Time To Buy Muni Bond CEFs At Deep Discounts?

Municipal bond closed-end funds (CEFs) are currently trading at discounts (market price below net asset value) not seen since the depths of the financial crisis back in 2008 (which pre-dates the inception of the fund displayed in the chart below). We feel this may present an attractive buying opportunity for investors.

Premium/Discount: CEFs Held by VanEck Vectors CEF Municipal Income ETF (XMPT)

Source: VanEck. Data as of 4/9/2018. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Dividend Cuts and Rising Rates

Among the various reasons behind these discounts are dividend cuts, which are mostly attributable to rising U.S. short-term interest rates. Many of the larger muni closed-end funds have cut their dividend over the past few months, with the majority having done so at the end of 2017. These cuts have ranged anywhere from 1% to 16%, with the average at approximately 11%.

Higher short-term rates have increased the borrowing costs for leveraged funds. As a result, the spread (long-term bond income minus the cost of short-term borrowings) made on the leveraged assets has decreased. Along with lackluster performance, discounts appear to have widened further as the marketplace became aware of the dividend cuts. This led to further selling, adding to the downward pressure on prices.

The Fed is expected to continue to hike the Fed funds interest rate over the course of 2018. Beyond short-term rate increases, rising long-term rates can also hurt asset values, and fears of long-term rates going higher in the near term may also deter investors.

A Buying Opportunity?

While in the near term discounts may widen a bit further, we encourage investors to monitor the space closely and consider current levels in what may be a potential buying opportunity. The current discounts of CEFs may offset to some degree the impact of any potential dividend cuts. In addition, we believe the discounts will likely narrow if buyers come back into the market chasing higher yields.

The VanEck Vectors CEF Municipal Income ETF can provide investors a simple option for holding a diversified basket of muni closed-end funds. The fund seeks to track an index with a modified net asset-weighting methodology, designed specifically to take advantage of the inherent inefficiencies of closed-end fund trading. This methodology underweights CEFs trading at premiums and overweights CEFs trading at discounts, creating a natural buy-low and sell-high approach.

Post Disclosure

The Fund's performance, because it is a fund of funds, is dependent on the performance of the Underlying Funds. The Fund is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds' investments, and the Fund's shareholders will indirectly bear the expenses of the Underlying Funds. In addition, at times certain segments of the market represented by the Underlying Funds may be out of favor and underperform other segments. The shares of a closed-end fund may trade at a discount or premium to its net asset value (NAV). Additionally, the securities of closed-end investment companies in which the Fund will invest may be leveraged. As a result, the Fund may be indirectly exposed to leverage through an investment in such securities. An investment in securities of closed-end investment companies that use leverage may expose the Fund to higher volatility in the market value of such securities, and the possibility that the Fund's long-term returns on such securities (and, indirectly, the long-term returns of the Shares) will be diminished. Investment in the underlying funds may be subject to municipal securities risk, high-yield securities risk, fixed-income securities risk, tax risk, liquidity risk, leverage risk and anti-takeover measures risk. A portion of the dividends you receive may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax (AMT). There is no guarantee that Fund's income will be exempt from federal, state or local income taxes, and changes in those tax rates or in alternative minimum tax or in the tax treatment of municipal bonds may make them less attractive as investments and cause them to lose value.

Fund shares are not individually redeemable and will be issued and redeemed at their net asset (NAV) only through certain authorized broker-dealers in large, specified blocks of shares called "creation units" and otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. You will incur brokerage expenses when trading Fund shares in the secondary market. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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All indices listed are unmanaged indices and do not reflect the payment of transaction costs, advisory fees or expenses that are associated with an investment in a fund. An index's performance is not illustrative of a fund's performance. Indices are not securities in which investments can be made.

The Bloomberg Barclays Municipal Bond Index is considered representative of the broad market for investment grade, tax-exempt municipal bonds with a maturity of at least one year. The AAA and BBB indices are sub-sets of this broader index.

Municipal bonds are subject to risks related to litigation, legislation, political change, conditions in underlying sectors or in local business communities and economies, bankruptcy or other changes in the issuer's financial condition, and/or the discontinuance of taxes supporting the project or assets or the inability to collect revenues for the project or from the assets. Bonds and bond funds will decrease in value as interest rates rise. Additional risks include credit, interest rate, call, reinvestment, tax, market and lease obligation risk. High-yield municipal bonds are subject to greater risk of loss of income and principal than higher-rated securities, and are likely to be more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual municipal developments than those of higher-rated securities. Municipal bonds may be less liquid than taxable bonds.

The income generated from some types of municipal bonds may be subject to state and local taxes as well as to federal taxes on capital gains and may also be subject to alternative minimum tax.

Diversification does not assure a profit or protect against loss.

Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. Bonds and bond funds will decrease in value as interest rates rise. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of a fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contain this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.