Because the Fund does not expect to distribute dividends that would give rise to an adjustment to an individual’s alternative minimum taxable income, an investment in the common shares should not, by itself, cause common shareholders to become subject to alternative minimum tax.
The Fund is required in certain circumstances to backup withhold at a current rate of 24% on reportable payments including dividends, capital gain distributions, and proceeds of sales or other dispositions of the Fund’s shares paid to certain holders of the Fund’s shares who do not furnish the Fund with their correct social security number or other taxpayer identification number and certain certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld from payments made to a shareholder may be refunded or credited against such shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
This Prospectus does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences to a non-U.S. shareholder of an investment in common stock. Non-U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors concerning the tax consequences of ownership of shares of the Fund, including the possibility that distributions may be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax (or a reduced rate of withholding provided by an applicable treaty if the investor provides proper certification of its non-U.S. status).
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the provisions of the Code and the Treasury regulations thereunder currently in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Fund and its shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. A more complete discussion of the federal income tax rules applicable to the Fund can be found in the SAI, which is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal, foreign, state, and local income or other taxes before making an investment in the Fund.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The Fund may sell up to $300,000,000 in aggregate initial offering price of (i) Common Shares, (ii) Preferred Shares, and/or (iii) Rights, from time to time under this Prospectus and any related prospectus supplement in any one or more of the following ways: (1) directly to one or more purchasers; (2) through agents; (3) to or through underwriters; or (4) through dealers. See also “Dividend Reinvestment Plan” above.
Each prospectus supplement relating to an offering of the Securities will state the terms of the offering, including as applicable:
| • | the names of any agents, underwriters or dealers; |
| • | any sales loads or other items constituting underwriters’ 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 and the estimated net proceeds the Fund will receive from the sale; and |
| • | any securities exchange on which the offered Securities may be listed. |
Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
In the case of a Rights offering, the applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the number of Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of each Right and the other terms of such Rights offering. The transferable Rights offered by means of this Prospectus and applicable prospectus supplement, including any related over-subscription privilege and any follow-on offering, if applicable, may be convertible or exchangeable into Common Shares at a ratio not to exceed one Common Share received for every three subscription rights to purchase Common Shares converted, exercised or exchanged on an aggregate basis such that the exercise of all subscription rights to purchase Common Shares in any transferable subscription Rights offering will not cumulatively result in more than a 33 1/3 percentage increase in the outstanding common shares of the Fund.
Direct Sales
The Fund may sell Securities directly to, and solicit offers from, purchasers, including institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the 1933 Act for any resales of the Securities. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. The Fund may use electronic media, including the Internet, to sell Securities directly. The terms of any of those sales will be described in a prospectus supplement.
By Agents
The Fund may offer Securities through agents that the Fund designates. Any agent involved in the offer and sale will be named and any commissions payable by the Fund will be described in the prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the agents will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of their appointment.
The Fund may engage in at-the-market offerings to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise, in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4). An at-the-market offering may be through one or more underwriters or dealers acting as principal or agent for the Fund.
By Underwriters
The Fund may offer and sell Securities from time to time to one or more underwriters who would purchase the Securities as principal for resale to the public, either on a firm commitment or best efforts basis. If the Fund sells Securities to underwriters, the Fund will execute an underwriting agreement with them at the time of the sale and will name them in the prospectus supplement. In connection with these sales, the underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation from the Fund in the form of underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters also may receive commissions from purchasers of Securities for whom they may act as agent. Unless otherwise stated in the prospectus supplement, the underwriters will not be obligated to purchase the Securities unless the conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement are satisfied, and if the underwriters purchase any of the Securities, they will be required to purchase all of the offered Securities. In the event of default by any underwriter, in certain circumstances, the purchase commitments may be increased among the non-defaulting underwriters or the underwriting agreement may be terminated. The underwriters may sell the offered Securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters as well as from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
In connection with an offering of Common Shares, if a prospectus supplement so indicates, the Fund may grant the underwriters an option to purchase additional Common Shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, within a specified number of days from the date of the prospectus supplement, to cover any overallotments.
By Dealers
The Fund may offer and sell Securities from time to time to one or more dealers who would purchase the Securities as principal. The dealers then may resell the offered Securities to the public at fixed or varying prices to be determined by those dealers at the time of resale. The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be set forth in the prospectus supplement.
General Information
Agents, underwriters, or dealers participating in an offering of Securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commission received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the offered Securities for whom they may act as agent may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the 1933 Act.
The Fund may offer to sell Securities either at a fixed price or at prices that may vary, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices, or at negotiated prices.
To facilitate an offering of the Common Shares in an underwritten transaction and in accordance with industry practice, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the Common Shares or other Security. Those transactions may include overallotment, entering stabilizing bids, effecting syndicate covering transactions, and reclaiming selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer.
| • | An overallotment in connection with an offering creates a short position in the Common Shares for the underwriters’ own account. |
| • | An underwriter may place a stabilizing bid to purchase the Common Shares for the purpose of pegging, fixing, or maintaining the price of the Common Shares. |
| • | Underwriters may engage in syndicate covering transactions to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the Common Shares by bidding for, and purchasing, the Common Shares or any other Securities in the open market in order to reduce a short position created in connection with the offering. |
| • | The managing underwriter may impose a penalty bid on a syndicate member to reclaim a selling concession in connection with an offering when the Common Shares originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in syndicate covering transactions or otherwise. |
Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the Securities above independent market levels. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.
In connection with any Rights offering, the Fund may also enter into a standby underwriting agreement with one or more underwriters pursuant to which the underwriter(s) will purchase Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares remaining unsubscribed for after the Rights offering.
Any underwriters to whom the offered Securities are sold for offering and sale may make a market in the offered Securities, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market-making at any time without notice. There can be no assurance that there will be a liquid trading market for the offered Securities.
Under agreements entered into with the Fund, underwriters and agents may be entitled to indemnification by the Fund against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the 1933 Act, or to contribution for payments the underwriters or agents may be required to make. The underwriters, agents, and their affiliates may engage in financial or other business transactions with the Fund and its subsidiaries, if any, in the ordinary course of business.
The maximum commission or discount to be received by any member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or independent broker-dealer will not be greater than nine percent of the initial gross proceeds from the sale of any Security being sold.
The aggregate offering price specified on the cover of this Prospectus relates to the offering of the Securities not yet issued as of the date of this Prospectus.
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 our 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.
The Prospectus and accompanying prospectus supplement in electronic form may be made available on the websites maintained by underwriters. The underwriters may agree to allocate a number of Securities for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Such allocations of Securities for internet distributions will be made on the same basis as other allocations. In addition, Securities may be sold by the underwriters to securities dealers who resell Securities to online brokerage account holders.
ADMINISTRATOR, FUND ACCOUNTANT, TRANSFER AGENT, DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT AND CUSTODIAN
The Fund’s administrator, fund accountant, transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent is U.S. Bancorp Fund Services, LLC (“USBFS”). USBFS is a service company and SEC-registered transfer agent. Under the Master Services Agreement, USBFS is responsible for calculating net asset values, providing additional fund accounting and tax services, and, together with Centric Fund Services, LLC (“CFS”), providing fund administration and compliance-related services. The address of USBFS is 615 East Michigan Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. The address of CFS is 26 Butler Place, #46, Brooklyn, New York 11328. Under the Master Services Agreement, the Fund pays a monthly fee at the annual rate of 0.20% of the Fund’s average Managed Assets, with a minimum annual fee requirement of $200,000.
US Bank, NA, located at 1555 North Rivercenter Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, serves as the Fund’s custodian and maintains custody of the securities and cash of the Fund. For its services, the custodian receives a monthly fee based upon, among other things, the average daily market value of all long securities and cash held in the Fund’s portfolio, plus certain charges for securities transactions.
LEGAL MATTERS
Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Chapman and Cutler LLP. Chapman and Cutler LLP may rely as to certain matters of Maryland law on the opinion of Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler, P.A. If certain legal matters in connection with an offering of Common Shares are passed upon by counsel for the underwriters or sales agent of such offering, such counsel will be named in a prospectus supplement.
CONTROL PERSONS
Based on a review of Schedule 13D and Schedule 13G filings as of the date of this Prospectus, there are no persons who control the Fund. For purposes of the foregoing statement, “control” means (1) the beneficial ownership, either directly or through one or more controlled companies, of more than 25% of the voting securities of a company; (2) the acknowledgement or assertion by either the controlled or controlling party of the existence of control; or (3) an adjudication under Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act, which has become final, that control exists.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Fund is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the 1940 Act and in accordance therewith files reports and other information with the SEC. Reports, proxy statements and other information filed by the Fund with the SEC pursuant to the informational requirements of such Acts can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov containing reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, including the Fund (when available), that file electronically with the SEC.
This Prospectus constitutes part of a Registration Statement filed by the Fund with the SEC under the Securities Act and the 1940 Act. This Prospectus omits certain of the information contained in the Registration Statement, and reference is hereby made to the Registration Statement and related exhibits for further information with respect to the Fund and the Common Shares offered hereby. Any statements contained herein concerning the provisions of any document are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such document field as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or otherwise filed with the SEC. Each such statement is qualified in its entirety by such reference. The complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the fee prescribed by its rules and regulations or free of charge through the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov).
THE FUND’S PRIVACY POLICY
The Fund is committed to ensuring your financial privacy. This notice is being sent to comply with privacy regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Fund has in effect the following policy with respect to nonpublic personal information about its customers:
| • | Only such information received from you, through application forms or otherwise, and information about your Fund transactions will be collected. |
| • | None of such information about you (or former customers) will be disclosed to anyone, except as permitted by law (which includes disclosure to employees necessary to service your account). |
| • | Policies and procedures (including physical, electronic and procedural safeguards) are in place that are designed to protect the confidentiality of such information. |
| • | The Fund does not currently obtain consumer information. If the Fund were to obtain consumer information at any time in the future, it would employ appropriate procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards to protect against unauthorized access to and properly dispose of consumer information. |
For more information about the Fund’s privacy policies call (855) 830-1222 (toll-free).
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
| Page |
Investment Restrictions | 1 |
Investment Policies and Techniques | 2 |
Management Of The Fund | 25 |
Investment Adviser | 25 |
Investment Subadviser | 26 |
Investment Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement | 26 |
Portfolio Managers | 26 |
Compensation Of Portfolio Managers | 27 |
Portfolio Manager Ownership Of Fund Shares | 28 |
Conflicts Of Interest | 28 |
Other Accounts Managed | 29 |
Administrator | 29 |
Codes Of Ethics | 29 |
Fund Service Providers | 30 |
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 30 |
Legal Counsel | 30 |
Custodian and Transfer Agent | 30 |
Portfolio Transactions | 30 |
U.S. Federal Income Tax Matters | 31 |
Fund Taxation | 31 |
Common Shareholder Taxation | 33 |
Preferred Shareholder Taxation | 36 |
Other Taxes | 36 |
Board Members and Officers | 36 |
Director Ownership In the Fund | 41 |
Securities Beneficially Owned | 41 |
Proxy Voting Guidelines | 42 |
Additional Information | 42 |
Financial Statements and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 43 |
Appendix A - Proxy Voting Guidelines of the Adviser | A-1 |
Appendix B - Proxy Voting Guidelines of the Subadviser | B-1 |
RiverNorth/DoubleLine Strategic Opportunity Fund, Inc.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Subscription Rights for Common Stock
PROSPECTUS
October 17, 2019