Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund

AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON FEBRUARY 22, 2017

File No. 333-187029

File No. 811-21579

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-2

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Post-Effective Amendment No. 2

and/or

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
Amendment No. 23

 

 

NUVEEN FLOATING RATE INCOME OPPORTUNITY FUND

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

333 WEST WACKER DRIVE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60606

(Address of Principal Executive Offices

(Number, Street, City, State, Zip Code)

(800) 257-8787

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

Gifford R. Zimmerman

Vice President and Secretary

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

Name and Address (Number, Street, City, State, Zip Code) of Agent for Service

 

 

Copy to:

Thomas S. Harman

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering:

As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

 

 

If the securities being registered on this form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box.  ☒

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box)

☐  When declared effective pursuant to section 8(c)

☒  Immediately upon filing pursuant to no-action relief granted to Registrant on November 9, 2010.

 

 

 


PROSPECTUS

LOGO

 

8.5 Million Common Shares

 

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund

 


 

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund’s investment objective is to achieve a high level of current income. The Fund cannot assure you that it will achieve its investment objective.

 

Investing in the Fund’s Common Shares involves certain risks that are described in the “Risk Factors ” section of this Prospectus, including the specific risks relating to the Fund’s use of leverage.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

You should read this Prospectus, which contains important information about the Fund, before deciding whether to invest and retain it for future reference. A Statement of Additional Information, dated February 22, 2017 (the “SAI”), containing additional information about the Fund, has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated by reference in its entirety into this Prospectus. You may request a free copy of the SAI, the table of contents of which is on the last page of this Prospectus, annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders and other information about the Fund, and make shareholder inquiries by calling (800) 257-8787, by writing to the Fund or from the Fund’s website (http://www.nuveen.com). The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this Prospectus. You also may obtain a copy of the SAI (and other information regarding the Fund) from the SEC’s web site (http://www.sec.gov).

 

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 governmental agency.

 

Portfolio Contents.    The Fund invests at least 80% of its Managed Assets (as defined below) in adjustable rate loans, primarily secured senior loans. As part of the 80% requirement, the Fund also may invest in adjustable rate unsecured senior loans and adjustable rate secured and unsecured subordinated loans. Senior Loans that the Fund intends to invest in are usually rated below investment grade, and share the same risks of other below investment grade debt instruments. The Fund invests at least 65% of its Managed Assets in adjustable rate senior loans that are secured by specific collateral. Adjustable rate loans are made to U.S. or non-U.S. corporations, partnerships and other similar types of business entities that operate in various industries and geographical regions. Such adjustable rate loans pay interest at rates that are redetermined periodically at short-term intervals on the basis of an adjustable base lending rate plus a premium. The Fund may invest its Managed Assets without limit in adjustable rate loans and other debt instruments that are, at the time of investment, rated below investment grade or unrated but judged to be of comparable quality; however, the Fund may not invest, at the time of investment, more than 30% of its Managed Assets in securities rated below CCC+ or Caa, including securities in default. The Fund may invest a substantial portion of its Managed Assets in debt instruments of below investment grade quality. Investments rated below investment grade, or that are unrated but of equivalent credit quality, are commonly referred as “junk bonds” and have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers, which may include debt securities of Issuers located, or conducting their business in emerging markets countries. “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Managed Assets for this purpose includes the proceeds realized and managed from the Fund’s use of leverage as set forth in the Fund’s investment management agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and the Fund. Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of financial leverage through borrowing or the use of commercial paper or notes.

 

Adviser and Sub-Adviser.    Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for determining the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation, including the use of leverage and hedging. Symphony Asset Management LLC, the Fund’s investment sub-adviser, oversees the day-to-day investment operations of the Fund.

 

The minimum price on any day at which Common Shares may be sold will not be less than the current net asset value per share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to the Fund’s distributor, Nuveen Securities, LLC (“Nuveen Securities”). The Fund and Nuveen Securities will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price. The Fund currently intends to distribute the shares offered pursuant to this Prospectus primarily through at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement to this Prospectus describing such transactions. For more information on how Common Shares may be sold, see the “Plan of Distribution” section of this Prospectus.

 

As of February 15, 2017, the Fund has sold in this offering an aggregate of 4,099,090 Common Shares, representing net proceeds to the Fund of $53,742,565, after payment of commissions of $542,868 in the aggregate.

 

Common Shares are listed on the NYSE. The trading or “ticker” symbol of the Fund is “JRO.” The Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on February 15, 2017 was $12.57.

 


 

The date of this Prospectus is February 22, 2017.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Summary

     3  

Summary of Fund Expenses

     23  

Financial Highlights

     26  

Trading and Net Asset Value Information

     28  

The Fund

     28  

Use of Proceeds

     28  

The Fund’s Investments

     29  

Portfolio Turnover

     40  

Portfolio Composition

     40  

Fund Allocation

     40  

Use of Leverage

     41  

Hedging Transactions

     43  

Risk Factors

     46  

Management of the Fund

     58  

Net Asset Value

     60  

Distributions

     62  

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

     63  

Plan of Distribution

     64  

Description of Shares and Debt

     66  

Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust

     68  

Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund

     69  

Tax Matters

     70  

Custodian and Transfer Agent

     71  

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     72  

Legal Opinion

     72  

Available Information

     72  

Statement of Additional Information Table of Contents

     73  

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. The Fund has not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. The Fund is not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this Prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this Prospectus. The Fund will update this Prospectus to reflect any material changes to the disclosures herein.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

This is only a summary. You should review the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this Prospectus and in the Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”).

 

The Fund

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. See “The Fund.” The Fund’s common shares, $.01 par value (“Common Shares”), are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “JRO.” See “Description of Shares.” As of December 31, 2016, the Fund had 38,480,453 Common Shares outstanding, 63,000 Term Preferred Shares (referred to herein as “TP Shares”), and net assets applicable to Common Shares of $450,504,708.

 

Investment Objective and Policies

The Fund’s investment objective is to achieve a high level of current income. The Fund cannot assure you that it will achieve its investment objective. The Fund’s investment objective and any investment policies identified as such are considered fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval.

 

  As a non-fundamental policy, under normal market circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its Managed Assets in adjustable rate loans, primarily secured Senior Loans. With respect to the Fund’s Senior Loans included in the 80% policy, such instruments will not at all times have a dollar-weighted average time until the next interest rate adjustment of 90 days or less.

 

  “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Managed Assets for this purpose includes the proceeds realized and managed from the Fund’s use of leverage as set forth in the Fund’s investment management agreement between Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC and the Fund. Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of financial leverage through borrowing or the use of commercial paper or notes.

 

 

As part of the 80% requirement, the Fund also may invest in adjustable rate unsecured senior loans (together with secured senior loans referred to herein as “Senior Loans”) and adjustable rate secured and unsecured subordinated loans. “Senior Loans” include floating or variable rate, U.S. dominated secured and unsecured loans that hold the most senior position in the capital structure of an issuer. Senior Loans that the Fund intends to invest in are usually rated below investment grade, and share the same risks of other below investment grade debt instruments. Adjustable rate Senior Loans and adjustable rate subordinated loans are sometimes collectively referred to in this Prospectus as “Adjustable Rate Loans.” Adjustable Rate Loans pay interest at rates that are redetermined periodically at short-term intervals by reference to a base lending rate, primarily the

 

3


 

London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) (of any tenor, but typically between one month and six months, and currently), plus a premium. The Fund may invest its Managed Assets without limit in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that are, at the time of investment, rated below investment grade or unrated but judged to be of comparable quality; however, the Fund may not invest, at the time of investment, more than 30% of its Managed Assets in securities rated below CCC+ or Caa, including securities in default. Investment rating limitations are considered to apply only at the time of investment and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities. The Fund may invest a substantial portion of its Managed Assets in debt instruments of below investment grade quality. Investments rated below investment grade, or that are unrated but of equivalent credit quality, are commonly referred as “junk bonds” and have predominantly speculative characteristics with respect to the issuer’s capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. Adjustable Rate Loans are made to U.S. or non-U.S. corporations, partnerships and other similar types of business entities (“Borrowers”) that operate in various industries and geographical regions, which may include middle-market companies, to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings, internal growth and for other corporate purposes. As used in the Prospectus, “middle-market” generally refers to companies with annual revenues of approximately $500 million or below and subordinated loans to middle markets companies are generally referred to as “mezzanine loans.”

 

  As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in the following adjustable or fixed rate securities: (i) other debt securities such as investment and non-investment grade debt securities, fixed rate Senior Loans or subordinated loans, convertible securities and structured notes (other than structured notes that are designed to provide returns and risks that emulate those of Adjustable Rate Loans, which may be treated as an investment in Adjustable Rate Loans for purposes of the 80% requirement set forth above); (ii) mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities (including collateralized loan obligations and collateralized debt obligations); and (iii) debt securities and other instruments issued by government, government-related or supranational issuers (commonly referred to as sovereign debt securities). Also as a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, no more than 5% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in each of convertible securities, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, and sovereign debt securities. The debt securities in which the Fund may invest may have short-term, intermediate-term or long-term maturities. Additionally, as a non-fundamental policy, the Fund also may receive warrants and equity securities issued by an Issuer (as defined below) or its affiliates in connection with the Fund’s other investments in such entities.

 

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  Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are (i) rated by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) within the four highest grades (BBB- or Baa3 or better by Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), Moody’s Investor Service Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch Ratings, part of the Fitch Group (“Fitch”), or (ii) unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. The Fund may purchase Senior Loans and other debt securities that are rated below investment grade, commonly referred to as junk bonds, or that are unrated but judged by Symphony to be of comparable quality. Investment rating limitations are considered to apply only at the time of investment and the Fund is under no obligation to sell securities as a result of changes in market values or ratings.

 

  Borrowers under Adjustable Rate Loans and issuers of other securities in which the Fund may invest are sometimes collectively referred to herein as “Issuers.”

 

  Under normal circumstances:

 

   

The Fund invests at least 65% of its Managed Assets in Senior Loans that are secured by specific collateral. Such collateral consists of assets and/or stock of the Borrower, See “the Fund’s Investments—Portfolio Composition and Other Information—Senior Loans—Protective Provisions of Senior Loans” and “Risk Factors—Issuer Level Risks—Issuer Credit Risk.”

 

   

The Fund maintains an average duration of one year or less for its portfolio investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments. See “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Objective and Policies” for a description of duration.

 

   

The Fund will not invest in inverse floating rate securities.

 

   

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments of non-U.S. Issuers may include debt securities of Issuers located, or conducting their business in, emerging markets countries.

 

   

The Fund may not invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in securities from an industry which (for the purposes of this Prospectus) generally refers to the classification of companies in the same or similar lines of business such as the automotive, textiles and apparel, hotels, media production and consumer retailing industries.

 

   

The Fund may invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in sectors which (for the purposes of this Prospectus) generally refers to broader classifications of industries, such as the consumer discretionary sector which includes the automotive, textiles and apparel, hotels, media production and consumer retailing industries, provided the Fund’s investment in a particular industry within the sector does not exceed the industry limitation.

 

5


   

The Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable). The appreciation of illiquid securities or the description of liquid securities may put the Fund in a position where more than 50% of the value of its Managed Assets is invested in illiquid securities. In such circumstances, the Fund will not invest in any additional investments that are liquid at the time of investment.

 

  In pursuing its objective of high current income, the Fund invests in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that may involve significant credit risk. As part of its efforts to manage this risk and the potential impact of such risk on the overall value and returns of the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund generally follows a credit management strategy that includes (i) a focus on Senior Loans that are secured by specific assets, (ii) rigorous and on-going bottom-up fundamental analysis of Issuers, and (iii) overall portfolio diversification. The Subadviser (as defined below) will perform its own credit and research analysis of Issuers, taking into consideration, among other things, the entity’s financial resources and operating history, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, the ability of its management, its debt maturity schedules and borrowing requirements, its anticipated cash flow, interest and asset coverage, and its earnings prospects. Even with these efforts, because of the greater degree of credit risk within the portfolio, the Fund’s net asset value could decline over time. In an effort to help preserve the Fund’s overall capital, the Subadviser seeks to enhance portfolio value by investing in securities it believes to be undervalued, which, if successful, can mitigate the potential loss of value due to credit events over time.

 

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“NFALLC”), the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. NFALLC offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. NFALLC has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. NFALLC is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. NFALLC is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”), the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2016, Nuveen managed approximately $882 billion in assets, of which approximately $126 billion was managed by NFALLC.

 

6


Sub-Adviser

Symphony Asset Management LLC (“Symphony”) is the Fund’s sub-adviser and oversees the day-to-day investment operations of the Fund.

 

  Symphony, a registered investment adviser, is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Investments. Founded in 1994, Symphony had approximately $18.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2016. Symphony specializes in the management of both long-only and alternative equity and debt strategies.

 

  NFALLC and Symphony will sometimes individually be referred to as an “Adviser” and collectively be referred to as the “Advisers.”

 

  Nuveen Securities, LLC (“Nuveen Securities”), a registered broker-dealer affiliate of NFALLC is involved in the offering of the Fund’s Common Shares. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through At-the-Market Transactions.”

 

Use of Leverage

Regulatory leverage consists of “senior securities” as defined under the 1940 Act, which include (1) borrowings, including loans from financial institutions (“Borrowings”); (2) issuance of debt securities; and (3) issuance of preferred shares ((1),(2), and (3) are hereinafter collectively referred to as “regulatory leverage”). The Fund may utilize regulatory leverage to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act.

 

  The Fund currently employs regulatory leverage through borrowings and currently has outstanding TP Shares. The Fund has entered into a credit agreement with Toronto-Dominion Bank, New York Branch (“TD Bank”) as a lender (the “Credit Agreement”). The borrowing capacity under the Credit Agreement is $195 million. The term of the Credit Agreement ends on December 23, 2017, unless extended. TD Bank may terminate the Credit Agreement upon 179 days’ prior notice. The Fund has the right to augment or replace the Credit Agreement with a new credit agreement in the future, and any such augmented or replacement credit agreement may contain terms that are materially different than the terms contained in the existing Credit Agreement. This credit facility is secured by substantially all of the assets of the Fund. As of July 31, 2016, the Fund had entered into a credit agreement with several conduit lenders and Citibank, N.A. as a lender, liquidity provider and as agent for the lenders (collectively, “Citibank”) (“Citibank Credit Agreement”) and, as of that date, the Fund’s outstanding balance on the Citibank Credit Agreement was $166,800,000. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the average daily balance outstanding and the average annual interest rate on these Borrowings were $164,933,880 and 1.28%, respectively.

 

  Leverage involves special risks. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.” There is no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful. Interest on Borrowings may be at a fixed or floating rate, but generally will be based on short-term rates. The Fund will seek to invest the proceeds of any future financial leverage in a manner consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. See “Use of Leverage.”

 

7


  The Fund pays a management fee to NFALLC (which in turn pays a portion of its fee to Symphony) based on a percentage of Managed Assets. NFALLC will base its decision regarding whether and how much leverage to use for the Fund based on its assessment of whether such use of leverage is in the best interests of the Fund. However, the fact that a decision to employ or increase the Fund’s leverage will have the effect, all other things being equal, of increasing Managed Assets and therefore the amount of fees paid to NFALLC. This means that NFALLC may have a conflict of interest in determining whether to use or increase leverage. NFALLC will seek to manage that potential conflict by leveraging the Fund (or increasing such leverage) only when it determines that such action is in the best interests of the Fund, and by periodically reviewing the Fund’s performance and use of leverage with the Board of Trustees.

 

Offering Methods

The Fund may offer shares using one or more of the following methods: (i) at-the-market transactions through one or more broker-dealers that have entered into a selected dealer agreement with Nuveen Securities, one of the Fund’s underwriters; (ii) through an underwriting syndicate; and (iii) through privately negotiated transactions between the Fund and specific investors. See “Plan of Distribution.”

 

  Distribution Through At-the-Market Transactions. The Fund from time to time may offer its Common Shares through Nuveen Securities, to certain broker-dealers that have entered into selected dealer agreements with Nuveen Securities. Currently, Nuveen Securities has entered into a selected dealer agreement with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel Nicolaus”) pursuant to which Stifel Nicolaus will be acting as Nuveen Securities’s exclusive sub-placement agent with respect to at-the-market offerings of the shares of Common Shares. Common Shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus. Common Shares will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by the Fund. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current netasset value per share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to Nuveen Securities. The Fund and Nuveen Securities will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price.

 

  The Fund will compensate Nuveen Securities with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of up to 1% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. Nuveen Securities will compensate Stifel Nicolaus at a fixed rate of 0.80% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold by Stifel Nicolaus. Settlements of Common Share sales will occur on the third business day following the date of sale.

 

8


  In connection with the sale of the Common Shares on behalf of the Fund, Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”), and the compensation of Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. Unless otherwise indicated in a further Prospectus supplement, each of Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus will act on a reasonable efforts basis.

 

  The offering of Common Shares will be made pursuant to the Selected Dealer Agreement among the Fund, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus, which will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all Common Shares subject thereto or (ii) termination of the Selected Dealer Agreement. Each of Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus shall have the right to terminate the Selected Dealer Agreement in its discretion at any time. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through At-the-Market Transactions.”

 

  The Fund currently intends to distribute the shares offered pursuant to this Prospectus primarily through at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement to this Prospectus describing such transactions.

 

  The Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on February 15, 2017 was $12.57.

 

  Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates.    The Fund from time to time may issue additional Common Shares through a syndicated secondary offering. In order to limit the impact on the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares, Underwriters will market and price the offering on an expedited basis (e.g., overnight or similarly abbreviated offering period). The Fund will launch a syndicated offering on a day, and upon terms, mutually agreed upon between the Fund, Nuveen Securities and the underwriting syndicate.

 

  The Fund will offer its shares at a price equal to a specified discount of up to 2% from the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. The applicable discount will be negotiated by the Fund and Nuveen Securities in consultation with the underwriting syndicate on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The Fund will compensate the underwriting syndicate out of the proceeds of the offering based upon a sales load of up to 4% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. The minimum net proceeds per share to the Fund will not be less than the greater of (i) the Fund’s latest net asset value per Common Share or (ii) 94% of the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates.”

 

9


  Distribution Through Privately Negotiated Transactions.    The Fund, through Nuveen Securities, from time to time may sell directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional and other sophisticated investors, who may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the 1933 Act for any resale of Common Shares. No sales commission or other compensation will be paid to Nuveen Securities or any other FINRA member in connection with such transactions.

 

  The terms of such privately negotiated transactions will be subject to the discretion of the management of the Fund. In determining whether to sell Common Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Fund will consider relevant factors including, but not limited to, the attractiveness of obtaining additional funds through the sale of Common Shares, the purchase price to apply to any such sale of Common Shares and the investor seeking to purchase the Common Shares.

 

  Common Shares issued by the Fund through privately negotiated transactions will be issued at a price equal to the greater of (i) the net asset value per Common Share of the Fund’s Common Shares or (ii) at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% of the average daily closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares at the close of business on the two business days preceding the date upon which Common Shares are sold pursuant to the privately negotiated transaction. The applicable discount will be determined by the Fund on a transaction-by-transaction basis. See “Plan of Distribution—Distribution Through Privately Negotiated Transactions.”

 

Special Risk Considerations

Investment in the Fund involves special risk considerations, which are summarized below. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. See “Risk Factors” for a more complete discussion of the special risk considerations of an investment in the Fund.

 

  Investment and Market Risk.    An investment in the Fund’s Common Shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. Your investment in Common Shares represents an indirect investment in the securities owned by the Fund, which generally do not trade on a national securities exchange, NASDAQ or in the over-the-counter markets. Your Common Shares at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions. See “Risk Factors—Investment and Market Risk.”

 

 

Recent Market Circumstances.    The financial crisis in the U.S. and global economies over the past several years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, has resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. Liquidity in some markets has decreased and

 

10


 

credit has become scarcer worldwide. Recent regulatory changes, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) and the introduction of new international capital and liquidity requirements set forth by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (known as “Basel III”), may cause lending activity within the financial services sector to be constrained for several years as Basel III rules phase in and rules and regulations are promulgated and interpreted under the Dodd-Frank Act.

 

  Since 2010, the risks of investing in certain foreign government debt have increased dramatically as a result of the ongoing European debt crisis, which began in Greece and has spread to varying degrees throughout various other European countries. These debt crises and the ongoing efforts of governments around the world to address these debt crises have also resulted in increased volatility and uncertainty in the global securities markets and it is impossible to predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the Fund, though it is possible that these or similar events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund.

 

  In the United States, on August 5, 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. federal government debt to “AA+” from “AAA.” Any additional downgrade by S&P, or any other rating agency, could increase volatility in both stock and bond markets, result in higher interest rates and higher Treasury yields and increase the costs of all kinds of debt.

 

  Global economies and financial markets are also becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. For example, in a referendum held on June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union (“EU”), creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. The country’s departure from the EU (known as “Brexit”) sparked depreciation in the value of the British pound, short-term declines in the stock markets and heightened risk of continued economic volatility worldwide.

 

 

As a consequence of the United Kingdom’s vote to withdraw from the EU, the government of the United Kingdom may, pursuant to the Treaty of Lisbon (the “Treaty”), give notice of its withdrawal and enter into negotiations with the EU Council to agree to terms for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. The Treaty provides for a two-year negotiation period, which may be shortened or extended by agreement of the parties. However, there is still considerable uncertainty relating to the potential consequences and precise timeframe for the exit, how the negotiations for the withdrawal and new trade agreements will be conducted, and whether the United Kingdom’s exit will increase the likelihood of other countries also

 

11


 

departing the EU. During this period of uncertainty, the negative impact on not only the United Kingdom and European economies, but the broader global economy, could be significant, potentially resulting in increased volatility and illiquidity and lower economic growth for companies that rely significantly on Europe for their business activities and revenues. Any further exits from the EU, or the possibility of such exits, would likely cause additional market disruption globally and introduce new legal and regulatory uncertainties.

 

  The impact of these developments in the near- and long-term is unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.

 

  Legislation and Regulatory Risk.    At any time after the date of this Prospectus, legislation or additional regulations may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund, securities held by the Fund or the issuers of such securities. Fund shareholders may incur increased costs resulting from such legislation or additional regulation. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund or will not impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.

 

  The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently proposed rules governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies, which could affect the nature and extent of derivatives used by the Fund. The proposed rules have not yet been adopted and therefore the full extent of such rules is uncertain at this time. It is possible that such rules, if adopted, could limit the implementation of the Fund’s use of derivatives, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund.

 

 

Market Discount from Net Asset Value.    Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund have during some periods traded at prices higher than net asset value and have during other periods traded at prices lower than net asset value. The Fund cannot predict whether Common Shares will trade at, above or below 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 investment activities. Investors bear a risk of loss to the extent that the price at which they sell their shares is lower in relation to the Fund’s net asset value than at the time of purchase, assuming a stable net asset value. Proceeds from the sale of Common Shares in this offering will be reduced by shareholder transaction costs (if applicable, which vary depending on the offering method used). Depending on the premium of the Common Shares at the time of any offering of Common Shares hereunder, the Fund’s net asset value may be reduced by an amount up to the offering costs borne by the Fund. The net asset value per Common Share will also be reduced by costs associated with any future issuances of Common Shares or preferred shares. The Common Shares are designed

 

12


 

primarily for long-term investors, and you should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes. See “Risk Factors—Market Discount from Net Asset Value.”

 

  Issuer Level Risks.

 

  Issuer Credit Risk.    Issuers of Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities in which the Fund may invest may default on their obligations to pay principal or interest when due. This non-payment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of an Adjustable Rate Loan or such other debt security experiencing non-payment and, potentially, a decrease in the net asset value of the Fund. Even if an issuer remains current on principal and interest payments, a deterioration the market’s perception of the issuer’s ability to make such payments in the future may cause a reduction in the value of the issuer’s securities, and a commensurate decrease in the value of the Fund’s net assets, to the extent that an issuer must refinance its debt instruments in order to make principal payments at maturity, the issuer’s inability to refinance may present increased risk of loss to the Fund. Although under normal circumstances at least 65% of the Fund’s Managed Assets will be invested in Senior Loans that are secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the Borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. Investments by the Fund in debt securities issued by middle-market companies may subject the Fund to greater risk of Issuer default, in part because, middle-market companies may have limited financial resources and typically have shorter operating histories, narrower product lines and smaller market shares than larger businesses, which tend to render middle-market companies more vulnerable to competitors’ actions and adverse market conditions. In the event of bankruptcy of an Issuer, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing an Adjustable Rate Loan or other debt instrument.

 

 

Below Investment Grade Risk.    The Fund may purchase Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. Securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as “junk bonds” or high yield debt, which implies higher price volatility and default risk than investment grade instruments of comparable terms and duration. Issuers of lower rated securities may be highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. The prices of these lower grade securities are typically more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the Issuer’s revenues or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher rated securities. The secondary market for lower rated securities, including some Adjustable Rate Loans,

 

13


 

may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated securities, a factor which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to dispose of a particular security.

 

  Non-U.S. Issuer Risk.    The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. Investments in securities of non-U.S. Issuers involve special risks not presented by investments in securities of U.S. Issuers, including the following: (i) less publicly available information about non-U.S. Issuers or markets due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards or regulatory practices; (ii) many non-U.S. markets are smaller, less liquid and more volatile; (iii) potential adverse effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates or controls on the value of the Fund’s investments; (iv) the economies of non-U.S. countries may grow at slower rates than expected or may experience a downturn or recession; (v) the impact of economic, political, social or diplomatic events; (vi) possible seizure of a company’s assets; (vii) restrictions imposed by non-U.S. countries limiting the ability of non-U.S. Issuers to make payments of principal and/or interest due to blockages of foreign currency exchanges or otherwise; and (viii) withholding and other non-U.S. taxes may decrease the Fund’s return. These risks are more pronounced to the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in companies located in one region and to the extent that the Fund invests in securities of Issuers in emerging markets countries. In addition, economic, political and social developments may significantly disrupt the financial markets or interfere with the Fund’s ability to enforce its rights against non-U.S. Issuers. See “Risk Factors—Issuer Level Risks.”

 

  Security Level Risks.

 

 

Subordinated Loans and Other Subordinated Debt Instruments.     Issuers of subordinated loans and other debt instruments in which the Fund may invest usually will have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, such subordinated loans or other debt instruments. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which the Fund is entitled to receive payments in respect of subordinated loans or other debt instruments in which it invests. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of an Issuer, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to the Fund’s subordinated loans or other debt instruments would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before the Fund receives any distribution in respect of its investment. After repaying such senior creditors, the Issuer may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to the Fund. In the case of debt ranking equally with subordinated loans or other debt instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt

 

14


 

in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant Issuer. In addition, the Fund will likely not be in a position to control any Issuer by investing in its debt securities. As a result, the Fund will be subject to the risk that an Issuer in which it invests may make business decisions with which the Fund disagrees and the management of such Issuer, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve the Fund’s interests as debt investors.

 

  Risks from Unsecured Adjustable Rate Loans or Insufficient Collateral Securing Adjustable Rate Loans.    Some of the Adjustable Rate Loans in which the Fund may invest will be unsecured, thereby increasing the risk of loss to the Fund in the event of Borrower default. Although the Fund invests primarily in Adjustable Rate Loans that are secured by specific collateral, including, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of the Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in secured Senior Loans, there can be no assurance the liquidation of such collateral would satisfy a Borrower’s obligation to the Fund in the event of Borrower default or that such collateral could be readily liquidated under such circumstances. In the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could also experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing an Adjustable Rate Loan.

 

  Interest Rate Risk.    Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed rate securities will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates. When market interest rates rise, the market value of such securities generally will fall. Currently, market interest rates are at or near historically low levels. The Fund’s investment in such fixed rate securities means that the net asset value and market price of Common Shares will tend to decline if market interest rates rise. Market interest rates in the U.S. and in certain other countries in which the Fund may invest currently are near historically low levels. The Advisers expect the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans will make the Fund less volatile and its net asset value less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than if the Fund invested exclusively in fixed rate obligations. However, because interest rates on most Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate instruments typically only reset periodically (e.g., monthly or quarterly), a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s use of leverage, as described herein, will also tend to increase Common Share interest rate risk. See “Risk Factors—Interest Rate Risk.”

 

 

Senior Loan Participation Risks.    The Fund may purchase a participation interest in a Senior Loan and by doing so acquire some or all of the interest of a bank or other lending institution in a Senior Loan to a Borrower. A participation interest typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with the lender, not the

 

15


 

Borrower. As a result, the Fund assumes the credit risk of the lender selling the participation interest in addition to the credit risk of the Borrower. By purchasing a participation interest, the Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation interest and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the Borrower. In the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not have a senior claim to the lender’s interest in the loan. If the Fund only acquires a participation in the loan made by a third party, the Fund may not be able to control the exercise of any remedies that the lender would have under the loan. Such third party participation arrangements are designed to give loan investors preferential treatment over high yield investors in the event of a deterioration in the credit quality of the Borrower. Even when these arrangements exist, however, there can be no assurance that the principal and interest owed on the loan will be repaid in full. See “Risk Factors—Security Level Risks—Senior Loan Participation Risk” and “Risk Factors—Issuer Level Risks—Below Investment Grade Risk.”

 

  Prepayment Risk.    During periods of declining interest rates or for other purposes, Issuers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled, forcing the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities. This is known as call or prepayment risk.

 

  Illiquid Securities Risk.    The Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities that, at the time of investment, are illiquid. Illiquid securities are not readily marketable and may include some restricted securities. Illiquid securities involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time desired by the Fund or at prices approximating the value at which the Fund is carrying the securities on its books.

 

  Other Risks Associated with Adjustable Rate Loans.    Many Adjustable Rate Loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by an NRSRO, generally will not be registered with the SEC and generally will not be listed on a securities exchange. In addition, the amount of public information available with respect to Adjustable Rate Loans generally may be less extensive than that available for registered and exchange-listed securities. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain Adjustable Rate Loans or Adjustable Rate Loans generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. No active trading market currently exists for some Senior Loans and most subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest and, thus, those loans may be illiquid. As a result, such Senior Loans and subordinated loans generally are more difficult to value than more liquid securities for which a trading market exists. See “Risk Factors—Security Level Risks.”

 

16


  Leverage Risk.    The use of financial leverage created through Borrowing and outstanding TP Shares creates an opportunity for increased Common Share net income and returns, but also creates special risks for Common Shareholders. There is no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful. The risk of loss attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage is borne by Common Shareholders. The Fund’s use of financial leverage can result in a greater decrease in net asset values in declining markets. The Fund’s use of financial leverage similarly can magnify the impact of changing market conditions on Common Share market prices. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.”

 

  Because the long-term debt securities in which the Fund invests generally pay fixed rates of interest while the Fund’s costs of leverage generally fluctuate with short- to intermediate-term yields, the incremental earnings from leverage will vary over time. However, the Fund may use derivatives, such as interest rate swaps, to fix the effective rate paid on all or a portion of the Fund’s leverage, in an effort to lower leverage costs over an extended period. Accordingly, the Fund cannot assure you that the use of leverage will result in a higher yield or return to Common Shareholders. The income benefit from leverage will be reduced to the extent that the difference narrows between the net earnings on the Fund’s portfolio securities and its cost of leverage. The income benefit from leverage will increase to the extent that the difference widens between the net earnings on the Fund’s portfolio securities and its cost of leverage. If short-term rates rise, the Fund’s cost of leverage could exceed the fixed rate of return on longer-term bonds held by the Fund that were acquired during periods of lower interest rates, reducing income and returns to Common Shareholders. This could occur even if both short- or intermediate-term and long-term interest rates rise. Because of the costs of leverage, the Fund may incur losses even if the Fund has positive returns if they are not sufficient to cover the costs of leverage. The Fund’s cost of leverage includes interest on borrowing, or dividends paid on TP Shares, as well as any one-time costs (e.g., issuance costs) and ongoing fees and expenses associated with such leverage.

 

The Fund is subject to requirements imposed by its use of leverage through Borrowings, including the Credit Agreement, and its Preferred Shares, including TP Shares. These requirements may include asset coverage and/or restrictions relating to portfolio characteristics such as portfolio diversification and credit rating criteria. In addition, the TP Shares are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a rating by at least one NRSRO and are subject to asset coverage requirements of 225%. While these restrictions may be different than those under the 1940 Act, it is not anticipated that these restrictions will impede the management of the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, in order to maintain such requirements, the

 

17


 

Fund may be required to take certain actions, such as redeeming Preferred Shares or reducing Borrowings with the proceeds from portfolio transactions at what might be an in opportune time in the market. Such actions could reduce the net earnings or returns to Common Shareholders over time.

 

  Furthermore, the amount of fees paid to NFALLC (which in turn pays a portion of its fees to Symphony) for investment advisory services will be higher if the Fund uses leverage because the fees will be calculated based on the Fund’s Managed Assets—this may create an incentive for NFALLC and Symphony to leverage the Fund.

 

  The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, which may themselves be leveraged and therefore present similar risks to those described above. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” and “Use of Leverage.”
 

 

  Leverage Risk;    Borrowing Risk.    The Fund’s use of borrowing or other forms of leverage creates special risks for Common Shareholders, including potential interest rate risks (specifically the risks that shorter term market interest rates could rise, causing a rise in the Fund’s leverage costs) and the likelihood of greater volatility of NAV and market price of, and distributions on, the Common Shares. In shorter investment horizons or in periods of economic downturn, sharply increasing inflation or higher volatility, leverage will typically magnify downside outcomes.

 

  The Fund will pay (and Common Shareholders will bear) any costs and expenses relating to the Fund’s use of leverage, which will result in a reduction in the NAV of the Common Shares. NFALLC may, based on its assessment of market conditions, increase or decrease the Fund’s level of leverage. Such changes may impact the Fund’s distributions and the valuation of the Fund’s Common Shares in the secondary market. There is no assurance that the Fund will utilize leverage or that the Fund’s use of leverage will be successful. Furthermore, the amount of fees paid to NFALLC and Symphony for investment advisory services will be higher if the Fund uses leverage because the fees will be calculated based on the Fund’s Managed Assets—this may create an incentive for NFALLC to leverage the Fund or increase the Fund’s leverage. See “Leverage.”

 

 

Currency Risk.    The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are non-U.S. dollar denominated. Investments by the Fund in non-U.S.-dollar denominated securities will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and non-U.S. currencies may negatively affect an investment. The value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies may fluctuate based on changes in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, and a decline in applicable

 

18


 

foreign exchange rates could reduce the value of such securities held by the Fund.

 

  Regulatory Risk.    To the extent that legislation or state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions impose additional requirements or restrictions with respect to the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly in connection with highly leveraged transactions, the availability of Adjustable Rate Loans for investment may be adversely affected. Further, such legislation or regulation could depress the market value of Adjustable Rate Loans.

 

  Inflation Risk.    Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the Common Shares and distributions can decline. See “Risk Factors—Inflation Risk.”

 

  Deflation Risk.    Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time, which may have an adverse effect on the market valuation of companies, their assets and revenues. In addition, deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of Issuers and may make Issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio. See “Risk Factors—Deflation Risk.”

 

  Derivatives Risk, Including the Risk of Swaps.    The Fund’s use of derivatives involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the investments underlying the derivatives. Whether the Fund’s use of derivatives is successful will depend on, among other things, if NFALLC and Symphony correctly forecast market values, interest rates and other applicable factors. If NFALLC and Symphony incorrectly forecast these and other factors, the investment performance of the Fund will be unfavorably affected. In addition, the derivatives market is largely unregulated. It is possible that developments in the derivatives market could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to successfully use derivative instruments.

 

  The Fund may enter into debt-related derivatives instruments including credit default swap contracts and interest rate swaps. Like most derivative instruments, the use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. In addition, the use of swaps requires an understanding by NFALLC and Symphony not only of the referenced asset, rate or index, but also of the swap itself. The derivatives market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the derivatives market could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to successfully use derivative instruments. See “Risk Factors—Derivatives Risk, Including the Risk of Swaps,” “Risk Factors—Counterparty Risk,” “Hedging Transactions” and the SAI.

 

19


  Counterparty Risk.    Changes in the credit quality of the companies that serve as the Fund’s counterparties with respect to derivatives or other transactions supported by another party’s credit will affect the value of those instruments. Certain entities that have served as counterparties in the markets for these transactions have recently incurred significant financial hardships including bankruptcy and losses as a result of exposure to sub-prime mortgages and other lower quality credit investments that have experienced recent defaults or otherwise suffered extreme credit deterioration. As a result, such hardships have reduced these entities’ capital and called into question their continued ability to perform their obligations under such transactions. By using such derivatives or other transactions, the Fund assumes the risk that its counterparties could experience similar financial hardships. See “Risk Factors—Counterparty Risk.”

 

  Anti-Takeover Provisions.    The Fund’s Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) and the Fund’s By-laws (the “By-laws”) include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status. These provisions could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then current market price of the Common Shares. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust” and “Risk Factors—Anti-Takeover Provisions.”

 

  Non-Diversification.    Because the Fund is classified as “nondiversified” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”) it can invest a greater portion of its assets in obligations of a single Issuer. As a result, the Fund will be more susceptible than a more widely diversified fund to any single corporate, economic, political or regulatory occurrence. The Fund does not intend to invest, however, more than 5% of the value of its assets in interests in Senior Loans of a single Borrower. See “The Fund’s Investments.” In addition, the Fund must satisfy certain asset diversification rules in order to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal income tax purposes.

 

  Potential Conflicts of Interest Risk.    NFALLC and Symphony each provide a wide array of portfolio management and other asset management services to a mix of clients and may engage in ordinary course activities in which their respective interests or those of their clients may compete or conflict with those of the Fund. For example, NFALLC and Symphony may provide investment management services to other funds and accounts that follow investment objectives similar to those of the Fund. In certain circumstances, and subject to its fiduciary obligations under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Symphony may have to allocate a limited investment opportunity among its clients. NFALLC and Symphony have each adopted policies and procedures designed to address such situations and other potential conflicts of interests. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest, and the way in which NFALLC and Symphony address such conflicts, please see the SAI.

 

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  In addition, an investment in the Fund’s Common Shares raises other risks, which are more fully disclosed in the “Risk Factors” section of this Prospectus.

 

Distributions

The Fund pays monthly distributions to Common Shareholders at a level rate (stated in terms of a fixed cents per Common Share dividend rate) based on the projected performance of the Fund. The Fund’s ability to maintain a level Common Share dividend rate will depend on a number of factors, including dividends payable on TP Shares. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of dividends on the Common Shares and the Fund’s dividend policy could change. For each year, the Fund will distribute all or substantially all of its net investment income (after it pays accrued dividends on TP Shares. In addition, the Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, the net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and taxable ordinary income, if any, to Common Shareholders so long as the net capital gain and taxable ordinary income are not necessary to pay accrued dividends on, or redeem or liquidate, any preferred shares, then outstanding, including TP Shares, or pay any interest and required principal payments on borrowings. You may elect to reinvest automatically some or all of your distributions in additional Common Shares under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan.

 

  If the Fund does not distribute all of its net capital gain for a taxable year, it will pay federal income tax on the retained gain. Each Common Shareholder of record as of the end of the Fund’s taxable year will include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, his or her share of the retained gain, will be deemed to have paid his or her proportionate share of tax paid by the Fund on such retained gain, and will be entitled to an income tax credit or refund for that share of the tax. The Fund will treat the retained capital gain amount as a substitute for equivalent cash distributions. See “Distributions” and “Dividend Reinvestment Plan.”

 

  The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time, subject to a finding by the Fund’s Board of Trustees that such change is in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders.

 

Custodian and Transfer Agent

State Street Bank and Trust Company serves as custodian and transfer agent of the Fund’s assets. See “Custodian and Transfer Agent.”

 

Special Tax Considerations

Dividends with respect to the Common Shares generally will not constitute “qualified dividend income” for federal income tax purposes and thus generally will not be eligible for taxation at long-term capital gain tax rates (except in the case of capital gain dividends). See “Tax Matters.”

 

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Voting Rights

The holders of the Fund’s TP Shares, voting as a separate class, would have the right to elect at least two Trustees at all times and to elect a majority of the Trustees in the event two full years’ dividends on the preferred shares, including TP Shares, are unpaid. In each case, the remaining Trustees will be elected by holders of shares of Common Shares and preferred shares, including TP Shares, voting together as a single class. The holders of preferred shares, including TP Shares, will vote as a separate class or classes on certain other matters as required under the Declaration, the 1940 Act and Massachusetts law. See “Description of Shares—TP Shares—Voting Rights” and “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust.”

 

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SUMMARY OF FUND EXPENSES

 

The purpose of the table below and the Examples below are to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a Common Shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. The table shows the expenses of the Fund as a percentage of the average net assets applicable to Common Shares, and not as a percentage of total assets or Managed Assets.

 

Shareholder Transaction Expenses (as a percentage of offering price)

        

Maximum Sales Charge

     4.00 %*

Dividend Reinvestment Plan Fees(1)

     None  

  *   A maximum sales charge of 4.00% applies only to offerings pursuant to a syndicated underwriting. The maximum sales charge for offerings made at-the-market is 1.00%. There is no sales charge for offerings pursuant to a private transaction.

 

     As a Percentage of
Net Assets
Attributable to
Common Shares(2)


 

Annual Expenses

        

Management Fees

     1.29 %

Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on TP Shares(3)

     1.26 %

Other Expenses(4)

     0.12 %
    


Total Annual Expenses

     2.67 %
    



  (1)   You will be charged a $2.50 service charge and pay brokerage charges if you direct State Street Bank and Trust Company, as agent for the Common Shareholders (the “Plan Agent”), to sell your Common Shares held in a dividend reinvestment account.
  (2)   Stated as a percentage of average net assets attributable to Common Shares for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016.
  (3)   Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on TP Shares has been restated using current fees as if they had been in effect during the previous fiscal year. Interest Expense on Borrowings are calculated at a rate per annum equal to 1-Month LIBOR plus 0.80%. Fees on TP Shares assume annual dividends paid and amortization of offering costs. The actual Interest Expense on Borrowings and Fees on TP Shares incurred in the future may be higher or lower. The Fund’s use of leverage will increase the amount of management fees paid to NFALLC and Symphony.
  (4)   Other Expenses is based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. Expenses attributable to the Fund’s investments, if any, in other investment companies are currently estimated not to exceed 0.01%. See “Portfolio Composition—Other Investment Companies” in the SAI.

 

The purpose of the table above is to help you understand all fees and expenses that you, as a Common Shareholder, would bear directly or indirectly. See “Management of the Fund—Investment Adviser and Subadviser.”

 

Examples

 

The following examples illustrate the expenses (including the applicable transaction fees, (referred to as the “Maximum Sales Charge” in the fee table above) if any,) that a shareholder would pay on a $1,000 investment that is held for the time periods provided in the table. Each example assumes that all dividends and other distributions are reinvested in the Fund and that the Fund’s Total Annual Expenses, as provided above, remain the same. The examples also assume a 5% annual return.(1)

 

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Example # 1 (At-the-Market Transaction)

 

The following example assumes a transaction fee of 1.00%, as a percentage of the offering price.

 

1 Year


   3 Years

     5 Years

     10 Years

 

$37

   $ 92      $ 150      $ 307  

 

Example # 2 (Underwriting Syndicate Transaction)

 

The following example assumes a transaction fee of 4.00%, as a percentage of the offering price.

 

1 Year


   3 Years

     5 Years

     10 Years

 

$66

   $ 120      $ 176      $ 328  

 

Example # 3 (Privately Negotiated Transaction)

 

The following example assumes there is no transaction fee.

 

1 Year


   3 Years

     5 Years

     10 Years

 

$27

   $ 83      $ 141      $ 300  

 

The examples should not be considered a representation of future expenses. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown above.


  (1)   The examples assume that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at Common Share net asset value. Actual expenses may be greater or less than those assumed. Moreover, the Fund’s actual rate of return may be greater or less than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example.

 

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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 

The following Financial Highlights table is intended to help a prospective investor understand the Fund’s financial performance for the periods shown. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Common share of the Fund. The total returns in the table represent the rate an investor would have earned or lost on an investment in Common shares of the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends). The Fund’s annual financial statements as of and for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2016 and 2015, including the financial highlights for the fiscal years then ended, have been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. KPMG has not reviewed or examined any records, transactions or events after the date of such reports. The information with respect to the fiscal years ended prior to July 31, 2015 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. A copy of the Annual Report may be obtained from www.sec.gov or by visiting www.nuveen.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this Prospectus. Past results are not indicative of future performance.

The following per share data and ratios have been derived from information provided in the financial statements.

Selected data for a Common share outstanding throughout each period:

     Year Ended July 31,

 
   2016

    2015

    2014

    2013

 

PER SHARE OPERATING PERFORMANCE

                                

Beginning Common Share Net Asset Value (“NAV”)

   $ 12.05     $ 12.68     $ 12.55     $ 11.84  
    


 


 


 


Investment Operations:

                                

Net Investment Income (Loss)(a)

     0.77       0.79       0.78       0.95  

Net Realized/Unrealized Gain (Loss)

     (0.75     (0.66     0.14       0.68  

Distributions from Net Investment Income to Preferred Shareholders(b)

                        

Distributions from Capital Gains to Preferred Shareholders(b)

                        
    


 


 


 


Total

     0.02       0.13       0.92       1.63  
    


 


 


 


Less Distributions to Common Shareholders:

                                

From Net Investment Income

     (0.76     (0.76     (0.79     (1.04

From Accumulated Net Realized Gains

                        
    


 


 


 


Total

     (0.76     (0.76     (0.79     (1.04
    


 


 


 


Common Share:

                                

Offering Costs

                     (0.01
    


 


 


 


Discount from Shares Repurchased and Retired

                        
    


 


 


 


Premium Per Share Sold through Shelf Offering

                     0.13  
    


 


 


 


Ending NAV

   $ 11.31     $ 12.05     $ 12.68     $ 12.55  
    


 


 


 


Ending Share Price

   $ 10.72     $ 10.82     $ 12.40     $ 12.73  

Common Share Total Returns:

                                

Based on NAV(c)

     0.53     1.03 %     7.54 %     15.27

Based on Share Price(c)

     6.91     (6.74 )%     3.91 %     14.42

RATIOS/SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

                                

Ending Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares (000)

   $ 435,189     $ 463,729     $ 487,784     $ 482,204  

Ratios to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares Before Reimbursement(d)

                                

Expenses

     2.49     2.31 %     2.07 %     1.71

Net Investment Income (Loss)(f)

     6.91     6.41 %     6.16 %     7.73 %

Ratios to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares After Reimbursement(d)(e)

                                

Expenses

     N/A       N/A     N/A     N/A

Net Investment Income (Loss)(f)

     N/A       N/A     N/A     N/A

Portfolio Turnover Rate(i)

     27     34 %     55 %     72 %

AUCTION RATE PREFERRED SHARES AT THE END OF PERIOD

                                

Aggregate Amount Outstanding (000)

   $     $     $     $  

Liquidation and Market Value Per Share

   $     $     $     $  

Asset Coverage Per Share

   $     $     $     $  

BORROWINGS AT THE END OF PERIOD

                                

Aggregate Amount Outstanding (000)

   $ 166,800     $ 188,800     $ 188,000     $ 201,900  

Asset Coverage Per $1,000(g)

   $ 2,800     $ 2,617     $ 2,706     $ 3,388  

VRTP SHARES AT THE END OF PERIOD

                                

Aggregate Amount Outstanding (000)

   $ 75,000     $ 98,000     $ 98,000     $  

Asset Coverage Per $1,000 Share

   $ 279,979     $ 261,691     $ 270,554     $  

BORROWINGS VRTP SHARES AND/OR TERM PREFERRED AT THE END OF PERIOD

                                

Asset Coverage Per $1 Liquidation Preference

   $ 2.80     $ 2.62     $ 2.71     $  

  (a)   Per share Net Investment Income (Loss) is calculated using the average daily shares method.
  (b)   The amounts shown are based on Common share equivalents.
  (c)   Total Return Based on Common Share NAV is the combination of changes in Common share NAV, reinvested dividend income at NAV and reinvested capital gains distributions at NAV, if any. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending NAV. The actual reinvest price for the last dividend declared in the period may often be based on the Fund’s market price (and not its NAV), and therefore may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized.
       Total Return Based on Common Share Prices is the combination of changes in the market price per share and the effect of reinvested dividend income and reinvested capital gains distributions, if any, at the average price paid per share at the time of reinvestment. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending market price. The actual reinvestment for the last dividend declared in the period takes place over several days, and in some instances may not be based on the market price, so the actual reinvestment price may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized.
  (d)   • Ratios do not reflect the effect of dividend payments to Preferred shareholders, where applicable.
       • Net Investment Income (Loss) ratios reflect income earned and expenses incurred on assets attributable to Preferred shares and/or borrowings, where applicable.
       • Ratios do not reflect the effect of custodian fee credits earned on the Fund’s net cash on deposit with the custodian bank, where applicable.
       • Each ratio includes the effect of all interest expense paid and other costs related to borrowings, where applicable, as follows:

 

     Year Ended July 31,

 
     2016

    2015

    2014

    2013

    2012

    2011

    2010

    2009

    2008

    2007

 

Ratios of Interest Expense to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares(h)

     1.08     0.89     0.71     0.46     0.47     0.49 %     0.86 %     1.65 %     0.35 %      

 

  (e)   After expense reimbursement from the Adviser, where applicable. As of July 31, 2012, the Adviser is no longer reimbursing the Fund for any fees or expenses.

 

26


 

Year Ended July 31,

 
2012

    2011

    2010

    2009

    2008

    2007

 
                                             
$ 11.96     $ 11.34     $ 9.54     $ 11.75     $ 13.14     $ 13.95  



 


 


 


 


 


                                             
  1.13       1.12       1.01       0.73       1.41       1.62  
  (0.26     0.22       1.50       (2.15 )     (1.29 )     (0.78 )
              *     (0.07 )     (0.37 )     (0.43 )
                                 



 


 


 


 


 


  0.87       1.34       2.51       (1.49 )     (0.25 )     0.41  



 


 


 


 


 


                                             
  (1.01     (0.79 )     (0.71 )     (0.72 )     (1.14 )     (1.22 )
                                 



 


 


 


 


 


  (1.01     (0.79 )     (0.71 )     (0.72 )     (1.14 )     (1.22 )



 


 


 


 


 


                                             
                                 



 


 


 


 


 


                             



 


 


 


 


 


  0.02       0.07                          



 


 


 


 


 


$ 11.84     $ 11.96     $ 11.34     $ 9.54     $ 11.75     $ 13.14  



 


 


 


 


 


$ 12.09     $ 11.46     $ 11.64     $ 8.35     $ 10.06     $ 13.05  
                                             
  8.03     12.77 %     26.66 %     (10.57 )%     (1.99 )%     2.73 %
  15.20     5.20 %     49.00 %     (7.35 )%     (14.88 )%     7.13 %
                                             
$ 369,939     $ 364,883     $ 322,136     $ 271,125     $ 334,040     $ 373,366  
                                             
  1.74     1.75 %     2.14 %     3.35 %     2.06 %     1.61 %
  9.75     9.19 %     8.95 %     8.74 %     10.88 %     11.06 %
                                             
  1.65     1.56 %     1.84 %     2.86 %     1.55 %     1.13 %
  9.85     9.38 %     9.25 %     9.23 %     11.38 %     11.54 %
  85     101 %     58 %     41 %     33 %     81 %
                                             
$     $     $     $ 60,000     $ 100,000     $ 240,000  
$     $     $     $ 25,000     $ 25,000     $ 25,000  
$     $     $     $ 137,969     $ 108,510     $ 63,892  
                                             
$ 159,900     $ 117,270     $ 117,270     $ 37,350     $ 140,000        
$ 3,314     $ 4,111     $ 3,747     $ 9,865     $ 4,100        
                                             
$     $     $     $     $     $  
$     $     $     $     $     $  
                                             
$     $     $     $     $     $  

  (f)   Each ratio of Net Investment Income (Loss) includes the effect of the increase (decrease) of the net realizable value of the receivable for matured senior loans. The increase (decrease to the Ratios of Net Investment Income (Loss) to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares were as follows:

 

Increase (Decrease) to Ratios of Net Investment Income (Loss) to

Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares(j)


 

Year Ended 7/31

        

2016

    

2015

      

2014

      

2013

      

2012

     0.01  

2011

     0.02  

2010

     0.09  

2009

      

2008

      

2007

      
  (g)   For the fiscal years ended July 31, 2014 through July 31, 2016, Asset Coverage per $1,000 of Borrowings reflects the amount of Fund total assets (less all liabilities not represented by Borrowings and Preferred Shares) per $1,000 of the combined amount of Borrowings and outstanding Preferred Shares, which are considered to be debt for financial reporting purposes. For purposes of calculating Asset Coverage as defined under the 1940 Act, the outstanding Preferred Shares are excluded because they are considered to be equity. Calculated in accordance with the 1940 Act, the Asset Coverage per $1,000 of Borrowings reflect the amount of Fund total assets (less all liabilities not represented by Borrowings and Preferred Shares) per $1,000 of Borrowings alone, and the Asset Coverage per $1,000 of Borrowings for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2014, July 31, 2015 and July 31, 2016 are $4,116, $3,975 and $4,059, respectively.
  (h)   Borrowings Interest Expense includes all interest expense and other costs related to borrowings. For the periods prior to July 31, 2007, the Ratios of Borrowings Interest Expense to Average Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares does not include program and liquidity fees.
  (i)   Portfolio Turnover Rate is calculated based on the lesser of long-term purchases or sales (as disclosed in Note 5 – Investment Transactions, in the most recent Shareholder report) divided by the average long-term market value during the period.
  (j)   The Fund had no matured Senior loans subsequent to the fiscal year ended July 31, 2012, or prior to the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010.
  N/A   Fund does not have, or no longer has, a contractual reimbursement with the Adviser.
  *   Rounds to less than $.01 per share.

 

27


TRADING AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION

 

The following table shows for the periods indicated: (i) the high and low sales prices for the Common Shares reported as of the end of the day on the NYSE, (ii) the high and low net asset values of the Common Shares, and (iii) the high and low of the premium/(discount) to net asset value (expressed as a percentage) of the Common Shares.

 

     Market Price

     Net Asset Value

     Premium/(Discount)
to Net Asset Value


 

Fiscal Quarter Ended


   High

     Low

     High

     Low

     High

     Low

 

January 2017

   $ 12.40      $ 11.08      $ 11.77      $ 11.41        5.98%        (3.40)%  

October 2016

   $ 11.35      $ 10.52      $ 11.57      $ 11.30        (1.65)%        (6.98)%  

July 2016

   $ 10.72      $ 10.02      $ 11.31      $ 10.95        (4.84)%        (8.99)%  

April 2016

   $ 10.24      $ 8.83      $ 11.04      $ 10.21        (7.16)%        (13.85)%  

January 2016

   $ 10.08      $ 9.01      $ 11.46      $ 10.51        (9.23)%        (14.70)%  

October 2015

   $ 10.83      $ 9.85      $ 12.06      $ 11.43        (10.20)%        (14.13)%  

July 2015

   $ 11.63      $ 10.59      $ 12.43      $ 12.02        (6.21)%        (11.90)%  

April 2015

   $ 11.82      $ 11.16      $ 12.44      $ 12.18        (4.75)%        (8.37)%  

January 2015

   $ 11.45      $ 10.74      $ 12.42      $ 11.88        (7.06)%        (9.98)%  

October 2014

   $ 12.19      $ 10.78      $ 12.68      $ 12.16        (3.64)%        (11.57)%  

 

The net asset value per Common Share, the market price and percent premium/(discount) to net asset value per Common Share on February 15, 2017 was $11.73, $12.57 and 7.16%, respectively. As of December 31, 2016, the Fund had 38,480,453 Common Shares outstanding, 63,000 TP Shares outstanding, and net assets applicable to Common Shares of $450,504,708.

 

THE FUND

 

The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act. The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on April 27, 2004, pursuant to the Declaration governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Fund’s Common Shares are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “JRO.” The Fund has issued TP Shares, another type of preferred shares.

 

The Fund’s principal office is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, and its telephone number is (800) 257-8787.

 

The following provides information about the Fund’s outstanding Common Shares as of December 31, 2016:

 

Title of Class


   Amount
Authorized


     Amount Held
by the Fund or
for its Account


     Amount
Outstanding


 

Common

     unlimited        0        38,480,453  

Preferred

     unlimited                

TP Shares

     63,000        0        63,000  

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

The net proceeds from the issuance of Common Shares hereunder will be used by the Fund to invest in securities in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies as stated below. Pending investment, the timing of which may vary depending on the size of the investment but in no case is expected to exceed 30 days, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in short-term or long-term securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities or in high-quality, short-term money market instruments. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” and “Use of Leverage.”

 

28


THE FUND’S INVESTMENTS

 

Investment Objective and Policies

 

The Fund’s investment objective is to achieve a high level of current income. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s investment objective will be achieved.

 

In pursuing its objective of high current income, the Fund invests in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that may involve significant credit risk. As part of its efforts to manage this risk and the potential impact of such risk on the overall value and returns of the Fund’s portfolio, Symphony generally follows a credit management strategy that includes (i) a focus on Senior Loans that are secured by specific assets, (ii) rigorous and on-going bottom-up fundamental analysis of Issuers, and (iii) overall portfolio diversification. Symphony will perform its own credit and research analysis of Issuers, taking into consideration, among other things, the entity’s financial resources and operating history, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, the ability of its management, its debt maturity schedules and borrowing requirements, its anticipated cash flow, interest and asset coverage, and its earnings prospects. Even with these efforts, because of the greater degree of credit risk within the portfolio, the Fund’s net asset value could decline over time. In an effort to help preserve the Fund’s overall capital, Symphony seeks to enhance portfolio value by investing in securities it believes to be undervalued, which, if successful, can mitigate the potential loss of value due to credit events over time. Any capital appreciation realized by the Fund will generally result in the distribution of taxable capital gains to Common Stockholders. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

NFALLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation, including the use of leverage and hedging. Symphony, the Fund’s sub-adviser, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets. See “Management of the Fund.”

 

As a non-fundamental policy, under normal market circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans, primarily secured Senior Loans. As part of the 80% requirement, the Fund also may invest in adjustable rate unsecured Senior Loans and adjustable rate secured and unsecured subordinated loans. Senior Loans that the Fund intends to invest in are usually rated below investment grade, and share the same risks of other below investment grade debt instruments. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 65% of its Managed Assets in Senior Loans that are secured by specific collateral. Investment in adjustable rate instruments such as Adjustable Rate Loans is expected to minimize changes in the underlying principal value of such investments, and therefore, the Fund’s net asset value, resulting from changes in market interest rates.

 

Also as a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in the following adjustable or fixed rate securities: (i) other debt securities such as investment and non-investment grade debt securities, fixed rate Senior Loans or subordinated loans, convertible securities and structured notes, (other than structured notes that are designed to provide returns and risks that emulate those of Adjustable Rate Loans, which may be treated as an investment in Adjustable Rate Loans for purposes of the 80% requirement set forth above); (ii) mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities (including collateralized loan obligations and collateralized debt obligations); and (iii) debt securities and other instruments issued by government, government-related or supranational Issuers. No more than 5% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in each of convertible securities, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, and sovereign debt securities. The debt securities in which the Fund may invest may have short-term, intermediate-term or long-term maturities. The Fund also may receive warrants and equity securities issued by an Issuer or its affiliates in connection with the Fund’s other investments in such entities. Additionally, the Fund may invest its Managed Assets without limit in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that are, at the time of investment, rated below investment grade or unrated but judged to be of comparable quality.

 

Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are (i) rated by at least one NRSRO within the four highest grades (BBB- or Baa3 or better by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch, or (ii) unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. The Fund may purchase Senior Loans and other debt securities that are rated below investment grade, commonly referred to as junk bonds, or that are unrated but judged by Symphony to be of

 

29


comparable quality. Investment rating limitations are considered to apply only at the time of investment and the Fund is under no obligation to sell securities as a result of changes in market values or ratings. No more than 30% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities rated CCC+ or Caa or below by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. Securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” See Appendix A in the SAI for a description of security ratings.

 

The Fund’s policy under normal circumstances of investing at least 80% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans is not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed without a vote of the Common Shareholders. However, this policy may only be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees upon 60 days prior written notice to Common Shareholders.

 

Under normal market circumstances, Symphony maintains an average duration of one year or less for the Fund’s portfolio investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments. In comparison to maturity (which is the date on which a debt instrument ceases and the Issuer is obligated to repay the principal amount), duration is a measure of the price volatility of a debt instrument as a result of changes in market rates of interest, based on the weighted average timing of the instrument’s expected principal and interest payments. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers a security’s yield, coupon payments, principal payments and call features in addition to the amount of time until the security finally matures. As the value of a security changes over time, so will its duration. Prices of securities with shorter durations (such as the anticipated average duration of one year or less for the Fund’s portfolio investments as described above) tend to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with longer durations. In general, the value of a portfolio of securities with a shorter duration can be expected to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than a portfolio with a longer duration.

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund may not invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in securities from an industry which (for the purposes of this Prospectus) generally refers to the classification of companies in the same or similar lines of business such as the automotive, textiles and apparel, hotels, media production and consumer retailing industries. The Fund may invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in sectors which (for the purposes of this Prospectus) generally refers to broader classifications of industries, such as the consumer discretionary sector which includes the automotive, textiles and apparel, hotels, media production and consumer retailing industries, provided the Fund’s investment in a particular industry within the sector does not exceed the industry limitation. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable).

 

For a more complete discussion of the Fund’s initial portfolio composition, see “Portfolio Composition.”

 

The Fund cannot change its investment objective without the approval of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding” Common Shares and preferred shares voting together as a single class, and of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding” preferred shares voting as a separate class. When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less. See “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares—Voting Rights” and the SAI under “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares—Voting Rights” for additional information with respect to the voting rights of holders of preferred shares.

 

Overall Fund Management

 

NFALLC oversees Symphony in its management of the Fund’s portfolio. This oversight includes ongoing evaluation of Symphony’s investment performance, portfolio allocations, quality of investment process and personnel, compliance with Fund and regulatory guidelines, trade allocation and execution, and other factors.

 

30


NFALLC also oversees the Fund’s use of leverage, and efforts to minimize the costs and mitigate the risks to Common Shareholders associated with using leverage. See “Use of Leverage” and “Hedging Transactions” below. This may involve making adjustments to investment policies in an attempt to minimize costs and mitigate risks.

 

Symphony Investment Philosophy and Process

 

Investment Philosophy.    Symphony is responsible for the day-to-day investment operations of the Fund. Symphony believes that managing risk, particularly for volatile assets such as Adjustable Rate Loans and other forms of high yield debt, is of paramount importance. Symphony believes that a combination of fundamental credit analysis and valuation information that is available from the equity markets provide a means of identifying what it believes to be superior investment candidates. Additionally, Symphony focuses primarily on liquid securities to help ensure that exit strategies remain available under different market conditions.

 

Investment Process.    In identifying Adjustable Rate Loans and other securities for potential purchase, Symphony combines quantitative screening and fundamental and relative value analysis. Symphony evaluates the identified investment candidates for liquidity constraints and favorable capital structures. The investment team then performs rigorous bottom-up fundamental analysis to identify investments with sound industry fundamentals, cash flow sufficiency and asset quality. The final portfolio is constructed using risk management and monitoring systems to ensure proper diversification.

 

Portfolio Composition and Other Information

 

The Fund’s portfolio is composed principally of the following investments. A more detailed description of the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions and more detailed information about the Fund’s portfolio investments are contained in the SAI.

 

Senior Loans.    The Fund may invest in (i) Senior Loans made by banks or other financial institutions to Borrowers, (ii) assignments of such interests in Senior Loans, or (iii) participation interests in Senior Loans. Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a Borrower, are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The capital structure of a Borrower may include Senior Loans, senior and junior subordinated debt, preferred stock and common stock issued by the Borrower, typically in descending order of seniority with respect to claims on the Borrower’s assets. The proceeds of Senior Loans primarily are used by Borrowers to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, resfinancings, internal growth and for other corporate purposes. A Senior Loan is typically originated, negotiated and structured by a U.S. or non-U.S. commercial bank, insurance company, finance company or other financial institution (“Agent”) for a lending syndicate of financial institutions which typically includes the Agent (“Lenders”). The Agent typically administers and enforces the Senior Loan on behalf of the other Lenders in the syndicate. In addition, an institution, typically but not always the Agent, holds any collateral on behalf of the Lenders. The Fund normally will rely primarily on the Agent to collect principal of and interest on a Senior Loan. Also, the Fund usually will rely on the Agent to monitor compliance by the Borrower with the restrictive covenants in a loan agreement.

 

Senior Loans in which the Fund invests generally pay interest at rates that are redetermined periodically at short-term intervals by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium. Senior Loans typically have rates of interest that are redetermined either daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate plus a premium or credit spread. These base lending rates are primarily LIBOR, (of any tenor, but typically between one month and six months, and currency), and secondarily the prime rate offered by one or more major U.S. banks (the “Prime Rate”) and the certificate of deposit (“CD”) rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders. As adjustable rate loans, the frequency of how often a Senior Loan resets its interest rate will impact how closely such Senior Loans track current market interest rates. The Senior Loans held by the Fund

 

31


will have a dollar-weighted average period until the next interest rate adjustment of approximately 90 days or less. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should decrease. The Fund may utilize derivative instruments to shorten the effective interest rate redetermination period of Senior Loans in its portfolio. Senior Loans typically have a stated term of between one and eight years. In the experience of Symphony, the average life of Senior Loans in recent years has been approximately two years because of prepayments.

 

The Fund primarily purchases Senior Loans by assignment from a participant in the original syndicate of lenders or from subsequent assignees of such interests. 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.

 

Although Senior Loans have the most senior position in a Borrower’s capital structure and are often secured by specific collateral, they are typically below investment grade quality and may have below investment grade ratings; these ratings are associated with securities having speculative characteristics. Senior loans rated below investment grade may therefore be regarded as “junk,” despite their senior capital structure position or specific collateral pledged to secure such loans. The Fund may purchase participation interests in the original syndicate making Senior Loans. Loan participation interests typically represent direct participations in a loan to a corporate Borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndications, or can buy part of a Senior Loan, becoming a part Lender. When purchasing a participation interest, the Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the corporate Borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The participation interests in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by any NRSRO. Given the Fund’s policy to invest up to 30% of its Managed Assets in Senior Loans and other debt securities that are, at the time of investment, rated CCC+ or Caa or below by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch (see “Investment Objective and Policies” in the Prospectus Summary), the Fund may invest, at the time of investment, no more than 30% of its Managed Assets in Borrowers that, at the time of investment, have filed for protection under the federal bankruptcy laws or that have had involuntary bankruptcy petitions filed against them by creditors. Investment rating limitations are considered to apply only at the time of investment and the Fund is under no obligation to sell securities as a result of changes in market values or ratings. You should expect the Fund’s net asset value to fluctuate as a result of changes in the credit quality of Borrowers and other factors. A serious deterioration in the credit quality of one or more Borrowers could cause a permanent decrease in the Fund’s net asset value. See “Risk Factors—Security Level Risks—Senior Loan Participation Risk.”

 

The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio Senior Loans where the Borrowers have experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. Such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation. At times, in connection with the restructuring of a Senior Loan either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities or junior debt securities in exchange for all or a portion of a Senior Loan. See “—Warrants and Equity Securities.”

 

Adjustable Rate Subordinated Loans.    The subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest are typically privately-negotiated investments that rank subordinate in priority of payment to senior debt, such as Senior Loans, and are often unsecured. However, such subordinated loans rank senior to common and preferred equity in a Borrower’s capital structure. Subordinated loans may have elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering fixed or adjustable rates of return in the form of interest payments associated with senior debt, while providing lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a Borrower, if any, through an equity interest. This equity interest may take the form of warrants or direct equity investments which will be in

 

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conjunction with the subordinated loans. Due to their higher risk profile and often less restrictive covenants as compared to Senior Loans, subordinated loans generally earn a higher return than secured Senior Loans. The warrants associated with subordinated loans are typically detachable, which allows lenders the opportunity to receive repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining their equity interest in the Borrower. Subordinated loans also may include a “put” feature, which permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the Borrower at a price determined through an agreed formula.

 

The Fund may invest in subordinated loans that are primarily unsecured and that provide for relatively high, adjustable rates of interest, providing the Fund with significant current interest income. The subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest may have interest-only payments in the early years, with amortization of principal deferred to the later years of the subordinated loans. In some cases, the Fund may acquire subordinated loans that, by their terms, convert into equity or additional debt securities or defer payments of interest for the first few years after issuance. Also, in some cases the subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest will be collateralized by a subordinated lien on some or all of the assets of the Borrower. Typically, subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest will have maturities of four to eight years.

 

The subordinated loan industry is highly specialized and the Fund will rely on Symphony and its employees’ expertise in sourcing, evaluating, structuring, documenting and monitoring such investments by the Fund.

 

Protective Provisions of Senior Loans.    Secured Senior Loans generally have the most senior position in a Borrower’s capital structure, although some Senior Loans may hold an equal ranking with other senior securities of the Borrower. The capital structure of a Borrower may include Senior Loans, senior and junior subordinated debt (which may include “junk bonds”), preferred stock and common stock issued by the Borrower, typically in descending order of seniority with respect to claims on the Borrower’s assets.

 

Senior Loans generally are secured by specific collateral, which may include guarantees. In order to borrow money pursuant to collateralized Senior Loans, a Borrower will frequently, for the term of the Senior Loan, pledge as collateral assets such as trademarks, accounts receivable, inventory, buildings, real estate, franchises and common and preferred stock in its subsidiaries. In addition, in the case of some Senior Loans, there may be additional collateral pledged in the form of guarantees or other credit support by and/or securities of affiliates of the Borrowers. In certain instances, a collateralized Senior Loan may be secured only by stock in the Borrower or its subsidiaries.

 

Collateral may consist of assets that may not be readily liquidated, and there is no assurance that the liquidation of such assets would satisfy fully a Borrower’s obligations under a Senior Loan. The Fund may invest in Senior Loans which are not secured by any collateral, subject to the limitations set forth under “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Objective and Policies.” Senior Loans that are not secured by specific collateral generally pose a greater risk of non-payment of interest or loss of principal than do collateralized Senior Loans.

 

Loan Agreements may include various restrictive covenants designed to limit the activities of the Borrower in an effort to protect the right of the Lenders to receive timely payments of interest on and repayment of principal of the Senior Loans. Restrictive covenants may include mandatory prepayment provisions arising from excess cash flows and typically include restrictions on dividend payments, specific mandatory minimum financial ratios, limits on total debt and other financial tests. Breach of such covenants, if not waived by the Lenders, is generally an event of default under the applicable Loan Agreement and may give the Lenders the right to accelerate principal and interest payments. When the Fund holds a Participation in a Senior Loan it may not have the right to vote to waive enforcement of any restrictive covenant breached by a Borrower. Lenders voting in connection with a potential waiver of a restrictive covenant may have interests different from those of the Fund and such Lenders may not consider the interests of the Fund in connection with their votes. Investing in Senior Loans involves investment risk despite these covenants, and some Borrowers default on their Senior Loan payments.

 

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The Fund acting as Original Lender, Sole Lender and/or Agent.    The Fund, in connection with its investments in senior and subordinated loans, particularly those made to middle-market companies, may act as one of the group of lenders originating a loan (“Originating Lender”), may purchase the entire amount of a particular loan (“Sole Lender”), and may act as Agent in the negotiation of the terms of a loan and in the formation of a group of investors in a Borrower’s loan.

 

The Fund as Originating Lender or Sole Lender.    When the Fund acts as an Originating Lender or Sole Lender it will generally participate in structuring the loan, and may share in an origination fee paid by the Borrower. When the Fund is an Originating Lender or Sole Lender it will generally have a direct contractual relationship with the Borrower, and may enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement. As Sole Lender the Fund generally also would have full voting and consent rights under the applicable loan agreement.

 

The Fund as Agent.    Acting in the capacity of an Agent with respect to a loan may subject the Fund to certain risks in addition to those associated with the Fund’s role as a lender. In consideration of such risks, the Fund invests no more than 20% of its total assets in Senior Loans in which it acts as an Agent or co-Agent and the size of any such individual Senior Loan will not exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets. See “Risk Factors—Security Level Risks—Senior Loan Agent Risk.”

 

The Fund’s ability to receive fee income is constrained by certain requirements for qualifying as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Fund intends to comply with those requirements and may limit its investments in loans in which it acts as Originating Lender, Sole Lender or Agent in order to do so.

 

Other Investments.    The Fund may invest in fixed or floating rate debt instruments and other securities as described below:

 

Mezzanine Loans.     The Fund may invest in mezzanine loans. Structurally, mezzanine loans usually rank subordinate in priority of payment to senior debt, such as senior bank debt, and are often unsecured. However, mezzanine loans rank senior to common and preferred equity in a borrower’s capital structure. Mezzanine debt is often used in leveraged buyout and real estate finance transactions. Typically, mezzanine loans have elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering the fixed returns in the form of interest payments associated with senior debt, while providing lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a borrower, if any, through an equity interest. This equity interest typically takes the form of warrants. Due to their higher risk profile and often less restrictive covenants as compared to senior loans, mezzanine loans generally earn a higher return than senior secured loans. The warrants associated with mezzanine loans are typically detachable, which allows lenders to receive repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining their equity interest in the borrower. Mezzanine loans also may include a “put” feature, which permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the borrower at a price determined through an agreed-upon formula. Mezzanine investments may be issued with or without registration rights. Similar to other high yield securities, maturities of mezzanine investments are typically seven to ten years, but the expected average life is significantly shorter at three to five years. Mezzanine investments are usually unsecured and subordinate to other obligations of the issuer.

 

Mezzanine loans involve certain risk considerations. For example, in the case of secured mezzanine loans, the terms of such loans may restrict transfer of the interests securing such loan (including an involuntary transfer upon foreclosure) or may require the consent of the senior lender or other members or partners of or equity holders in the related real estate company, or may otherwise prohibit a change of control of the related real estate company. These and other limitations on realization on the collateral securing a mezzanine loan or the practical limitations on the availability and effectiveness of such a remedy may affect the likelihood of repayment in the event of a default.

 

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Other Corporate Debt Instruments.    Corporate debt instruments generally are used by corporations to borrow money from investors. The Issuer pays the investor a fixed or variable rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. Certain debt instruments in which the Fund may invest may be “perpetual” in that they have no maturity date and some may be convertible into equity securities of the Issuer or its affiliates. The Fund may invest in debt instruments of any quality and such debt instruments may be secured or unsecured. In addition, certain debt instruments in which the Fund may invest may be subordinated to the payment of an Issuer’s senior debt.

 

Derivatives; Structured Notes.    The Fund may utilize derivatives, structured notes and similar instruments (referred to collectively as “structured notes”) for investment purposes and also for hedging purposes. Structured notes are privately negotiated debt obligations, swap agreements or economically equivalent instruments where the principal and/or interest to be received by the investor is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate (an “embedded index”), such as selected securities or loans, an index of securities or loans, or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets. The interest and/or principal payments that may be made on a structured product may vary widely, depending on a variety of factors, including the volatility of the embedded index and the effect of changes in the embedded index on principal and/or interest payments.

 

The Fund may invest in structured notes that are designed to provide returns and risks that emulate those of Adjustable Rate Loans, the Fund may treat the value of (or, if applicable, the notional amount of) such investment as an investment in Adjustable Rate Loans for purposes of determining compliance with the requirement set forth above that at least 80% of the Fund’s Managed Assets be invested under normal market circumstances in Adjustable Rate Loans.

 

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments including total return swaps; interest rate swaps; credit default swaps; interest rate caps; interest rate floors; interest rate collars; swaptions; credit-linked notes; securities indices; other indices or other financial instruments; stock and bond index futures; futures contracts on securities; options on securities; options on futures contracts; options on stock and bond indexes; interest rate futures; exchange-traded and over-the-counter options on securities or indices; index linked securities; currency exchange transactions; financial futures; options on financial futures; index futures; index options; index options on futures contracts; interest rate options; interest rate option on futures contracts; short sales; structured notes; options on U.S. Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency securities; U.S. Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency security futures contracts; and options on U.S. Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency security futures contracts.

 

The Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments as a hedging technique to protect against potential adverse changes in the market value of portfolio securities. The Fund also may use derivatives to attempt to protect the NAV of the Fund, to facilitate the sale of certain portfolio securities, to manage the Fund’s effective interest rate exposure, or as a means of gaining investment exposure.

 

Such instruments may include total return swaps whose prices, in Symphony’s opinion, correlate with the prices of the Adjustable Rate Loans, primarily Senior Loans, in which the Fund primarily invests. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from the underlying asset(s), which may include indices, securities or baskets of securities during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from other underlying asset(s).

 

The Fund may utilize total return swaps as a component of “synthetic” investments. A “synthetic” investment is comprised of two components that, when combined, replicate or emulate the economic exposure of a third investment. The Fund may use the combination of a total return swap and cash equivalents to replicate or emulate exposure to Senior Loans. The cash equivalent market value effectively represents the “principal” portion of such “synthetic” Senior Loan exposure, and the total return swap market value (not notional value) represents the “interest” and/or “return” portion of such Senior Loan exposure. When combined, these two components provide the investment profile of a direct investment in Senior Loans.

 

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For purposes of the investment policy requiring the Fund to invest at least 80% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans, the Fund will treat only the positive valuation of the total return swap portion of a synthetic investment as counting towards the 80% policy, and will value such swap using mark-to-market principles in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. In the event that applicable rules or SEC guidance change, the Fund may, to the extent permitted, incorporate such change in the calculation of a synthetic investment as an “Adjustable Rate Loan” for purposes of the Fund’s 80% policy.

 

The Fund may invest up to 5% of its Managed Assets in iBoxx Loan Total Return Swaps (as defined below). An iBoxx Loan Total Return Swap is a specific type of total return swap on an index that is designed to provide exposure to the Senior Loan market. The iBoxx Loan Total Return Swap’s underlying index is the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Leveraged Loans Total Return Index, which is one of a subset of indices designed to track the broader, rules-based Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Leveraged Loan Index. “iBoxx Loan Total Return Swaps” means total return swaps written on the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Leveraged Loans Total Return Index. Markit, which is not affiliated with Nuveen Investments or the Fund, created this rules-based index to seek to track the broader senior loan market with a smaller subset of the more liquid index constituents (i.e., constituents with greater transparent price discovery, smaller bid-offer spreads, and larger tradeable sizes at particular price quotes). The Fund believes that iBoxx Loan Total Return Swaps provide an efficient and cost-effective basis for obtaining exposure to the senior loan market. These total return swaps use standardized trading and short form, electronic conformations, which offer increased efficiency and lower costs than traditional total return swaps, which use variable or customized trading documentation and paper confirmations. The Fund anticipates using iBoxx Loan Total Return Swaps as a component of “synthetic investments” that, when combined with cash equivalents, replicate or emulate exposure to Senior Loans, as described above. iBoxx Loan Total Return Swaps share risks that are similar to other derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest. See “Risk Factors—Security Level Risks—Derivatives Risk, Including the Risk of Swaps.”

 

Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with a counterparty of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest of different rates and tenors, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. The Fund will usually enter into interest rate swaps on a net basis; that is, the two payment streams will be netted out in a cash settlement on the payment date or dates specified in the instrument, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments.

 

Other derivative instruments that may be used, or other transactions that may be entered into, by the Fund may include the purchase or sale of futures contracts on securities, credit-linked notes, securities indices, other indices or other financial instruments; options on futures contracts; exchange-traded and over-the-counter options on securities or indices; index linked securities; total return swaps; and currency exchange transactions. Some, but not all, of the derivative instruments may be traded and listed on an exchange. The positions in derivatives will be marked-to-market daily at the closing price established on the exchange or at a fair value.

 

There is no assurance that these derivative strategies will be available at any time, that NFALLC and Symphony will determine to use them for the Fund or, if used, that the strategies will be successful.

 

U.S. Government Securities.    U.S. Government securities include (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years) and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are supported by any of the following: (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the right of the Issuer to borrow an amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or (iv) the credit of the agency or instrumentality. The Fund also may invest in any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities. Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Banks, Banks for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHLMC, FNMA, GNMA, Student Loan Marketing Association, United States Postal Service, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the

 

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U.S. Government. Because the U.S. Government generally is not obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities, the Fund invests in obligations issued by these instrumentalities only if Symphony determines that the credit risk with respect to such obligations is minimal.

 

The principal of and/or interest on certain U.S. Government securities which may be purchased by the Fund could be (i) payable in non-U.S. currencies rather than U.S. dollars or (b) increased or diminished as a result of changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the value of non-U.S. currencies. The value of such portfolio securities may be affected by changes in the exchange rate between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar.

 

Commercial Paper.    Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by corporations such as banks or bank holding companies and finance companies. The rate of return on commercial paper may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies.

 

Warrants and Equity Securities.    The Fund may acquire equity securities and warrants issued by an Issuer or its affiliates as part of a package of investments in the Issuer or its affiliates issued in connection with an Adjustable Rate Loan or other debt instrument of the Issuer. The Fund also may convert a warrant so acquired into the underlying security. Investments in warrants and equity securities entail certain risks in addition to those associated with investments in Adjustable Rate Loans or other debt instruments. The value of warrants and equity securities may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may possess material non-public information about an Issuer as a result of its ownership of an Adjustable Rate Loan or other debt instrument of such Issuer. Because of prohibitions on trading in securities of Issuers while in possession of such information, the Fund might be unable to enter into a transaction in a security of such an Issuer when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.

 

Repurchase Agreements.    For cash management purposes, the Fund may enter into repurchase agreements (a purchase of, and a simultaneous commitment to resell, a financial instrument at an agreed upon price on an agreed upon date) only with member banks of the Federal Reserve System and member firms of the NYSE. When participating in repurchase agreements, the Fund buys securities from a vendor, e.g., a bank or brokerage firm, with the agreement that the vendor will repurchase the securities at a higher price at a later date. Such transactions afford an opportunity for the Fund to earn a return on available cash at minimal market risk, although the Fund may be subject to various delays and risks of loss if the vendor is unable to meet its obligation to repurchase. Under the 1940 Act, repurchase agreements are deemed to be collateralized loans of money by the Fund to the seller. In evaluating whether to enter into a repurchase agreement, NFALLC will consider carefully the creditworthiness of the vendor. If the member bank or member firm that is the party to the repurchase agreement petitions for bankruptcy or otherwise becomes subject to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the Fund might experience delays in recovering its cash. The securities underlying a repurchase agreement will be marked to market every business day so that the value of the collateral is at least equal to the value of the loan, including the accrued interest thereon, and the Adviser will monitor the value of the collateral. No specific limitation exists as to the percentage of the Fund’s assets which may be used to participate in repurchase agreements.

 

Other Securities.    The Fund may invest in mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, and sovereign debt securities, each of which are discussed in more detail in the SAI.

 

Securities Issued by Non-U.S. Issuers.    The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments of non-U.S. Issuers may include debt securities of Issuers located, or conducting their business in, emerging markets countries. The Fund may invest in any region of the world and invest in companies operating in developed countries such as Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most Western European countries. As used in this Prospectus, an “emerging market” country is any country determined to have an emerging markets economy, considering, among other things, factors such as

 

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whether the country has a low-to-middle-income economy according to the World Bank or its related organizations, the country’s credit rating, its political and economic stability and the development of its financial and capital markets. These countries generally include countries located in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern and Central Europe.

 

Zero Coupon Bonds.    The Fund’s investments in debt securities may be in the form of a zero coupon bond. A zero coupon bond is a bond that does not pay interest for the entire life of the obligation. Zero coupon bonds allow an Issuer to avoid or delay the need to generate cash to meet current interest payments and, as a result, may involve greater credit risk than bonds that pay interest currently. The Fund would be required to distribute the income on any of these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund will not receive any of the income on a current basis. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments, including when it may not be advisable to do so, to make income distributions to its Common Shareholders.

 

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions.    The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15 to 45 days of the trade date. This type of transaction may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the securities prior to settlement and, because securities are subject to market fluctuations, the value of the securities at time of delivery may be less (or more) than their cost. A separate account of the Fund will be established with its custodian consisting of cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times at least equal to the amount of any delayed payment commitment.

 

No Inverse Floating Rate Securities.    The Fund will not invest in inverse floating rate securities, which are securities that pay interest at rates that vary inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates and which represent a leveraged investment in an underlying security.

 

Hedging Transactions.    The Fund may use derivatives or other transactions for the purpose of hedging the portfolio’s exposure to high yield credit risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and the risk of increases in interest rates. The specific derivative instruments to be used, or other transactions to be entered into, each for hedging purposes may include the purchase or sale of futures contracts on securities, credit-linked notes, securities indices, other indices or other financial instruments; options on futures contracts; exchange-traded and over-the-counter options on securities or indices; index linked securities; swaps; and currency exchange transactions. Some, but not all, of the derivative instruments may be traded and listed on an exchange. The positions in derivatives will be marked-to-market daily at the closing price established on the exchange or at a fair value. See “Hedging Transactions,” and “Risk Factors—Counterparty Risk” in this Prospectus and “Other Investment Policies and Techniques” in the Fund’s SAI for further information on hedging transactions.

 

Illiquid Securities.    The Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable). For this purpose, illiquid securities may include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may only be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, that are deemed to be illiquid, and certain repurchase agreements. The privately negotiated subordinated loans to middle-market companies in which the Fund may invest are likely to be illiquid. The Board of Trustees or its delegate has the ultimate authority to determine which securities are liquid or illiquid for purposes of this 50% limitation. The Board of Trustees has delegated to the Advisers the day-to-day determination of the illiquidity of any security held by the Fund, although it has retained oversight and ultimate responsibility for such determinations. No definitive liquidity criteria are used. The Board of Trustees has directed the Advisers when making liquidity determinations to look for such factors as (i) the nature of the market for a security (including the institutional private resale market; the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security; the amount of time normally needed to dispose of the security; and the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer), (ii) the terms of certain securities or other instruments allowing for the disposition to a third party or the Issuer thereof (e.g., certain repurchase obligations and demand instruments), and (iii) other relevant factors.

 

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Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. Illiquid securities will be priced at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or its delegate. If, through the appreciation of illiquid securities or the depreciation of liquid securities, the Fund should be in a position where more than 50% of the value of its Managed Assets is invested in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that are not readily marketable, the Fund will take such steps as are deemed advisable, if any, to protect liquidity.

 

Short-Term/Long-Term Debt Securities; Temporary Defensive Position.    During temporary defensive periods (e.g., times of adverse market, economic or political conditions), the Fund may deviate from its investment objective and invest all or any portion of its assets in investment grade debt securities, including obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. In such a case, the Fund may not pursue or achieve its investment objective during such period.

 

Lending of Portfolio Securities.    To increase its income, the Fund may lend financial instruments in its portfolio. Such loans may be made to brokers, dealers, banks or other recognized institutional borrowers of financial instruments and would be required to be secured continuously by collateral, including cash, cash equivalents or U.S. Treasury bills maintained on a current basis at an amount at least equal to the market value of the financial instruments loaned. The Fund would have the right to call a loan and obtain the financial instruments loaned at any time on five days’ notice. For the duration of a loan, the Fund would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest paid by the issuer on the financial instruments loaned and also may receive compensation from the investment of the collateral.

 

The Fund would not have the right to vote any financial instruments having voting rights during the existence of the loan, but the Fund could call the loan in anticipation of an important vote to be taken among holders of the financial instruments or in anticipation of the giving or withholding of their consent on a material matter affecting the financial instruments. As with other extensions of credit, risks of delay in recovery or even loss of rights in the collateral exist should the borrower of the financial instruments fail financially. However, the loans would be made only to firms deemed by Symphony to be creditworthy and when, in the judgment of Symphony, the consideration which can be earned currently from loans of this type justifies the attendant risk. The creditworthiness of firms to which the Fund lends its portfolio holdings will be monitored on an ongoing basis by Symphony. Although no specific policy limits the percentage of the Fund’s assets which the Fund may lend, under current SEC guidance the Fund may not have on loan at any given time securities representing more than one-third of its total asset value.

 

Other Investment Companies.    The Fund may invest up to 10% of its Managed Assets in securities of other open- or closed-end investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. In addition, the Fund may invest a portion of its Managed Assets in pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. The Fund generally expects that it may invest in other investment companies and/or other pooled investment vehicles either during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash, such as the period shortly after the Fund receives the proceeds of the offering of its Common Shares, preferred shares and/or Borrowings, or during periods when there is a shortage of attractive securities of the types in which the Fund may invest in directly available in the market. The Fund may invest in investment companies that are advised by NFALLC or its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law and/or pursuant to exemptive relief from the SEC. As an investor in an investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Common Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. Symphony will take

 

39


expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in the investment company relative to available securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. In addition, the securities of other investment companies also may be leveraged and therefore will be subject to the same leverage risks described herein. As described in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” the net asset value and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares. The Fund will treat its investments in such investment companies as investments in Adjustable Rate Loans for all purposes, such as for purposes of determining compliance with the requirement set forth above that at least 80% of the Fund’s Managed Assets be invested under normal market circumstances in Adjustable Rate Loans.

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

 

The Fund may engage in portfolio trading when considered appropriate, but short-term trading will not be used as the primary means of achieving the Fund’s investment objective. Although the Fund cannot accurately predict its annual portfolio turnover rate, it is generally not expected to exceed 50% under normal circumstances. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 27%. However, there are no limits on the Fund’s rate of portfolio turnover, and investments may be sold without regard to length of time held when, in the opinion of Symphony, investment considerations warrant such action. A higher portfolio turnover rate would result in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Fund. Although these commissions and expenses are not reflected in the Fund’s “Total Annual Expenses” on page 22 of this prospectus, under “Summary of Fund Expenses,” as a percentage of net assets, they will be reflected in the Fund’s total return. In addition, high portfolio turnover may result in the realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. See “Tax Matters.”

 

FUND ALLOCATION

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the composition of the Fund’s securities, as a Percentage of net assets, as of July 31, 2016.

 

Fund Allocation*


   Percent

 

Variable Rate Senior Loan Interests

     127.3

Common Stocks

     1.9

$25 Par (or similar) Retail Preferred

     0.0

Convertible Bonds

     0.1

Corporate Bonds

     16.7

Asset-Backed Securities

     6.1

Repurchase Agreements

     5.6

Other Assets Less Liabilities

     (2.2 )% 
    


Net Assets Plus Borrowings and VRTP Shares, at Liquidation Preference

     155.5%  
    


Borrowings

     (38.3 )% 

VRTP Shares, at Liquidation Preference

     (17.2 )% 
    


Net Assets

     100%  
    



  *   The relative percentages of the value of the investments attributable the securities could change over time as a result of rebalancing the Fund’s assets by Symphony, market value fluctuations, issuance of additional shares and other events.

 

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USE OF LEVERAGE

 

Regulatory leverage consists of “senior securities” as defined under the 1940 Act, which include (1) borrowings, including loans from financial institutions (“Borrowings”); (2) issuance of debt securities; and (3) issuance of preferred shares ((1),(2), and (3) are hereinafter collectively referred to as “regulatory leverage”). The Fund may utilize regulatory leverage to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act.

 

The amounts and forms of leverage used by the Fund may vary with prevailing market or economic conditions. The timing and terms of any leverage transactions is determined by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

 

The Fund currently employs regulatory leverage through borrowings and currently has outstanding TP Shares. The Fund has entered into a credit agreement with Toronto-Dominion Bank, New York Branch (“TD Bank”) as a lender (the “Credit Agreement”). The borrowing capacity under the Credit Agreement is $195 million. The term of the Credit Agreement ends on December 23, 2017, unless extended. TD Bank may terminate the Credit Agreement upon 179 days’ prior notice. The Fund has the right to augment or replace the Credit Agreement with a new credit agreement in the future, and any such augmented or replacement credit agreement may contain terms that are materially different than the terms contained in the existing Credit Agreement. This credit facility is secured by substantially all of the assets of the Fund. As of July 31, 2016, the Fund had entered into a credit agreement with several conduit lenders and Citibank, N.A. as a lender, liquidity provider and as agent for the lenders (collectively, “Citibank”) (“Citibank Credit Agreement”) and, as of that date, the Fund’s outstanding balance on the Citibank Credit Agreement was $166,800,000. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the average daily balance outstanding and the average annual interest rate on these Borrowings were $164,933,880 and 1.28%, respectively.

 

The amount of outstanding borrowings may vary with prevailing market or economic conditions. The Fund borrows money at rates generally available to institutional investors. The timing and terms of any leverage transactions is determined by the Fund’s Board of Trustees. Following an offering of additional Common Shares from time to time, the Fund’s leverage ratio will decrease as a result of the increase in net assets attributable to Common Shares. The Fund’s leverage ratio may decline further to the extent that the net proceeds of an offering of Common Shares are used to reduce the Fund’s financial leverage. A lower leverage ratio may result in lower (higher) returns to Common Shareholders over a period of time to the extent that net returns on the Fund’s investment portfolio exceed (fall below) its cost of leverage over that period, which lower (higher) returns may impact the level of the Fund’s distributions. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk.”

 

Borrowings and TP Shares have seniority over the Common Shares. Leverage involves special risks. There is no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful. The Fund will seek to invest the proceeds from financial leverage in a manner consistent with the Fund’s objective and policies.

 

The Fund anticipates that the financing costs of the instruments used to create its leverage will be based upon short-term adjustable rates that are reset periodically. So long as the Fund’s portfolio is invested in securities that provide a higher rate of return than the Fund’s cost of leverage (after taking expenses into consideration), the leverage will cause you to receive a higher current rate of return than if the Fund were not leveraged.

 

Changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio, including costs attributable to Borrowings or preferred shares, if any, will be borne entirely by the Common Shareholders. If there is a net decrease (or increase) in the value of the Fund’s investment portfolio, the leverage will decrease (or increase) the net asset value per Common Share to a greater extent than if the Fund were not leveraged.

 

The Fund pays a management fee to NFALLC (which in turn pays a portion of its fee to Symphony) based on a percentage of Managed Assets. NFALLC will base its decision regarding whether and how much leverage to use for the Fund based on its assessment of whether such use of leverage is in the best interests of the Fund. However, the fact that a decision to employ or increase the Fund’s leverage will have the effect, all other things

 

41


being equal, of increasing Managed Assets and therefore the amount of fees paid to NFALLC. This means that NFALLC may have a conflict of interest in determining whether to use or increase leverage. NFALLC will seek to manage that potential conflict by leveraging the Fund (or increasing such leverage) only when it determines that such action is in the best interests of the Fund, and by periodically reviewing the Fund’s performance and use of leverage with the Board of Trustees.

 

For tax purposes, the Fund is currently required to allocate net capital gain and other taxable income, if any, between the Common Shares and preferred shares, including TP Shares, in proportion to total dividends paid to each class for the year in which the net capital gain or other taxable income is realized. If net capital gain or other taxable income is allocated to preferred shares (instead of solely tax-exempt income), the Fund will likely have to pay higher total dividends to preferred shareholders or make special payments to preferred shareholders to compensate them for the increased tax liability. This would reduce the total amount of dividends paid to the Common Shareholders.

 

Under the 1940 Act, the Fund generally is not permitted to borrow or issue commercial paper or notes or borrow unless immediately after the borrowing or commercial paper or note issuance the value of the Fund’s total assets less liabilities other than the principal amount represented by commercial paper, notes or borrowings, is at least 300% of such principal amount. The Fund intends, to the extent possible, to prepay all or a portion of the principal amount of any outstanding borrowing, notes or commercial paper to the extent necessary in order to maintain the required asset coverage. Failure to maintain certain asset coverage requirements could result in an event of default and entitle the debt holders to elect a majority of the Board of Trustees.

 

Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to issue preferred shares unless immediately after such issuance, the value of the Fund’s asset coverage 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 asset coverage). 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 value of the Fund’s asset coverage less liabilities other than borrowings is at least 200% of such liquidation value. The Fund intends, to the extent possible, to purchase or redeem preferred shares, including TP Shares, from time to time to the extent necessary in order to maintain asset coverage with respect to the preferred shares. Though it does not currently, if the Fund were to have preferred shares outstanding, two of the Fund’s trustees would be elected by the holders of preferred shares, voting separately as a class. The remaining trustees of the Fund would be elected by holders of Common Shares and preferred shares voting together as a single class. In the event the Fund would fail to pay dividends on preferred shares for two years, preferred shareholders would be entitled to elect a majority of the trustees of the Fund.

 

The Fund is subject to requirements imposed by its use of leverage through Borrowings, including the Credit Agreement, and its Preferred Shares, including TP Shares. These requirements may include asset coverage and/or restrictions relating to portfolio characteristics such as portfolio diversification and credit rating criteria. In addition, the TP Shares are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a rating by at least one NRSRO and are subject to asset coverage requirements of 225%. While these restrictions may be different than those under the 1940 Act, it is not anticipated that these restrictions will impede the management of the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies. However, in order to maintain such requirements, the Fund may be required to take certain actions, such as redeeming Preferred Shares or reducing Borrowings with the proceeds from portfolio transactions at what might be an in opportune time in the market. Such actions could reduce the net earnings or returns to Common Shareholders over time. In addition to other considerations, to the extent that the Fund believes that these requirements would impede its ability to meet its investment objective, the Fund will not incur additional borrowings or issue additional preferred shares.

 

Assuming the utilization of leverage through borrowings in the aggregate amount of approximately 30% of the Fund’s Managed Assets, at a combined interest or payment rate of 1.75% payable on such leverage, the income generated by the Fund’s portfolio (net of non-leverage expenses) must exceed 0.525% in order to cover such interest or payment rates and other expenses specifically related to borrowing. Of course, these numbers are merely estimates, used for illustration. Actual interest or payment rates may vary frequently and may be significantly higher or lower than the rate estimated above.

 

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The Fund may also borrow money for repurchase of its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency purposes, including the payment of dividends and the settlement of securities transactions which otherwise might require untimely dispositions of Fund securities.

 

The following table is furnished in response to requirements of the SEC. It is designed to illustrate the effect of leverage on Common Share total return, assuming investment portfolio total returns (comprised of income and changes in the value of investments held in the Fund’s portfolio net of expenses) at the assumed portfolio total return rates provided in the table. These assumed investment portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of the investment portfolio returns expected to be experienced by the Fund. The table further reflects the use of Borrowings representing 30% of the Fund’s total capital and the Fund’s currently projected annual dividend rate, borrowing interest rate or payment rate set by an interest rate transaction of 1.75%. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk” and “Use of Leverage.”

 

Assumed Portfolio Return

     -10 %      -5 %      0 %      5 %      10 %

Common Stock Total Return

     -15.04 %      -7.89 %      -0.75 %      6.39 %      13.54 %

 

Common Share total return is composed of two elements—the Common Share dividends paid by the Fund (the amount of which is largely determined by the net investment income of the Fund after paying interest on any borrowings and after paying dividends on TP Shares and other expenses associated with TP Shares) and gains or losses on the value of the securities the Fund owns. As required by SEC rules, the table assumes that the Fund is more likely to suffer capital losses than capital appreciation. For example, to assume a total return of 0%, the Fund must assume that the tax-exempt interest it receives on its municipal securities investments is entirely offset by losses in the value of those securities.

 

HEDGING TRANSACTIONS

 

The Fund may use derivatives or other transactions for the purpose of hedging a portion of its portfolio holdings or in connection with the Fund’s anticipated use of leverage through Borrowings.

 

Portfolio Hedging Transactions.    The Fund may use derivatives or other transactions for purposes of hedging the portfolio’s exposure to high yield credit risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and the risk of increases in interest rates. The specific derivative instruments to be used, or other transactions to be entered into, each for hedging purposes, may include the purchase or sale of futures contracts on securities, credit-linked notes, securities indices, other indices or other financial instruments; options on futures contracts; exchange-traded and over-the-counter options on securities or indices; index-linked securities; swaps; and currency exchange transactions. Some, but not all, of the derivative instruments may be traded and listed on an exchange. The positions in derivatives will be marked-to-market daily at the closing price established on the relevant exchange or at a fair value. For a complete discussion of these derivative securities, see the SAI.

 

There may be an imperfect correlation between changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and hedging positions entered into by the Fund, which may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to risk of loss. In addition, the Fund’s success in using hedging instruments is subject to Symphony’s ability to predict correctly changes in the relationships of such hedge instruments to the Fund’s portfolio holdings or other factors, and there can be no assurance that Symphony’s judgment in this respect will be correct. Consequently, the use of hedging transactions might result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund, whether or not adjusted for risk, than if the Fund had not hedged its portfolio holdings. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will enter into hedging or other transactions at times or under circumstances in which it which it would be advisable to do so.

 

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts.    The Fund’s use of derivative instruments may include (i) U.S. Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency security futures contracts and (ii) options on U.S.

 

43


Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency security futures contracts. All such instruments must be traded and listed on an exchange. U.S. Treasury and U.S. Government Agency futures contracts are standardized contracts for the future delivery of a U.S. Treasury Bond or U.S. Treasury Note or a U.S. Government Agency security or their equivalent at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. An option on a U.S. Treasury or U.S. Government Agency futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser of the option the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a U.S. Treasury or U.S. Government Agency futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time on or before the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s future margin account, which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds the exercise price of the option on the futures contract.

 

The Fund may purchase and sell various other kinds of financial futures contracts and options thereon. Futures contracts may be based on various debt securities and securities indices. Such transactions involve a risk of loss or depreciation due to unanticipated adverse changes in securities prices, which may exceed the Fund’s initial investment in these contracts. The Fund will only purchase or sell futures contracts or related options in compliance with the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. These transactions involve transaction costs. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of futures will be advantageous to the Fund. Guidelines established by one or more NRSROs that rate any preferred shares issued by the Fund may limit use of these transactions.

 

Credit-Linked Notes.    The Fund may invest in credit-linked notes (“CLN”) for risk management purposes, including diversification. A CLN is a derivative instrument that is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some obligation (a reference obligation). In addition to credit risk of the reference obligation and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of the CLN is subject to counterparty risk. See “Risk Factors— Counterparty Risk.”

 

Swaps.    Swap contracts may be purchased or sold to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or market conditions, to change the duration of the overall portfolio, or to mitigate default risk. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties, which returns are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index.

 

Credit Default Swaps.    The Fund may enter into credit default swap contracts for risk management purposes, including diversification. When the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap contract, the Fund is entitled to receive the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation from the counterparty to the contract in the event of a default by a third party, such as a U.S. or non-U.S. corporate Issuer, on the debt obligation. In return, the Fund would pay the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, the Fund would have spent the stream of payments and received no benefit from the contract. When the Fund is the seller of a credit default swap contract, it receives the stream of payments, but is obligated to pay upon default of the referenced debt obligation. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The Fund will segregate assets in the form of cash and cash equivalents in an amount equal to the aggregate market value of the credit default swaps of which it is the seller, marked to market on a daily basis. These transactions involve certain risks, including the risk that the seller may be unable to fulfill the transaction. The tax treatment of certain credit default swaps is uncertain.

 

Interest Rate Swaps.    The Fund will enter into interest rate and total return swaps only on a net basis, i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate

 

44


payments). The Fund will only enter into interest rate swaps on a net basis. If the other party to an interest rate swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements will be maintained in a segregated account by the Fund’s custodian. The Fund will not enter into any interest rate swap unless the claims-paying ability of the other party thereto is considered to be investment grade by the Advisers. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. These instruments are traded in the over-the-counter market.

 

The Fund may use interest rate swaps for risk management purposes only and not as a speculative investment and would typically use interest rate swaps to shorten the average interest rate reset time of the Fund’s holdings. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments). The use of interest rate swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If Symphony is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates and other applicable factors, the investment performance of the Fund would be unfavorably affected.

 

Total Return Swaps.    As stated above, the Fund will enter into total return swaps only on a net basis. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from the underlying asset(s), which may include securities, baskets of securities, or securities indices during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from other underlying asset(s).

 

Currency Exchange Transactions.    The Fund may enter into currency exchange transactions to hedge the Fund’s exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk in the event the Fund invests in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities of non-U.S. Issuers as described in this Prospectus. The Fund’s currency transactions will be limited to portfolio hedging involving portfolio positions. Portfolio hedging is the use of a forward contract with respect to a portfolio security position denominated or quoted in a particular currency. A forward contract is an agreement to purchase or sell a specified currency at a specified future date (or within a specified time period) and price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are usually entered into with banks, foreign exchange dealers or broker-dealers, are not exchange-traded, and are usually for less than one year, but may be renewed.

 

It is impossible to forecast with absolute precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a forward contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of the security is less than the amount of currency that the Fund is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the currency. Conversely, it may be necessary to sell on the spot market some of the currency received upon the sale of the portfolio security if its market value exceeds the amount of currency the Fund is obligated to deliver.

 

Other Hedging Transactions.    The Fund also may invest in relatively new instruments without a significant trading history for purposes of hedging the Fund’s portfolio risks. See “Investment Policies and Techniques” in the Fund’s SAI for further information on hedging transactions.

 

Interest Rate Transactions.    The Fund expects that the Fund’s portfolio investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate debt instruments will serve as a hedge against the risk that Common Share net income and/or returns may decrease due to rising market dividend or interest rates on any future preferred shares or Borrowings.

 

45


RISK FACTORS

 

Risk is inherent in all investing. 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. Therefore, before investing you should consider carefully the following risks that you assume when you invest in Common Shares.

 

Investment and Market Risk

 

An investment in the Fund’s Common Shares is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. Your investment in Common Shares represents an indirect investment in the securities owned by the Fund, most of which are not traded on a national securities exchange, NASDAQ or in the over-the-counter markets. The value of these securities, like other market investments, may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably.

 

Your Common Shares at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions. The Fund likely will use leverage, which magnifies the securities market risks described above.

 

Recent Market Circumstances

 

The financial crisis in the U.S. and global economies over the past several years, including the European sovereign debt crisis, has resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign. Liquidity in some markets has decreased and credit has become scarcer worldwide. Recent regulatory changes, including the Dodd-Frank Act and the introduction of new international capital and liquidity requirements under Basel III, may cause lending activity within the financial services sector to be constrained for several years as Basel III rules phase in and rules and regulations are promulgated and interpreted under the Dodd-Frank Act. These market conditions may continue or deteriorate further and may add significantly to the risk of short-term volatility in the Fund. In response to the crisis, the U.S. and other governments and the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have taken steps to support financial markets. Withdrawal of this support, failure of efforts in response to the crisis, or investor perception that such efforts are not succeeding, could adversely impact the value and liquidity of certain securities. Because the situation is widespread and largely unprecedented, it may be unusually difficult to identify both risks and opportunities using past models of the interplay of market forces, or to predict the duration of these market conditions. The severity or duration of these conditions may also be affected by policy changes made by governments or quasi-governmental organizations. Changes in market conditions will not have the same impact on all types of securities.

 

Since 2010, the risks of investing in certain foreign government debt have increased dramatically as a result of the ongoing European debt crisis, which began in Greece and has spread to varying degrees throughout various other European countries. These debt crises and the ongoing efforts of governments around the world to address these debt crises have also resulted in increased volatility and uncertainty in the global securities markets and it is impossible to predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the Fund, though it is possible that these or similar events could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Fund. In the United States, on August 5, 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. federal government debt to “AA+” from “AAA.” Any additional downgrade by S&P, or any other rating agency, could increase volatility in both stock and bond markets, result in higher interest rates and higher Treasury yields and increase the costs of all kinds of debt.

 

Global economies and financial markets are also becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibilities that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. For example, during the summer of 2015, stock markets in China suffered a significant downturn, which

 

46


continues to persist, and is expected to continue to slow economic growth in China. The slowdown in the Chinese economy could negatively affect the country’s major trading partners and could, in turn, widely affect the global financial markets. State involvement in the Chinese economy and stock markets is such that it may be difficult to predict or gauge the extent or duration of the slowdown.

 

In addition, in a referendum held on June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. The country’s departure from the EU (known as “Brexit”) sparked depreciation in the value of the British pound, short-term declines in the stock markets and heightened risk of continued economic volatility worldwide.

 

As a consequence of the United Kingdom’s vote to withdraw from the EU, the government of the United Kingdom may, pursuant to the Treaty, give notice of its withdrawal and enter into negotiations with the EU Council to agree to terms for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU. The Treaty provides for a two-year negotiation period, which may be shortened or extended by agreement of the parties. However, there is still considerable uncertainty relating to the potential consequences and precise timeframe for the exit, how the negotiations for the withdrawal and new trade agreements will be conducted, and whether the United Kingdom’s exit will increase the likelihood of other countries also departing the EU. During this period of uncertainty, the negative impact on not only the United Kingdom and European economies, but the broader global economy, could be significant, potentially resulting in increased volatility and illiquidity and lower economic growth for companies that rely significantly on Europe for their business activities and revenues. Any further exits from the EU, or the possibility of such exits, would likely cause additional market disruption globally and introduce new legal and regulatory uncertainties.

 

The impact of these developments in the near- and long-term is unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.

 

Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk

 

The aftermath of the war in Iraq, instability in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Russia, Ukraine and the Middle East, possible terrorist attacks in the United States and around the world, growing social and political discord in the United States, the European debt crisis, the response of the international community—through economic sanctions and otherwise—to Russia’s recent annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine and posture vis-a-vis Ukraine, further downgrade of U.S. Government securities and other similar events, may have long-term effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and may cause further economic uncertainties in the United States and worldwide. The Fund does not know and cannot predict how long the securities markets may be affected by these events and the effects of these and similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets. The Fund may be adversely affected by abrogation of international agreements and national laws which have created the market instruments in which the Fund may invest, failure of the designated national and international authorities to enforce compliance with the same laws and agreements, failure of local, national and international organization to carry out their duties prescribed to them under the relevant agreements, revisions of these laws and agreements which dilute their effectiveness or conflicting interpretation of provisions of the same laws and agreements. The Fund may be adversely affected by uncertainties such as terrorism, international political developments, and changes in government policies, taxation, restrictions on foreign investment and currency repatriation, currency fluctuations and other developments in the laws and regulations of the countries in which it is invested.

 

Legislation and Regulatory Risk

 

At any time after the date of this Prospectus, legislation or additional regulations may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund, securities held by the Fund or the issuers of such securities. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the entities and/or securities in which the Fund invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. Fund shareholders may

 

47


incur increased costs resulting from such legislation or additional regulation. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund or will not impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.

 

For example, the Dodd-Frank Act is designed to impose stringent regulation on the over-the-counter derivatives market in an attempt to increase transparency and accountability and provides for, among other things, new clearing, execution, margin, reporting, recordkeeping, business conduct, disclosure, position limit, minimum net capital and registration requirements. Although the CFTC has released final rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, many of the provisions are subject to further final rulemaking, and thus the Dodd-Frank Act’s ultimate impact remains unclear.

 

The SEC recently proposed rules governing the use of derivatives by registered investment companies, which could affect the nature and extent of derivatives use by the Fund. The proposed rules have not yet been adopted and therefore the full impact of such rules is uncertain at this time. It is possible that such rules, if adopted, could limit the implementation of the Fund’s use of derivatives, which could have an adverse effect on the Fund.

 

Additionally, the Fund is operated by persons who have claimed an exclusion, granted to operators of registered investment companies like the Fund, from registration as a “commodity pool operator” under Rule 4.5 promulgated by the CFTC pursuant to its authority under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a “commodity pool operator.” As a result, the Fund is limited in its ability to use commodity futures (which include futures on broad-based securities indexes and interest rate futures) or options on commodity futures, engage in swaps transactions or make certain other investments (whether directly or indirectly through investments in other investment vehicles) for purposes other than bona fide hedging. With respect to transactions other than for bona fide hedging purposes, either: (1) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish the Fund’s positions in such investments may not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments); or (2) the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time the most recent position was established, may not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Fund’s portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, the Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the futures, options or swaps markets. If the Fund does not continue to claim the exclusion, it would likely become subject to registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator. The Fund may incur additional expenses as a result of the CFTC’s registration and regulatory requirements.

 

Issuer Level Risks

 

Issuer Credit Risk.    Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments in which the Fund may invest are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. Such non-payment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the investment and a potential decrease in the net asset value of the Fund. Although under normal circumstances at least 65% of the Fund’s Managed Assets will be invested in Senior Loans that are secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that the liquidation of any collateral securing a Senior Loan would satisfy the Borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal payments, or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Senior Loan or subordinated loan, if secured. The collateral securing an Adjustable Rate Loan may lose all or substantially all of its value in the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower. Some Adjustable Rate Loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate such Adjustable Rate Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the Borrower or take other action detrimental to the holders of Adjustable Rate Loans, including, in certain circumstances, invalidating such Adjustable Rate Loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the Borrower. If interest were required to be refunded, it would negatively affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund’s Adjustable

 

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Rate Loans and other loans may include interest rate reset provisions, which can increase credit risk. Under certain circumstances, a loan’s interest rate may reset at a higher rate that the Borrower cannot repay and thereby causes the loan to default.

 

In evaluating the creditworthiness of Issuers, Symphony may consider, and may rely in part, on analyses performed by others. Issuers may have outstanding debt obligations that are rated below investment grade by a NRSRO. Debt instruments of below investment grade quality are commonly referred to as junk bonds or high yield debt. NRSROs are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of debt instruments. Ratings assigned by a NRSRO are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks or the liquidity of securities. NRSROs may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. To the extent that the issuer of a security pays a NRSRO for the analysis of its security, an inherent conflict of interest may exist that could affect the reliability of the rating. Many of the debt obligations acquired by the Fund will have been assigned ratings below investment grade quality. Because of the protective features of Senior Loans, Symphony believes that Senior Loans tend to have more favorable loss recovery rates as compared to more junior types of below investment grade debt obligations. In addition, Symphony believes there are attractive investment opportunities in the subordinated loan segment, which it believes create the potential for attractive risk-adjusted returns. Symphony does not view ratings as the determinative factor in its investment decisions and relies more upon its credit analysis abilities.

 

Distressed and defaulted securities, including DIPs, generally present the same risks as investments in below investment grade debt instruments. However, in most cases, these risks are of a greater magnitude because of the uncertainties of investing in an issuer undergoing financial distress. An issuer of distressed securities may be in bankruptcy or undergoing some other form of financial restructuring. Interest and/or principal payments on distressed securities may be in default. Distressed securities present a risk of loss of principal value, including potentially a total loss of value. Distressed securities may be highly illiquid and the prices at which distressed securities may be sold may represent a substantial discount to what Symphony believes to be the ultimate value of such obligations.

 

Below Investment Grade Risk.    The Fund may purchase Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality by Symphony. Moody’s or Fitch or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. Securities of below investment grade quality are regarded as having predominately speculative characteristics with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and are commonly referred to as “distressed securities” or “junk bonds” or high yield debt, which implies higher price volatility and default risk than investment grade instruments of comparable terms and duration. Issuers of lower grade securities may be highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. The prices of these lower grade securities are typically more sensitive to negative developments, such as a decline in the Issuer’s revenues or a general economic downturn, than are the prices of higher grade securities. The secondary market for lower grade securities, including some Senior Loans and most subordinated loans may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated securities, a factor which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to dispose of a particular security. There are fewer dealers in the market for lower grade securities than for investment grade obligations. The prices quoted by different dealers for lower grade securities may vary significantly and the spread between the bid and ask price for such securities is generally much larger than for higher quality instruments. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for lower grade securities could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular Issuer, and these instruments may become illiquid. As a result, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell these securities or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such securities were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the Fund’s net asset value.

 

Non-U.S. Issuer Risk.    The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments of non-U.S. Issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in debt securities of non-U.S. Issuers may include debt securities of Issuers

 

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located, or conducting their business in, emerging markets countries. Investments in securities of non-U.S. Issuers involve special risks not presented by investments in securities of U.S. Issuers, including the following: (i) less publicly available information about non-U.S. Issuers or markets due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards or regulatory practices; (ii) many non-U.S. markets are smaller, less liquid and more volatile, meaning that, in a changing market, Symphony may not be able to sell the Fund’s portfolio securities at times, in amounts or at prices it considers reasonable; (iii) potential adverse effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates or controls on the value of the Fund’s investments; (iv) the economies of non-U.S. countries may grow at slower rates than expected or may experience a downturn or recession; (v) the impact of economic, political, social or diplomatic events; (vi) possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of the company or its assets; (vii) certain non-U.S. countries may impose restrictions on the ability of non-U.S. Issuers to make payments of principal and/or interest to investors located outside the U.S., due to blockage of foreign currency exchanges or otherwise; and (viii) withholding and other non-U.S. taxes may decrease the Fund’s return. These risks are more pronounced to the extent that the Fund invests a significant amount of its assets in companies located in one region and to the extent that the Fund invests in securities of Issuers in emerging markets. Although the Fund may hedge its exposure to certain of these risks, including the foreign currency exchange rate risk, there can be no assurance that the Fund will enter into hedging transactions at any time or at times or under circumstances in which it might be advisable to do so. Economies and social and political climates in individual countries may differ unfavorably from the United States. Non-U.S. economies may have less favorable rates of growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, currency valuation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments positions. Many countries have experienced substantial, and in some cases extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Unanticipated economic, political and social developments may also affect the values of the Fund’s investments and the availability to the Fund of additional investments in such countries.

 

Emerging Markets Risk

 

The Fund may invest its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments of non-U.S. Issuers may include debt securities of Issuers located, or conducting their business in, emerging markets countries. Risks of investing in securities of emerging markets issuers include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; and possible restrictions on repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. Certain emerging markets also may face other significant internal or external risks, including a heightened risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth, and which may in turn diminish the value of the companies in those markets.

 

Security Level Risks

 

Subordinated Loans and Other Subordinated Debt Instruments.    Issuers of subordinated loans and other debt instruments in which the Fund may invest usually will have, or may be permitted to incur, other debt that ranks equally with, or senior to, the subordinated loans or other debt instruments. By their terms, such debt instruments may provide that the holders are entitled to receive payment of interest or principal on or before the dates on which the Fund is entitled to receive payments in respect of subordinated loans or other debt instruments in which it invests. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of an Issuer, holders of debt instruments ranking senior to the subordinated loan or other debt instrument in which the Fund invests would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before the Fund receives any distribution in respect of its investment. After repaying such senior creditors, such Issuer may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying its obligation to the Fund. In the case of debt ranking equally with subordinated loans or other

 

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debt instruments in which the Fund invests, the Fund would have to share on an equal basis any distributions with other creditors holding such debt in the event of an insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of the relevant Issuer. In addition, the Fund will likely not be in a position to control any Issuer by investing in its debt securities. As a result, the Fund will be subject to the risk that an Issuer in which it invests may make business decisions with which the Fund disagrees and the management of such Issuer, as representatives of the holders of their common equity, may take risks or otherwise act in ways that do not serve our interests as debt investors.

 

Risks from Unsecured Adjustable Rate Loans or Insufficient Collateral Securing Adjustable Rate Loans.    Some of the Adjustable Rate Loans in which the Fund may invest will be unsecured, thereby increasing the risk of loss to the Fund in the event of Borrower default. Although the Fund invests primarily in Adjustable Rate Loans that are secured by specific collateral, including, under normal circumstances, at least 65% of the Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in secured Senior Loans, there can be no assurance the liquidation of such collateral would satisfy a Borrower’s obligation to the Fund in the event of Borrower default or that such collateral could be readily liquidated under such circumstances. In the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could also experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing an Adjustable Rate Loan.

 

Interest Rate Risk.    Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed rate securities will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates. When interest rates rise, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. Conversely, when interest rates decline, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. The Fund’s investments in such fixed rate securities means that the net asset value of the Fund and market price of the Common Shares will tend to decline if market interest rates rise. Market interest rates in the U.S. and in certain other countries in which the Fund may invest are near historically low levels. The Advisers expect the Fund’s policy of investing at least 80% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans will make the Fund less volatile and its net asset value less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than if the Fund invested exclusively in fixed rate obligations. However, because interest rates on most Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate instruments typically only reset periodically (e.g., monthly or quarterly), a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund’s use of leverage, as described herein, will also tend to increase Common Share interest rate risk.

 

Risks in Loan Valuation.    The Fund uses an independent pricing service to value most Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities at their market value or at a fair value determined by the independent pricing service. The Fund will use the fair value method to value loans or other securities if the independent pricing service is unable to provide a market or fair value for them or if the market or fair value provided by the independent pricing service is deemed unreliable, or if events occurring after the close of a securities market and before the Fund values its Managed Assets would materially affect net asset value. The Fund currently expects that the independent pricing service will be unable to provide a market or fair value for most of the privately negotiated subordinated loans issued by middle market companies in which the Fund may invest. The Fund will determine a fair value of such loans on a daily basis. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than the price that may be received by the Fund if it desired to sell such security or the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures. Because non-U.S. securities may trade on days when Common Shares are not priced, net asset value can change at times when Common Shares cannot be sold.

 

Senior Loan Agent Risk.    A financial institution’s employment as an Agent under a Senior Loan might be terminated in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor Agent would generally be appointed to replace the terminated Agent, and assets held by the Agent under the loan agreement would likely remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the terminated Agent for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the Agent’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a Senior Loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other interposed financial institutions (e.g., an insurance company or government agency) similar risks may arise.

 

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Senior Loan Participation Risk.    The Fund also may purchase a participation interest in a Senior Loan and by doing so acquire some or all of the interest of a bank or other lending institution in a Senior Loan to a Borrower. A participation typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with the Lender, not the Borrower. As a result, the Fund assumes the credit risk of the Lender selling the participation in addition to the credit risk of the Borrower. By purchasing a participation, the Fund will 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 the Lender of the payments from the Borrower. In the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the Lender and may not have a senior claim to the Lender’s interest in the Senior Loan. If the Fund only acquires a participation in the loan made by a third party, the Fund may not be able to control the exercise of any remedies that the Lender would have under the Senior Loan. Such third party participation arrangements are designed to give Senior Loan investors preferential treatment over high yield investors in the event of a deterioration in the credit quality of the Borrower. Even when these arrangements exist, however, there can be no assurance that the principal and interest owed on the Senior Loan will be repaid in full.

 

Prepayment Risk.    During periods of declining interest rates or for other purposes, issuers may exercise their option to prepay principal earlier than scheduled, forcing the Fund to reinvest in lower yielding securities. This is known as call or prepayment risk. In addition, below investment grade securities frequently have call features that allow an Issuer to redeem a security at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price (typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met (commonly referred to as call protection). An Issuer may redeem a lower grade security if, for example, the Issuer can refinance the debt at a lower cost due to declining interest rates or an improvement in the credit standing of the Issuer. Adjustable Rate Loans typically have no such call protection. For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Fund, prepayment risk may be increased.

 

Illiquid Securities Risk.    The Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid. Illiquid securities are securities that are not readily marketable and may include some restricted securities, which are securities that may not be resold to the public without an effective registration statement under the 1933 Act or, if they are unregistered, may be sold only in a privately negotiated transaction or pursuant to an exemption from registration. The privately negotiated subordinated loans to middle-market companies in which the Fund may invest are likely to be illiquid. Illiquid securities involve the risk that the securities will not be able to be sold at the time desired by the Fund or at prices approximating the value at which the Fund is carrying the securities on its books.

 

Other Risks Associated with Adjustable Rate Loans.    Many Adjustable Rate Loans in which the Fund invests may not be rated by a NRSRO, will not be registered with the SEC or any state securities commission and will not be listed on any national securities exchange. In addition, the amount of public information available with respect to Adjustable Rate Loans generally may be less extensive than that available for registered or exchange listed securities. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain Adjustable Rate Loans or Adjustable Rate Loans generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. No active trading market may exist for some Adjustable Rate Loans and some Adjustable Rate Loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to realize full value and thus cause a material decline in the Fund’s net asset value. During periods of limited supply and liquidity of Adjustable Rate Loans, the Fund’s yield may be lower. Other factors (including, but not limited to, rating downgrades, credit deterioration, a large downward movement in stock prices, a disparity in supply and demand of certain Adjustable Rate Loans and other securities or market conditions that reduce liquidity) can reduce the value of Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt obligations, impairing the Fund’s net asset value.

 

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Reinvestment Risk

 

Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline if and when the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called bonds at market interest rates that are below the portfolio’s current earnings rate. A decline in income could affect the Common Shares’ market price or their overall returns.

 

Leverage Risk; Borrowing Risk

 

Leverage risk is the risk associated with the use of the Fund’s borrowings, outstanding preferred shares, if issued in the future, or the use of tender option bonds to leverage the Common Shares. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s leveraging strategy will be successful. Because the long-term interest securities in which the Fund invests generally pay fixed rates of interest while the Fund’s costs of leverage generally fluctuate with short- to intermediate-term yields, the incremental earnings from leverage will vary over time. However, the Fund may use derivatives, such as interest rate swaps, to fix the effective rate paid on all or a portion of the Fund’s leverage in an effort to lower leverage costs over an extended period. Accordingly, the Fund cannot assure you that the use of leverage will result in a higher yield or return to Common Shareholders. The income benefit from leverage will be reduced to the extent that the difference narrows between the net earnings on the Fund’s portfolio securities and its cost of leverage. The income benefit from leverage will increase to the extent that the difference widens between the net earnings on the Fund’s portfolio securities and its cost of leverage. If short- or intermediate-term rates rise, the Fund’s cost of leverage could exceed the fixed rate of return on longer-term bonds held by the Fund that were acquired during periods of lower interest rates, reducing returns to Common Shareholders. This could occur even if short- or intermediate-term and long-term interest rates rise. Because of the costs of leverage, the Fund may incur losses even if the Fund has positive returns, if they are not sufficient to cover the costs of leverage. The Fund’s cost of leverage includes expenses relating to the issuance and ongoing maintenance of any borrowings or the interest attributable to tender option bonds as well as any one-time costs (e.g., issuance costs) and ongoing fees and expenses associated with such leverage.

 

The risk of loss attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage is borne by Common Shareholders. The Fund’s use of financial leverage can result in a greater decrease in net asset values in declining markets. Furthermore, the amount of fees paid to NFALLC for investment advisory services will be higher if the Fund uses leverage because the fees will be calculated based on the Fund’s Managed Assets—this may create an incentive for NFALLC to leverage the Fund. The Fund is required to maintain certain regulatory and rating agency asset coverage requirements in connection with its outstanding borrowings, in order to be able to maintain the ability to declare and pay Common Share distributions and to maintain the rating of preferred shares, if issued in the future. In order to maintain required asset coverage levels, the Fund may be required to alter the composition of its investment portfolio or take other actions, such as redeeming preferred shares, if any, or prepaying borrowings with the proceeds from portfolio transactions, at what might be an inopportune time in the market. Such actions could reduce the net earnings or returns to Common Shareholders over time.

 

The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies, which may themselves be leveraged and therefore present similar risks to those described above.

 

Risk of Settlement Delays

 

Portfolio transactions in loans may settle in as short as seven days but typically can take up to two or three weeks, and in some cases much longer. Unlike the securities markets, there is no central clearinghouse for loan transactions, and the loan market has not established enforceable settlement standards or remedies for failure to settle.

 

Loans Not Considered Securities

 

Loan interests may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the protections of the federal securities laws.

 

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Interest Rate Risk

 

Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed rate debt instruments will decline in value because of changes in market interest rates. When interest rates rise, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. Conversely, when interest rates decline, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. The Fund’s investments in such fixed rate instruments means that the NAV of the Fund and market price of the Shares will tend to decline if market interest rates rise. Market interest rates in the U.S. and in certain other countries in which the Fund may invest are near historically low levels. Because interest rates on most adjustable rate instruments typically only reset periodically (e.g., monthly or quarterly), a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Fund’s NAV.

 

Risks in Loan Valuation

 

The Fund utilizes independent pricing services approved by the Board of Trustees to value portfolio instruments at their market value. If the pricing services are unable to provide a market value or if a significant event occurs such that the valuation(s) provided are deemed unreliable, the Fund may value portfolio instrument(s) at their fair value, which is generally the amount an owner might reasonably expect to receive upon a current sale. Valuation risks associated with investing in adjustable rate corporate debt instruments include, but are not limited to: a limited number of market participants, a lack of publicly-available information, resale restrictions, settlement delays, corporate actions and adverse market conditions which may make it difficult to value or sell such instruments.

 

Currency Risk

 

The Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. Issuers that are non-U.S. dollar denominated. Investments by the Fund in non-U.S.-dollar denominated securities will be subject to currency risk. Currency risk is the risk that fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and non-U.S. currencies may negatively affect an investment. The value of securities denominated in non-U.S. currencies may fluctuate based on changes in the value of those currencies relative to the U.S. dollar, and a decline in applicable foreign exchange rates could reduce the value of such securities held by the Fund. The values of non-U.S. investments and the investment income derived from them also may be affected unfavorably by changes in currency exchange control regulations. In addition, although a portion of the Fund’s investment income may be received or realized in non-U.S. currencies, the Fund will be required to compute and distribute its income in U.S. dollars. This means that if the exchange rate for any such non-U.S. currency declines after the Fund’s income has been earned and translated into U.S. dollars but before the Fund receives payment, the Fund could be required to liquidate portfolio securities to make such distributions.

 

Structured Product Risk

 

The Fund may invest in structured products such as structured notes. Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments to which it is entitled only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold assets to the special purpose trust. While certain structured products enable the investor to acquire interests in a pool of securities without the brokerage and other expenses associated with directly holding the same securities, investors in structured products generally pay their share of the structured product’s administrative and other expenses. When investing in structured products, it is impossible to predict whether the underlying index or prices of the underlying securities will rise or fall, but prices of the underlying indices and securities (and, therefore, the prices of structured products) will be influenced by the same types of political and economic events that affect particular issuers of securities and capital markets generally. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market and

 

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may have the effect of increasing the illiquidity of the Fund’s portfolio to the extent that the Fund, at a particular point in time, may be unable to find qualified buyers for these securities. Investments in structured notes involve risks including income risk, credit and market risk. Where the Fund’s investments in structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including interest rates, referenced bonds and stock indices, depending on the factor used and the use of multipliers or deflators, changes in interest rates and movement of the factor may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero and any further changes in the reference instrument may then reduce the principal amount payable on maturity. Structured notes may be less liquid than other types of securities and more volatile than the reference instrument or security underlying the note.

 

Warrants and Equity Securities Risk

 

Investments in warrants and equity securities entail certain risks in addition to those associated with investments in adjustable rate instruments or other debt instruments. The value of warrants and equity securities may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund’s NAV. The Fund may possess material non-public information about an issuer as a result of its ownership of an adjustable rate instrument or other debt instrument of such issuer. Because of prohibitions on trading in securities of issuers while in possession of such information, the Fund might be unable to enter into a transaction in a security of such an issuer when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.

 

Duration Risk

 

Duration is the sensitivity, expressed in years, of the price of a fixed income security to changes in the general level of interest rates (or yields). Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to interest rate (or yield) changes than securities with shorter durations. Duration differs from maturity in that it considers potential changes to interest rates, and a security’s coupon payments, yield, price and par value and call features, in addition to the amount of time until the security matures. The duration of a security will be expected to change over time with changes in market factors and time to maturity. The duration of the Fund’s portfolio is not subject to any limits and therefore the portfolio may be very sensitive to interest rate changes.

 

Zero Coupon Bonds Risk

 

The market prices of zero coupon bonds of below investment grade quality will normally be affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities which pay interest currently and in cash.

 

Floating-Rate and Fixed-to-Floating-Rate Securities Risk

 

The market value of floating-rate securities is a reflection of discounted expected cash flows based on expectations for future interest rate resets. The market value of such securities may fall in a declining interest rate environment and may also fall in a rising interest rate environment if there is a lag between the rise in interest rates and the reset. This risk may also be present with respect to fixed-to-floating-rate securities in which the Fund may invest. A secondary risk associated with declining interest rates is the risk that income earned by the Fund on floating-rate and fixed-to-floating-rate securities will decline due to lower coupon payments on floating rate securities.

 

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions Risk

 

When-issued and delayed-delivery transactions may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the securities prior to settlement and, because securities are subject to market fluctuations, the value of the

 

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securities at time of delivery may be less (or more) than their cost. A separate account of the Fund will be established with its custodian consisting of cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times at least equal to the amount of any delayed payment commitment.

 

Borrowing Risks

 

In addition to borrowing for leverage (See “Use of Leverage”), the Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet redemption requests, pay dividends, repurchase its shares, or clear portfolio transactions. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of the Fund’s shares and may affect the Fund’s net income. When the Fund borrows money, it must pay interest and other fees, which will reduce the Fund’s returns if such costs exceed the returns on the portfolio securities purchased or retained with such borrowings. Any such borrowings are intended to be temporary. However, under certain market conditions, such borrowings might be outstanding for longer periods of time.

 

Regulatory Risk

 

To the extent that legislation or state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions impose additional requirements or restrictions with respect to the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly in connection with highly leveraged transactions, the availability of Adjustable Rate Loans for investment may be adversely affected. Further, such legislation or regulation could depress the market value of Adjustable Rate Loans.

 

Derivatives Risk, Including the Risk of Swaps

 

The Fund’s use of derivatives involves risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the investments underlying the derivatives. Whether the Fund’s use of derivatives is successful will depend on, among other things, if NFALLC and Symphony correctly forecast market values, interest rates and other applicable factors. If NFALLC and Symphony incorrectly forecast these and other factors, the investment performance of the Fund will be unfavorably affected. In addition, the derivatives market is largely unregulated. It is possible that developments in the derivatives market could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to successfully use derivative instruments.

 

The Fund may enter into debt-related derivatives instruments including credit default swap contracts and interest rate swaps. Like most derivative instruments, the use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. In addition, the use of swaps requires an understanding by NFALLC and Symphony not only of the referenced asset, rate or index, but also of the swap itself. Because they are two-party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The derivatives market is subject to a changing regulatory environment. It is possible that regulatory or other developments in the derivatives market could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to successfully use derivative instruments. See also, “Risk Factors—Counterparty Risk,” “Hedging Transactions” and the SAI.

 

Counterparty Risk

 

Changes in the credit quality of the companies that serve as the Fund’s counterparties with respect to derivatives or other transactions supported by another party’s credit will affect the value of those instruments. Certain entities that have served as counterparties in the markets for these transactions have recently incurred significant financial hardships including bankruptcy and losses as a result of exposure to sub-prime mortgages and other lower quality credit investments that have experienced recent defaults or otherwise suffered extreme credit deterioration. As a result, such hardships have reduced these entities’ capital and called into question their continued ability to perform their obligations under such transactions. By using such derivatives or other transactions, the Fund assumes the risk that its counterparties could experience similar financial hardships.

 

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Deflation Risk

 

Deflation risk is the risk that prices throughout the economy decline over time, which may have an adverse effect on the market valuation of companies, their assets and revenues. In addition, deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Repurchase Agreement Risk

 

With respect to repurchase agreements, if the party agreeing to repurchase specific securities should default, the Fund may seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve transaction costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days are considered to be illiquid securities.

 

Inflation Risk

 

Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investment will be worth less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the real value of the Common Shares and distributions can decline. In addition, during any periods of rising inflation, preferred share dividend rates and interest rates on Borrowings would likely increase, which, without a corresponding increase in the interest rates on investments in the Fund’s portfolio, would reduce returns to Common Shareholders. Inflation risk is mitigated to a certain degree by the Fund’s investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate debt instruments because increases in inflation have historically been accompanied by increases in the adjustable rates of interest of such securities.

 

Impact of Offering Methods Risk

 

The issuance of Common Shares through the various methods described in the Prospectus may have an adverse effect on prices in the secondary market for the Fund’s Common Shares by increasing the number of Common Shares available for sale. In addition, the Common Shares may be issued at a discount to the market price for such Common Shares, which may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares of the Fund.

 

Certain Affiliations

 

Certain broker-dealers may be considered to be affiliated persons of the Fund, NFALLC, Symphony, Nuveen Investments and/or Nuveen. Absent an exemption from the SEC or other regulatory relief, the Fund is generally precluded from effecting certain principal transactions with affiliated brokers, and its ability to purchase securities being underwritten by an affiliated broker or a syndicate including an affiliated broker, or to utilize affiliated brokers for agency transactions, is subject to restrictions. This could limit the Fund’s ability to engage in securities transactions, purchase certain adjustable rate senior loans, if applicable, and take advantage of market opportunities.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions

 

The Fund’s Declaration includes provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status. These provisions could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then current market price of the Common Shares. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust.”

 

Cybersecurity Risk

 

Technology, such as the internet, has become more prevalent in the course of business, and as such, the Fund and its service providers are susceptible to operational and information security risk resulting from cyber

 

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incidents. Cyber incidents refer to both intentional attacks and unintentional events including: processing errors, human errors, technical errors including computer glitches and system malfunctions, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, market-wide technical-related disruptions, unauthorized access to digital systems (through “hacking” or malicious software coding), computer viruses, and cyber-attacks which shut down, disable, slow or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes or website access or functionality (including denial of service attacks). Cyber incidents could adversely impact the Fund and cause the Fund to incur financial loss and expense, as well as face exposure to regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures. Cyber incidents may cause a Fund or its service providers to lose proprietary information, suffer data corruption, lose operational capacity or fail to comply with applicable privacy and other laws. Among other potentially harmful effects, cyber incidents also may result in theft, unauthorized monitoring and failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support the Fund and its service providers. In addition, substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent any cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund’s service providers have established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers or any other third parties whose operations may affect the Fund.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

Trustees and Officers

 

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the management of the Fund, including supervision of the duties performed by NFALLC. The names and business addresses of the trustees and officers of the Fund and their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years are set forth under “Management of the Fund” in the SAI.

 

Investment Adviser, Subadviser and Portfolio Managers

 

Investment Adviser.    Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC, a registered investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. NFALLC also is responsible for the ongoing monitoring of Symphony, overseeing the Fund’s use of leverage, managing the Fund’s business affairs and providing certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services to the Fund. NFALLC is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606. NFALLC is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, the investment management arm of TIAA. TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2016, Nuveen managed approximately $882 billion in assets, of which approximately $126 billion was managed by NFALLC.

 

Sub-Adviser.    Symphony Asset Management LLC, located at 555 California Street, Suite 3100, San Francisco, CA 94104, serves as the Fund’s sub-adviser and is responsible for the day-to-day investment operations of the Fund. Symphony specializes in the management of both long-only and alternative equity and debt strategies. Symphony, a registered investment adviser, commenced operations in 1994 and had approximately $18.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2016. Symphony is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Investments. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory agreement, Symphony will be compensated for the services it provides to the Fund with a portion of the management fee NFALLC receives from the Fund. NFALLC and Symphony retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.

 

Portfolio Managers.    Gunther Stein (a “Portfolio Manager”) is Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer at Symphony. Prior to that, he was Director of Fixed Income Strategies. Mr. Stein is responsible for leading Symphony’s fixed-income and equity investments strategies and research and overseeing firm trading. Prior to joining Symphony in 1999, Mr. Stein was a high yield portfolio manager at Wells Fargo

 

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Bank, where he managed a high yield portfolio, was responsible for investing in public high yield bonds and bank loans and managed a team of credit analysts.

 

Mr. Caraher (a “Portfolio Manager”) is a member of Symphony’s fixed-income team and his responsibilities include portfolio management and trading for Symphony’s bank loan strategies and credit and equity research for its fixed-income strategies. Prior to joining Symphony in 2002, Mr. Caraher was an Investment Banking Analyst in the industrial group at Deutsche Banc Alex Brown in New York.

 

Additional information about each Portfolio Manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers’ ownership of securities in the Fund is provided in the SAI. The SAI is available free of charge by calling (800) 257-8787 or by visiting the Fund’s website at www.nuveen.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, the Fund’s website is not part of this prospectus of the SAI.

 

Investment Management and Sub-Advisory Agreements

 

Investment Management Agreement.    Pursuant to an investment management agreement between NFALLC and the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual management fee for the services and facilities provided by NFALLC, payable on a monthly basis, based on the sum of a fund-level fee and a complex-level fee, as described below.

 

Fund-Level Fee.    The annual fund-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

 

Average Daily Managed Assets(1)


   Fund-Level
Fee Rate


 

For the first $500 million

     0.6500 %

For the next $500 million

     0.6250 %

For the next $500 million

     0.6000 %

For the next $500 million

     0.5750 %

For Managed Assets over $2 billion

     0.5500 %

 

Complex Level Fee.    The annual complex-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

 

Complex-Level Managed Asset Breakpoint Level(2)


   Effective Rate at
Breakpoint Level


 

$55 billion

     0.2000 %

$56 billion

     0.1996 %

$57 billion

     0.1989 %

$60 billion

     0.1961 %

$63 billion

     0.1931 %

$66 billion

     0.1900 %

$71 billion

     0.1851 %

$76 billion

     0.1806 %

$80 billion

     0.1773 %

$91 billion

     0.1691 %

$125 billion

     0.1599 %

$200 billion

     0.1505 %

$250 billion

     0.1469 %

$300 billion

     0.1445 %

  (1)   For the Fund, “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles).

 

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  (2)   The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily “eligible assets” of all Nuveen Funds. Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen Funds or assets in excess of a determined amount (originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in connection with NFALLC’s assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011. With respect to closed-end funds, eligible assets include assets managed by NFALLC that are attributable to financial leverage. For these purposes, financial leverage includes the use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by a TOB trust that has been effectively financed by issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by NFALLC as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining eligible assets in certain circumstances. As of July 31, 2016, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was 0.1610%.

 

In addition to the fee of NFALLC, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its trustees (other than those affiliated with NFALLC or Symphony), custodian, transfer agency and dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses associated with any borrowings, expenses of issuing preferred shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, and taxes, if any.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ decision to renew the Investment Management Agreement is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.

 

Sub-Advisory Agreement.    Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, Symphony will receive from NFALLC a management fee equal to the portion specified below of the management fee payable by the Fund to NFALLC, payable on a monthly basis:

 

Average Daily Managed Assets


   Percentage of
Net Management
Fee


 

Up to $125 million

     50.0

$125 million to $150 million

     47.5

$150 million to $175 million

     45.0

$175 million to $200 million

     42.5

$200 million and over

     40.0

 

NFALLC and Symphony retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.

 

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ decision to renew the Sub-Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.

 

NET ASSET VALUE

 

The Fund’s net asset value per share is determined as of the close of regular session trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day the NYSE is open for business. Net asset value is calculated by taking the market value of the Fund’s total assets, including interest or dividends accrued but not yet collected, less all liabilities, and dividing by the total number of shares outstanding. The result, rounded to the nearest cent, is the net asset value per share. All valuations are subject to review by the Fund’s Board of Trustees or its delegate.

 

The Fund uses an independent pricing service to value most Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities at their market value or at a fair value determined by the independent pricing service. The Fund will use the fair value method to value loans or other securities if the independent pricing service is unable to provide a market or fair value for them or if the market value provided by the independent pricing service is deemed unreliable, or if

 

60


events occurring after the close of a securities market and before the Fund values its Managed Assets would materially affect net asset value. The Fund currently expects that the independent pricing service will be unable to provide a market or fair value for most of the privately negotiated subordinated loans issued by middle-market companies in which the Fund may invest. The Fund will determine a fair value of such loans on a daily basis and may engage an independent appraiser to periodically provide an independent determination of such fair value. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other funds using their own fair value procedures.

 

An independent pricing service typically will value Adjustable Rate Loans at the mean of the highest bona fide bid and lowest bona fide ask prices when current quotations are readily available. Adjustable Rate Loans for which current quotations will not be readily available are valued at a fair value as determined by the pricing service provider using a wide range of market data and other information and analysis, including credit considerations considered relevant by the pricing service provider to determine valuations. The procedures of any independent pricing service and its valuations will be reviewed by the officers of the Fund under the general supervision of the Board of Trustees. If the Fund believes that a value provided by a pricing service provider does not represent a fair value as a result of information specific to that Adjustable Rate Loan or Borrower thereunder or its affiliates, which the Fund believes that the pricing agent may not be aware, the Fund may in its discretion value the Adjustable Rate Loan subject to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees and reviewed on a periodic basis, and the Fund will utilize that price instead of the price as determined by the pricing service provider. In addition to such information, the Fund will consider, among other factors, (i) the creditworthiness of the Borrower and (ii) the current interest rate, the period until the next interest rate reset and maturity of such Adjustable Rate Loan in determining a fair value of a Adjustable Rate Loan. If the independent pricing service does not provide a value for a Adjustable Rate Loan or if no pricing service provider is then acting, a value will be determined by the Fund in the manner described above.

 

It is expected that the Fund’s net asset value will fluctuate as a function of interest rate and credit factors. Because of the short-term nature of such instruments, however, the Fund’s net asset value is expected to fluctuate less in response to changes in interest rates than the net asset values of investment companies with portfolios consisting primarily of longer term fixed-income securities. Non-loan holdings (other than debt securities, including short-term obligations) may be valued on the basis of prices furnished by one or more pricing services that determine prices for normal, institutional-size trading units of such securities using market information, transactions for comparable securities and various relationships between securities which are generally recognized by institutional traders. In certain circumstances, portfolio securities will be valued at the last sale price on the exchange that is the primary market for such securities, or the average of the last quoted bid price and asked price for those securities for which the over-the-counter market is the primary market or for listed securities in which there were no sales during the day. Marketable securities listed on the NASDAQ National Market System are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. The value of interest rate swaps will be based upon a dealer quotation.

 

Debt securities for which the over-the-counter market is the primary market are normally valued on the basis of prices furnished by one or more pricing services at the mean between the latest available bid and asked prices. Over-the-counter options are valued at the mean between the bid and asked prices provided by dealers. Financial futures contracts listed on commodity exchanges and exchange-traded options are valued at closing settlement prices. Short-term obligations having remaining maturities of less than 60 days are valued at amortized cost, which approximates value, unless the Board of Trustees determines that under particular circumstances such method does not result in fair value. Debt securities (other than short-term obligations) may be valued on the basis of valuations furnished by a pricing service that determines valuations based upon market transactions for normal, institutional-size trading units of such securities. Securities for which there is no such quotation or valuation and all other assets are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or at the direction of the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

 

Generally, trading in many foreign securities that the Fund may hold will be substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange. The values of these securities used in

 

61


determining the net asset value of the Fund generally will be computed as of such times. Occasionally, events affecting the value of foreign securities may occur between such times and the close of the New York Stock Exchange, which will not be reflected in the computation of the Fund’s net asset value (unless the Fund deems that such events would materially affect its net asset value, in which case an adjustment would be made and reflected in such computation). The Fund may rely on an independent fair valuation service in making any such adjustment. Foreign securities and currency held by the Fund will be valued in U.S. dollars; such values will be computed by the custodian based on foreign currency exchange rate quotations supplied by an independent quotation service.

 

DISTRIBUTIONS

 

The Fund pays monthly distributions to Common Shareholders. Distributions are reinvested in additional Common Shares under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan unless a Common Shareholder elects to receive cash. Distributions can only be made from net investment income after paying any accrued dividends to TP Shareholders or other preferred shareholders if additional preferred shares are issued in the future or interest and required principal payments on borrowings.

 

The Fund seeks to pay monthly distributions at a level rate (stated in terms of a fixed cents per Common Share dividend rate) based on the Fund’s projected performance. The Fund’s ability to maintain a level Common Share dividend rate depends on a number of factors, including the rate at which dividends are payable on the TP Shares. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of dividends on the Common Shares and the Fund’s distribution policy could change. For each year, the Fund will distribute all or substantially all of its net investment income. At least annually, the Fund also intends to distribute substantially all of its net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and ordinary taxable income, if any, after paying any accrued dividends or making any liquidation payments to TP Shareholders and any interest and required principal payment on borrowings. Although it does not now intend to do so, the Board of Trustees may change the Fund’s dividend policy and the amount or timing of the distributions, based on a number of factors, including the amount of the Fund’s undistributed net investment income and historical and projected investment income and the amount of the expenses and dividend rates on outstanding preferred shares, including TP Shares, and expenses interest on borrowings.

 

To permit the Fund to maintain a more stable monthly distribution, the Fund may initially distribute less than the entire amount of net investment income earned in a particular period. Any such undistributed net investment income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Fund for any particular monthly period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income actually earned by the Fund during the period.

 

Undistributed net investment income will be included in the Fund’s net asset value and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed net investment income will be deducted from the Fund’s net asset value.

 

The Fund might not distribute all or a portion of any net capital gain for a taxable year. If the Fund does not distribute all of its net capital gain for a taxable year, it will pay U.S. federal income tax on the retained gain. Each Common Shareholder of record as of the end of the Fund’s taxable year will include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, his or her share of the retained net capital gain, will be deemed to have paid his or her proportionate share of tax paid by the Fund on such retained gain, and will be entitled to an income tax credit or refund for that share of the tax. The Fund may treat the retained capital gains as a substitute for equivalent cash distributions. The Fund may make total distributions during a given calendar year in an amount that exceeds the Fund’s net investment income and net capital gain for that calendar year, in which case the excess will generally be treated by Common Shareholders as a return of capital for tax purposes. A return of capital reduces a Shareholder’s tax basis which could result in higher taxes when the Shareholder sells his or her stocks. This may cause the Shareholder to pay taxes even if he or she sells stocks for less than the original price.

 

 

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The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time, subject to a finding by the Fund’s Board of Trustees that such change is in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders.

 

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

 

If your shares of Common Stock are registered directly with the Fund or if you hold your shares of Common Stock with a brokerage firm that participates in the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”), you may elect to have all dividends, including any capital gain dividends, on your Common Stock automatically reinvested by the Plan Agent (defined below) in additional Common Stock under the Plan. You may elect to participate in the Plan by contacting Nuveen Investor Services at (800) 257-8787. If you do not participate, you will receive all distributions in cash paid by check mailed directly to you or your brokerage firm by State Street Bank and Trust Company as dividend paying agent (the “Plan Agent”).

 

If you decide to participate in the Plan, the number of shares of Common Stock you will receive will be determined as follows:

 

(1) If shares of Common Stock are trading at or above net asset value at the time of valuation, the Fund will issue new shares at the then current market price;

 

(2) If shares of Common Stock are trading below net asset value at the time of valuation, the Plan Agent will receive the dividend or distribution in cash and will purchase shares of Common Stock in the open market, on the NYSE or elsewhere, for the participants’ accounts. It is possible that the market price for the shares of Common Stock may increase before the Plan Agent has completed its purchases. Therefore, the average purchase price per share paid by the Plan Agent may exceed the market price at the time of valuation, resulting in the purchase of fewer shares than if the dividend or distribution had been paid in shares of Common Stock issued by the Fund. The Plan Agent will use all dividends and distributions received in cash to purchase shares of Common Stock in the open market within 30 days of the valuation date. Interest will not be paid on any uninvested cash payments; or

 

(3) If the Plan Agent begins purchasing Fund shares on the open market while shares are trading below net asset value, but the Fund’s shares subsequently trade at or above their net asset value before the Plan Agent is able to complete its purchases, the Plan Agent may cease open-market purchases and may invest the uninvested portion of the distribution in newly-issued Fund shares at a price equal to the greater of the shares’ net asset value or 95% of the shares’ market value.

 

You may withdraw from the Plan at any time by giving written notice to the Plan Agent. If you withdraw or the Plan is terminated, you will receive whole shares in your account under the Plan and you will receive a cash payment for any fraction of a share in your account. If you wish, the Plan Agent will sell your shares and send you the proceeds, minus brokerage commissions and a $2.50 service fee.

 

The Plan Agent maintains all shareholders’ accounts in the Plan and gives written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including information you may need for tax records. Upon a repurchase of your shares, the Fund (or its administrative agent) may be generally required to report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and furnish to you cost basis and holding period information for Fund shares that you purchased on or after January 1, 2012 (“covered shares”).

 

For shares of the Fund held in the Plan, you are permitted to elect from among several permitted cost basis methods. In the absence of an election, the Plan will use first-in first-out (“FIFO”) methodology for tracking and reporting your cost basis on covered shares as its default cost basis method. The cost basis method you use may not be changed with respect to a repurchase of shares after the settlement date of the repurchase. You should consult with your tax advisors to determine the best permitted cost basis method for your tax situation and to obtain more information about how the new cost basis reporting rules apply to you.

 

 

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Common Stock in your account will be held by the Plan Agent in non-certificated form. Any proxy you receive will include all shares of Common Stock you have received under the Plan.

 

There is no brokerage charge for reinvestment of your dividends or distributions in shares of Common Stock. However, all participants will pay a pro rata share of brokerage commissions incurred by the Plan Agent when it makes open market purchases.

 

Automatically reinvesting dividends and distributions does not mean that you do not have to pay income taxes due upon receiving dividends and distributions.

 

If you hold your Common Stock with a brokerage firm that does not participate in the Plan, you will not be able to participate in the Plan and any dividend reinvestment may be effected on different terms than those described above. Consult your financial advisor for more information.

 

The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan if in the judgment of the Board of Trustees the change is warranted. There is no direct service charge to participants in the Plan; however, the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants. Additional information about the Plan may be obtained by writing to State Street Bank and Trust Company, Attn: ComputerShare Nuveen Investments, P.O. Box 43071, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3071 or by calling (800) 257-8787.

 

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

The Fund may sell the Common Shares offered under this Prospectus through

 

   

at-the-market transactions;

 

   

underwriting syndicates; and

 

   

privately negotiated transactions.

 

The Fund will bear the expenses of the offering, including but not limited to, the expenses of preparation of the Prospectus and SAI for the offering and the expense of counsel and auditors in connection with the offering.

 

Distribution Through At-the-Market Transactions

 

The Fund has entered into a Distribution Agreement with Nuveen Securities, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, a form of which has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus is a part, pursuant to which Nuveen Securities has been appointed as the distributor for up to 8.5 million of the Common Shares of the Fund issued pursuant to this registration statement. The summary of the Distribution Agreement contained herein is qualified by reference to the Distribution Agreement. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Distribution Agreement, the Fund may from time to time offer its Common Shares through Nuveen Securities to certain broker-dealers which have entered into selected dealer agreements with Nuveen Securities. Currently, Nuveen Securities has entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Selected Dealer Agreement”) with Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel Nicolaus”), pursuant to which Stifel Nicolaus will act as the exclusive sub-placement agent with respect to at-the-market offerings of the Common Shares. A form of the Selected Dealer Agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus forms a part. The summary of the Selected Dealer Agreement contained herein is qualified by reference to the Selected Dealer Agreement.

 

Common Shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund, Nuveen and Stifel Nicolaus. Common Shares will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by Nuveen Securities. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current net asset value per Common Share plus the per share amount of the

 

64


commission to be paid to Nuveen Securities. Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price.

 

The Fund will compensate Nuveen Securities with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of up to 1% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. Nuveen Securities will compensate Stifel Nicolaus at a fixed rate of 0.80% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold by Stifel Nicolaus. Settlements of sales of Common Shares will occur on the third business day following the date on which any such sales are made.

 

In connection with the sale of the Common Shares on behalf of the Fund, Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act, and the compensation of Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. Unless otherwise indicated in a Prospectus supplement, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus will act on a reasonable efforts basis.

 

The offering of Common Shares pursuant to the Selected Dealer Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all Shares subject thereto or (ii) termination of the Selected Dealer Agreement. Each of Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus has the right to terminate the Selected Dealer Agreement in its discretion at any time. The Fund currently intends to distribute the Common Shares offered pursuant to this Prospectus primarily through at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute Common Shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent Common Shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement to this Prospectus describing such transactions.

 

As of February 15, 2017, the Fund has sold in this offering an aggregate of 4,099,090 Common Shares, representing net proceeds to the Fund of $53,742,565, after payment of commissions of $542,868 in the aggregate.

 

The Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on February 15, 2017 was $12.57.

 

Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates

 

The Fund from time to time may issue additional Common Shares through a syndicated secondary offering. In order to limit the impact on the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares, underwriters will market and price the offering on an expedited basis (e.g., overnight or similarly abbreviated offering period). The Fund will launch a syndicated offering on a day, and upon terms, mutually agreed upon between the Fund, Nuveen Securities, one of the Fund’s underwriters, and the underwriting syndicate.

 

The Fund will offer its shares at a price equal to a specified discount of up to 5% from the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. The applicable discount will be negotiated by the Fund and Nuveen Securities in consultation with the underwriting syndicate on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The Fund will compensate the underwriting syndicate out of the proceeds of the offering based upon a sales load of up to 4% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. The minimum net proceeds per share to the Fund will not be less than the greater of (i) the Fund’s latest net asset value per Common Share or (ii) 91% of the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date.

 

Distribution Through Privately Negotiated Transactions

 

The Fund, through Nuveen Securities, from time to time may sell directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional and other sophisticated investors, who may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the 1933 Act for any resale of Common Shares.

 

65


The terms of such privately negotiated transactions will be subject to the discretion of the management of the Fund. In determining whether to sell Common Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Fund will consider relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the attractiveness of obtaining additional funds through the sale of Common Shares, the purchase price to apply to any such sale of Common Shares and the person seeking to purchase the Common Shares.

 

Common Shares issued by the Fund through privately negotiated transactions will be issued at a price equal to the greater of (i) the net asset value per Common Share of the Fund’s Common Shares or (ii) at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% of the average daily closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares at the close of business on the two business days preceding the date upon which Common Shares are sold pursuant to the privately negotiated transaction. The applicable discount will be determined by the Fund on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

 

The principal business address of Nuveen Securities is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES AND DEBT

 

Common Shares

 

The Declaration authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of Common Shares. The Common Shares being offered have a par value of $0.01 per share and, subject to the rights of holders of preferred shares, and Borrowings, have equal rights to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation. The Common Shares being offered will, when issued, be fully paid and, subject to matters discussed in “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust,” non-assessable, and will have no pre-emptive or conversion rights or rights to cumulative voting. Each Common Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder, and will vote together as a single class. Whenever the Fund incurs Borrowings and/or preferred shares are outstanding, Common Shareholders will not be entitled to receive any cash distributions from the Fund unless all interest on such Borrowings has been paid and all accrued dividends on preferred shares have been paid, unless asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to any Borrowings would be at least 300% after giving effect to the distributions and asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to preferred shares would be at least 200% after giving effect to the distributions. See “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares” below.

 

The Common Shares are listed on the NYSE. The Fund intends to hold annual meetings of shareholders so long as the Common Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and such meetings are required as a condition to such listing. The Fund will not issue share certificates.

 

Unlike open-end funds, closed-end funds like the Fund do not provide daily redemptions. Rather, if a shareholder determines to buy additional Common Shares or sell shares already held, the shareholder may conveniently do so by trading on the exchange through a broker or otherwise. Shares of closed-end investment companies may frequently trade on an exchange at prices lower than net asset value. Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund have during some periods traded at prices higher than net asset value and have during other periods traded at prices lower than net asset value.

 

Because the market value of the Common Shares may be influenced by such factors as distribution levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), call protection, dividend stability, portfolio credit quality, net asset value, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot assure you that Common Shares will trade at a price equal to or higher than net asset value in the future. The Common Shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and investors in the Common Shares should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes. See the SAI under “Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund.”

 

66


Borrowings

 

The Declaration authorizes the Fund, without approval of the Shareholders, to borrow money. In this connection, the Fund may issue notes or other evidence of indebtedness (including bank borrowings or commercial paper) and may secure any such Borrowings by mortgaging, pledging or otherwise subjecting as security the Fund’s assets. The Fund borrows money at rates generally available to institutional investors. In connection with such Borrowings, the Fund is required to maintain minimum average balances with the lender or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain the line of credit. These requirements increase the cost of any such Borrowings over the stated interest rate. Under the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Fund, immediately after any such Borrowings, must have an “asset coverage” of at least 300%. With respect to any such Borrowings, asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), bears to the aggregate amount of such Borrowings represented by senior securities issued by the Fund. Under the Credit Agreement, the Fund is subject to covenants relating to asset coverages, portfolio coverages and otherwise.

 

The rights of lenders, including TD Bank, to the Fund to receive interest on and repayment of principal of any such Borrowings is senior to those of the Shareholders, and the terms of these Borrowings contain provisions which limit certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to Shareholders in certain circumstances. Further, the 1940 Act does (in certain circumstances) grant to the lenders to the Fund certain voting rights in the event of default in the payment of interest on or repayment of principal. In the event that such provisions would impair the Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code, the Fund will attempt to repay or restructure the Borrowings to preserve that eligibility. Borrowings, including the Credit Agreement, are ranked senior or equal to all other existing and future borrowings of the Fund. The Fund may also borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes. The Fund may also borrow money for repurchase of its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency situations. See “Investment Restrictions” in the SAI.

 

Preferred Shares

 

The Declaration authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of preferred shares in one or more classes or series, with rights as determined by the Board of Trustees, by action of the Board of Trustees without the approval of the Common Shareholders. The terms of any preferred shares that may be issued by the Fund may be the same as, or different from, the terms described below, subject to applicable law and the Declaration.

 

Limited Issuance of Preferred Shares.    Under the 1940 Act, the Fund could issue preferred shares with an aggregate liquidation value of up to one-half of the value of the Fund’s total net assets, including any liabilities associated with Borrowings, measured immediately after issuance of the preferred shares. “Liquidation value” means the original purchase price of the shares being liquidated plus any accrued and unpaid dividends. In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its Common Shares unless the liquidation value of the preferred shares is less than one-half of the value of the Fund’s total net assets (determined after deducting the amount of such dividend or distribution) immediately after the distribution.

 

Distribution Preference.    Any preferred shares would have complete priority over the Common Shares as to distribution of assets.

 

Liquidation Preference.    In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Fund, holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, would be entitled to receive a preferential liquidating distribution (expected to equal the original purchase price per share plus accumulated and unpaid dividends thereon, whether or not earned or declared) before any distribution of assets is made to Common Shareholders. After payment of the full amount of the liquidating distribution to which they are entitled, holders of preferred shares will not be entitled to any further participation in any distribution of assets by the Fund. A consolidation or merger of the Fund with or into any Massachusetts business trust or corporation or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Fund shall not be deemed to be a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Fund.

 

67


Voting Rights.    Preferred shares are required to be voting shares and to have equal voting rights with Common Shares. Except as otherwise indicated in this Prospectus or the SAI and except as otherwise required by applicable law, holders of preferred shares would vote together with Common Shareholders as a single class.

 

Holders of preferred shares voting as a separate class, would be entitled to elect two of the Fund’s trustees (following the establishment of the Fund by an initial trustee, the Declaration provides for a total of no less than two and no more than 12 trustees). The remaining trustees would be elected by Common Shareholders and holders of preferred shares voting together as a single class. In the unlikely event that two full years of accrued dividends are unpaid on the preferred shares the holders of all outstanding preferred shares voting as a separate class, would be entitled to elect a majority of the Fund’s trustees until all dividends in arrears have been paid or declared and set apart for payment. In order for the Fund to take certain actions or enter into certain transactions, a separate class vote of holders of preferred shares would be required, in addition to the single class vote of the holders of preferred shares and Common Shares. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust” and the SAI under “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares—Voting Rights.”

 

Redemption, Purchase and Sale of Preferred Shares.    The terms of the preferred shares would provide that they may be redeemed by the issuer at certain times, in whole or in part, at the original purchase price per share plus accumulated dividends. Any redemption or purchase of preferred shares by the Fund will reduce the leverage applicable to Common Shares, while any issuance of shares by the Fund would increase such leverage.

 

CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN THE DECLARATION OF TRUST

 

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. However, the Declaration contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for debts or obligations of the Fund and requires that notice of such limited liability be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Fund or the trustees. The Declaration further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Fund for all loss and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund would be unable to meet its obligations. The Fund believes that the likelihood of such circumstances is remote.

 

The Declaration includes provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or to convert the Fund to open-end status. Specifically, the Declaration requires a vote by holders of at least two-thirds of the Common Shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting together as a single class, except as described below, to authorize (1) a conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company, (2) a merger or consolidation of the Fund, or a series or class of the Fund, with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or a reorganization of the Fund, or a series or class of the Fund, (3) a sale, lease or transfer of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets (other than in the regular course of the Fund’s investment activities), (4) in certain circumstances, a termination of the Fund, or a series or class of the Fund, or (5) a removal of trustees by shareholders (except at the end of a Trustee’s term), and then only for cause,1 unless, with respect to (1) through (4), such transaction has already been authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Declaration or the By-Laws, in which case the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Fund’s Common Shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting together as a single class, is required; provided, however, that where only a particular class or series is affected (or, in the case of removing a trustee, when the trustee has been elected by only one class), only the required vote by the applicable class or series will be required. Approval of shareholders is not required, however, for any transaction, whether deemed a merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise whereby the Fund issues shares in connection with the acquisition of

 

68


1   

Vacancies caused by the death, resignation, retirement, removal or disqualification of a trustee may be filled in any manner that is consistent with the Declaration and applicable law.


assets (including those subject to liabilities) from any other investment company or similar entity. In the case of the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company, or in the case of any of the foregoing transactions constituting a plan of reorganization which adversely affects the holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, the action in question will also require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class, or, if such action has been authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Declaration or the By-Laws, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Fund’s preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class. None of the foregoing provisions may be amended except by the vote of at least two-thirds of the Common Shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting together as a single class. The votes required to approve the conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company or to approve transactions constituting a plan of reorganization which adversely affects the holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, are higher than those required by the 1940 Act. The Board of Trustees is divided into three classes, such a staggered board could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees believes that the provisions of the Declaration relating to such higher votes are in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders. See the SAI under “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust.”

 

The provisions of the Declaration described above could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then current market price of the Common Shares by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund in a tender offer or similar transaction. The overall effect of these provisions is to render more difficult the accomplishment of a merger or the assumption of control by a third party. They provide, however, the advantage of potentially requiring persons seeking control of the Fund to negotiate with its management regarding the price to be paid and facilitating the continuity of the Fund’s investment objective and policies. The Board of Trustees of the Fund has considered the foregoing anti-takeover provisions and concluded that they are in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders.

 

Reference should be made to the Declaration on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

 

REPURCHASE OF FUND SHARES; CONVERSION TO OPEN-END FUND

 

The Fund is a closed-end investment company and as such its shareholders will not have the right to cause the Fund to redeem their shares. Instead, the Common Shares trade in the open market at prices that are a function of several factors, including Common Share dividend levels (which are in turn affected by expenses) in comparison to market rates for similar investments, net asset value, call protection, dividend stability, portfolio credit quality, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions and other factors. Because shares of closed-end investment companies may frequently trade at prices lower than net asset value, the Fund’s Board of Trustees has currently determined that, at least annually, it will consider action that might be taken to reduce or eliminate any material discount from net asset value in respect of Common Shares, which may include the repurchase of such shares in the open market or in private transactions, the making of a tender offer for such shares at net asset value, or the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company. The Fund cannot assure you that its Board of Trustees will decide to take any of these actions, or that share repurchases or tender offers will actually reduce market discount. On July 30, 2008, the Fund’s Board of Trustees approved an open market share repurchase program under which the Fund may repurchase up to 10% of its Common Shares. As of December 31, 2016, the Fund has repurchased 12,400 Common Shares under the program.

 

If the Fund converted to an open-end investment company, it would be required to redeem all preferred shares then outstanding, if any (requiring in turn that it liquidate a portion of its investment portfolio), and the Common Shares would no longer be listed on the NYSE. In contrast to a closed-end investment company, shareholders of an open-end investment company may require the company to redeem their shares at any time (except in certain circumstances as authorized by or under the 1940 Act) at their net asset value, less any

 

69


redemption charge that is in effect at the time of redemption. See the SAI under “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust” for a discussion of the voting requirements applicable to the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company.

 

Before deciding whether to take any action if the Common Shares trade below net asset value, the Board of Trustees would consider all relevant factors, including the extent and duration of the discount, the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio, the impact of any action that might be taken on the Fund or its shareholders, and market considerations. Based on these considerations, even if the Fund’s shares should trade at a discount, the Board of Trustees may determine that, in the interest of the Fund and its shareholders, no action should be taken. See the SAI under “Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund” for a further discussion of possible action to reduce or eliminate such discount to net asset value.

 

TAX MATTERS

 

The following information is meant as a general summary for U.S. shareholders. Please see the SAI for additional information. Investors should rely on their own tax advisers for advice about the particular federal, state and local tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.

 

The Fund intends to qualify for the special tax treatment afforded to regulated investment companies (“RICs”) under the Code. As long as the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC, it pays no federal income tax on the earnings it timely distributes to shareholders.

 

In order to qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must meet certain distribution requirements. Nevertheless, the Fund might not distribute all of its net investment income, and the Fund is not required to distribute any portion of its net capital gain. If the Fund qualifies for treatment as a RIC but does not timely distribute all of its net capital gain and net investment income, it will be subject to tax on the amount retained. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it may designate the retained amount of capital gain as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who, if subject to federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their share of such undistributed amount; (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount and will be entitled to credit that amount of tax against their federal income tax liabilities, if any; and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.

 

Unless your investment in the Fund is through a tax-exempt entity or tax deferred retirement account, such as a 401(k) plan, you will normally have to pay federal income taxes, and any state or local taxes, on the dividends and other distributions you receive from the Fund, whether you take the distributions in cash or reinvest them in additional shares. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, distributions from the Fund’s net capital gains (if any) are considered long-term capital gains and may be taxable to you at reduced rates. Distributions from the Fund’s net short-term capital gains are taxable as ordinary income. Other dividends are generally taxable as ordinary income. Since the Fund’s income is derived primarily from sources that do not pay dividends, it is not expected that a substantial portion of dividends paid by the Fund will qualify for either the dividends-received deduction for corporations or the U.S. federal income tax rates available to noncorporate taxpayers on “qualified dividend income.” A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will first be treated as a return of capital, which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares. To the extent the amount of any such distribution exceeds your basis in your shares, the excess will be treated as gain from a sale or exchange of the shares.

 

The Fund will report to shareholders annually the U.S. federal income tax status of all Fund distributions.

 

70


If the Fund declares a dividend in October, November or December, payable to shareholders of record in such a month, but pays it in January of the following year, you will be taxed on the dividend as if you received it in the year in which it was declared.

 

Investments by the Fund in zero coupon or other discount securities will result in income to the Fund equal to a portion of the excess of the face value of the securities over their issue price (the “original issue discount” or “OID”) each year that the securities are held, even though the Fund may receive no cash interest payments or may receive cash interest payments that are less than the income recognized for tax purposes. In addition, any market discount recognized on a market discount bond is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value, or below adjusted issue price if issued with original issue discount. Absent an election by the Fund to include the market discount in income as it accrues, gain on the Fund’s disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gain to the extent of the accrued market discount. Because the income required to be recognized by the Fund as a result of the OID and/or market discount rules may not be matched by a corresponding cash payment to the Fund, the Fund may be required to borrow money or dispose of securities to be able to make distributions to its shareholders in order to qualify for treatment as a RIC and eliminate taxes at the Fund level.

 

A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax generally applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of a shareholder who is an individual and not a nonresident alien for federal income tax purposes and who has adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains, including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Fund shares (among other categories of income) are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

 

Unless your investment in the Fund is through a tax-exempt or tax deferred retirement account, the repurchase, sale or exchange of Common Shares normally will result in capital gain or loss to holders of Common Shares who hold their shares as capital assets. You will generally recognize a capital gain or capital loss in an amount equal to the difference between the net amount of sale proceeds (or, in the case of an exchange, the fair market value of the shares) that you receive and your tax basis for the shares that you sell or exchange. Generally a shareholder’s gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Present law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gains of corporations at the same rates applicable to ordinary income. For non-corporate taxpayers, however, long-term capital gains are taxed at rates of up to 20%. Short-term capital gains and other ordinary income are taxed to noncorporate taxpayers at ordinary income rates.

 

The Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold (as “backup withholding”) federal income tax from amounts payable to any shareholder who (1) has provided the Fund either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to properly report payments of interest or dividends, (3) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding, or (4) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). The backup withholding rate is 28%.

 

CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT

 

The custodian of the assets, including all foreign assets, of the Fund is State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 (“Custodian”). The Custodian performs custodial, fund accounting and portfolio accounting services. The Custodian may place and maintain the Fund’s foreign securities with foreign banking institution sub-custodians employed by State Street of the Foreign Custody Agreement. The use of foreign sub-custodians or foreign securities depositories may give rise to additional risks

 

71


to the Fund. The Fund’s transfer, shareholder services and dividend paying agent is also State Street Bank and Trust Company (“Transfer Agent”). The Transfer Agent is located at 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

KPMG LLP (“KPMG”), an independent registered public accounting firm, provides auditing services to the Fund. The principal business address of KPMG is 200 East Randolph, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.

 

LEGAL OPINION

 

Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, D.C.

 

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

 

The Fund is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the 1940 Act and is required to file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These documents can be inspected and copied for a fee at the SEC’s public reference room, 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549, and Northeast Regional Office, Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway, New York, New York 10013-2409. Reports, proxy statements, and other information about the Fund can be inspected at the offices of the NYSE.

 

This Prospectus does not contain all of the information in the Fund’s Registration Statement, including amendments, exhibits, and schedules. Statements in this Prospectus about the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete and in each instance reference is made to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by this reference.

 

Additional information about the Fund and Common Shares can be found in the Fund’s Registration Statement (including amendments, exhibits, and schedules) on Form N-2 filed with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains the Fund’s Registration Statement, other documents incorporated by reference, and other information the Fund has filed electronically with the SEC, including proxy statements and reports file under the Exchange Act.

 

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STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Use of Proceeds

     1  

Investment Objective

     1  

Investment Restrictions

     1  

Investment Policies and Techniques

     4  

Portfolio Composition

     6  

Fund Allocation

     6  

Overall Fund Management

     6  

Symphony Investment Philosophy and Process

     7  

Other Investment Policies and Techniques

     15  

Segregation of Assets

     23  

Hedging Transactions

     23  

Management of the Fund

     31  

Investment Adviser, Subadviser and Portfolio Managers

     51  

Code of Ethics

     54  

Proxy Voting Policies

     55  

Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage

     55  

Net Asset Value

     56  

Distributions

     58  

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

     59  

Plan of Distribution

     60  

Description of Shares and Debt

     63  

Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust

     65  

Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund

     66  

Tax Matters

     68  

Financial Statements

     74  

Custodian and Transfer Agent

     74  

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     75  

Legal Opinion

     75  

Additional Information

     75  

Appendix A

     A-1  

Appendix B

     B-1  

 

73



 

 

 

8.5 Million Common Shares

 

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund

 


 

PROSPECTUS

 


 

 

February 22, 2017

 

EPR-JRO-0217D

 



NUVEEN FLOATING RATE INCOME OPPORTUNITY FUND

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

February 22, 2017

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). The Fund was organized on July 27, 2004.

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) relating to common shares of the Fund (“Common Shares”) does not constitute a Prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s Prospectus relating thereto dated February 22, 2017 (the “Prospectus”). This SAI does not include all information that a prospective investor should consider before purchasing Common Shares. Investors should obtain and read the Fund’s Prospectus prior to purchasing such shares. In addition, the Fund’s financial statements and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report therein included in the Fund’s annual report dated July 31, 2016, are incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the Fund’s Prospectus may be obtained without charge by calling (800) 257-8787. You may also obtain a copy of the Fund’s Prospectus on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) web site (http://www.sec.gov). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this SAI have the meanings ascribed to them in the Prospectus.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Use of Proceeds

     1  

Investment Objective

     1  

Investment Restrictions

     1  

Investment Policies and Techniques

     4  

Portfolio Composition

     6  

Fund Allocation

     6  

Overall Fund Management

     6  

Symphony Investment Philosophy and Process

     7  

Other Investment Policies and Techniques

     15  

Segregation of Assets

     23  

Hedging Transactions

     23  

Management of the Fund

     31  

Investment Adviser, Subadviser and Portfolio Managers

     51  

Code of Ethics

     54  

Proxy Voting Policies

     55  

Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage

     55  

Net Asset Value

     56  

Distributions

     58  

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

     59  

Plan of Distribution

     60  

Description of Shares and Debt

     63  

Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust

     65  

Repurchase of Fund Shares; Conversion to Open-End Fund

     66  

Tax Matters

     68  

Financial Statements

     74  

Custodian and Transfer Agent

     74  

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     75  

Legal Opinion

     75  

Additional Information

     75  

Appendix A

     A-1  

Appendix B

     B-1  


USE OF PROCEEDS

The net proceeds from the issuance of Common Shares hereunder will be invested in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives an policies as stated below. Pending investment, the timing of which may vary depending on the size of the investment but in no case is expected to exceed 30 days, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in short-term or long-term securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies or instrumentalities or in high quality, short-term money market instruments. See “Risk Factors—Leverage Risk; Borrowing Risk” and “Use of Leverage” in the Prospectus.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund’s investment objective is to achieve a high level of current income.

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“NFALLC” or the “Adviser”), the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation, including the use of leverage and hedging. Symphony Asset Management LLC (“Symphony” or the “Subadviser”), the Fund’s sub-adviser, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets. See “Overall Fund Management.”

In pursuing its objective of high current income, the Fund invests in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that may involve significant credit risk. As part of its efforts to manage this risk and the potential impact of such risk on the overall value and returns of the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund generally follows a credit management strategy that includes (i) a focus on Senior Loans that are secured by specific assets, (ii) rigorous and on-going bottom-up fundamental analysis of Issuers, and (iii) overall portfolio diversification. The Fund’s adviser or subadviser will perform its own credit and research analysis of Issuers, taking into consideration, among other things, the entity’s financial resources and operating history, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, the capabilities of its management, its debt maturity schedules and borrowing requirements, its anticipated cash flow, interest and asset coverage, and its earnings prospects. Even with these efforts, because of the greater degree of credit risk within the portfolio, the Fund’s net asset value could decline over time. In an effort to help preserve the Fund’s overall capital, the Fund will seek to enhance portfolio value by investing in securities it believes to be undervalued, which, if successful, can mitigate the potential loss of value due to credit events over time.

The Fund cannot change its investment objective without the approval of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding” Common Shares and preferred shares voting together as a single class, and of the holders of a “majority of the outstanding” preferred shares voting as a separate class. When used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, a “majority of the outstanding” shares means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less. See “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares—Voting Rights” in the Fund’s Prospectus and in this SAI for additional information with respect to the voting rights of holders of preferred shares.

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

Except as described below, the Fund, as a fundamental policy, may not, without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Common Shares and, if issued, preferred shares voting together as a single class, and of the holders of a majority of the outstanding preferred shares voting as a separate class:

(1) Issue senior securities, as defined in the 1940 Act, other than (i) preferred shares which immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 200%, (ii) indebtedness which immediately

 

1


after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 300%, or (iii) the borrowings permitted by investment restriction (2) set forth below;1

(2) Borrow money, except as permitted by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under the 1940 Act;1,2

(3) Act as underwriter of another issuer’s securities, except to the extent that the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”) in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities or acting as an agent or one of a group of co-agents in originating Adjustable Rate Loans;

(4) invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry provided, however, that such limitation shall not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or by its agencies or instrumentalities, and provided further that for purposes of this limitation, the term “issuer” shall not include a lender selling a participation to the Fund together with any other person interpositioned between such lender and the Fund with respect to a participation;

(5) Purchase or sell real estate, except pursuant to the exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements and except to the extent that interests in Adjustable Rate Loans the Fund may invest in are considered to be interests in real estate, and this shall not prevent the Fund from investing in securities of companies that deal in real estate or are engaged in the real estate business, including real estate investment trusts, and securities secured by real estate or interests therein and the Fund may hold and sell real estate or mortgages on real estate acquired through default, liquidation, or other distributions of an interest in real estate as a result of the Fund’s ownership of such securities;

(6) Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments except pursuant to the exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements and except to the extent that interests in Adjustable Rate Loans the Fund may invest in are considered to be interests in commodities and this shall not prevent the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts, derivative instruments or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities;

(7) Make loans except as permitted by the 1940 Act and exemptive orders granted under the 1940 Act; and3

(8) with respect to 75% of the value of the Fund’s total assets, purchase any securities (other than obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States Government or by its agencies or instrumentalities), if as a result more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would then be invested in securities of a single issuer or if as a result the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any single issuer, and provided further that for purposes of this restriction, the term “issuer” includes both the Borrower under

 

1 

Section 18(c) of the 1940 Act generally limits a registered closed-end investment company to issuing one class of senior securities representing indebtedness and one class of senior securities representing stock, except that the class of indebtedness or stock may be issued in one or more series, and promissory notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in consideration of any loan, extension, or renewal thereof, made by a bank or other person and privately arranged, and not intended to be publicly distributed, are not deemed a separate class of senior securities.

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Section 18(a) of the 1940 Act generally prohibits a registered closed-end fund from incurring borrowings if, immediately thereafter, the aggregate amount of its borrowings exceeds 33 1/3% of its total assets. The Fund has not applied for, and currently does not intend to apply for, any exemptive relief that would allow it to borrow outside of the limits of the 1940 Act.

3 

Section 21 of the 1940 Act makes it unlawful for a registered investment company, like the Fund, to lend money or other property if (i) the investment company’s policies set forth in its registration statement do not permit such a loan or (ii) the borrower controls or is under common control with the investment company. The Fund has not applied for, and currently does not intend to apply for, any exemptive relief that would allow it to make loans outside of the limits of the 1940 Act.

 

2


a loan agreement and the lender selling a participation to the Fund together with any other persons interpositioned between such lender and the Fund with respect to a participation.

For purposes of the foregoing and “Description of Shares—Preferred Shares—Voting Rights” below, “majority of the outstanding,” when used with respect to particular shares of the Fund, means (i) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the shares are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares, whichever is less.

For the purpose of applying the limitation set forth in subparagraph (1) above, the Fund may not issue senior securities not permitted by the 1940 Act simply by describing such securities in the Prospectus.

For the purpose of applying the limitation set forth in subparagraph (2) above, under the 1940 Act, the Fund generally is not permitted to issue commercial paper or notes or borrow unless immediately after the borrowing or commercial paper or note issuance the value of the Fund’s total assets less liabilities other than the principal amount represented by the commercial paper, notes or borrowings, is at least 300% of such principal amount. The Fund does not currently have or have pending any exemptive relief with the SEC that would allow it to borrow outside of the limits of the 1940 Act.

For the purpose of applying the limitation set forth in subparagraph (8) above, a governmental issuer shall be deemed the single issuer of a security when its assets and revenues are separate from other governmental entities and its securities are backed only by its assets and revenues. Similarly, in the case of a non-governmental issuer, if the security is backed only by the assets and revenues of the non-governmental issuer, then such non-governmental issuer would be deemed to be the single issuer. Where a security is also backed by the enforceable obligation of a superior or unrelated governmental or other entity (other than a bond insurer), it shall also be included in the computation of securities owned that are issued by such governmental or other entity. Where a security is guaranteed by a governmental entity or some other facility, such as a bank guarantee or letter of credit, such a guarantee or letter of credit would be considered a separate security and would be treated as an issue of such government, other entity or bank. When a municipal bond is insured by bond insurance, it shall not be considered a security that is issued or guaranteed by the insurer; instead, the issuer of such municipal bond will be determined in accordance with the principles set forth above.

Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest only up to 10% of its total assets in the aggregate in shares of other investment companies and only up to 5% of its total assets in any one investment company, provided the investment does not represent more than 3% of the voting stock of the acquired investment company at the time such shares are purchased. As a stockholder in any investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and will remain subject to payment of the Fund’s management, advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Holders of Common Shares would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. In addition, the securities of other investment companies may also be leveraged and will therefore be subject to the same leverage risks described herein. As described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Risk Factors,” the net asset value and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares.

In addition to the foregoing fundamental investment policies, the Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies, which may be changed by the Board of Trustees. The Fund may not:

(1) Sell securities short, except that the Fund may make short sales of securities if, at all times when a short position is open, the Fund owns at least an equal amount of such securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, without payment of any further consideration, securities of the same issuer as, and equal in amount to, the securities sold short, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short.

 

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(2) Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act or any exemptive relief obtained thereunder. The Fund will rely on representations of Borrowers in loan agreements in determining whether such Borrowers are investment companies.

(3) Purchase securities of companies for the purpose of exercising control, except to the extent that exercise by the Fund of its rights under loan agreements would be deemed to constitute exercising control.

The Fund’s policy under normal circumstances of investing at least 80% of its Managed Assets in Adjustable Rate Loans is not considered to be fundamental by the Fund and can be changed without a vote of the Common Shareholders. However, this policy may only be changed by the Fund’s Board of Trustees upon 60 days prior written notice to Common Shareholders.

The restrictions and other limitations set forth above will apply only at the time of purchase of securities and will not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an acquisition of securities.

The Fund may be subject to certain restrictions imposed by either guidelines of one or more nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) that may issue ratings for preferred shares, commercial paper or notes, or, if the Fund borrows from a lender, by the lender. These guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed on the Fund by the 1940 Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines will impede the Fund’s subadviser from managing the Fund’s portfolio in accordance with the Fund’s investment objective and policies. In addition to other considerations, to the extent that the Fund believes that the covenants and guidelines required by the NRSROs or lenders would impede its ability to meet its investment objective, or if the Fund is unable to obtain the rating on preferred shares (expected to be at least AA/Aa), the Fund will not issue preferred shares.

INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES

The following information supplements the discussion of the Fund’s investment objective, policies, and techniques that are described in the Fund’s Prospectus.

The Fund’s investment objective is to achieve a high level of current income.

In pursuing its objective of high current income, the Fund invests in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that may involve significant credit risk. As part of its efforts to manage this risk and the potential impact of such risk on the overall value and returns of the Fund’s portfolio, Symphony generally follows a credit management strategy that includes (i) a focus on Senior Loans that are secured by specific assets, (ii) rigorous and on-going bottom-up fundamental analysis of issuers, and (iii) overall portfolio diversification. Symphony will perform its own credit and research analysis of issuers, taking into consideration, among other things, the entity’s financial resources and operating history, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, the ability of its management, its debt maturity schedules and borrowing requirements, its anticipated cash flow, interest and asset coverage, and its earnings prospects. Even with these efforts, because of the greater degree of credit risk within the portfolio, the Fund’s net asset value could decline over time. In an effort to help preserve the Fund’s overall capital, Symphony seeks to enhance portfolio value by investing in securities it believes to be undervalued, which, if successful, can mitigate the potential loss of value due to credit events over time.

As a non-fundamental policy, under normal market circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its Managed Assets (as defined in the Fund’s Prospectus) in Adjustable Rate Loans, primarily secured Senior Loans. As part of the 80% requirement, the Fund also may invest in unsecured Senior Loans and secured and unsecured subordinated loans. Also as a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 65% of its Managed Assets in Senior Loans that are secured by specific collateral.

 

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Adjustable Rate Loans pay interest at rates that are redetermined periodically at short-term intervals by reference to a base lending rate, primarily the London-Interbank offered rate (“LIBOR”), (of any tenor, but typically between one month and six months, and Currency), plus a premium. The Fund may invest its Managed Assets without limit in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments that are, at the time of investment, rated below investment grade or unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. Adjustable Rate Loans are made to U.S. or non-U.S. corporations, partnerships and other similar types of business entities (“Borrowers”) that operate in various industries and geographical regions, which may include middle-market companies. As used herein, “middle market” generally refers to companies with annual revenues of approximately $500 million or below. It is anticipated that the proceeds of the Adjustable Rate Loans in which the Fund invests will be used by Borrowers to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings, internal growth and for other business purposes.

Additionally, as a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in the following adjustable or fixed rate securities: (i) other debt securities such as investment and non-investment grade debt securities, fixed rate Senior Loans or subordinated loans, convertible securities and structured notes (other than structured notes that are designed to provide returns and risks that emulate those of Adjustable Rate Loans, which may be treated as an investment in Adjustable Rate Loans for purposes of the 80% test set forth above); (ii) mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities (including collateralized loan obligations and collateralized debt obligations) and (iii) debt securities and other instruments issued by government; government-related or supranational issuers (commonly referred to as sovereign debt securities). No more than 5% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in each of convertible securities, mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities and sovereign debt securities. The debt securities in which the Fund may invest may have short-term, intermediate-term or long-term maturities. The Fund also may receive or acquire warrants and equity securities issued by an issuer or its affiliates in connection with the Fund’s other investments in such entities.

Investment grade quality securities are those securities that, at the time of investment, are (i) rated by at least one NRSRO within the four highest grades (BBB- or Baa3 or better by Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“S&P”), Moody’s Investor Service Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch Ratings, part of the Fitch Group (“Fitch”), or (ii) unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. The Fund may purchase Senior Loans and other debt securities that are rated below investment grade, commonly referred to as junk bonds, or that are unrated but judged by Symphony to be of comparable quality. Investment rating limitations are considered to apply only at the time of investment and the Fund is under no obligation to sell securities as a result of changes in market values or ratings. The Fund may purchase Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities that are rated below investment grade or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality. As a fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, no more than 30% of the Fund’s Managed Assets may be invested in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities that are, at the time of investment, rated CCC+ or Caa or below by S&P, Moody’s or Fitch or that are unrated but judged to be of comparable quality.

Under normal circumstances:

 

   

The Fund maintains an average duration of one year or less for its portfolio investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments. See “The Fund’s Investments—Investment Objective and Policies” in the Fund’s Prospectus for a description of duration.

 

   

The Fund will not invest in inverse floating rate securities.

 

   

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its Managed Assets in securities of non-U.S. issuers (which term for purposes of this SAI includes Borrowers) that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund’s Managed Assets to be invested in Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt instruments of non-U.S. issuers may include debt securities of issuers located, or conducting their business in, emerging markets countries.

 

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The Fund may not invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in securities from an industry which (for the purposes of this SAI) generally refers to the classification of companies in the same or similar lines of business such as the automotive, textiles and apparel, hotels, media production and consumer retailing industries.

 

   

The Fund may invest more than 20% of its Managed Assets in sectors which (for the purposes of this SAI) generally refers to broader classifications of industries, such as the consumer discretionary sector which includes the automotive, textiles and apparel, hotels, media production and consumer retailing industries, provided the Fund’s investment in a particular industry within the sector does not exceed the industry limitation.

 

   

The Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable).

FUND ALLOCATION

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the composition of the Fund’s securities, as a Percentage of net assets, as of July 31, 2016.

 

Fund Allocation*

   Percent  

Variable Rate Senior Loan Interests

     127.3

Common Stocks

     1.9

$25 Par (or similar) Retail Preferred

     0.0

Convertible Bonds

     0.1

Corporate Bonds

     16.7

Asset-Backed Securities

     6.1

Repurchase Agreements

     5.6

Other Assets Less Liabilities

     (2.2 )% 
  

 

 

 

Net Assets Plus Borrowings and VRTP Shares, at Liquidation Preference

     155.5%  
  

 

 

 

Borrowings

     (38.3 )% 

VRTP Shares, at Liquidation Preference

     (17.2 )% 
  

 

 

 

Net Assets

     100%  
  

 

 

 

 

* The relative percentages of the value of the investments attributable the securities could change over time as a result of rebalancing the Fund’s assets by Symphony, market value fluctuations, issuance of additional shares and other events.

OVERALL FUND MANAGEMENT

NFALLC is responsible for the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation, including the use of leverage and hedging. Symphony is responsible for the day-to-day investment operations of the Fund.

NFALLC oversees Symphony in its management of the Fund’s portfolio. This oversight will include ongoing evaluation of Symphony’s investment performance, quality of investment process and personnel, compliance with Fund and regulatory guidelines, trade allocation and execution, and other factors.

NFALLC will also oversee the Fund’s use of leverage, and efforts to minimize the costs and mitigate the risks to Common Shareholders associated with using leverage. See “Use of Leverage” and “Hedging Transactions” in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI. This effort may involve making adjustments to investment policies in an attempt to minimize costs and mitigate risks.

 

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SYMPHONY INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY AND PROCESS

Investment Philosophy. Symphony believes that managing risk, particularly for volatile assets such as Adjustable Rate Loans and other forms of high yield debt, is of paramount importance. Symphony believes that a combination of fundamental credit analysis and valuation information that is available from the equity markets provide a means of identifying what it believes to be superior investment candidates. Additionally, Symphony focuses primarily on liquid securities to ensure that exit strategies remain available under different market conditions.

Investment Process. In identifying Adjustable Rate Loans and other securities for potential purchase, Symphony combines quantitative screening and fundamental and relative value analysis. Symphony evaluates the identified investment candidates for liquidity constraints and favorable capital structures. The investment team then performs rigorous bottom-up fundamental analysis to identify investments with sound industry fundamentals, cash flow sufficiency and asset quality. The final portfolio is constructed using risk management and monitoring systems to ensure proper diversification.

The Fund’s portfolio will be composed principally of the investments described below.

Senior Loans. Senior Loans, as with the other types of securities in which the Fund may invest, are counted for purposes of various other limitations described in this SAI, including the limitation on investing no more than 50% of the Fund’s Managed Assets in illiquid securities, to the extent such Senior Loans are deemed to be illiquid.

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 results in a reduction in income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the Senior Loan and a decrease in the Fund’s net asset value. This decrease in the Fund’s net asset value would be magnified by the Fund’s use of leverage. The risk of default increases in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase in interest rates. An increased risk of default could result in a decline in the value of Senior Loans and in the Fund’s net asset value.

Many Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by an NRSRO, generally will not be registered with the SEC and generally will not be listed on a securities exchange. In addition, the amount of public information available with respect to Senior Loans generally may be less extensive than that available for registered and exchange-listed securities. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain Senior Loans or Senior Loans generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. Senior Loans may not be rated at the time that the Fund purchases them. If a Senior Loan is rated at the time of purchase, Symphony may consider the rating when evaluating the Senior Loan but may not view ratings as a determinative factor in investment decisions. As a result, the Fund is more dependent on Symphony’s credit analysis abilities. Because of the protective terms of most Senior Loans, it is possible that the Fund is more likely to recover more of its investment in a defaulted Senior Loan than would be the case for most other types of defaulted debt securities.

In the case of collateralized Senior Loans, there is no assurance that sale of the collateral 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 court may not give lenders the full benefit of their senior positions. If the terms of a Senior Loan do not require the Borrower to pledge additional collateral in the event of a decline in the value of the original collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the Borrower’s obligations under the Senior Loan. To the extent that a Senior Loan is collateralized by stock in the Borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of bankruptcy of the Borrower. Uncollateralized Senior Loans involve a greater risk of loss. Some Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate such Senior Loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the Borrower or take other

 

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action detrimental to the holders of Senior Loans, such as the Fund, including, under certain circumstances, invalidating such Senior Loans. Lenders commonly have certain obligations pursuant to the loan agreement, which may include the obligation to make additional loans or release collateral in certain circumstances.

The amount of public information with respect to Senior Loans generally may be less extensive than that available for more widely rated, registered and exchange-listed securities. Economic and other events (whether real or perceived) can reduce the demand for certain Senior Loans or Senior Loans generally, which may reduce market prices and cause the Fund’s net asset value per share to fall. The frequency and magnitude of such changes cannot be predicted. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a Borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments. Symphony may rely exclusively or primarily on its own evaluation of Borrower credit quality in selecting Senior Loans for purchase. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of Symphony.

No active trading market currently exists for some of the Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest and, thus, those loans may be illiquid. Liquidity relates to the ability of the Fund to sell an investment in a timely manner at a price approximately equal to its value on the Fund’s books. The illiquidity of some Senior Loans may impair the Fund’s ability to realize the full value of its assets in the event of a voluntary or involuntary liquidation of such assets. Because of the lack of an active trading market, illiquid securities are also difficult to value and prices provided by external pricing services may not reflect the true fair value of the securities. The risks of illiquidity are particularly important when the Fund’s operations require cash, and may in certain circumstances require that the Fund sell other investments or borrow to meet short-term cash requirements. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain Senior Loans, the market 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. This could result in increased volatility in the market and in the Fund’s net asset value and market price per share.

If legislation or state or federal regulators impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of financial institutions to make loans that are considered highly leveraged transactions, the availability of Senior Loans for investment by the Fund may be adversely affected. In addition, such requirements or restrictions could reduce or eliminate sources of financing for certain Borrowers. This would increase the risk of default. If legislation or federal or state regulators require financial institutions to dispose of Senior Loans that are considered highly leveraged transactions or subject such Senior Loans to increased regulatory scrutiny, financial institutions may determine to sell such Senior Loans. Such sales could result in prices that, in the opinion of Symphony, do not represent fair value. If the Fund attempts to sell a Senior Loan at a time when a financial institution is engaging in such a sale, the price the Fund could get for the Senior Loan may be adversely affected.

Any lender, which could include the Fund, is subject to the risk that a court could find the lender liable for damages in a claim by a Borrower arising under the common laws of tort or contracts or anti-fraud provisions of certain securities laws for actions taken or omitted to be taken by the lenders under the relevant terms of a loan agreement or in connection with actions with respect to the collateral underlying the Senior Loan. The Fund may purchase participations in Senior Loans. By purchasing a participation interest in a loan, the Fund acquires some or all of the interest of a bank or other financial institution in a loan to a corporate Borrower. Under a participation, the Fund generally will have rights that are more limited than the rights of lenders or of persons who acquire a Senior Loan by assignment. In a participation, the Fund typically has a contractual relationship with the lender selling the participation, but not with the Borrower. As a result, the Fund assumes the credit risk of the lender selling the participation in addition to the credit risk of the Borrower. In the event of insolvency of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not have a senior claim to the lenders’ interest in the Senior Loan. A lender selling a participation and other persons interpositioned between the lender and the Fund with respect to participations will likely conduct their principal business activities in the banking, finance and financial services industries.

 

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The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio Senior Loans where the Borrowers have experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. Such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation. At times, in connection with the restructuring of a Senior Loan either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities or junior debt securities in exchange for all or a portion of a Senior Loan.

Adjustable Rate Subordinated Loans. The subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest are typically privately-negotiated investments that rank subordinate in priority of payment to senior debt, such as Senior Loans, and are often unsecured. However, such subordinated loans rank senior to common and preferred equity in a Borrower’s capital structure. Subordinated loans may have elements of both debt and equity instruments, offering fixed or adjustable rates of return in the form of interest payments associated with senior debt, while providing lenders an opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of a Borrower, if any, through an equity interest. This equity interest may take the form of warrants or direct equity investments which will be in conjunction with the subordinated loans. Due to their higher risk profile and often less restrictive covenants as compared to Senior Loans, subordinated loans generally earn a higher return than secured Senior Loans. The warrants associated with subordinated loans are typically detachable, which allows lenders the opportunity to receive repayment of their principal on an agreed amortization schedule while retaining their equity interest in the Borrower. Subordinated loans also may include a “put” feature, which permits the holder to sell its equity interest back to the Borrower at a price determined through an agreed formula. Symphony believes that subordinated loans offer an attractive investment opportunity based upon their historic returns and performance during economic downturns.

The Fund invests in subordinated loans that are primarily unsecured and that provide for relatively high, adjustable rates of interest, providing the Fund with significant current interest income. The subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest may have interest-only payments in the early years, with amortization of principal deferred to the later years of the subordinated loans. In some cases, the Fund may acquire subordinated loans that, by their terms, convert into equity or additional debt securities or defer payments of interest for the first few years after issuance. Also, in some cases the subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest will be collateralized by a subordinated lien on some or all of the assets of the Borrower. Typically, subordinated loans in which the Fund may invest will have maturities of four to eight years.

The subordinated loan industry is highly specialized and the Fund will rely on Symphony and its employees’ expertise in sourcing, evaluating, structuring, documenting and monitoring such investments by the Fund.

Certain Structured Notes. The Fund invests in structured notes (as defined below) that are designed to provide returns and risks that emulate those of Adjustable Rate Loans, the Fund may treat the value of (or, if applicable, the notional amount of) such investment as an investment in Adjustable Rate Loans for purposes of determining compliance with the requirement set forth above that at least 80% of the Fund’s Managed Assets be invested under normal market circumstances in Adjustable Rate Loans.

The Fund acting as Original Lender, Sole Lender and/or Agent. The Fund, in connection with its investments in senior and subordinated loans, particularly those made to middle-market companies, may act as one of the group of lenders originating a loan (“Originating Lender”), may purchase the entire amount of a particular loan (“Sole Lender”), and may act as Agent in the negotiation of the terms of a loan and in the formation of a group of investors in a Borrower’s loan.

The Fund as Originating Lender or Sole Lender. When the Fund acts as an Originating Lender or Sole Lender it will generally participate in structuring the loan, and may share in an origination fee paid by the Borrower. When the Fund is an Originating Lender or Sole Lender it will generally have a direct contractual

 

9


relationship with the Borrower, may enforce compliance by the Borrower with the terms of the loan agreement. As Sole Lender the Fund generally also would have full voting and consent rights under the applicable loan agreement.

The Fund as Agent. Acting in the capacity of an Agent with respect to a loan may subject the Fund to certain risks in addition to those associated with the Fund’s role as a lender. In consideration of such risks, the Fund invests no more than 20% of its total assets in Senior Loans in which it acts as an Agent or co-Agent and the size of any such individual Senior Loan will not exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets. See “Risk Factors—Security Level Risks—Senior Loan Agent Risk.”

The Fund’s ability to receive fee income is constrained by certain requirements for qualifying as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Fund intends to comply with those requirements and may limit its investments in loans in which it acts as Originating Lender, Sole Lender or Agent in order to do so.

Other Investments. The Fund may invest in fixed or floating rate debt instruments and other securities as described below:

Other Corporate Debt Instruments. Corporate debt instruments generally are used by corporations to borrow money from investors. The issuer pays the investor a fixed or variable rate of interest and normally must repay the amount borrowed on or before maturity. Certain debt instruments are “perpetual” in that they have no maturity date and some may be convertible into equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates. The Fund may invest in debt instruments of any quality and such debt instruments may be secured or unsecured. In addition, certain debt instruments in which the Fund may invest may be subordinated to the payment of an issuer’s senior debt.

Derivatives; Structured Notes. The Fund may use derivatives, structured notes and similar instruments (referred to collectively as “structured notes”) for investment purposes and also for hedging purposes. Structured notes are privately negotiated debt obligations, swap agreements or economically equivalent instruments where the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate (an “embedded index”), such as selected securities or loans, an index of securities or loans, or specified interest rates, or the differential performance of two assets or markets. Structured notes may be issued by corporations, including banks, as well as by governmental agencies. Structured notes frequently are assembled in the form of medium-term notes, but a variety of forms are available and may be used in particular circumstances. The terms of such structured notes normally provide that their principal and/or interest payments are to be adjusted upwards or index while the structured notes are outstanding. As a result, the interest and/or principal payments that may be made on a structured product may vary widely, depending on a variety of factors, including the volatility of the embedded index and the effect of changes in the embedded index on principal and/or interest payments. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index(es) or other asset(s). Application of the multiplier involves leverage that will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss. Symphony may utilize structured notes for investment purposes and also for risk management purposes, such as to reduce the duration and interest rate sensitivity of the Fund’s portfolio. While structured notes may offer the potential for a favorable rate of return from time to time, they also entail certain risks. Structured notes may be less liquid than other debt securities, and the price of structured notes may be more volatile. In some cases, depending on the terms of the embedded index, a structured note may provide that the principal and/or interest payments may be adjusted below zero. Structured notes also may involve significant credit risk and risk of default by the counterparty. Although structured notes are not necessarily illiquid, NFALLC believes that currently most structured notes are illiquid. Like other sophisticated strategies, the Fund’s use of structured notes may not work as intended. If the value of the embedded index changes in a manner other than that expected by Symphony, principal and/or interest payments received on the structured notes may be substantially less than expected. Also, if Symphony uses structured notes to reduce the duration of the Fund’s portfolio, this may limit the Fund’s return

 

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when having a longer duration of the Fund’s portfolio, this may limit the Fund’s return when having a longer duration would be beneficial (for instance, when interest rates decline).

Below Investment Grade Securities. Investments in below investment grade securities generally provide greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and principal and income risk, including the possibility of issuer default and bankruptcy. Issuers of below investment grade securities may be highly leveraged and may not have available to them more traditional methods of financing. Securities in the lowest investment grade category also may be considered to possess some speculative characteristics by certain rating agencies. In addition, analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of below investment grade securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality securities. Below investment grade securities may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than investment grade securities. A projection of an economic downturn or of a period of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in lower-grade security prices because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of an issuer to make principal and interest payments on its debt obligations. If an issuer of below investment grade securities defaults, in addition to risking payment of all or a portion of interest and principal, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. In the case of below investment grade securities structured as zero coupon or payment-in-kind securities, their market prices will normally be affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities which pay interest currently and in cash. Symphony seeks to reduce these risks through diversification, credit analysis and attention to current developments and trends in both the economy and financial markets.

The secondary market for below investment grade securities may not be as liquid as the secondary market for more highly rated securities, a factor which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to dispose of a particular security. There are fewer dealers in the market for below investment grade securities than for investment grade obligations. The prices quoted by different dealers may vary significantly and the spread between the bid and ask price is generally much larger than for higher quality instruments. Under adverse market or economic conditions, the secondary market for below investment grade securities could contract further, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer, and these instruments may become illiquid. As a result, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell these securities or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if such securities were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the Fund’s net asset value.

Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of below investment grade securities, especially in a thinly traded market. When secondary markets for below investment grade securities are less liquid than the market for investment grade securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available. During periods of thin trading in these markets, the spread between bid and asked prices is likely to increase significantly and the Fund may have greater difficulty selling its portfolio securities. The Fund will be more dependent on Symphony’s research and analysis when investing in below investment grade securities. Symphony seeks to minimize the risks of investing in all securities through in-depth credit analysis and attention to current developments in interest rates and market conditions.

A general description of the ratings of securities by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch is set forth in Appendix A to this SAI. The ratings of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch represent their opinions as to the quality of the securities they rate. It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are general and are not absolute standards of quality. Consequently, in the case of debt obligations, certain debt obligations with the same maturity, coupon and rating may have different yields while debt obligations with the same maturity and coupon with different ratings may have the same yield. For these reasons, the use of credit ratings as the sole method of evaluating lower-grade securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest

 

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payments, not the market value risk of lower-grade securities. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated.

The Subadviser does not rely solely on credit ratings when selecting securities for the Fund, and develops its own independent analysis of issuer credit quality.

The Fund’s credit quality policies apply only at the time a security is purchased, and the Fund is not required to dispose of a security in the event that a rating agency or Symphony downgrades its assessment of the credit characteristics of a particular issue. In determining whether to retain or sell such a security, Symphony may consider such factors as its assessment of the credit quality of the issuer of such security, the price at which such security could be sold and the rating, if any, assigned to such security by other rating agencies. However, analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of below investment grade securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities.

Convertible Securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred securities or other securities that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio or predetermined price (the “conversion price”). Convertible securities have general characteristics similar to both debt securities and common stocks. The interest paid on convertible securities may be fixed or floating rate. Floating rate convertible securities may specify an interest rate or rates that are conditioned upon changes to the market price of the underlying common stock. Convertible securities also may be issued in zero coupon form with an original issue discount. See “Other Investment Policies and Techniques—Zero Coupon and Payment-In-Kind Securities.” Although to a lesser extent than with debt securities, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, tends to increase as interest rates decline. In addition, because of the conversion feature, the market value of convertible securities tends to vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying common stocks and, therefore, will also react to variations in the general market for common stocks. Depending upon the relationship of the conversion price to the market value of the underlying common stock, a convertible security may trade more like a common stock than a debt instrument. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure and, therefore, generally entail less risk than the corporation’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a debt obligation. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to non-convertible debt obligations and can provide for a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than common stocks. However, convertible securities fall below debt obligations of the same issuer in order of preference or priority in the event of a liquidation, and are typically unrated or rated lower than such debt obligations. In addition, contingent payment convertible securities allow the issuer to claim deductions based on its nonconvertible cost of debt which generally will result in deductions in excess of the actual cash payments made on the securities (and accordingly, holders will recognize income in amounts in excess of the cash payments received). There can be no assurance of current income because the issuers of the convertible securities may default on their obligations. The convertible securities in which the Fund may invest may be below investment grade quality.

Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. A convertible security, in addition to providing current income, offers the potential for capital appreciation through the conversion feature, which enables the holder to benefit from any increases in the market price of the underlying common stock. The common stock underlying convertible securities may be issued by a different entity than the issuer of the convertible securities.

The value of convertible securities is influenced by both the yield of non-convertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The value of a convertible security viewed

 

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without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield) is sometimes referred to as its “investment value.” The investment value of the convertible security typically will fluctuate based on the credit quality of the issuer and will fluctuate inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates. However, at the same time, the convertible security will be influenced by its “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained if the convertible security were converted. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying common stock, and will therefore be subject to risks relating to the activities of the issuer and/or general market and economic conditions. Depending upon the relationship of the conversion price to the market value of the underlying security, a convertible security may trade more like an equity security than a debt instrument.

If, because of a low price of the common stock, the conversion value is substantially below the investment value of the convertible security, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. If the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the value of the security will be principally influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over its conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed-income security.

Mandatory convertible securities are distinguished as a subset of convertible securities because the conversion is not optional and the conversion price at maturity (or redemption) is based solely upon the market price of the underlying common stock, which may be significantly less than par or the price (above or below par) paid. Mandatory convertible securities may be called for conversion by the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including at specified price) established upon its issuance. For these reasons, the risks associated with the investing in mandatory convertible securities most closely resemble the risks inherent in common stocks. Mandatory convertible securities customarily pay a higher coupon yield to compensate for the potential risk of additional price volatility and loss upon redemption. Since the correlation of common stock risk increases as the security approaches its redemption date, there can be no assurance that the higher coupon will compensate for the potential loss. If a mandatory convertible security is called for conversion, the Fund will be required to either convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible fixed-income securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. The market values of convertible securities tend to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, a convertible security’s market value also tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company, particularly when the stock price is greater than the convertible security’s conversion price. The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price or exchange ratio at which the convertible security can be converted or exchanged for the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines below the conversion price, the price of the convertible security tends to be increasingly influenced more by the yield of the convertible security than by the market price of the underlying common stock.

U.S. Government Securities. U.S. Government securities include (1) U.S. Treasury obligations, which differ in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance: U.S. Treasury bills (maturities of one year or less), U.S. Treasury notes (maturities of one year to ten years) and U.S. Treasury bonds (generally maturities of greater than ten years) and (2) obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities that are supported by any of the following: (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow an amount limited to a specific line of credit from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase certain obligations of the U.S. Government agency or instrumentality or (iv) the credit of the agency or instrumentality. The Fund also may invest in any other security or agreement collateralized or otherwise secured by U.S. Government securities. Agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government include but are not limited to: Federal Land Banks, Federal Financing Banks, Banks for Cooperatives, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, Farm Credit Banks, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHLMC, FNMA, GNMA, Student Loan Marketing Association, United States Postal Service, Small Business Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority and any other enterprise established or sponsored by the U.S. Government. Because the U.S. Government generally is not

 

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obligated to provide support to its instrumentalities, the Fund invests in obligations issued by these instrumentalities only if Symphony determines that the credit risk with respect to such obligations is minimal.

The principal of and/or interest on certain U.S. Government securities which may be purchased by the Fund could be (i) payable in non-U.S. currencies rather than U.S. dollars or (b) increased or diminished as a result of changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to the value of non-U.S. currencies. The value of such portfolio securities may be affected favorably by changes in the exchange rate between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities. Mortgage-related securities are debt instruments that provide periodic payments consisting of interest and/or principal that are derived from or related to payments of interest and/or principal on underlying mortgages. Additional payments on mortgage-related securities may be made out of unscheduled prepayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, or from refinancing or foreclosure, net of fees or costs that may be incurred. The mortgage-related securities in which the Fund invests will typically pay variable rates of interest, although the Fund may invest in fixed-rate obligations as well.

The Fund may invest in certain asset-backed securities as discussed below. Asset-backed securities are payment claims that are securitized in the form of negotiable paper that is issued by a financing company (generally called a Special Purpose Vehicle or “SPV”). These securitized payment claims are, as a rule, corporate financial assets brought into a pool according to specific diversification rules. The SPV is a company founded solely for the purpose of securitizing these claims and its only asset is the risk arising out of this diversified asset pool. On this basis, marketable securities are issued which, due to the diversification of the underlying risk, generally represent a lower level of risk than the original assets. The redemption of the securities issued by the SPV takes place at maturity out of the cash flow generated by the collected claims.

A collateralized loan obligation (“CLO”) is a structured credit security issued by an SPV that was created to reapportion the risk and return characteristics of a pool of assets. The assets, typically Senior Loans, are used as collateral supporting the various debt tranches issued by the SPV. The key feature of the CLO structure is the prioritization of the cash flows from a pool of debt securities among the several classes of CLO holders, thereby creating a series of obligations with varying rates and maturities appealing to a wide range of investors. CLOs generally are secured by an assignment to a trustee under an indenture pursuant to which the bonds are issued of collateral consisting of a pool of debt instruments, usually, non-investment grade bank loans. Payments with respect to the underlying debt securities generally are made to the trustee under the indenture. CLOs are designed to be retired as the underlying debt instruments are repaid. In the event of sufficient early prepayments on such debt instruments, the class or series of CLO first to mature generally will be retired prior to maturity. Therefore, although in most cases the issuer of CLOs will not supply additional collateral in the event of such prepayments, there will be sufficient collateral to secure their priority with respect to other CLO tranches that remain outstanding. The credit quality of these securities depends primarily upon the quality of the underlying assets, their priority with respect to other CLO tranches and the level of credit support and/or enhancement provided.

The underlying assets (e.g., loans) are subject to prepayments which shorten the securities’ weighted average maturity and may lower their return. If the credit support or enhancement is exhausted, losses or delays in payment may result if the required payments of principal and interest are not made. The value of these securities also may change because of changes in the market’s perception of the creditworthiness of the servicing agent for the pool, the originator of the pool, or the financial institution or fund providing the credit support or enhancement.

The Fund also may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”). A CDO is a structured credit security issued by an SPV that was created to reapportion the risk and return characteristics of a pool of assets. The assets, typically non-investment grade bonds, leveraged loans, and other asset-backed obligations, are used as collateral supporting the various debt and equity tranches issued by the SPV. CDOs operate similarly to CLOs and are subject to the same inherent risks.

 

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Generally, rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of fixed-rate mortgage-related securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, mortgage-related securities held by the Fund may exhibit additional volatility. This is known as extension risk. Symphony expects that the Fund will focus its mortgage-related investments principally in adjustable rate mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, which should minimize the Fund’s overall sensitivity to interest rate volatility and extension risk. However, because interest rates on most adjustable rate mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities typically only reset periodically (e.g., monthly or quarterly), changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuation in the market value of these securities, including declines in market value as interest rates rise. In addition, adjustable and fixed rate mortgage-related securities are subject to prepayment risk. This can reduce the Fund’s returns because the Fund may have to reinvest that money at lower prevailing interest rates. Below investment grade securities frequently have call features that allow an issuer to redeem a security at dates prior to its stated maturity at a specified price (typically greater than par) only if certain prescribed conditions are met (commonly referred to as call protection). An issuer may redeem a lower grade security if, for example, the issuer can refinance the debt at a lower cost due to declining interest rates or an improvement in the credit standing of the issuer. Adjustable Rate Loans typically have no such call protection. For premium bonds (bonds acquired at prices that exceed their par or principal value) purchased by the Fund, prepayment risk may be increased. The Fund’s investments in other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-related securities, as well as additional risks associated with the nature of the assets and the servicing of those assets.

Debtor-In-Possession Financings. The Fund may invest in debtor-in-possession financings (commonly called “DIP financings”). DIP financings are arranged when an entity seeks the protections of the bankruptcy court under chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. These financings allow the entity to continue its business operations while reorganizing under chapter 11. Such financings are senior liens on unencumbered security (i.e., security not subject to other creditors claims). There is a risk that the entity will not emerge from chapter 11 and be forced to liquidate its assets under chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. In such event, the Fund’s only recourse will be against the property securing the DIP financing.

Commercial Paper. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by corporations such as banks or bank holding companies and finance companies. The rate of return on commercial paper may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies.

Warrants and Equity Securities. The Fund may acquire equity securities and warrants issued by an issuer or its affiliates as part of a package of investments in the issuer or its affiliates issued in connection with an Adjustable Rate Loan or other debt instrument of the Borrower. The Fund also may convert a warrant so acquired into the underlying security. Investments in warrants and equity securities entail certain risks in addition to those associated with investments in Adjustable Rate Loans or other debt instruments. The value of warrants and equity securities may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may possess material non-public information about an issuer as a result of its ownership of an Adjustable Rate Loan or other debt instrument of such issuer. Because of prohibitions on trading in securities of issuers while in possession of such information the Fund might be unable to enter into a transaction in a security of such an issuer when it would otherwise be advantageous to do so.

OTHER INVESTMENT POLICIES AND TECHNIQUES

Repurchase Agreements

As temporary investments, the Fund may invest in repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is a contractual agreement whereby the seller of securities agrees to repurchase the same security at a specified price on a future date agreed upon by the parties. The agreed-upon repurchase price determines the yield during the

 

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Fund’s holding period. Repurchase agreements are considered to be loans collateralized by the underlying security that is the subject of the repurchase contract. The Fund will only enter into repurchase agreements with registered securities dealers or domestic banks that, in the opinion of Symphony, present minimal credit risk. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the issuer to pay the agreed-upon repurchase price on the delivery date; however, although the value of the underlying collateral at the time the transaction is entered into always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price, if the value of the collateral declines there is a risk of loss of both principal and interest. In the event of default, the collateral may be sold but the Fund might incur a loss if the value of the collateral declines, and might incur disposition costs or experience delays in connection with liquidating the collateral. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are commenced with respect to the seller of the security, realization upon the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or limited. Symphony will monitor the value of the collateral at the time the transaction is entered into and at all times subsequent during the term of the repurchase agreement in an effort to determine that such value always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price. In the event the value of the collateral declines below the repurchase price, Symphony will demand additional collateral from the issuer to increase Symphony of the collateral to at least that of the repurchase price, including interest.

Sovereign Debt Securities

The Fund may invest in debt securities and other instruments that are issued by, or that are related to, government, government-related and supranational issuers, including those located, or conducting their business, in emerging markets countries.

The ability of a non-U.S. sovereign issuer, especially in an emerging market country, to make timely and ultimate payments on its debt obligations will be strongly influenced by the sovereign issuer’s balance of payments, including export performance, its access to international credits and investments, fluctuations of interest rate and the extent of its foreign reserves. A country whose exports are concentrated in a few commodities or whose economy depends on certain strategic imports could be vulnerable to fluctuations in international prices of these commodities or imports. To the extent that a country receives payment for its export in currencies other than dollars, its ability to make debt payments denominated in dollars could be adversely affected. If a sovereign issuer cannot generate sufficient earnings from foreign trade to service its external debt, it may need to depend on continuing loans and aid from foreign governments, commercial banks and multinational organizations. There may be no bankruptcy proceedings similar to those in the U.S. by which defaulted interest may be collected.

Additional factors that may influence the ability or willingness to service debt include, but are not limited to, a country’s cash flow situation, the availability or sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of its debt service burden to the economy as a whole, and its government’s policy towards the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international agencies to which a government debtor may be subject. The Fund may invest in debt securities issued by issuers located, or conducting their business in, emerging market countries, and investments in such debt securities are particularly speculative. Heightened risks of investing in emerging markets sovereign debt include:

 

   

Risk of default by a governmental issuer or guarantor. In the event of a default, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor.

 

   

Risk of restructuring certain debt obligations. This may include reducing and rescheduling interest and principal payments or requiring lenders to extend additional credit, which may adversely affect the value of these investments.

In addition, risks of investing in emerging markets securities include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity, significant price volatility, restrictions on foreign investment, and possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales, future economic or political crises could lead to price controls,

 

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forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or 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 the 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 markets countries.

Securities Issued by Non-U.S. Issuers

The Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers that are U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar denominated. The Fund may invest in any region of the world and invest in companies operating in developed countries such as Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most Western European countries. As used in this SAI, an “emerging market” country is any country determined to have an emerging markets economy, considering, among other things, factors such as whether the country has a low-to-middle income economy according to the World Bank or its related organizations, the country’s credit rating, its political and economic stability and the development of its financial and capital markets. These countries generally include countries located in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern and Central Europe. Securities of non-U.S. issuers include ADRs, Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) or other securities representing underlying shares of non-U.S. issuers. Positions in those securities are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as the common stocks into which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically issued by an American bank or trust company evidencing ownership of the underlying securities. GDRs are U.S. dollar- denominated receipts evidencing ownership of non-U.S. securities. Generally, ADRs, in registered form, are designed for the U.S. securities markets and GDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in non-U.S. securities markets. The Fund may invest in sponsored or unsponsored ADRs. In the case of an unsponsored ADR, the Fund is likely to bear its proportionate share of the expenses of the depository and it may have greater difficulty in receiving shareholder communications than it would have with a sponsored ADR.

Investors should understand and consider carefully the risks involved in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. Investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers involves certain considerations comprising both risks and opportunities not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. These considerations include: (i) less publicly available information about non-U.S. issuers or markets due to less rigorous disclosure or accounting standards or regulatory practices; (ii) many non-U.S. markets are smaller, less liquid and more volatile, meaning that, in a changing market, Symphony may not be able to sell the Fund’s portfolio securities at times, in amounts or at prices it considers reasonable; (iii) potential adverse effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates or controls on the value of the Fund’s investments; (iv) the economies of non-U.S. countries may grow at slower rates than expected or may experience a downturn or recession; (v) the impact of economic, political, social or diplomatic developments may adversely affect the securities markets; (vi) withholding and other non-U.S. taxes may decrease the Fund’s return; (vii) certain non-U.S. countries may impose restrictions on the ability of non-U.S. issuers to make payments of principal and/or interest to investors located outside the U.S. due to blockage of foreign currency exchanges or otherwise; and (viii) possible seizure, expropriation or nationalization of the company or its assets. These risks are more pronounced to the extent that the Fund invests a significant amount of its investments in issuers located in one region and to the extent that the Fund invests in securities of issuers in emerging markets. Although the Fund may hedge its exposure to certain of these risks, including the foreign currency exchange rate risk, there can be no assurance that the Fund will enter into hedging transactions at any time or at times or under circumstances in which it might be advisable to do so.

Debt Obligations of Non-U.S. Governments. An investment in debt obligations of non-U.S. governments and their political subdivisions (sovereign debt) involves special risks that are not present in corporate debt obligations. The non-U.S. issuer of the sovereign debt or the non-U.S. governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due, and the Fund 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 debt obligations of U.S. issuers. In the past, certain non-U.S. countries

 

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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 debt.

A sovereign debtor’s willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its non-U.S. currency reserves, the availability of sufficient non-U.S. currency, the relative size of the debt service burden, the sovereign debtor’s policy toward its principal international lenders and local political constraints. Sovereign debtors may also be dependent on expected disbursements from non-U.S. governments, multilateral agencies and other entities to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The failure of a sovereign debtor to implement economic reforms, achieve specified levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of third-party commitments to lend funds to the sovereign debtor, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts.

Eurodollar Instruments and Yankee Bonds. The Fund may invest in Eurodollar instruments and Yankee bonds. Yankee bonds are U.S. dollar denominated bonds typically issued in the U.S. by non-U.S. governments and their agencies and non-U.S. banks and corporations. These investments involve risks that are different from investments in securities issued by U.S. issuers, including potential unfavorable political and economic developments, non-U.S. withholding or other taxes, seizure of non-U.S. deposits, currency controls, interest limitations or other governmental restrictions which might affect payment of principal or interest.

Zero Coupon and Payment-in-kind Securities

The Fund’s investments in debt securities may be in the form of a zero coupon bond. Zero coupon bonds are debt obligations that do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest for the entire life of the obligation. When held to its maturity, its return comes from the difference between the purchase price and its maturity value. Payment-in-kind securities (“PIKs”) pay dividends or interest in the form of additional securities of the issuer, rather than in cash. Each of these instruments is typically issued and traded at a deep discount from its face amount. The amount of the discount varies depending on such factors as the time remaining until maturity of the securities, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. The market prices of zero coupon bonds and PIKs generally are more volatile than the market prices of debt instruments that pay interest currently and in cash and are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than do other types of securities having similar maturities and credit quality. In order to qualify for treatment as a “regulated investment company” under the Code, the Fund must distribute for each year at least 90% of its net investment income, including the original issue discount accrued on zero coupon bonds and PIKs. Because the Fund will not on a current basis receive cash payments from the issuer of these securities in respect of any accrued original issue discount, in some years the Fund may have to distribute cash obtained from selling portfolio holdings of the Fund in order to avoid unfavorable tax consequences. In some circumstances, such sales might be necessary in order to satisfy cash distribution requirements even though investment considerations might otherwise make it undesirable for the Fund to sell securities at such time. Under many market conditions, investments in zero coupon bonds and PIKs may be illiquid, making it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them or determine their current value.

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions

The Fund may buy and sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, making payment or taking delivery at a later date, normally within 15-45 days of the trade date. On such transactions the payment obligation and the interest rate are fixed at the time the buyer enters into the commitment. Beginning on the date the Fund enters into a commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, the Fund is required under rules of the Commission to maintain in a separate account liquid assets, consisting of cash, cash equivalents or liquid securities having a market value at all times of at least equal to the amount of any delayed payment commitment. The Fund may enter into contracts to purchase securities on a forward basis (i.e., where settlement will occur more than 60 days from the date of the transaction) only to the extent that the Fund

 

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specifically collateralizes such obligations with a security that is expected to be called or mature within sixty days before or after the settlement date of the forward transaction. The commitment to purchase securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward basis may involve an element of risk because no interest accrues on the bonds prior to settlement and at the time of delivery the market value may be less than their cost.

No Inverse Floating Rate Securities

The Fund will not invest in inverse floating rate securities, which are securities that pay interest at rates that vary inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates and which represent a leveraged investment in an underlying security.

Illiquid Securities

The Fund may invest up to 50% of its Managed Assets in securities and other instruments that, at the time of investment, are illiquid (i.e., securities that are not readily marketable). For this purpose, illiquid securities may include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws), securities that may only be resold pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, that are deemed to be illiquid, and certain repurchase agreements. The privately negotiated subordinated loans to middle-market companies in which the Fund may invest are likely to be illiquid. The Board of Trustees or its delegate has the ultimate authority to determine which securities are liquid or illiquid for purposes of this 50% limitation. The Board of Trustees has delegated to Symphony the day-to-day determination of the illiquidity of any security held by the Fund, although it has retained oversight and ultimate responsibility for such determinations. No definitive liquidity criteria are used. The Board of Trustees has directed Symphony when making liquidity determinations to look for such factors as (i) the nature of the market for a security (including the institutional private resale market; the frequency of trades and quotes for the security; the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security; the amount of time normally needed to dispose of the security; and the method of soliciting offers and the mechanics of transfer), (ii) the terms of certain securities or other instruments allowing for the disposition to a third party or the Issuer thereof (e.g., certain repurchase obligations and demand instruments), and (iii) other relevant factors.

Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the 1933 Act. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell. Illiquid securities will be priced at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or its delegate. If, through the appreciation of illiquid securities or the depreciation of liquid securities, the Fund should be in a position where more than 50% of the value of its Managed Assets is invested in illiquid securities, including restricted securities that are not readily marketable, the Fund will take such steps as are deemed advisable, if any, to protect liquidity.

Short-Term/Long-Term Debt Securities; Defensive Position. During temporary defensive purposes or in order to keep the Fund’s cash on hand fully invested, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its Managed Assets in cash equivalents and investment grade debt securities, including obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies and instrumentalities. In addition, upon Symphony’s recommendation that a change would be in the best interests of the Fund and upon concurrence by NFALLC, and subject to approval of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Symphony may deviate from its investment guidelines discussed herein. In such a case, the Fund may not pursue or achieve its investment objective. These investments are defined to include, without limitation, the following:

 

  (1)

U.S. government securities, including bills, notes and bonds differing as to maturity and rates of interest that are either issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury or by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities. U.S. government agency securities include securities issued by (a) the Federal

 

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  Housing Administration, Farmers Home Administration, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Small Business Administration, and the Government National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; (b) the Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, whose securities are supported by the right of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (c) the Federal National Mortgage Association, whose securities are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and (d) the Student Loan Marketing Association, whose securities are supported only by its credit. While the U.S. government provides financial support to such U.S. government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it always will do so since it is not so obligated by law. The U.S. government, its agencies, and instrumentalities do not guarantee the market value of their securities. Consequently, the value of such securities may fluctuate.

 

  (2) Certificates of Deposit issued against funds deposited in a bank or a savings and loan association. Such certificates are for a definite period of time, earn a specified rate of return, and are normally negotiable. The issuer of a certificate of deposit agrees to pay the amount deposited plus interest to the bearer of the certificate on the date specified thereon. Under current FDIC regulations, the maximum insurance payable as to any one certificate of deposit is $100,000; therefore, certificates of deposit purchased by the Fund may not be fully insured.

 

  (3) Repurchase agreements, which involve purchases of debt securities. At the time the Fund purchases securities pursuant to a repurchase agreement, it simultaneously agrees to resell and redeliver such securities to the seller, who also simultaneously agrees to buy back the securities at a fixed price and time. This assures a predetermined yield for the Fund during its holding period, since the resale price is always greater than the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market rate. Such actions afford an opportunity for the Fund to invest temporarily available cash. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements only with respect to obligations of the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities; certificates of deposit; or bankers’ acceptances in which the Fund may invest. Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund is limited to the ability of the seller to pay the agreed-upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying collateral. If the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. The Adviser monitors the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. The Adviser does so in an effort to determine that the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed-upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.

 

  (4) Commercial paper, which consists of short-term unsecured promissory notes, including variable rate master demand notes issued by corporations to finance their current operations. Master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and a corporation. There is no secondary market for such notes. However, they are redeemable by the Fund at any time. Symphony will consider the financial condition of the corporation (e.g., earning power, cash flow, and other liquidity measures) and will continuously monitor the corporation’s ability to meet all of its financial obligations, because the Fund’s liquidity might be impaired if the corporation were unable to pay principal and interest on demand. Investments in commercial paper will be limited to commercial paper rated in the highest categories by a NRSRO and which mature within one year of the date of purchase or carry a variable or floating rate of interest.

Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of other open- or closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. In addition, the Fund may invest a portion of its

 

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Managed Assets in pooled investment vehicles (other than investment companies) that invest primarily in securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. The Fund generally expects that it may invest in other investment companies and/or other pooled investment vehicles either during periods when it has large amounts of uninvested cash, such as the period shortly after the Fund receives the proceeds of a large purchase of Common Shares, preferred shares and/or Borrowings, or during periods when there is a shortage of attractive securities of the types in which the Fund may invest in directly available in the market. The Fund may invest in investment companies that are advised by NFALLC or its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law and/or pursuant to exemptive relief from the SEC. As an investor in an investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of that investment company’s expenses, and would remain subject to payment of the Fund’s advisory and administrative fees with respect to assets so invested. Common Shareholders would therefore be subject to duplicative expenses to the extent the Fund invests in other investment companies. Symphony will take expenses into account when evaluating the investment merits of an investment in the investment company relative to available securities of the types in which the Fund may invest directly. In addition, the securities of other investment companies also may be leveraged and therefore will be subject to the same leverage risks described herein. As described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus, the net asset value and market value of leveraged shares will be more volatile and the yield to shareholders will tend to fluctuate more than the yield generated by unleveraged shares. The Fund will treat its investments in such investment companies as investments in Adjustable Rate Loans for all purposes, such as for purposes of determining compliance with the requirement set forth above that at least 80% of the Fund’s Managed Assets be invested under normal market circumstances in Adjustable Rate Loans.

Lending of Portfolio Securities

The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to broker-dealers and banks. Any such loan must be continuously secured by collateral in cash or cash equivalents maintained on a current basis in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned by the Fund. The Fund would continue to receive the equivalent of the interest or dividends paid by the Issuer on the securities loaned through payments from the borrower. The Fund would also receive an additional return that may be in the form of a fixed fee or a percentage of the collateral. The Fund may pay reasonable fees to persons unaffiliated with the Fund for services in arranging these loans. The Fund would have the right to call the loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice of not more than five business days. The Fund would not have the right to vote the securities during the existence of the loan but would call the loan to permit voting of the securities, if, in Symphony’s judgment, a material event requiring a shareholder vote would otherwise occur before the loan was repaid. In the event of bankruptcy or other default of the borrower, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the loan collateral or recovering the loaned securities and losses, including (a) possible decline in the value of the collateral or in the value of the securities loaned during the period while the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, (b) possible subnormal levels of income and lack of access to income during this period, and (c) expenses of enforcing its rights.

Portfolio Trading and Turnover Rate

Portfolio trading may be undertaken to accomplish the investment objective of the Fund in relation to actual and anticipated movements in interest rates. In addition, a security may be sold and another of comparable quality purchased at approximately the same time to take advantage of what Symphony believes to be a temporary price disparity between the two securities. Temporary price disparities between two comparable securities may result from supply and demand imbalances where, for example, a temporary oversupply of certain securities may cause a temporarily low price for such securities, as compared with other securities of like quality and characteristics. A security may also be sold when Symphony anticipates a change in the price of such security, Symphony believes the price of a security has reached or is near a realistic maximum, or there are other securities that Symphony believes are more attractive given the Fund’s investment objective. The Fund may also engage to a limited extent in short-term trading consistent with its investment objective. Securities may be sold in anticipation of a market decline or purchased in anticipation of a market rise and later sold, but the Fund will not engage in trading solely to recognize a gain. Subject to the foregoing, the Fund will attempt to achieve its

 

21


investment objective by prudent selection of securities with a view to holding them for investment. While there can be no assurance thereof, the Fund anticipates that its annual portfolio turnover rate will generally not exceed 50%. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 27%. However, the rate of turnover will not be a limiting factor when the Fund deems it desirable to sell or purchase securities. Therefore, depending upon market conditions, the annual portfolio turnover rate of the Fund may exceed 50% in particular years. A higher portfolio turnover rate would result in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Fund. High portfolio turnover may result in the realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income.

Interest Rate Transactions

The Fund expects that the Fund’s portfolio investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate debt instruments in which the Fund may invest will serve as a hedge against the risk that Common Share net income and/or returns may decrease due to rising market dividend or interest rates on any preferred shares or Borrowings. If market conditions are deemed favorable, the Fund also may enter into interest rate swap or cap transactions to attempt to protect itself from such interest rate risk on the remaining amount of any outstanding preferred shares and/or Borrowings. Interest rate swaps involve the Fund’s agreement with the swap counterparty to pay a fixed rate payment in exchange for the counterparty agreeing to pay the Fund a payment at a variable rate that is expected to approximate the rate on the Fund’s variable rate payment obligation on Borrowings or any variable rate preferred shares. The payment obligations would be based on the notional amount of the swap. The Fund may use an interest rate cap, which would require it to pay a premium to the cap counterparty and would entitle it, to the extent that a specified variable rate index exceeds a predetermined fixed rate, to receive from the counterparty payment of the difference based on the notional amount. The Fund would use interest rate swaps or caps only with the intent to reduce or eliminate the risk that an increase in short-term interest rates could have on Common Share net earnings as a result of leverage.

Because Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate debt instruments in which the Fund may invest and the Fund’s preferred shares and Borrowings generally pay interest or dividends based on short-term market interest rates, the Fund’s investments in Adjustable Rate Loans and other adjustable rate debt instruments may potentially offset the leverage risks borne by the Fund relating to the fluctuations on Common Share income due to variations in the preferred share dividend rate and/or the interest rate on Borrowings. The Fund will usually enter into swaps or caps on a net basis; that is, the two payment streams will be netted out in a cash settlement on the payment date or dates specified in the instrument, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. The Fund intends to maintain in a segregated account with its custodian cash or liquid securities having a value at least equal to the Fund’s net payment obligations under any swap transaction, marked-to-market daily.

The use of interest rate swaps and caps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. Depending on the state of interest rates in general, the Fund’s use of interest rate swaps or caps could enhance or harm the overall performance on the Common Shares. To the extent there is a decline in interest rates, the value of the interest rate swap or cap could decline, and could result in a decline in the net asset value of the Common Shares. In addition, if short-term interest rates are lower than the Fund’s fixed rate of payment on the interest rate swap, the swap will reduce Common Share net earnings. If, on the other hand, short-term interest rates are higher than the fixed rate of payment on the interest rate swap, the swap will enhance Common Share net earnings. Buying interest rate caps could enhance the performance of the Common Shares by providing a maximum leverage expense. Buying interest rate caps could also decrease the net earnings of the Common Shares in the event that the premium paid by the Fund to the counterparty exceeds the additional amount the Fund would have been required to pay had it not entered into the cap agreement. The Fund will not enter into interest rate swap or cap transactions in an aggregate notional amount that exceeds the remainder of the outstanding amount of the Fund’s leverage, less the amount of Adjustable Rate Loans in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund has no current intention of selling an interest rate swap or cap. The Fund will monitor its interest rate swap and cap transactions with a view to insuring that it remains in compliance with all applicable tax requirements.

 

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Interest rate swaps and caps do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate swaps is limited to the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund would not be able to use the anticipated net receipts under the swap or cap to offset the interest payments on Borrowings or dividend payments on the preferred shares. Depending on whether the Fund would be entitled to receive net payments from the counterparty on the swap or cap, which in turn would depend on the general state of short-term interest rates at that point in time, such a default could negatively impact the performance of the Common Shares. Although this will not guarantee that the counterparty does not default, the Fund will not enter into an interest rate swap or cap transaction with any counter-party that NFALLC believes does not have the financial resources to honor its obligation under the interest rate swap or cap transaction. Further, NFALLC will continually monitor the financial stability of a counterparty to an interest rate swap or cap transaction in an effort to proactively protect the Fund’s investments.

In addition, at the time the interest rate swap or cap transaction reaches its scheduled termination date, there is a risk that the Fund would not be able to obtain a replacement transaction or that the terms of the replacement would not be as favorable as on the expiring transaction. If this occurs, it could have a negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s Common Shares. The Fund may choose or be required to prepay any Borrowings or redeem some or all of the preferred shares. This redemption would likely result in the Fund seeking to terminate early all or a portion of any swap or cap transaction. Such early termination of a swap could result in termination payment by or to the Fund. An early termination of a cap could result in a termination payment to the Fund.

SEGREGATION OF ASSETS

As a closed-end investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder, and various interpretive provisions of the SEC and its staff. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” (often referred to as “asset segregation”) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivatives instruments. In the case of forward currency contracts that are not contractually required to cash settle, for example, the Fund must set aside liquid assets equal to such contracts’ full notional value while the positions are open. With respect to forward currency contracts that are contractually required to cash settle, however, the Fund is permitted to set aside liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability) under the contracts, if any, rather than such contracts’ full notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the SEC or its staff regarding asset segregation.

The Fund generally will use its assets to cover its obligations as required by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder, and applicable positions of the SEC and its staff. As a result of their segregation, such assets may not be used for other operational purposes. NFALLC will monitor the Fund’s use of derivatives and will take action as necessary for the purpose of complying with the asset segregation policy stated above. Such actions may include the sale of the Fund’s portfolio investments.

HEDGING TRANSACTIONS

As a non-fundamental policy that can be changed by the Board of Trustees, the use of derivatives and other transactions for purposes of hedging the portfolio will be restricted to reducing the portfolio’s exposure to lower grade credit risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and the risk of increases in interest rates. The specific derivative instruments to be used, or other transactions to be entered into, for hedging purposes may include the purchase or sale of futures contracts on securities, credit-linked notes, securities indices, other indices or other financial instruments; options on futures contracts; exchange-traded and over-the-counter options on securities or

 

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indices; index-linked securities; swaps; and currency exchange transactions. Some, but not all, of the derivative instruments may be traded and listed on an exchange. The positions in derivatives will be marked-to-market daily at the closing price established on the relevant exchange or at a fair value.

There may be an imperfect correlation between changes in the value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and hedging positions entered into by the Fund, which may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to risk of loss. In addition, the Fund’s success in using hedging instruments is subject to Symphony’s ability to predict correctly changes in the relationships of such hedge instruments to the Fund’s portfolio holdings or other factors, and there can be no assurance that Symphony’s judgment in this respect will be correct. Consequently, the use of hedging transactions might result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund, whether or not adjusted for risk, than if the Fund had not hedged its portfolio holdings. In addition, there can be no assurance that the Fund will enter into hedging or other transactions at times or under circumstances in which it would be advisable to do so. See “Hedging Transactions” in the Fund’s Prospectus.

Short Sales. The Fund may make short sales of securities if, at all times when a short position is open, the Fund owns at least an equal amount of such securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for, without payment of any further consideration, securities of the same issuer as, and equal in amount to, the securities sold short. This technique is called selling short “against the box.”

In a short sale, the Fund will not deliver from its portfolio the securities sold and will not receive immediately the proceeds from the sale. Instead, the Fund will borrow the securities sold short from a broker-dealer through which the short sale is executed and the broker-dealer will deliver such securities, on behalf of the Fund, to the purchaser of such securities. Such broker-dealer will be entitled to retain the proceeds from the short sale until the Fund delivers to such broker-dealer the securities sold short. In addition, the Fund will be required to pay the broker-dealer the amount of any dividends paid on shares sold short. Finally, to secure its obligation to deliver to such broker-dealer the securities sold short, the Fund must deposit and continuously maintain in a separate account with its custodian an equivalent amount of the securities sold short or securities convertible into or exchangeable for such securities without the payment of additional consideration. The Fund is said to have a short position in the securities sold until it delivers to the broker-dealer the securities sold, at which time the Fund will receive the proceeds of the sale. Because the Fund ordinarily will want to continue to hold securities in its portfolio that are sold short, the Fund will normally close out a short position by purchasing on the open market and delivering to the broker-dealer an equal amount of the securities sold short, rather than delivering portfolio securities.

Short sales may protect the Fund against the risk of losses in the value of its portfolio securities because any unrealized losses with respect to such portfolio securities should be wholly or partially offset by a corresponding gain in the short position. However, any potential gain in such portfolio securities should be wholly or partially offset by a corresponding loss in the short position. The extent to which such gains or losses are offset will depend upon the amount of securities sold short relative to the amount the Fund owns, either directly or indirectly, and, in the case where the Fund owns convertible securities, changes in the conversion premium. The Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with short sales.

In addition to enabling the Fund to hedge against market risk, short sales may afford the Fund an opportunity to earn additional current income to the extent the Fund is able to enter into arrangements with broker-dealers through which the short sales are executed to receive income with respect to the proceeds of the short sales during the period the Fund’s short positions remain open.

The Code imposes constructive sale treatment for federal income tax purposes on certain hedging strategies with respect to appreciated financial positions. Under these rules, taxpayers will recognize gain, but not loss, with respect to securities if they enter into short sales or “offsetting notional principal contracts” (as defined by the Code) with respect to, or futures or forward contracts to deliver, the same or substantially identical property, or if they enter into such transactions and then acquire the same or substantially identical property. See “Tax Matters.”

 

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Options on Securities. In order to hedge against adverse market shifts, the Fund may purchase put and call options on stock, bonds or other securities. In addition, the Fund may seek to hedge a portion of its portfolio investments through writing (i.e., selling) covered put and call options. A put option embodies the right of its purchaser to compel the writer of the option to purchase from the option holder an underlying security or its equivalent at a specified price at any time during the option period. In contrast, a call option gives the purchaser the right to buy the underlying security covered by the option or its equivalent from the writer of the option at the stated exercise price at any time during the option period.

As a holder of a put option, the Fund will have the right to sell the securities underlying the option and as the holder of a call option, the Fund will have the right to purchase the securities underlying the option, in each case at their exercise price at any time during the option period prior to the option’s expiration date. The Fund may choose to exercise the options it holds, permit them to expire or terminate them prior to their expiration by entering into closing sale or purchase transactions. In entering into a closing sale or purchase transaction, the Fund would sell an option of the same series as the one it has purchased. The ability of the Fund to enter into a closing sale transaction with respect to options purchased and to enter into a closing purchase transaction with respect to options sold depends on the existence of a liquid secondary market. There can be no assurance that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be effected when the Fund so desires. The Fund’s ability to terminate option positions established in the over-the-counter market may be more limited than in the case of exchange-traded options and may also involve the risk that securities dealers participating in such transactions would fail to meet their obligations to the Fund.

In purchasing a put option, the Fund seeks to benefit from a decline in the market price of the underlying security, while in purchasing a call option, the Fund seeks to benefit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security. If an option purchased is not sold or exercised when it has remaining value, or if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price, in the case of a put, or remains equal to or below the exercise price, in the case of a call, during the life of the option, the option will expire worthless. For the purchase of an option to be profitable, the market price of the underlying security must decline sufficiently below the exercise price, in the case of a put, and must increase sufficiently above the exercise price, in the case of a call, to cover the premium and transaction costs. Because option premiums paid by the Fund are small in relation to the market value of the instruments underlying the options, buying options can result in additional amounts of leverage to the Fund. The leverage caused by trading in options could cause the Fund’s net asset value to be subject to more frequent and wider fluctuation than would be the case if the Fund did not invest in options.

The Fund will receive a premium when it writes put and call options, which increases the Fund’s return on the underlying security in the event the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a profit. By writing a call, the Fund will limit its opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the underlying security above the exercise price of the option for as long as the Fund’s obligation as the writer of the option continues. Upon the exercise of a put option written by the Fund, the Fund may suffer an economic loss equal to the difference between the price at which the Fund is required to purchase the underlying security and its market value at the time of the option exercise, less the premium received for writing the option. Upon the exercise of a call option written by the Fund, the Fund may suffer an economic loss equal to an amount not less than the excess of the security’s market value at the time of the option exercise over the Fund’s acquisition cost of the security, less the sum of the premium received for writing the option and the difference, if any, between the call price paid to the Fund and the Fund’s acquisition cost of the security. Thus, in some periods the Fund might receive less total return and in other periods greater total return from its hedged positions than it would have received from its underlying securities unhedged.

Options on Stock and Bond Indexes. The Fund may purchase put and call options on stock and bond indexes to hedge against risks of market-wide price movements affecting its assets. In addition, the Fund may write covered put and call options on stock and bond indexes. A stock or bond index measures the movement of a certain group of stocks or bonds by assigning relative values to the stocks or bonds included in the index. Options

 

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on a stock or bond index are similar to options on securities. Because no underlying security can be delivered, however, the option represents the holder’s right to obtain from the writer, in cash, a fixed multiple of the amount by which the exercise price exceeds (in the case of a put) or is less than (in the case of a call) the closing value of the underlying index on the exercise date. The advisability of using stock or bond index options to hedge against the risk of market-wide movements will depend on the extent of diversification of the Fund’s investments and the sensitivity of its investments to factors influencing the underlying index. The effectiveness of purchasing or writing stock or bond index options as a hedging technique will depend upon the extent to which price movements in the Fund’s investments correlate with price movements in the stock or bond index selected. In addition, successful use by the Fund of options on stock or bond indexes will be subject to the ability of Symphony to predict correctly changes in the relationship of the underlying index to the Fund’s portfolio holdings. No assurance can be given that Symphony’s judgment in this respect will be correct. When the Fund writes an option on a stock or bond index, it will establish a segregated account with its custodian in which the Fund will deposit liquid securities in an amount equal to the market value of the option, and will maintain the account while the option is open.

Stock and Bond Index Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and sell stock index futures as a hedge against movements in the equity markets. Stock and bond index futures contracts are agreements in which one party agrees to deliver to the other an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times the difference between the value of a specific stock or bond index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is made. No physical delivery of securities is made. For example, if Symphony expects general stock or bond market prices to decline, it might sell a futures contract on a particular stock or bond index. If that index does in fact decline, the value of some or all of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio may also be expected to decline, but that decrease would be offset in part by the increase in the value of the Fund’s position in such futures contract. If, on the other hand, Symphony expects general stock or bond market prices to rise, it might purchase a stock or bond index futures contract as a hedge against an increase in prices of particular securities it wants ultimately to buy. If in fact the stock or bond index does rise, the price of the particular securities intended to be purchased may also increase, but that increase would be offset in part by the increase in the value of the Fund’s futures contract resulting from the increase in the index. The Fund may purchase futures contracts on a stock or bond index to enable Symphony to gain immediate exposure to the underlying securities market pending the investment in individual securities of the Fund’s portfolio.

Under regulations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) currently in effect, which may change from time to time, with respect to futures contracts purchased by the Fund, the Fund will set aside in a segregated account liquid securities with a value at least equal to the value of instruments underlying such futures contracts less the amount of initial margin on deposit for such contracts. The current view of the staff of the SEC is that the Fund’s long and short positions in futures contracts must be collateralized with cash or certain liquid assets held in a segregated account or “covered” in order to counter the impact of any potential leveraging. Parties to a futures contract must make “initial margin” deposits to secure performance of the contract. There are also requirements to make “variation margin” deposits from time to time as the value of the futures contract fluctuates. The Fund and NFALLC have claimed, respectively, an exclusion from registration as a commodity pool and as a commodity trading advisor under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and, therefore, neither the Fund nor NFALLC, or their officers and directors, are subject to the registration requirements of the CEA. The Fund reserves the right to engage in transactions involving futures and options thereon to the extent allowed by CFTC regulations in effect from time to time and in accordance with the Fund’s policies. In addition, certain provisions of the Code may limit the extent to which the Fund may enter into futures contracts or engage in options transactions. See “Tax Matters.”

The potential loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option (plus transaction costs). With respect to options purchased by the Fund, there are no daily cash payments made by the Fund to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option does change daily and that change would be reflected in the net asset value of the Fund.

 

26


Other Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. The Fund’s use of derivative instruments also may include (i) U.S. Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency security futures contracts and (ii) options on U.S. Treasury security or U.S. Government Agency security futures contracts. All such instruments must be traded and listed on an exchange. U.S. Treasury and U.S. Government Agency futures contracts are standardized contracts for the future delivery of a U.S. Treasury Bond or U.S. Treasury Note or a U.S. Government Agency security or their equivalent at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract. An option on a U.S. Treasury or U.S. Government Agency futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser of the option the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a U.S. Treasury or U.S. Government Agency futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time on or before the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer’s future margin account, which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds the exercise price of the option on the futures contract.

Risks Associated with Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Futures prices are affected by many factors, such as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until expiration of the contract. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. While the Fund may enter into futures contracts and options on futures contracts for hedging purposes, the use of futures contracts and options on futures contracts might result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in any such transactions. If, for example, the Fund had insufficient cash, it might have to sell a portion of its underlying portfolio of securities in order to meet daily variation margin requirements on its futures contracts or options on futures contracts at a time when it might be disadvantageous to do so. There may be an imperfect correlation between the Fund’s portfolio holdings and futures contracts or options on futures contracts entered into by the Fund, which may prevent the Fund from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Fund to risk of loss. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as: variations in speculative market demand for futures, futures options and the related securities, including technical influences in futures and futures options trading and differences between the securities markets and the securities underlying the standard contracts available for trading. Futures prices are affected by many factors, such as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument and the time remaining until the expiration of the contract. Further, the Fund’s use of futures contracts and options on futures contracts to reduce risk involves costs and will be subject to Symphony’s ability to predict correctly changes in interest rate relationships or other factors. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures contracts involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected stock price or interest rate trends. No assurance can be given that Symphony’s judgment in this respect will be correct.

Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses. Stock index futures contracts are not normally subject to such daily price change limitations.

The Fund may invest in other options. An option is an instrument that gives the holder of the instrument the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a predetermined number of specific securities (i.e. preferred stocks, common stocks or bonds) at a stated price within the expiration period of the instrument, which is generally less

 

27


than 12 months from its issuance. If the right is not exercised after a specified period but prior to the expiration, the option expires. Both put and call options may be used by the Fund.

Structured Notes. The Fund may use structured notes and similar instruments for hedging purposes. Structured notes are privately negotiated debt obligations or economically equivalent instruments where the principal and/or interest is determined by reference to the performance of a benchmark asset, market or interest rate (an “embedded index”), such as selected securities or loans, an index of securities or loans or specified interest rates or the differential performance of two assets or markets. The terms of such structured instruments normally provide that their principal and/or interest payments are to be adjusted upwards or downwards (but not ordinarily below zero) to reflect changes in the embedded index while the structured instruments are outstanding. As a result, the interest and/or principal payments that may be made on a structured product may vary widely, depending on a variety of factors, including the volatility of the embedded index and the effect of changes in the embedded index on principal and/or interest payments. The rate of return on structured notes may be determined by applying a multiplier to the performance or differential performance of the referenced index(es) or other asset(s). Application of a multiplier involves leverage that will serve to magnify the potential for gain and the risk of loss.

The Fund may purchase and sell various other kinds of financial futures contracts and options thereon. Futures contracts may be based on various debt securities and securities indices. Such transactions involve a risk of loss or depreciation due to unanticipated adverse changes in securities prices, which may exceed the Fund’s initial investment in these contracts. The Fund will only purchase or sell futures contracts or related options in compliance with the rules of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. These transactions involve transaction costs. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of futures will be advantageous to the Fund. Guidelines established by one or more NRSROs that rate any preferred shares issued by the Fund may limit use of these transactions.

Credit-Linked Notes. The Fund may invest in credit-linked notes (“CLN”) for risk management purposes, including diversification. A CLN is a derivative instrument that is a synthetic obligation between two or more parties where the payment of principal and/or interest is based on the performance of some obligation (a reference obligation). In addition to credit risk of the reference obligation and interest rate risk, the buyer/seller of the CLN is subject to counterparty risk. See “Risk Factors-Counterparty Risk” in the Fund’s Prospectus.

Swaps. Swap contracts may be purchased or sold to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or market conditions, to change the duration of the overall portfolio, or to mitigate default risk. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties, which returns are calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index.

Credit Default Swaps. The Fund may enter into credit default swap contracts for risk management purposes, including diversification. When the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap contract, the Fund is entitled to receive the par (or other agreed-upon) value of a referenced debt obligation from the counterparty to the contract in the event of a default by a third party, such as a U.S. or non-U.S. corporate issuer, on the debt obligation. In return, the Fund would pay the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no event of default has occurred. If no default occurs, the Fund would have spent the stream of payments and received no benefit from the contract. When the Fund is the seller of a credit default swap contract, it receives the stream of payments, but is obligated to pay upon default of the referenced debt obligation. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The Fund will segregate assets in the form of cash and cash equivalents in an amount equal to the aggregate market value of the credit default swaps of which it is the seller, marked to market on a daily basis. These transactions involve certain risks, including the risk that the seller may be unable to fulfill the transaction. The tax treatment of certain credit default swaps is uncertain.

 

28


Interest Rate Swaps. The Fund will enter into interest rate and total return swaps only on a net basis, i.e., the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments). The Fund will only enter into interest rate swaps on a net basis. If the other party to an interest rate swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements will be maintained in a segregated account by the Fund’s custodian. The Fund will not enter into any interest rate swap unless the claims-paying ability of the other party thereto is considered to be investment grade by the Advisers. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction.

These instruments are traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use interest rate swaps for risk management purposes only and not as a speculative investment and would typically use interest rate swaps to shorten the average interest rate reset time of the Fund’s holdings. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments). The use of interest rate swaps is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If Symphony is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates and other applicable factors, the investment performance of the Fund would be unfavorably affected.

Total Return Swaps. As stated above, the Fund will enter into total return swaps only on a net basis. Total return swaps are contracts in which one party agrees to make payments of the total return from the underlying asset(s), which may include securities, baskets of securities, or securities indices during the specified period, in return for payments equal to a fixed or floating rate of interest or the total return from other underlying asset(s).

Currency Exchange Transactions. The Fund may enter into currency exchange transactions to hedge the Fund’s exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk in the event the Fund invests in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities of non-U.S. issuers as described in this SAI. The Fund’s currency transactions will be limited to portfolio hedging involving portfolio positions. Portfolio hedging is the use of a forward contract with respect to a portfolio security position denominated or quoted in a particular currency. A forward contract is an agreement to purchase or sell a specified currency at a specified future date (or within a specified time period) and price set at the time of the contract. Forward contracts are usually entered into with banks, foreign exchange dealers or broker-dealers, are not exchange-traded, and are usually for less than one year, but may be renewed. At the maturity of a forward contract to deliver a particular currency, the Fund may either sell the portfolio security related to such contract and make delivery of the currency, or it may retain the security and either acquire the currency on the spot market or terminate its contractual obligation to deliver the currency by purchasing an offsetting contract with the same currency trader obligating it to purchase on the same maturity date the same amount of the currency.

It is impossible to forecast with absolute precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a forward contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the Fund to purchase additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of the security is less than the amount of currency that the Fund is obligated to deliver and if a decision is made to sell the security and make delivery of the currency. Conversely, it may be necessary to sell on the spot market some of the currency received upon the sale of the portfolio security if its market value exceeds the amount of currency the Fund is obligated to deliver.

If the Fund retains the portfolio security and engages in an offsetting transaction, the Fund will incur a gain or a loss to the extent that there has been movement in forward contract prices. If the Fund engages in an offsetting transaction, it may subsequently enter into a new forward contract to sell the currency. Should forward prices decline during the period between the Fund’s entering into a forward contract for the sale of a currency and the date it enters into an offsetting contract for the purchase of the currency, the Fund will realize a gain to

 

29


the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to sell exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to purchase. Should forward prices increase, the Fund will suffer a loss to the extent the price of the currency it has agreed to purchase exceeds the price of the currency it has agreed to sell. A default on the contract would deprive the Fund of unrealized profits or force the Fund to cover its commitments for purchase or sale of currency, if any, at the current market price.

Hedging against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities or prevent losses if the prices of such securities decline. Such transactions also preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the hedged currency should rise. Moreover, it may not be possible for the Fund to hedge against a devaluation that is so generally anticipated that the Fund is not able to contract to sell the currency at a price above the devaluation level it anticipates. The cost to the Fund of engaging in currency exchange transactions varies with such factors as the currency involved, the length of the contract period, and prevailing market conditions. Since currency exchange transactions are usually conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.

Other Hedging Transactions. The Fund may invest in relatively new instruments without a significant trading history for purposes of hedging the Fund’s portfolio risks. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist.

 

30


MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

Trustees and Officers

The management of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed for the Fund under the Investment Management Agreement (as defined under “Investment Adviser, Sub-Adviser and Portfolio Managers—Investment Management Agreement and Related Fees”), is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees. The number of trustees of the Fund is twelve, two of whom are “interested persons” (as the term “interested person” is defined in the 1940 Act) and ten of whom are not interested persons (referred to herein as “independent trustees”). None of the independent trustees has ever been a director, trustee or employee of, or consultant to, Nuveen Investments, NFALLC, Symphony, or their affiliates. The Board of Trustees is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, the Class I trustees serving until the 2019 annual meeting, the Class II trustees serving until the 2017 annual meeting and the Class III trustees serving until the 2018 annual meeting, in each case until their respective successors are elected and qualified, as described below. Currently, William C. Hunter, Judith M. Stockdale, Carole E. Stone and Margaret L. Wolff are slated in Class I, William Adams IV, David J. Kundert, John K. Nelson and Terence J. Toth are slated in Class II, and Margo L. Cook, Jack B. Evans, Albin F. Moschner and William J. Schneider are slated in Class III. If the Fund has preferred shares outstanding, two of the Fund’s trustees will be elected by the holders of such preferred shares, voting separately as a class. The remaining trustees of the Fund are elected by holders of Common Shares and preferred shares, voting separately as a class. In the event that the Fund fails to pay dividends on outstanding preferred shares for two years, holders of preferred shares are entitled to elect a majority of trustees of the Fund. The officers of the Fund serve annual terms through August of each year and are elected on an annual basis. The names, business addresses and years of birth of the trustees and officers of the Fund, their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years, the number of portfolios each oversees and other directorships they hold are set forth below. The trustees of the Fund are directors or trustees, as the case may be, of 101 Nuveen-sponsored open-end mutual funds (the “Nuveen Mutual Funds”), 74 Nuveen-sponsored closed-end funds (the “Nuveen Closed-End Funds”) and seven Nuveen-sponsored exchange-traded fund (collectively with the Nuveen Mutual Funds, and Nuveen Closed-End Funds, the “Nuveen Funds”).

 

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Independent Trustees:

William J. Schneider

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1944)

  Chairman of
the Board
and Trustee
  Term—Class III

Length of
Service—

Since 1996

  Chairman of Miller- Valentine Partners, a real estate investment company; Board Member, WDPR Public Radio; formerly, Senior Partner and Chief Operating Officer (retired 2004) of Miller-Valentine Group; formerly, Director Dayton Development Coalition; formerly, Board Member, Business Advisory Council, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank and University or Dayton Business School Advisory Council.   182   None

 

31


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Jack B. Evans

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1948)

  Trustee   Term—Class III
Length of
Service—
Since 1999
 

President, The Hall-

Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation (since 1996); Director, The Gazette Company; Life Trustee of Coe College and the Iowa College Foundation; formerly, Director, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; formerly, President and Chief Operating Officer, SCI Financial Group, Inc., a regional financial services firm; formerly, Member and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System.

  182   Director and Chairman, United Fire Group, a publicly held company; formerly, Director, Alliant Energy.

William C. Hunter

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1948)

  Trustee   Term—Class I
Length of
Service—
Since 2003
  Dean Emeritus, formerly, Dean (2006-2012), Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa; Past Director (2005-2015) and past President (2010-2014) of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., The International Business Honor Society; formerly, Director (1997-2007), Credit Research Center at Georgetown University; formerly, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance, School of Business at the University of Connecticut (2003-2006); previously, Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago (1995-2003).   182   Director of Wellmark, Inc. (since 2009); Director (since 2004) of Xerox Corporation.

 

32


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other
Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past
Five Years

David J. Kundert

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1942)

  Trustee   Term—Class II
Length of
Service—
Since 2005
  Formerly, Director, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (2006-2013); retired (since 2004) as Chairman, JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management, President and CEO, Banc One Investment Advisors Corporation, and President, One Group Mutual Funds; prior thereto, Executive Vice President, Banc One Corporation and Chairman and CEO, Banc One Investment Management Group; Regent Emeritus, member of Investment Committee, Luther College; member of the Wisconsin Bar Association; member of Board of Directors and Chair of Investment Committee, Greater Milwaukee Foundation; member of the Board of Directors (Milwaukee), College Possible; Member of the Board of Trustees, Milwaukee Repertory Theater.   182   None

Albin F. Moschner

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1952)

  Trustee   Term—Class III

Length of
Service—
Since 2016

  Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Northcroft Partners, LLC, a management consulting firm (since 2012); previously, held positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc., including Consultant (2011-2012), Chief Operating Officer (2008-2011) and Chief Marketing Officer (2004-2008); formerly, President, Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. (2000-2003); formerly, President, One Point Services at One Point Communications (1999-2000); formerly, Vice Chairman of the Board, Diba, Incorporated (1996-1997); formerly, various executive positions with Zenith Electronics Corporation (1991-1996).   182   Director, USA Technologies, Inc., a provider of solutions and services to facilitate electronic payment transactions (since 2012); formerly, Director, Wintrust Financial Corporation (1996-2016).

 

33


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

John K. Nelson

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1962)

  Trustee   Term—Class II
Length of
Service—
Since 2013
  Member of Board of Directors of Core12 LLC (since 2008), a private firm which develops branding, marketing and communications strategies for clients; Director of The Curran Center for Catholic American Studies (since 2009) and The President’s Council, Fordham University (since 2010); formerly, senior external advisor to the financial services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP (2012- 2014); former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Marian University (2010-2014 as trustee, 2011-2014 as Chairman); formerly, Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO N.V. North America, and Global Head of its Financial Markets Division (2007-2008); prior senior positions held at ABN AMRO include Corporate Executive Vice President and Head of Global Markets—the Americas (2006-2007), CEO of Wholesale Banking—North America and Global Head of Foreign Exchange and Futures Markets (2001-2006), and Regional Commercial Treasurer and Senior Vice President Trading—North America (1996- 2001); formerly, Trustee at St. Edmund Preparatory School in New York City.   182   None

 

34


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Judith M. Stockdale

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1947)

  Trustee   Term—Class I
Length of
Service—
Since 1997
  Board Member of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (since 2013); Board Member of the Land Trust Alliance; formerly, Executive Director (1994-2012), Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; prior thereto, Executive Director, Great Lakes Protection Fund (1990-1994).   182   None

Carole E. Stone

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1947)

  Trustee   Term—Class I
Length of
Service—
Since 2007
  Director, Chicago Board Options Exchange (since 2006); Director, C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated (since 2009); formerly, Commissioner, New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform (2005-2010).   182   Director, CBOE Holdings, Inc. (since 2010).

Terence J. Toth

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1959)

  Trustee   Term—Class II
Length of
Service—
Since 2008
  Co-Founding Partner, Promus Capital (since 2008); Director of Fulcrum IT Service LLC (since 2010) and Quality Control Corporation (since 2012); formerly, Director, LogicMark LLC (2012-2016); formerly, Director, Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. (2008-2013); formerly, CEO and President, Northern Trust Global Investments (2004-2007); Executive Vice President, Quantitative Management & Securities Lending (2000-2004); prior thereto, various positions with Northern Trust Company (since 1994); Member of Catalyst Schools of Chicago Board (since 2008) and Mather Foundation Board (since 2012) and is Chair of its Investment Committee; formerly, Member, Chicago Fellowship Board (2005-2016); formerly, Member, Northern Trust Mutual Funds Board (2005-2007), Northern Trust Global Investments Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Japan Board (2004-2007), Northern Trust Securities Inc. Board (2003-2007) and Northern Trust Hong Kong Board (1997-2004).   182   None

 

35


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other Directorships
Held by Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Margaret L. Wolff

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1955)

  Trustee   Term—Class I
Length of
Service—
Since 2016
  Formerly, Of Counsel (2005-2014), Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Mergers & Acquisitions Group); Member of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (since 2005); Member (since 2004) and Chair (since 2015) of the Board of Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation (a philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults); formerly, Member (2005-2015) and Vice Chair (2011- 2015) of the Board of Trustees of Mt. Holyoke College.   182   Member of the Board of Directors (since 2013) of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each, a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.)

Interested Trustees:

William Adams IV(1)

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1955)

  Trustee   Term—Class II
Length of
Service—
Since 2013
  Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President (since March 2016), formerly, Senior Executive Vice President, Global Structured Products (2010-2016) of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Executive Vice President (since February 2017) of Nuveen, LLC; Co-President of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (since 2011); Co-President, Global Products and Solutions (since January 2017), formerly, Co-Chief Executive Officer (2016-2017), formerly, Senior Executive Vice President of Nuveen Securities, LLC; President (since 2011), formerly, Managing Director (2010-2011), of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC; Board Member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and of Gilda’s Club Chicago.   182   None

 

36


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s)
Held with
Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen By
Trustee
 

Other
Directorships
Held by
Trustee
During Past
Five Years

Margo L. Cook(1)

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1964)

  Trustee   Term—Class III

Length of
Service—
Since 2016

  Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President (since March 2016), formerly, Senior Executive Vice President of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Executive Vice President (since February 2017) of Nuveen, LLC; Co-President (since October 2016), formerly, Senior Executive Vice President (2015-2016), formerly, Executive Vice President (2011-2015) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Co-President, Global Products and Solutions (since January 2017), formerly, Co-Chief Executive Officer (2015-2017), formerly, Executive Vice President (2013-2015), of Nuveen Securities, LLC; formerly, Managing Director—Investment Services of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC (2011-2016); Chartered Financial Analyst.   182   None

 

(1) Mr. Adams and Ms. Cook are “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, by reason of their positions with Nuveen Investments and certain of its subsidiaries.

OFFICERS OF THE FUND:

 

Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s) Held
with Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupations Including Other
Directorships During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Officer

Cedric H. Antosiewicz*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1962)

  Chief
Administrative
Officer
  Term—Until

August 2017—
Length of Service—
Since 2007

 

Senior Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly, Managing Director (2004-2017) of Nuveen Securities LLC; Senior Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly, Managing Director (2014-2017) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC.

  75

Lorna C. Ferguson*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1945)

  Vice President   Term—Until August
2017—Length of
Service—
Since 1998
  Managing Director (since 2004) of Nuveen.   183

 

37


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s) Held
with Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupations Including Other
Directorships During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Officer

Stephen D. Foy*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1954)

  Vice President
and Controller
  Term—Until
August 2017—
Length of

Service—
Since 1993

  Managing Director (since 2014), formerly, Senior Vice President (2013-2014) and Vice President (2005-2013) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Chief Financial Officer (since 2010) of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC; Managing Director (since 2016) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Certified Public Accountant.   183

Nathaniel T. Jones*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1979)

  Vice President
and Treasurer
  Term—Until
August 2017—

Length of Service—
Since 2016

  Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly Senior Vice President (2016-2017), formerly, Vice President (2011-2016) of Nuveen; Chartered Financial Analyst.   183

Walter M. Kelly*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1970)

  Chief
Compliance

Officer and
Vice President

  Term—Until August
2017— Length of
Service— Since
2003
  Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly Senior Vice President (2008-2017) of Nuveen.   183

David J. Lamb*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1963)

  Vice President   Term—Until August
2017— Length of
Service— Since
2015
  Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly Senior Vice President of Nuveen Investment Holdings, Inc. (2006-2017), Vice President prior to 2006.   75

Tina M. Lazar*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1961)

  Vice President   Term—Until

August 2017—
Length of Service—
Since 2002

  Managing Director (since January 2017), formely, Senior Vice President (2014-2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC.   183

 

38


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s) Held
with Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupations Including Other
Directorships During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Officer

Kevin J. McCarthy*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1966)

  Vice President
and Assistant
Secretary
  Term—Until

August 2017—
Length of Service—
Since 2007

  Senior Managing Director (since February 2017), formerly, Executive Vice President (2016-2017), Secretary and General Counsel (since 2016), formerly, Managing Director and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Senior Managing Director (since January 2017), formerly, Executive Vice President (2016-2017), formerly, Managing Director, and Assistant Secretary (since 2008) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Senior Managing Director (since February 2017), formerly, Executive Vice President, Secretary (since 2016), formerly, Managing Director (2008-2016) and Assistant Secretary (2007-2016), and Co-General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Senior Managing Director (since February 2017), formerly, Executive Vice President, Secretary (since 2016), formerly, Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (2011-2016), and Associate General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director (since February 2017), formerly, Secretary (since 2016) of Nuveen Investments Advisers, LLC; Vice President (since 2007) and Secretary (since 2016) of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC, and Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2010); Vice President (since 2010) and Secretary (since 2016), formerly, Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC.   183

 

39


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s) Held
with Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupations Including Other
Directorships During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Officer

Kathleen L. Prudhomme*

901 Marquette Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55402

(1953)

  Vice President
and Assistant
Secretary
  Term—Until August
2017— Length of
Service— Since
2011
  Managing Director and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC (since 2011); Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Co-General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; formerly, Deputy General Counsel, FAF Advisors, Inc. (2004–2010).   183

Christopher M. Rohrbacher*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

(1971)

  Vice President
and Assistant
Secretary
  Term—Until August
2017 Length of
Service— Since
2008
  Managing Director (since February 2017), formerly, Senior Vice President (October 2016-February 2017) and Assistant Secretary (since October 2016) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since January 2017) of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2010) of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC.   183

Joel T. Slager*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(1978)

  Vice President
and Assistant
Secretary
  Term—Until August
2017 Length of
Service— Since
2013
  Fund Tax Director for Nuveen Funds (since May, 2013); previously, Vice President of Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Inc., Assistant Treasurer of the Morgan Stanley Funds (2010-2013).   183

 

40


Name, Business Address
and Year of Birth

  Position(s) Held
with Fund
  Term of Office
and Length of
Time Served with
Funds in the Fund
Complex
 

Principal Occupations Including Other
Directorships During Past Five Years

  Number of
Portfolios
in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Officer

Gifford R. Zimmerman*

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606

(1956)

  Vice President
and Secretary
  Term—Until August
2017 Length of
Service— Since
1988
  Managing Director (since 2002) and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director (since 2002), Assistant Secretary (since 1997) and Co-General Counsel (since 2011) of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC; Managing Director (since 2004) and Assistant Secretary (since 1994) of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and Associate General Counsel of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (since 2011); Vice President (since February 2017) Managing Director (2003-2017) and Assistant Secretary (since 2003) of Symphony Asset Management LLC; Managing Director and Assistant Secretary (since 2002) of Nuveen Investments Advisers, LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC (since 2006) and of Winslow Capital Management, LLC (since 2010); Chartered Financial Analyst.   183

 

* Each officer also serves as an officer of the Diversified Real Asset Income Fund, a closed-end management investment company advised by NFALLC but not overseen by the Board of Trustees.

Board Leadership Structure and Risk Oversight

The Board of Directors or the Board of Trustees (as the case may be, each is referred to hereafter as the “Board”) oversees the operations and management of the Nuveen Fund (the “Nuveen Funds”), including the duties performed for the Nuveen Funds by NFALLC and each Nuveen Fund’s sub-adviser, as applicable. The Board has adopted a unitary board structure. A unitary board consists of one group of trustees who serve on the board of every fund in the complex. In adopting a unitary board structure, the Trustees seek to provide effective governance through establishing a board, the overall composition of which, will, as a body, possess the appropriate skills, independence and experience to oversee the Nuveen Funds’ business. With this overall framework in mind, when the Board, through its Nominating and Governance Committee discussed below, seeks nominees for the Board, the Trustees consider, not only the candidate’s particular background, skills and experience, among other things, but also whether such background, skills and experience enhance the Board’s diversity and at the same time complement the Board given its current composition and the mix of skills and experiences of the incumbent Trustees.

 

41


The Board believes the unitary board structure enhances good and effective governance, particularly given the nature of the structure of the investment company complex. Funds in the same complex generally are served by the same service providers and personnel and are governed by the same regulatory scheme which raises common issues that must be addressed by the Trustees across the fund complex (such as compliance, valuation, liquidity, brokerage, trade allocation or risk management). The Board believes it is more efficient to have a single board review and oversee common policies and procedures which increases the Board’s knowledge and expertise with respect to the many aspects of fund operations that are complex-wide in nature. The unitary structure also enhances the Board’s influence and oversight over NFALLC and other service providers.

In an effort to enhance the independence of the Board, the Board also has a Chairman that is an independent trustee. The Board recognizes that a chairman can perform an important role in setting the agenda for the Board, establishing the boardroom culture, establishing a point person on behalf of the Board for fund management, and reinforcing the Board’s focus on the long-term interests of shareholders. The Board recognizes that a chairman may be able to better perform these functions without any conflicts of interests arising from a position with fund management. Accordingly, the Trustees have elected William J. Schneider as the independent Chairman of the Board. Specific responsibilities of the Chairman include: (i) presiding at all meetings of the Board and of the shareholders; (ii) seeing that all orders and resolutions of the Trustees are carried into effect; and (iii) maintaining records of and, whenever necessary, certifying all proceedings of the Trustees and the shareholders.

Although the Board has direct responsibility over various matters (such as advisory contracts, underwriting contracts and Fund performance), the Board also exercises certain of its oversight responsibilities through several committees that it has established and which report back to the full Board. The Board believes that a committee structure is an effective means to permit Trustees to focus on particular operations or issues affecting the Nuveen Funds, including risk oversight. More specifically, with respect to risk oversight, the Board has delegated matters relating to valuation and compliance to certain committees (as summarized below) as well as certain aspects of investment risk. In addition, the Board believes that the periodic rotation of Trustees among the different committees allows the Trustees to gain additional and different perspectives of the Fund’s operations. The Board has established six standing committees: the Executive Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Closed-End Funds Committee, the Audit Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee. The Board also may also from time to time create ad hoc committees to focus on particular issues as the need arises. The membership and functions of the standing committees are summarized below.

The Executive Committee, which meets between regular meetings of the Board, is authorized to exercise all of the powers of the Board. William J. Schneider, Chair, William Adams IV and Terence J. Toth serve as the current members of the Executive Committee of the Board. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Executive Committee did not meet.

The Dividend Committee is authorized to declare distributions on each Nuveen Fund’s shares including, but not limited to, regular and special dividends, capital gains and ordinary income distributions. The members of the Dividend Committee are William C. Hunter, Chair, Margaret L. Wolff and Terence J. Toth. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Dividend Committee met four (4) times.

The Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee (the “Compliance Committee”) is responsible for the oversight of compliance issues, risk management and other regulatory matters affecting the Nuveen Funds that are not otherwise the jurisdiction of the other committees. The Board has adopted and periodically reviews policies and procedures designed to address the Nuveen Funds’ compliance and risk matters. As part of its duties, the Compliance Committee reviews the policies and procedures relating to compliance matters and recommends modifications thereto as necessary or appropriate to the full Board; develops new policies and procedures as new regulatory matters affecting the Nuveen Funds arise from time to time; evaluates or considers any comments or reports from examinations from regulatory authorities and responses thereto; and performs any special reviews, investigations or other oversight responsibilities relating to risk management, compliance and/or regulatory matters as requested by the Board.

 

42


In addition, the Compliance Committee is responsible for risk oversight, including, but not limited to, the oversight of risks related to investments and operations. Such risks include, among other things, exposures to particular issuers, market sectors, or types of securities; risks related to product structure elements, such as leverage; and techniques that may be used to address those risks, such as hedging and swaps. In assessing issues brought to the committee’s attention or in reviewing a particular policy, procedure, investment technique or strategy, the Compliance Committee evaluates the risks to the Nuveen Funds in adopting a particular approach or resolution compared to the anticipated benefits to the Nuveen Funds and their shareholders. In fulfilling its obligations, the Compliance Committee meets on a quarterly basis, and at least once a year in person. The Compliance Committee receives written and oral reports from the Nuveen Funds’ Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and meets privately with the CCO at each of its quarterly meetings. The CCO also provides an annual report to the full Board regarding the operations of the Nuveen Funds’ and other service providers’ compliance programs as well as any recommendations for modifications thereto. The Compliance Committee also receives reports from the investment services group of Nuveen Investments regarding various investment risks. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the full Board also participates in discussions with management regarding certain matters relating to investment risk, such as the use of leverage and hedging. The investment services group therefore also reports to the full Board at its quarterly meetings regarding, among other things, fund performance and the various drivers of such performance. Accordingly, the Board directly and/or in conjunction with the Compliance Committee oversees matters relating to investment risks. Matters not addressed at the committee level are addressed directly by the full Board. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Compliance Committee are John K. Nelson, Chair, William C. Hunter, Albin F. Moschner, Judith M. Stockdale, and Margaret L. Wolff. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Compliance Committee met five (5) times.

The Audit Committee assists the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the accounting and reporting policies, processes and practices of the Nuveen Funds, and the audits of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the quality and integrity of the financial statements of the Nuveen Funds; the Nuveen Funds’ compliance with legal and regulatory requirements relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements; the independent auditors’ qualifications, performance and independence; and the pricing procedures of the Nuveen Funds and the internal valuation group of Nuveen. It is the responsibility of the Audit Committee to select, evaluate and replace any independent auditors (subject only to Board and, if applicable, shareholder ratification) and to determine their compensation. The Audit Committee is also responsible for, among other things, overseeing the valuation of securities comprising the Nuveen Funds’ portfolios. Subject to the Board’s general supervision of such actions, the Audit Committee addresses any valuation issues, oversees the Nuveen Funds’ pricing procedures and actions taken by Nuveen’s internal valuation group which provides regular reports to the committee, reviews any issues relating to the valuation of the Nuveen Funds’ securities brought to its attention and considers the risks to the Nuveen Funds in assessing the possible resolutions to these matters. The Audit Committee also may consider any financial risk exposures for the Nuveen Funds in conjunction with performing its functions.

To fulfill its oversight duties, the Audit Committee receives annual and semi-annual reports and has regular meetings with the external auditors for the Nuveen Funds and NFALLC’s internal audit group. The Audit Committee also may review in a general manner the processes the Board or other Board committees have in place with respect to risk assessment and risk management as well as compliance with legal and regulatory matters relating to the Nuveen Funds’ financial statements. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. Members of the Audit Committee shall be independent (as set forth in the charter) and free of any relationship that, in the opinion of the trustees, would interfere with their exercise of independent judgment as an Audit Committee member. The members of the Audit Committee are Jack B. Evans, Chair, David J. Kundert, John K. Nelson, Carole E. Stone and Terence J. Toth, each of whom is an independent trustee of the Funds. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Audit Committee met four (4) times.

The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for seeking, identifying and recommending to the Board qualified candidates for election or appointment to the Board. In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees matters of corporate governance, including the evaluation of Board

 

43


performance and processes, the assignment and rotation of committee members, and the establishment of corporate governance guidelines and procedures, to the extent necessary or desirable, and matters related thereto. Although the unitary and committee structure has been developed over the years and the Nominating and Governance Committee believes the structure has provided efficient and effective governance, the committee recognizes that as demands on the Board evolve over time (such as through an increase in the number of funds overseen or an increase in the complexity of the issues raised), the committee must continue to evaluate the Board and committee structures and their processes and modify the foregoing as may be necessary or appropriate to continue to provide effective governance. Accordingly, the Nominating and Governance Committee has a separate meeting each year to, among other things, review the Board and committee structures, their performance and functions, and recommend any modifications thereto or alternative structures or processes that would enhance the Board’s governance over the Funds’ business.

In addition, the Nominating and Governance Committee, among other things, makes recommendations concerning the continuing education of trustees; monitors performance of legal counsel and other service providers; establishes and monitors a process by which security holders are be able to communicate in writing with members of the Board; and periodically reviews and makes recommendations about any appropriate changes to trustee compensation. In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the Nominating and Governance Committee receives suggestions from various sources, including suggestions from Fund security holders, as to suitable candidates. Suggestions should be sent in writing to Lorna Ferguson, Manager of Fund Board Relations, Nuveen, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606. The Nominating and Governance Committee sets appropriate standards and requirements for nominations for new trustees and reserves the right to interview any and all candidates and to make the final selection of any new trustees. In considering a candidate’s qualifications, each candidate must meet certain basic requirements, including relevant skills and experience, time availability (including the time requirements for due diligence site visits to internal and external sub-advisers and service providers) and, if qualifying as an independent trustee candidate, independence from NFALLC, Symphony, underwriters or other service providers, including any affiliates of these entities. These skill and experience requirements may vary depending on the current composition of the Board, since the goal is to ensure an appropriate range of skills, diversity and experience, in the aggregate. Accordingly, the particular factors considered and weight given to these factors will depend on the composition of the Board and the skills and backgrounds of the incumbent trustees at the time of consideration of the nominees. All candidates, however, must meet high expectations of personal integrity, independence, governance experience and professional competence. All candidates must be willing to be critical within the Board and with management and yet maintain a collegial and collaborative manner toward other Board members. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. This committee is composed of the independent trustees of the Funds. Accordingly, the members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are William J. Schneider, Chair, Jack B. Evans, William C. Hunter, David J. Kundert, Albin F. Moschner, John K. Nelson, Judith M. Stockdale, Carole E. Stone, Terence J. Toth, Margaret L. Wolff. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Nominating and Governance Committee met six (6) times.

The Closed-End Funds Committee is responsible for assisting the Board in the oversight and monitoring of the Nuveen Funds that are registered as closed-end management investment companies (“Closed-End Funds”). The committee may review and evaluate matters related to the formation and the initial presentation to the Board of any new Closed-End Fund and may review and evaluate any matters relating to any existing Closed-End Fund. The committee operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. The members of the Closed-End Funds Committee are Carole E. Stone, Chair, William Adams IV, Jack B. Evans, Albin F. Moschner, John K. Nelson, William J. Schneider, and Terence J. Toth. During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Closed-End Funds Committee met four (4) times.

Board Diversification and Trustee Qualifications

Listed below for each current Board member are the experiences, qualifications, attributes and skills that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI, that each current Trustee should serve as a trustee of the Nuveen Fund.

 

44


William Adams IV

Mr. Adams, an interested Trustee of the Nuveen Funds, has been Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President since March 2016, prior to which he had been and was formerly Senior Executive Vice President, Global Structured Products of Nuveen Investments since November 2010. Mr. Adams is a member of the Senior Leadership Team of Nuveen, LLC, as well as co-chair of Nuveen Investment’s Management and Operating Committees. Mr. Adams has also served as Co-President of NFALLC since January 2011. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice President, U.S. Structured Products from December 1999 until November 2010 and served as Managing Director of Structured Investments from September 1997 to December 1999 and Vice President and Manager, Corporate Marketing from August 1994 to September 1997. He is Co-President, Global Products and Solutions, of Nuveen Securities, LLC (“Nuveen Securities”). Mr. Adams earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and his Masters of Business Administration M.B.A from the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business. He is an Associate Fellow of Yale’s Timothy Dwight College and is currently on the Board of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and of Gilda’s Club Chicago.

Margo L. Cook

Ms. Cook, an interested Trustee of the Nuveen Funds, has been Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-President of Nuveen Investments since March 2016, prior to which she had been Senior Executive Vice President of Nuveen Investments since July 2015. Ms. Cook is a member of the Senior Leadership Team of Nuveen, LLC, as well as co-chair of Nuveen Investment’s Management and Operating Committees. She is Co-President (since October 2016), formerly Senior Executive Vice President (2015-2016) of NFALLC and Co-President, Global Products and Solutions, of Nuveen Securities. Since joining in 2008, she has held various leadership roles at Nuveen Investments, including as Head of Investment Services, responsible for investment-related efforts across the firm. Ms. Cook also serves on the Board of Nuveen Global Fund Investors. Before joining Nuveen Investments, she was the Global Head of Bear Stearns Asset Management’s institutional business. Prior to that, she spent over 20 years within BNY Mellon’s asset management business; including as Chief Investment Officer for Institutional Asset Management and Head of Institutional Fixed Income. Ms. Cook earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Rhode Island, her Executive MBA from Columbia University, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. She serves as Vice Chair of The University of Rhode Island Foundation Board of Trustees and Chair of the All Stars Project of Chicago Board.

Jack B. Evans

Mr. Evans has served as President of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private philanthropic corporation, since 1996. Mr. Evans was formerly President and Chief Operating Officer of the SCI Financial Group, Inc., a regional financial services firm headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago as well as a Director of Alliant Energy and President Pro Tem of the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa University System. Mr. Evans is Chairman of the Board of United Fire Group, sits on the Board of The Gazette Company and is a Life Trustee of Coe College. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Coe College and a M.B.A. from the University of Iowa.

William C. Hunter

Mr. Hunter became Dean Emeritus of the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa on June 30, 2012. He was appointed Dean of the College on July 1, 2006. He had been Dean and Distinguished Professor of Finance at the University of Connecticut School of Business since June 2003. From 1995 to 2003, he was the Senior Vice President and Director of Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. While there he served as the Bank’s Chief Economist and was an Associate Economist on the Federal Reserve System’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). In addition to serving as a Vice President in charge of financial markets and basic research at the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta, he held faculty positions at Emory University, Atlanta University, the University of Georgia and Northwestern University. A past Director of the Credit Research Center at Georgetown University, SS&C Technologies, Inc. (2005) and past President of the Financial Management Association International, he has consulted with numerous foreign central banks and official

 

45


agencies in Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Central America and South America. From 1990 to 1995, he was a U.S. Treasury Advisor to Central and Eastern Europe. He has been a Director of the Xerox Corporation since 2004 and Wellmark, Inc. since 2009. He is a past Director and a past President of Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc., the International Business Honor Society.

David J. Kundert

Mr. Kundert retired in 2004 as Chairman of JPMorgan Fleming Asset Management, President and CEO of Banc One Investment Advisors Corporation, and President of One Group Mutual Funds. Prior to the merger between Banc One Corporation and JPMorgan Chase and Co., he was Executive Vice President, Banc One Corporation and, since 1995, the Chairman and CEO, Banc One Investment Management Group. From 1988 to 1992, he was President and CEO of Bank One Wisconsin Trust Company. Mr. Kundert recently retired as a Director of the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (2006-2013). He started his career as an attorney for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Mr. Kundert has served on the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute and he is currently a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association. He is on the Board of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and chairs its Investment Committee. He is a Regent Emeritus and Member of the Investment Committee of Luther College. He also is a member of the Board of Directors (Milwaukee) of College Possible and on the Board of Trustees of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater (since 2016). He received his Bachelor of Arts from Luther College, and his Juris Doctor from Valparaiso University.

Albin F. Moschner

Mr. Moschner is a consultant in the wireless industry and, in July 2012, founded Northcroft Partners, LLC, a management consulting firm that provides operational, management and governance solutions. Prior to founding Northcroft Partners, LLC, Mr. Moschner held various positions at Leap Wireless International, Inc., a provider of wireless services, where he was as a consultant from February 2011 to July 2012, Chief Operating Officer from July 2008 to February 2011, and Chief Marketing Officer from August 2004 to June 2008. Before he joined Leap Wireless International, Inc., Mr. Moschner was President of the Verizon Card Services division of Verizon Communications, Inc. from 2000 to 2003, and President of One Point Services at One Point Communications from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Moschner also served at Zenith Electronics Corporation as Director, President and Chief Executive Officer from 1995 to 1996, and as Director, President and Chief Operating Officer from 1994 to 1995. Since 2012, Mr. Moschner has been a member of the Board of Directors of USA Technologies, Inc. and, from 1996 until 2016, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Wintrust Financial Corporation. In addition, he currently serves on the Advisory Boards of the Kellogg School of Management (since 1995) and the Archdiocese of Chicago Financial Council (since May 2012). Mr. Moschner received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from The City College of New York in 1974 and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University in 1979.

John K. Nelson

Mr. Nelson is currently on the Board of Directors of Core12 LLC (since 2008), a private firm which develops branding, marketing, and communications strategies for clients. Mr. Nelson has served in several senior executive positions with ABN AMRO Holdings N.V. and its affiliated entities and predecessors, including LaSalle Bank Corporation from 1996 to 2008. From 2007 to 2008, Mr. Nelson was Chief Executive Officer of ABN AMRO N.V. North America, and Global Head of its Financial Markets Division. He was a member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States, and during his tenure with ABN AMRO, served as the bank’s representative on various committees of the Bank of Canada, European Central Bank, and the Bank of England. At Fordham University, he currently serves as a director of The Curran Center for Catholic American Studies, and The President’s Council. He is also a member of The Economic Club of Chicago. He was formerly a senior external advisor to the financial services practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP, was formerly a member of the Hyde Park Angels, and was formerly a Trustee at St. Edmund Preparatory School in New York City. He formerly served as the Chairman of The Board of Trustees of Marian University. Mr. Nelson graduated and received his MBA from Fordham University.

 

46


William J. Schneider

Mr. Schneider, the Nuveen Funds’ Independent Chairman, is currently Chairman, formerly Senior Partner and Chief Operating Officer (retired, December 2004) of Miller-Valentine Partners, a real estate investment company. He is an owner in several other Miller-Valentine Group entities. He is currently a member of the board of WDPR Public radio station. He is formerly a Director and Past Chair of the Dayton Development Coalition. He was formerly a member of the Community Advisory Board of the National City Bank in Dayton as well as a former member of the Business Advisory Council of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank. Mr. Schneider was also a member of the Business Advisory Council for the University of Dayton College of Business. He also served as Chair of the Miami Valley Hospital and as Chair of the Finance Committee of its parent holding company. Mr. Schneider was an independent Trustee of the Flagship Funds, a group of municipal open-end funds. Mr. Schneider has a Bachelor of Science in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Dayton.

Judith M. Stockdale

Ms. Stockdale retired in 2012 as Executive Director of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, a private foundation working in land conservation and artistic vitality in the Chicago region and the Low country of South Carolina. She is currently a board member of the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities (since November 2013) and rejoined the board of the Land Trust Alliance in June 2013. Her previous positions include Executive Director of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, Executive Director of Openlands, and Senior Staff Associate at the Chicago Community Trust. She has served on the Advisory Councils of the National Zoological Park, the Governor’s Science Advisory Council (Illinois) and the Nancy Ryerson Ranney Leadership Grants Program. She has served on the boards of Brushwood Center and the Donors Forum. Ms. Stockdale, a native of the United Kingdom, has a Bachelor of Science degree in geography from the University of Durham (UK) and a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale University.

Carole E. Stone

Ms. Stone is currently on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, CBOE Holdings, Inc. and C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated. Ms. Stone retired from the New York State Division of the Budget in 2004, having served as its Director for nearly five years and as Deputy Director from 1995 through 1999. She has also served as the Chair of the New York Racing Association Oversight Board, as a Commissioner on the New York State Commission on Public Authority Reform and as a member of the Boards of Directors of several New York State public authorities. Ms. Stone has a Bachelor of Arts from Skidmore College in Business Administration.

Terence J. Toth

Mr. Toth is a Co-Founding Partner of Promus Capital (since 2008). From 2012 to 2016, he was a Director of LogicMark LLC. From 2008 to 2013, he was a Director of Legal & General Investment Management America, Inc. From 2004 to 2007, he was Chief Executive Officer and President of Northern Trust Global Investments, and Executive Vice President of Quantitative Management & Securities Lending from 2000 to 2004. He also formerly served on the Board of the Northern Trust Mutual Funds. He joined Northern Trust in 1994 after serving as Managing Director and Head of Global Securities Lending at Bankers Trust (1986 to 1994) and Head of Government Trading and Cash Collateral Investment at Northern Trust from 1982 to 1986. He currently serves on the Board of Fulcrum IT Service LLC (since 2010), Quality Control Corporation (since 2012) and Catalyst Schools of Chicago. He is on the Mather Foundation Board (since 2012) and is the Chair of its Investment Committee. Mr. Toth graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, and received his M.B.A. from New York University. In 2005, he graduated from the CEO Perspectives Program at Northwestern University.

Margaret L. Wolff

Ms. Wolff retired from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in 2014 after more than 30 years of providing client service in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. During her legal career, Ms. Wolff devoted

 

47


significant time to advising boards and senior management on U.S. and international corporate, securities, regulatory and strategic matters, including governance, shareholder, fiduciary, operational and management issues. Since 2013, she has been a Board member of Travelers Insurance Company of Canada and The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company (each of which is a part of Travelers Canada, the Canadian operation of The Travelers Companies, Inc.). Ms. Wolff has been a trustee of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2005 and, since 2004, she has served as a trustee of The John A. Hartford Foundation (a philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults) where she currently is the Chair. From 2005 to 2015, she was a trustee of Mt. Holyoke College and served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2011 to 2015. Ms. Wolff received her Bachelor of Arts from Mt. Holyoke College and her Juris Doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Independent Chairman

The Trustees have elected William J. Schneider as the independent Chairman of the Board. Specific responsibilities of the Chairman include (a) presiding at all meetings of the Board and of the Fund’s shareholders; (b) seeing that all orders and resolutions of the trustees are carried into effect; and (c) maintaining records of and, whenever necessary, certifying all proceedings of the trustees and the shareholders.

Class I Trustees will serve until the annual meeting of shareholders in 2019; Class II Trustees will serve until the annual meeting of shareholders in 2017; and Class III Trustees will serve until the annual meeting of shareholders in 2018. As each Trustee’s term expires, shareholders will be asked to elect trustees and such trustees shall be elected for a term expiring at the time of the third succeeding annual meeting subsequent to their election or thereafter in each case when their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. These provisions could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board. See “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust and By-Laws” in the Prospectus.

Compensation

The following table shows, for each independent trustee, (1) the aggregate compensation paid to each Trustee by the Fund for its fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, (2) the amount of total compensation paid to each Trustee by the Fund that has been deferred and (3) the total compensation paid to each Trustee by the Nuveen Funds during the calendar year ended December 31, 2016. The Fund does not have a retirement or pension plan. The officers and trustees affiliated with Nuveen Investments serve without any compensation from the Fund. Certain of the Nuveen Funds have a deferred compensation plan (the “Compensation Plan”) that permits any trustee who is not an “interested person” of certain funds to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of his or her compensation as a trustee. The deferred compensation of a participating trustee is credited to the book reserve account of a fund when the compensation would otherwise have been paid to the trustee. The value of the trustee’s deferral account at any time is equal to the value that the account would have had if contributions to the account had been invested and reinvested in shares of one or more of the eligible Nuveen Funds. At the time for commencing distributions from a trustee’s deferral account, the trustee may elect to receive distributions in a lump sum or over a period of five years. The Fund will not be liable for any other fund’s obligations to make distributions under the Compensation Plan.

 

     Aggregate
Compensation
from Fund(1)
     Amount of
Total Compensation
From the Fund
That Has Been
Deferred(2)
     Total
Compensation
from Fund and
Fund Complex(3)
 

Jack B. Evans

   $ 1,913      $ 201      $ 354,312  

William C. Hunter

     1,831               332,500  

David J. Kundert

     1,897        1,897        354,764  

Albin F. Moschner(4)

                   70,000  

John K. Nelson

     1,890               350,375  

William J. Schneider

     2,208        2,208        393,412  

 

48


     Aggregate
Compensation
from Fund(1)
     Amount of
Total Compensation
From the Fund
That Has Been
Deferred(2)
     Total
Compensation
from Fund and
Fund Complex(3)
 

Judith M. Stockdale

   $ 1,757      $ 318      $ 327,644  

Carole E. Stone

     1,912        978        346,482  

Terence J. Toth

     1,901        416        349,767  

Margaret L. Wolff(5)

     662        228        205,819  

 

(1) The compensation paid, including deferred amounts, to the independent trustees for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016 for services to the Fund.
(2) Pursuant to a deferred compensation agreement with certain of the Nuveen Funds, deferred amounts are treated as though an equivalent dollar amount has been invested in shares of one or more eligible Nuveen Funds. Total deferred fees for the Fund (including the return from the assumed investment in the eligible Nuveen Funds) payable are stated above.
(3) Based on the compensation paid (including any amounts deferred) for the calendar year ended December 31, 2016 for services to the Nuveen open-end and closed-end funds. Because the funds in the Fund Complex have different fiscal year ends, the amounts shown in this column are presented on a calendar year basis.
(4) Mr. Moschner was appointed to the Board effective July 1, 2016.
(5) Ms. Wolff was appointed to the Board effective February 15, 2016.

Effective January 1, 2017, Independent trustees receive a $170,500 annual retainer, increased from $177,000 as of January 1, 2016, plus (a) a fee of $5,750 per day, which is increased from $5,500 per day as of January 1, 2016, for attendance in person or by telephone at regularly scheduled meetings of the Board; (b) a fee of $3,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at special, non-regularly scheduled Board Meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (c) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Audit Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (d) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; (e) a fee of $1,000 per meeting for attendance in-person or by telephone at Dividend Committee meetings; (f) a fee of $500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at all other committee meetings ($1,000 for shareholder meetings) where in-person attendance is required and $250 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such committee meetings (excluding shareholder meetings) where in-person attendance is not required and $100 per meeting when the Executive Committee acts as pricing committee for IPOs, plus, in each case, expenses incurred in attending such meetings, provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held and (g) a fee of $2,500 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at Closed-End Funds Committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $2,000 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required; provided that no fees are received for meetings held on days on which regularly scheduled Board meetings are held. In addition to the payments described above, the Chairman of the Board receives $80,000, the chairpersons of the Audit Committee, the Dividend Committee, the Compliance, Risk Management and Regulatory Oversight Committee and the Closed-End Funds Committee receive $12,500 each and the chairperson of the Nominating and Governance Committee receives $5,000 as additional retainers. Independent trustees also receive a fee of $3,000 per day for site visits to entities that provide services to the Nuveen Funds on days on which no Board Meeting is held. When ad hoc committees are organized, the Nominating and Governance Committee will at the time of formation determine compensation to be paid to the members of such committee; however, in general, such fees will be $1,000 per meeting for attendance in person or by telephone at ad hoc committee meetings where in-person attendance is required and $500 per meeting for attendance by telephone or in person at such meetings where in-person attendance is not required. The annual retainer, fees and expenses are allocated among

 

49


the Nuveen Funds on the basis of relative net assets, although management may, in its discretion, establish a minimum amount to be allocated to each fund. In certain instances fees and expenses will be allocated only to those Nuveen Funds that are discussed at a given meeting.

The Fund has no employees. The officers of the Fund and the trustees of the Fund who are not independent trustees serve without any compensation from the Fund.

SHARE OWNERSHIP

The following table sets forth the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee as of December 31, 2016.

 

Name of Trustee

  

Dollar Range of
Equity
Securities in
the Fund

  

Aggregate Dollar Range
of Equity Securities in
All Registered
Investment Companies
Overseen by Trustee in
Family of Investment
Companies

William Adams IV

   None    Over $100,000

Margo L. Cook

   None    Over $100,000

Jack B. Evans

   None    Over $100,000

William C. Hunter

   None    Over $100,000

David J. Kundert

   None    Over $100,000

Albin F. Moschner

   None    None

John K. Nelson

   None    Over $100,000

William J. Schneider

   None    Over $100,000

Judith M. Stockdale

   None    Over $100,000

Carole E. Stone .

   None    Over $100,000

Terence J. Toth

   None    Over $100,000

Margaret L. Wolff

   None    $50,000 -$100,000

As of December 31, 2016, the officers and Trustees as a group beneficially owned less than 1% of the any class of the Fund’s outstanding securities. As of February 1, 2017, none of the disinterested Trustees or their immediate family members owned, beneficially, or of record, any securities in (i) an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or (ii) a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

5% Shareholders

The following table sets forth the percentage ownership of each person who, as of February 7, 2017, owned of record, or is known by the Fund to own of record beneficially, 5% or more of any class of the Fund’s equity securities:*

 

Name of Equity Security

  

Name and Address of Owner

   Percent of Record Ownership

Common Shares

  

First Trust Portfolios L.P.

120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400

Wheaton, IL 60787

   6.65%

Common Shares

  

First Trust Advisors L.P.

120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400

Wheaton, IL 60787

  

Common Shares

  

The Charger Corporation

120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400

Wheaton, IL 60787

  

 

* The information contained in this table is based on a Schedule 13G filing made January 23, 2017.

 

50


INVESTMENT ADVISER, SUBADVISER AND PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

Investment Adviser. Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC, the Fund’s investment adviser, is responsible for overseeing the Fund’s overall investment strategy and its implementation. NFALLC offers advisory and investment management services to a broad range of investment company clients. NFALLC has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services. NFALLC is located at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606. NFALLC is an indirect subsidiary of Nuveen, the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (“TIAA”). TIAA is a life insurance company founded in 1918 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is the companion organization of College Retirement Equities Fund. As of December 31, 2016, Nuveen managed approximately $882 billion in assets, of which approximately $126 billion was managed by NFALLC.

Investment Management Agreement and Related Fees. Pursuant to an investment management agreement between NFALLC and the Fund (the “Investment Management Agreement”), the Fund has agreed to pay an annual management fee for the overall advisory and administrative services and general office facilities provided by NFALLC. The Fund’s management fee is separated into two components—a complex-level component, based on the aggregate amount of all fund assets managed by NFALLC, and a specific fund-level component, based only on the amount of assets within the Fund. This pricing structure enables Nuveen Fund shareholders to benefit from growth in the assets within each individual fund as well as from growth in the amount of complex-wide assets managed by NFALLC.

Fund Level Fee. The annual fund-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

 

Average Daily Managed Assets(1)

   Fund-Level Fee Rate  

For the first $500 million

     0.6500 %

For the next $500 million

     0.6250 %

For the next $500 million

     0.6000 %

For the next $500 million

     0.5750 %

For managed net assets over $2 billion

     0.5500 %

Complex Level Fee. The annual complex-level fee for the Fund, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

 

Complex-Level Managed
Asset Breakpoint Level(2)

   Effective Rate at
Breakpoint Level
 

$55 billion

     0.2000 %

$56 billion

     0.1996 %

$57 billion

     0.1989 %

$60 billion

     0.1961 %

$63 billion

     0.1931 %

$66 billion

     0.1900 %

$71 billion

     0.1851 %

$76 billion

     0.1806 %

$80 billion

     0.1773 %

$91 billion

     0.1691 %

$125 billion

     0.1599 %

$200 billion

     0.1505 %

$250 billion

     0.1469 %

$300 billion

     0.1445 %

 

51


 

(1) 

For the Fund, “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Fund, minus the sum of its accrued liabilities (other than Fund liabilities incurred for the express purpose of creating leverage). Total assets for this purpose shall include assets attributable to the Fund’s use of leverage (whether or not those assets are reflected in the Fund’s financial statements for purposes of generally accepted accounting principles).

(2) 

The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily “eligible assets” of all Nuveen Funds. Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen Funds or assets in excess of a determined amount (originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in connection with NFALLC’s assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011. With respect to closed-end funds, eligible assets include assets managed by NFALLC that are attributable to financial leverage. For these purposes, financial leverage includes the use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by a TOB trust that has been effectively financed by issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by NFALLC as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining eligible assets in certain circumstances. As of July 31, 2016, the complex-level fee rate for the Fund was 0.1610%.

The following table sets forth the management fee paid by the Fund for the last three fiscal years:

 

     Management Fee Net of Expense
Reimbursement Paid to
NFALLC for the Fiscal Year Ended
     Expense Reimbursement
from NFALLC for the
Fiscal Year Ended
 

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2014

   $ 5,942,000      $  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2015

   $ 6,130,691      $  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2016

   $ 5,504,011      $  

In addition to the fee of NFALLC, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its trustees (other than those affiliated with NFALLC), custodian, transfer agency and dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing shares, expenses associated with any Borrowings, expenses of issuing any preferred shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, and taxes, if any. All fees and expenses are accrued daily and deducted before payment of dividends to investors.

A discussion regarding the Board’s decision to renew the Investment Management Agreement is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.

Investment Sub-Adviser. Symphony Asset Management LLC, located of 555 California Street, Suite 3100, San Francisco, CA 94104, the Fund’s subadviser, is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s Managed Assets. Symphony specializes in the management of both long-only and alternative equity and debt strategies. Symphony, a registered investment adviser, commenced operations in 1994 and had approximately $18.7 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2016. Symphony is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen Investments.

Sub-Advisory Agreement and Related Fees. Pursuant to a sub-advisory agreement between NFALLC and Symphony (the “Sub-Advisory Agreement”), Symphony is compensated for the services it provides to the Fund with a portion of the management fee NFALLC receives from the Fund. NFALLC and Symphony retain the right to reallocate investment advisory responsibilities and fees between themselves in the future.

 

52


The following table sets forth the management fee paid by NFALLC to Symphony for the last three fiscal years:

 

Fiscal Year Ended

   Sub-Advisory Fee
Paid by NFALLC  to
Symphony
 

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2014

   $ 2,508,334  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2015

   $ 2,583,156  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2016

   $ 2,332,741  

A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s decision to renew the Sub-Advisory Agreement is available in the Fund’s annual report to shareholders dated July 31 of each year.

Portfolio Managers. Unless otherwise indicated, the information below is provided as of the date of this SAI.

Portfolio Management. Gunther Stein is a co-portfolio manager of the Fund. Gunther Stein is Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer at Symphony. Mr. Stein is responsible for leading Symphony’s fixed-income and equity investments strategies and research and overseeing firm trading. Prior to joining Symphony in 1999, Mr. Stein was a high yield portfolio manager at Wells Fargo Bank, where he managed a high yield portfolio, was responsible for investing in public high yield bonds and bank loans and managed a team of credit analysts.

Scott Caraher is a co-portfolio manager of the Fund. Mr. Caraher is a member of Symphony’s fixed-income team and his responsibilities include portfolio management and trading for Symphony’s bank loan strategies and credit and equity research for its fixed-income strategies. Prior to joining Symphony in 2002, Mr. Caraher was an Investment Banking Analyst in the industrial group at Deutsche Banc Alex Brown in New York.

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers. Each portfolio manager also has responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Fund. Information regarding these other accounts is set forth below.

NUMBER OF OTHER ACCOUNTS MANAGED AND ASSETS BY ACCOUNT TYPE AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2016

 

Portfolio Manager

  

Type of
Account Managed

   Total Number
of Accounts
     Total Assets      Number of
Accounts with
Performance
Based Fees
     Assets of
Accounts with
Performance
Based Fees
 

Gunther Stein

   Registered Investment Companies      18      $ 4.75 billion        0      $ 0  
   Other Pooled Investment Vehicles      37      $ 8.45 billion        5      $ 1.06 billion  
   Other Accounts      12      $ 1.02 billion        0      $ 0  

Scott Caraher

   Registered Investment Companies      6      $ 2.27 billion        0      $ 0  
   Other Pooled Investment Vehicles      4      $ 925 million        0      $ 0 billion  
   Other Accounts      7      $ 931 million        0      $ 0  

Compensation. Symphony investment professionals receive compensation based on three elements: fixed base salary, participation in a bonus pool and certain long-term incentives.

The fixed base salary is set at a level determined by Symphony and is reviewed periodically to ensure that it is competitive with base salaries paid by similar financial services companies for persons playing similar roles.

 

53


Each portfolio manager is also eligible to receive an annual bonus from a pool based on Symphony’s aggregate asset-based and performance fees after all operating expenses. The level of this bonus to each individual portfolio manager is determined by senior management’s assessment of the team’s performance, and the individual’s contribution to and performance on that team. Factors considered in that assessment include the total return and risk-adjusted total return performance of the accounts for which the individual serves as portfolio manager relative to any benchmarks established for those accounts; the individual’s effectiveness in communicating investment performance to investors and/or their advisors; and the individual’s contribution to the firm’s overall investment process and to the execution of investment strategies.

Finally, certain key employees of Symphony, including the portfolio managers, have received profits interests in Symphony which entitle their holders to participate in the firm’s growth over time.

Material Conflicts of Interest. The portfolio managers’ simultaneous management of the Fund and the other accounts noted above may present actual or apparent conflicts of interest with respect to the allocation and aggregation of securities orders placed on behalf of the Fund and the other account. Symphony, however, believes that such potential conflicts are mitigated by the fact that Symphony has adopted several policies that address potential conflicts of interest, including trade execution and trade allocation policies that are designed to ensure (1) that portfolio management is seeking the best execution for portfolio securities under the circumstances, (2) fair and equitable allocation of investment opportunities among accounts over time and (3) compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. All accounts are to be treated in a non-preferential manner, such that allocations are not based upon account performance, fee structure or preference of the portfolio manager. In addition, Symphony’s Compliance Manual and Code of Ethics includes policies regarding conflicts of interest.

Ownership of Fund Shares by the Portfolio Managers. As of December 31, 2016, the portfolio managers beneficially owned (as determined pursuant to Rule 16a-1(a)(2) under the 1934 Act) shares of the Fund having values within the indicated dollar ranges.

 

Portfolio Manager

   Dollar Range of Equity Securities
Beneficially Owned in the Fund

Gunther Stein

   $50,001-$100,000

Scott Caraher

   Over $100,000

CODE OF ETHICS

The Fund, NFALLC, Symphony, Nuveen and other related entities have adopted codes of ethics that prohibit certain of their personnel, including the Fund’s portfolio managers, from engaging in personal investments that compete or interfere with, or attempt to take advantage of a client’s, including the Fund’s, anticipated or actual portfolio transactions, and are designed to assure that the interests of clients, including Fund shareholders, are placed before the interests of personnel in connection with personal investment transactions. Text-only versions of the codes of ethics of the Fund, NFALLC, and Nuveen can be viewed online or downloaded from the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s internet web site at www.sec.gov. You may also review and copy those documents by visiting the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 202-551-8090. In addition, copies of those codes of ethics may be obtained, after mailing the appropriate duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC’s Public Reference Section, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 or by e-mail request at publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

54


PROXY VOTING POLICIES

The Fund is responsible for voting proxies on securities held in its portfolio. When the Fund receives a proxy, the decision regarding how to vote such proxy will be made by Symphony in accordance with Symphony’s proxy voting procedures.

The Fund has granted to Symphony the authority to vote proxies on its behalf. A senior member of Symphony is responsible for oversight of the Fund’s proxy voting process. Symphony has engaged the services of Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (“ISS”) to make recommendations to Symphony on the voting of proxies relating to securities held by the Fund. ISS provides voting recommendations based upon established guidelines and practices. Symphony reviews ISS recommendations and frequently follows the ISS recommendations. However, on selected issues, Symphony may not vote in accordance with the ISS recommendations when it believes that specific ISS recommendations are not in the best economic interest of the Fund. If Symphony manages the assets of a company or its pension plan and any of Symphony’s clients hold any securities of that company, Symphony will vote proxies relating to such company’s securities in accordance with the ISS recommendations to avoid any conflict of interest. If a client requests Symphony to follow specific voting guidelines or additional guidelines, Symphony will review the request and inform the client only if Symphony is not able to follow the client’s request.

Symphony has adopted the ISS Proxy Voting Guidelines. While these guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive, they do provide guidance on Symphony’s general voting policies. When required by applicable regulations, information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ended July 31 is available without charge, upon request, by calling (800) 257-8787 or from the Fund’s website at http://www.nuveen.com, and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

Subject to the supervision of the Board, Symphony, with respect to the securities for which it is responsible, is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, the negotiation of the prices to be paid for principal trades and the allocation of transactions among various dealer firms. Transactions on stock exchanges involve the payment by the Fund of brokerage commissions. There generally is no stated commission in the case of securities traded in the over-the-counter market but the price paid by the Fund usually includes an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. In certain instances, the Fund may make purchases of underwritten issues at prices which include underwriting fees.

Portfolio securities may be purchased directly from an underwriter or in the over-the-counter market from the principal dealers in such securities, unless it appears that a better price or execution may be obtained through other means. Portfolio securities will not be purchased from Nuveen Securities or its affiliates or affiliates of Symphony except in compliance with the 1940 Act. With respect to interests in Senior Loans, the Fund generally will engage in privately negotiated transactions for purchase or sale in which Symphony will negotiate on behalf of the Fund, although a more developed market may exist for many Senior Loans. The Fund may be required to pay fees, or forgo a portion of interest and any fees payable to the Fund, to the lender selling participations or assignments to the Fund. Symphony will determine the lenders from whom the Fund will purchase assignments and participations by considering their professional ability, level of service, relationship with the Borrower, financial condition, credit standards and quality of management. See “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus.

It is the policy of Symphony to seek the best execution under the circumstances of each trade. Symphony will evaluate price as the primary consideration, with the financial condition, reputation and responsiveness of the dealer considered secondary in determining best execution. Given the best execution obtainable, it will be Symphony’s practice to select dealers which, in addition, furnish research information (primarily credit analyses

 

55


of issuers and general economic reports) and statistical and other services to Symphony. It is not possible to place a dollar value on information and statistical and other services received from dealers. Since it is only supplementary to Symphony’s own research efforts, the receipt of research information is not expected to reduce significantly Symphony’s expenses. While Symphony will be primarily responsible for the placement of the business of the Fund, the policies and practices of Symphony in this regard must be consistent with the foregoing and will, at all times, be subject to review by the Board.

Symphony may manage other investment accounts and investment companies for other clients that may invest in the same types of securities as the Fund and which may have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund. Symphony seeks to allocate portfolio transactions equitably whenever concurrent decisions are made to purchase or sell assets or securities by the Fund and another advisory account. If an aggregated order cannot be filled completely, allocations will generally be made on a pro rata basis. An order may not be allocated on a pro rata basis where, for example (i) consideration is given to portfolio managers who have been instrumental in developing or negotiating a particular investment; (ii) consideration is given to an account with specialized investment policies that coincide with the particulars of a specific investment; (iii) pro rata allocation would result in odd-lot or de minimis amounts being allocated to a portfolio or other client; or (iv) where the Adviser reasonably determines that departure from a pro rata allocation is advisable. There may also be instances where the Fund will not participate at all in a transaction that is allocated among other accounts. While these allocation procedures could have a detrimental effect on the price or amount of the securities available to the Fund from time to time, it is the opinion of the Board that the benefits available from Symphony’s management outweigh any disadvantage that may arise from Symphony’s larger management activities and its need to allocate securities.

Substantially all of the Fund’s trades are effected on a principal basis. The following table sets forth the aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the last three fiscal years:

 

Fiscal Year Ended

   Brokerage Commissions Paid  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2014

   $  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2015

   $  

Fiscal year ended July 31, 2016

   $ 168  

During the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016, the Fund did not pay commissions to brokers in return for research services or hold any securities of its regular broker-dealers.

The Fund has acquired during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016 the securities of its regular brokers or dealers as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act or of the parents of the brokers or dealers. The following table sets forth those brokers or dealers and states the value of the Fund’s aggregate holdings of the securities of each issuer as of close of the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016:

 

Fund

 

Broker/Dealer

  Issuer   Aggregate Fund
Holdings of
Broker/Dealer or Parent
(as of July  31, 2016)
 

Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund

 

State Street Bank and Trust Company

  Fixed Income Clearing Corporation,
Repurchase Agreement
  $ 24,416,875  

NET ASSET VALUE

The Fund determines the net asset value of its shares daily, as of the close of regular session trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time). Net asset value is computed by dividing the value of all assets of the Fund (including accrued interest and dividends), less all liabilities

 

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(including accrued expenses and dividends declared but unpaid), by the total number of shares outstanding. In addition, accrued payments to the Fund under such transactions will be assets of the Fund and accrued payments by the Fund will be liabilities of the Fund.

The Fund uses an independent pricing service to value most Adjustable Rate Loans and other debt securities at their market value or at a fair value determined by the independent pricing service. The Fund will use the fair value method to value loans or other securities if the independent pricing service is unable to provide a market or fair value for them or if the market value provided by the independent pricing service is deemed unreliable, or if events occurring after the close of a securities market and before the Fund values its Managed Assets would materially affect net asset value. The Fund currently expects that the independent pricing service will be unable to provide a market or fair value for most of the privately negotiated subordinated loans issued by middle-market companies in which the Fund may invest. The Fund will determine a fair value of such loans on a daily basis and may engage an independent appraiser to periodically provide an independent determination of such fair value. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other funds using their own fair value procedures.

An independent pricing service typically will value Adjustable Rate Loans at the mean of the highest bona fide bid and lowest bona fide ask prices when current quotations are readily available. Adjustable Rate Loans for which current quotations will not be readily available are valued at a fair value as determined by the pricing service provider using a wide range of market data and other information and analysis, including credit considerations considered relevant by the pricing service provider to determine valuations. The procedures of any independent pricing service and its valuations will be reviewed by the officers of the Fund under the general supervision of the Board. If the Fund believes that a value provided by a pricing service provider does not represent a fair value as a result of information specific to that Adjustable Rate Loan or Borrower thereunder or its affiliates, which the Fund believes that the pricing agent may not be aware, the Fund may in its discretion value the Adjustable Rate Loan subject to procedures approved by the Board and reviewed on a periodic basis, and the Fund will utilize that price instead of the price as determined by the pricing service provider. In addition to such information the Fund will consider, among other factors, (i) the creditworthiness of the Borrower and (ii) the current interest rate, the period until the next interest rate reset and maturity of such Adjustable Rate Loan interests in determining a fair value of a Adjustable Rate Loan. If the independent pricing service does not provide a value for a Adjustable Rate Loan or if no pricing service provider is then acting, a value will be determined by the Fund in the manner described above.

It is expected that the Fund’s net asset value will fluctuate as a function of interest rate and credit factors. Non-loan holdings (other than debt securities, including short term obligations) may be valued on the basis of prices furnished by one or more pricing services that determine prices for normal, institutional-size trading units of such securities using market information, transactions for comparable securities and various relationships between securities which are generally recognized by institutional traders. In certain circumstances, portfolio securities will be valued at the last sale price on the exchange that is the primary market for such securities, or the average of the last quoted bid price and asked price for those securities for which the over-the-counter market is the primary market or for listed securities in which there were no sales during the day. Marketable securities listed on the NASDAQ National Market System are valued at the NASDAQ official closing price. The value of interest rate swaps will be based upon a dealer quotation.

Debt securities for which the over-the-counter market is the primary market are normally valued on the basis of prices furnished by one or more pricing services at the mean between the latest available bid and asked prices. Over-the counter options are valued at the mean between the bid and asked prices provided by dealers. Financial futures contracts listed on commodity exchanges and exchange-traded options are valued at closing settlement prices. Short-term obligations having remaining maturities of less than 60 days are valued at amortized cost, which approximates value, unless the Board determines that under particular circumstances such method does not result in fair value. Debt securities (other than short-term obligations) may be valued on the basis of valuations furnished by a pricing service that determines valuations based upon market

 

57


transactions for normal, institutional-size trading units of such securities. Securities for which there is no such quotation or valuation and all other assets are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or at the direction of the Fund’s Board.

Generally, trading in many foreign securities that the Fund may hold will be substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of the NYSE. The values of these securities used in determining the net asset value of the Fund generally will be computed as of such times. Occasionally, events affecting the value of foreign securities may occur between such times and the close of the NYSE, which will not be reflected in the computation of the Fund’s net asset value (unless the Fund deems that such events would materially affect its net asset value, in which case an adjustment would be made and reflected in such computation). The Fund may rely on an independent fair valuation service in making any such adjustment. Foreign securities and currency held by the Fund will be valued in U.S. dollars; such values will be computed by the custodian based on foreign currency exchange rate quotations supplied by an independent quotation service.

DISTRIBUTIONS

The Fund pays monthly distributions to Common Shareholders. Distributions are reinvested in additional Common Shares under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan unless a Common Shareholder elects to receive cash.

The Fund seeks to pay monthly distributions at a level rate (stated in terms of a fixed cents per Common Share dividend rate) based on the Fund’s projected performance. The Fund’s ability to maintain a level Common Share dividend rate depends on a number of factors. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of dividends on the Common Shares and the Fund’s distribution policy could change. For each year, the Fund will distribute all or substantially all of its net investment income. In addition, the Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, the net capital gain (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) and taxable ordinary income, if any, to Common Shareholders.

To permit the Fund to maintain a more stable monthly distribution, the Fund may initially distribute less than the entire amount of net investment income earned in a particular period. Any such undistributed net investment income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Fund for any particular monthly period may be more or less than the amount of net investment income actually earned by the Fund during the period. However, the Fund intends to maintain distributions of net investment income for any period in amounts sufficient to continue to qualify for treatment under Subchapter M of the Code as a regulated investment company (as explained more fully below in “Tax Matters”).

Undistributed net investment income will be included in the Fund’s net asset value and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed net investment income will be deducted from the Fund’s net asset value.

As explained more fully below in “Tax Matters,” the Fund might not distribute to Common Shareholders all or a portion of any net capital gain for a taxable year. If the Fund does not distribute all of its net capital gain for a taxable year, it will pay federal income tax on the retained gain. Each Common Shareholder of record as of the end of the Fund’s taxable year will include in income for federal tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, his or her share of the retained net capital gain, will be deemed to have paid his or her proportionate share of tax paid by the Fund and will be entitled to an income tax credit or refund for that share of the tax. The Fund may treat retained capital gains as a substitute for equivalent cash distributions. The Fund may make total distributions during a given calendar year in an amount that exceeds the Fund’s net investment income and net capital gain for that calendar year, in which case the excess will generally be treated by Common Shareholders as a return of capital for tax purposes. A return of capital reduces a Shareholder’s tax basis which could result in higher taxes when the Shareholder sells his or her stocks. This may cause the Shareholder to pay taxes even if he or she sells stocks for less than the original price.

 

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The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of its monthly distributions at any time, subject to a finding by the Fund’s Board that such change is in the best interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders.

DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN

If your Common Shares are registered directly with the Fund or if you hold your shares of Common Stock with a brokerage firm that participates in the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”), you may elect to have all dividends, including any capital gain dividends, on your Common Shares automatically reinvested by the Plan Agent (defined below) in additional Common Shares under the Plan. You may elect to participate in the Plan by contacting Nuveen Investor Services at (800) 257-8787. If you do not participate, you will receive all distributions in cash paid by check mailed directly to you or your brokerage firm by State Street Bank and Trust Company as dividend paying agent (the “Plan Agent”).

If you decide to participate in the Plan, the number of Common Shares you will receive will be determined as follows:

(1) If Common Shares are trading at or above net asset value at the time of valuation, the Fund will issue new shares at the then current market price;

(2) If Common Shares are trading below net asset value at the time of valuation, the Plan Agent will receive the dividend or distribution in cash and will purchase Common Shares in the open market, on the NYSE or elsewhere, for the participants’ accounts. It is possible that the market price for the Common Shares may increase before the Plan Agent has completed its purchases. Therefore, the average purchase price per share paid by the Plan Agent may exceed the market price at the time of valuation, resulting in the purchase of fewer shares than if the dividend or distribution had been paid in Common Shares issued by the Fund. The Plan Agent will use all dividends and distributions received in cash to purchase Common Shares in the open market within 30 days of the valuation date. Interest will not be paid on any uninvested cash payments; or

(3) If the Plan Agent begins purchasing Fund shares on the open market while shares are trading below net asset value, but the Fund’s shares subsequently trade at or above their net asset value before the Plan Agent is able to complete its purchases, the Plan Agent may cease open-market purchases and may invest the uninvested portion of the distribution in newly-issued Fund shares at a price equal to the greater of the shares’ net asset value or 95% of the shares’ market value.

You may withdraw from the Plan at any time by giving written notice to the Plan Agent. If you withdraw or the Plan is terminated, you will receive whole shares in your account under the Plan and you will receive a cash payment for any fraction of a share in your account. If you wish, the Plan Agent will sell your shares and send you the proceeds, minus brokerage commissions and a $2.50 service fee.

The Plan Agent maintains all shareholders’ accounts in the Plan and gives written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including information you may need for tax records. Upon a repurchase of your shares, the Fund (or its administrative agent) may be required to report to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and furnish to you cost basis and holding period information for Fund shares that you purchased on or after January 1, 2012 (“covered shares”).

For shares of the Fund held in the Plan, you are permitted to elect from among several permitted cost basis methods. In the absence of an election, the Plan will use first-in first-out (“FIFO”) methodology for tracking and reporting your cost basis on covered shares as its default cost basis method. The cost basis method you use may not be changed with respect to a repurchase of shares after the settlement date of the repurchase. You should consult with your tax advisors to determine the best permitted cost basis method for your tax situation and to obtain more information about how the new cost basis reporting rules apply to you.

 

59


Common Shares in your account will be held by the Plan Agent in non-certificated form. Any proxy you receive will include all Common Shares you have received under the Plan. The Plan Agent maintains all stockholders’ accounts in the Plan and gives written confirmation of all transactions in the accounts, including information you may need for tax records. Upon a sale of your stock, the Fund (or its administrative agent) may be required to report to the IRS and furnish to you cost basis and holding period information for the Fund’s stock purchased on or after January 1, 2012 (“covered shares”).

For stock of the Fund held in the Plan, you are permitted to elect from among several permitted cost basis methods. In the absence of an election, the Plan will use first-in first-out (“FIFO”) methodology for tracking and reporting your cost basis on covered shares as its default cost basis method. The cost basis method you use may not be changed with respect to a repurchase of stock after the settlement date of the repurchase. You should consult with your tax advisors to determine the best permitted cost basis method for your tax situation and to obtain more information about how the new cost basis reporting rules apply to you.

There is no brokerage charge for reinvestment of your dividends or distributions in Common Shares. However, all participants will pay a pro rata share of brokerage commissions incurred by the Plan Agent when it makes open market purchases.

Automatically reinvesting dividends and distributions does not mean that you do not have to pay income taxes due upon receiving dividends and distributions.

If you hold your Common Shares with a brokerage firm that does not participate in the Plan, you will not be able to participate in the Plan and any dividend reinvestment may be effected on different terms than those described above. Consult your financial advisor for more information.

The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan if in the judgment of the Board the change is warranted. There is no direct service charge to participants in the Plan; however, the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants. Additional information about the Plan may be obtained by writing to State Street Bank and Trust Company, Attn: ComputerShare Nuveen Investments, P.O. Box 43071, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3071 or by calling (800) 257-8787.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The Fund may sell the Common Shares offered under this Prospectus through

 

   

at-the-market transactions;

 

   

underwriting syndicates; and

 

   

privately negotiated transactions.

The Fund will bear the expenses of the offering, including but not limited to, the expense of preparing the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for the offering, and the expense of counsel and auditors in connection with the offering.

Distribution Through At-the-Market Transactions

The Fund has entered into a Distribution Agreement with Nuveen Securities, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, a form of which has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this SAI is a part. The summary of the Distribution Agreement contained herein is qualified by reference to the Distribution Agreement. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Distribution Agreement, the Fund may from time to time offer its Common Shares through Nuveen Securities to certain broker-dealers which have entered

 

60


into selected dealer agreements with Nuveen Securities. Currently, Nuveen Securities has entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement (the “Selected Dealer Agreement”) with Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel Nicolaus”), pursuant to which Stifel Nicolaus will act as the exclusive sub-placement agent with respect to at-the-market offerings of the Common Shares. A form of the Selected Dealer Agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus forms a part. The summary of the Selected Dealer Agreement contained herein is qualified by reference to the Selected Dealer Agreement.

Common Shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus. Common Shares will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by Nuveen Securities. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current NAV per Common Share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid to Nuveen Securities. Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price.

The Fund will compensate Nuveen Securities with respect to sales of the Common Shares at a commission rate of up to 1% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares. Nuveen Securities will compensate Stifel Nicolaus at a fixed rate of 0.80% of the gross proceeds of the sale of Common Shares sold by Stifel Nicolaus. Settlements of sales of Common Shares will occur on the third business day following the date on which any such sales are made.

In connection with the sale of the Common Shares on behalf of the Fund, Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the 1933 Act, and the compensation of Nuveen Securities may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. Unless otherwise indicated in a Prospectus supplement, Nuveen Securities and Stifel Nicolaus will act on a reasonable efforts basis.

The offering of Common Shares pursuant to the Selected Dealer Agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all Common Shares subject thereto or (ii) termination of the Selected Dealer Agreement. Each of Nuveen and Stifel Nicolaus has the right to terminate the Selected Dealer Agreement in its discretion at any time.

The Fund currently intends to distribute the shares offered pursuant to this Prospectus primarily through at-the-market transactions, although from time to time it may also distribute Common Shares through an underwriting syndicate or a privately negotiated transaction. To the extent Common Shares are distributed other than through at-the-market transactions, the Fund will file a supplement to this Prospectus describing such transactions.

As of February 15, 2017, the Fund has sold in this offering an aggregate of 4,099,090 Common Shares, representing net proceeds to the Fund of $53,742,565, after payment of commissions of $542,868 in the aggregate.

The Fund’s closing price on the NYSE on February 15, 2017 was $12.57.

Distribution Through Underwriting Syndicates

The Fund from time to time may issue Common Shares through a syndicated secondary offering. In order to limit the impact on the market price of the Fund’s Common Shares, underwriters will market and price the offering on an expedited basis, e.g., in an overnight or similarly abbreviated offering period. The Fund will launch a syndicated offering on a day, and upon terms, mutually agreed upon between the Fund, Nuveen, one of the Fund’s underwriters, and the underwriting syndicate. The Fund will offer its shares at a price equal to a specified discount of up to 5% from the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date. The applicable discount will be negotiated by the Fund and Nuveen in consultation with the underwriting syndicate on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The Fund will compensate the underwriting syndicate out of the proceeds of the offering based upon a sales load of up to 4% of the gross proceeds of the sale

 

61


of Common Shares. The minimum net proceeds per share to the Fund will not be less than the greater of (i) the Fund’s latest net asset value per Common Share or (ii) 91% of the closing market price of the Fund’s Common Shares on the day prior to the offering date.

Privately Negotiated Transactions

The Fund, through Nuveen, may sell directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional and other sophisticated investors, who may be deemed to be underwriters, as defined in the 1933 Act, for any resale of the Common Shares.

The terms of such privately negotiated transactions will be subject to the discretion of the management of the Fund. In determining whether to sell Common Shares through a privately negotiated transaction, the Fund will consider relevant factors including, but not limited to, the attractiveness of obtaining additional funds through the sale of Common Shares, the purchase price to apply to any such sale of Common Shares and the person seeking to purchase the Common Shares.

Common Shares issued by the Fund through privately negotiated transactions will be issued at a price equal to the greater of (i) the NAV per Common Share of the Fund’s Common Shares or (ii) at a discount ranging from 0% to 5% of the average of the daily market price of the Fund’s Common Shares at the close of business on the two business days preceding the date upon which Common Shares are sold pursuant to the privately negotiated transaction. The applicable discount will be determined by the Fund on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

The Principal Business address of Nuveen Securities is 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SHARES AND DEBT

Common Shares

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of Common Shares. The Common Shares being offered have a par value of $0.01 per share and, subject to the rights of holders of preferred shares, if issued, and Borrowings, if incurred, have equal rights to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation. The Common Shares being offered will, when issued, be fully paid and, subject to matters discussed in “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust,” non-assessable, and will have no pre-emptive or conversion rights or rights to cumulative voting. Each Common Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which a shareholder vote is required, consistent with the requirements of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder, and will vote together as a single class. Whenever the Fund incurs Borrowings and/or preferred shares are outstanding, Common Shareholders will not be entitled to receive any cash distributions from the Fund unless all interest on such Borrowings has been paid and all accrued dividends on preferred shares have been paid, unless asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to any Borrowings would be at least 300% after giving effect to the distributions and asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) with respect to preferred shares would be at least 200% after giving effect to the distributions. See “—Preferred Shares,” below.

The Common Shares are listed on the NYSE and trade under the ticker symbol “JRO.” The Fund intends to hold annual meetings of shareholders so long as the Common Shares are listed on a national securities exchange and such meetings are required as a condition to such listing. The Fund will not issue share certificates.

Unlike open-end funds, closed-end funds like the Fund do not provide daily redemptions. Rather, if a shareholder determines to buy additional Common Shares or sell shares already held, the shareholder may conveniently do so by trading on the exchange through a broker or otherwise. Shares of closed-end investment companies may frequently trade on an exchange at prices lower than net asset value. Shares of closed-end investment companies like the Fund have during some periods traded at prices higher than net asset value and have during other periods traded at prices lower than net asset value.

Because the market value of the Common Shares may be influenced by such factors as distribution levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), call protection, dividend stability, portfolio credit quality, net asset value, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions, and other factors beyond the control of the Fund, the Fund cannot assure you that Common Shares will trade at a price equal to or higher than net asset value in the future. The Common Shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and investors in the Common Shares should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes.

Borrowings

The Declaration authorizes the Fund, without approval of the Shareholders, to borrow money. In this connection, the Fund may issue notes or other evidence of indebtedness (including bank borrowings or commercial paper) and may secure any such Borrowings by mortgaging, pledging or otherwise subjecting as security the Fund’s assets. The Fund borrows money at rates generally available to institutional investors. In connection with such Borrowings, the Fund is required to maintain minimum average balances with the lender or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain the line of credit. These requirements increase the cost of any such Borrowings over the stated interest rate. Under the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Fund, immediately after any such Borrowings, must have an “asset coverage” of at least 300%. With respect to any such Borrowings, asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liabilities and indebtedness not represented by senior securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), bears to the aggregate amount of such Borrowings represented by senior securities issued by the Fund. Under the Credit Agreement, the Fund is subject to covenants relating to asset coverages, portfolio coverages and otherwise. In particular, the Fund may not make a redemption payment with respect to the TP Shares, in the event that Asset Coverage is less than 225%. Notwithstanding the requirements of the 1940 Act, under the Credit Agreement, the Fund may not be permitted

 

63


to redeem TP Shares unless at such time, the Fund meets certain asset coverage and borrowing base requirements and no event of default or other circumstance exists under the Credit Agreement that would limit or otherwise block payments in redemption.

Under the Credit Agreement, the Fund cannot make any redemption or dividend payment on the TP Shares if immediately after giving effect to such payment the Fund will have less than 263% asset coverage with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness. Furthermore, the Fund must (i) have 300% asset coverage with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness, and (ii) meet certain borrowing base tests as a condition precedent to borrowing under the Credit Agreement. If the Fund fails to have asset coverage of at least 263% as of the close of business on any Business Day on which asset coverage is required to be calculated, the Fund must use available funds to prepay Borrowings on such date, and if it is unable, no later than the close of business on the fifth Business Day (as defined below) following such event, prepay any Borrowings, in each case such that the Fund regains asset coverage with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness of at least 300%.

In addition, as with the issuance of preferred shares, certain types of Borrowings may result in the Fund being subject to certain restrictions imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies that may issue ratings for commercial paper or notes issued by the Fund. Such restrictions may be more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act.

The rights of lenders, including Citibank, to the Fund to receive interest on and repayment of principal of any such Borrowings is senior to those of the Shareholders, and the terms of these Borrowings contain provisions which limit certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to Shareholders in certain circumstances. Further, the 1940 Act does (in certain circumstances) grant to the lenders to the Fund certain voting rights in the event of default in the payment of interest on or repayment of principal. In the event that such provisions would impair the Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code, the Fund will attempt to repay or restructure the Borrowings to preserve that eligibility. Borrowings, including the Credit Agreement, are ranked senior or equal to all other existing and future borrowings of the Fund. The Fund may also borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes. The Fund may also borrow money for repurchase of its shares or as a temporary measure for extraordinary or emergency situations. See “Investment Restrictions” in this SAI.

Preferred Shares

The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of preferred shares in one or more classes or series, with rights as determined by the Board, by action of the Board without the approval of the Common Shareholders. The terms of any preferred shares that may be issued by the Fund may be the same as, or different from, the terms described below, subject to applicable law and the Declaration.

Limited Issuance of Preferred Shares. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund could issue preferred shares with an aggregate liquidation value of up to one-half (50%) of the value of the Fund’s total net assets, including any liabilities associated with Borrowings, measured immediately after issuance of the preferred shares. “Liquidation value” means the original purchase price of the shares being liquidated plus any accrued and unpaid dividends. In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on its Common Shares unless the liquidation value of the preferred shares is less than one-half of the value of the Fund’s total net assets (determined after deducting the amount of such dividend or distribution) immediately after the distribution. The Fund intends to purchase or redeem preferred shares, if necessary, to keep that percentage below 50%.

Distribution Preference. Any preferred shares would have complete priority over the Common Shares as to distribution of assets.

 

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Liquidation Preference. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the affairs of the Fund, holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, will be entitled to receive a preferential liquidating distribution (expected to equal the original purchase price per share plus accumulated and unpaid dividends thereon, whether or not earned or declared) before any distribution of assets is made to Common Shareholders. After payment of the full amount of the liquidating distribution to which they are entitled, holders of preferred shares will not be entitled to any further participation in any distribution of assets by the Fund. A consolidation or merger of the Fund with or into any Massachusetts business trust or corporation or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Fund shall not be deemed to be a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Fund.

Voting Rights. Holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting as a separate class, would be entitled to elect two of the Fund’s trustees (following the establishment of the Fund by an initial trustee, the Declaration of Trust provides for a total of no less than two and no more than 12 trustees). The remaining trustees would be elected by Common Shareholders and holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting together as a single class. In the unlikely event that two full years of accrued dividends are unpaid on the preferred shares, if issued in the future, the holders of all outstanding preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting as a separate class, would be entitled to elect a majority of the Fund’s trustees until all dividends in arrears have been paid or declared and set apart for payment. In order for the Fund to take certain actions or enter into certain transactions, a separate class vote of holders of preferred shares would be required, in addition to the single class vote of the holders of preferred shares and Common Shares.

Redemption, Purchase and Sale of Preferred Shares. The terms of the preferred shares would provide that they may be redeemed by the issuer at certain times, in whole or in part, at the original purchase price per share plus accumulated dividends. Any redemption or purchase of preferred shares by the Fund would reduce the leverage applicable to Common Shares, while any issuance of shares by the Fund will increase such leverage.

CERTAIN PROVISIONS IN THE DECLARATION OF TRUST

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for debts or obligations of the Fund and requires that notice of such limited liability be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Fund or the trustees. The Declaration of Trust further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Fund for all loss and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund would be unable to meet its obligations. The Fund believes that the likelihood of such circumstances is remote.

The Declaration of Trust includes provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or to convert the Fund to open-end status. Specifically, the Declaration of Trust requires a vote by holders of at least two-thirds of the common shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting together as a single class, except as described below, to authorize (1) a conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company, (2) a merger or consolidation of the Fund, or a series or class of the Fund, with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or a reorganization of the Fund, or a series or class of the Fund, (3) a sale, lease or transfer of all or substantially all of the Fund’s assets (other than in the regular course of the Fund’s investment activities), (4) in certain circumstances, a termination of the Fund, or a series or class of the Fund or (5) removal of trustees by shareholders, and then only for cause, unless, with respect to (1) through (4), such transaction has already been authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, in which case the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Fund’s common shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting together as a single class, is required; provided, however, that where only a particular class or series is affected (or, in the case of removing a trustee, when the trustee has been

 

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elected by only one class), the required vote only by the applicable class or series will be required. Approval of shareholders is not required, however, for any transaction, whether deemed a merger, consolidation, reorganization or otherwise whereby the Fund issues shares in connection with the acquisition of assets (including those subject to liabilities) from any other investment company or similar entity. In the case of the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company, or in the case of any of the foregoing transactions constituting a plan of reorganization which adversely affects the holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, the action in question will also require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class, or, if such action has been authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the Fund’s preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class. None of the foregoing provisions may be amended except by the vote of at least two-thirds of the common shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, voting together as a single class. The votes required to approve the conversion of the Fund from a closed-end to an open-end investment company or to approve transactions constituting a plan of reorganization which adversely affects the holders of preferred shares, if issued in the future, shares are higher than those required by the 1940 Act. The Board is divided into three classes, such a staggered board could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board. The Board believes that the provisions of the Declaration of Trust relating to such higher votes are in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.

Reference should be made to the Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions.

The Declaration of Trust provides that the obligations of the Fund are not binding upon the trustees of the Fund individually, but only upon the assets and property of the Fund, and that the trustees shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. Nothing in the Declaration of Trust, however, protects a trustee against any liability to which he would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office.

REPURCHASE OF FUND SHARES; CONVERSION TO OPEN-END FUND

The Fund is a closed-end investment company and as such its shareholders will not have the right to cause the Fund to redeem their shares. Instead, the Fund’s Common Shares will trade in the open market at a price that will be a function of several factors, including dividend levels (which are in turn affected by expenses), net asset value, call protection, price, dividend stability, relative demand for and supply of such shares in the market, general market and economic conditions and other factors. Because shares of a closed-end investment company may frequently trade at prices lower than net asset value, the Fund’s Board has currently determined that, at least annually, it will consider action that might be taken to reduce or eliminate any material discount from net asset value in respect of common shares, which may include the repurchase of such shares in the open market or in private transactions, the making of a tender offer for such shares at net asset value, or the conversion of the Fund to an open-end investment company. There can be no assurance, however, that the Board will decide to take any of these actions, or that share repurchases or tender offers, if undertaken, will reduce market discount. In addition, on July 30, 2008, the Fund’s Board approved an open market share repurchase program under which the Fund may repurchase up to 10% of its Common Shares. As of December 31, 2016, the Fund has repurchased 12,400 Common Shares under the program.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time if the Fund has preferred shares outstanding, the Fund may not purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any of its Common Shares unless (1) all accrued preferred shares dividends have been paid and (2) at the time of such purchase, redemption or acquisition, the net asset value of the Fund’s portfolio (determined after deducting the acquisition price of the Common Shares) is at least 200% of the liquidation value of the outstanding preferred shares (expected to equal the original purchase price per share

 

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plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon). The staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission currently requires that any tender offer made by a closed-end investment company for its shares must be at a price equal to the net asset value of such shares at the close of business on the last day of the tender offer. Any service fees incurred in connection with any tender offer made by the Fund will be borne by the Fund and will not reduce the stated consideration to be paid to tendering shareholders.

Subject to its investment limitations, the Fund may borrow to finance the repurchase of shares or to make a tender offer. Interest on any borrowings to finance share repurchase transactions or the accumulation of cash by the Fund in anticipation of share repurchases or tenders will reduce the Fund’s net income. Any share repurchase, tender offer or borrowing that might be approved by the Board would have to comply with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Although the decision to take action in response to a discount from net asset value will be made by the Fund’s Board at the time it considers such issue, it is the Board’s present policy, which may be changed by the Board, not to authorize repurchases of Common Shares or a tender offer for such shares if (1) such transactions, if consummated, would (a) result in the delisting of the Common Shares from the NYSE, or (b) impair the Fund’s eligibility for treatment as a regulated investment company under the Code or impair the Fund’s status as a registered closed-end investment company under the 1940 Act; (2) the Fund would not be able to liquidate portfolio securities in an orderly manner and consistent with the Fund’s investment objective and policies in order to repurchase shares; or (3) there is, in the Board’s judgment, any (a) material legal action or proceeding instituted or threatened challenging such transactions or otherwise materially adversely affecting the Fund, (b) general suspension of or limitation on prices for trading securities on the NYSE, (c) declaration of a banking moratorium by Federal or state authorities or any suspension of payment by United States or state banks in which the Fund invests, (d) material limitation affecting the Fund or the issuers of its portfolio securities by federal or state authorities on the extension of credit by lending institutions or on the exchange of foreign currency, (e) commencement of war, armed hostilities or other international or national calamity directly or indirectly involving the United States, or (f) other event or condition which would have a material adverse effect (including any adverse tax effect) on the Fund or its shareholders if shares were repurchased. The Board of the Fund may in the future modify these conditions in light of experience.

Conversion to an open-end company would require the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s common shares and preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting together as a single class, and of the holders of at least two-thirds of the Fund’s preferred shares, if issued in the future, outstanding at the time, voting as a separate class, provided, however, that such separate class vote shall be a majority vote if the action in question has previously been approved, adopted or authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total number of trustees fixed in accordance with the Declaration or By-laws. See the Prospectus under “Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust” for a discussion of voting requirements applicable to conversion of the Fund to an open-end company. If the Fund converted to an open-end company, it would be required to redeem all preferred shares then outstanding, and the Fund’s Common Shares would no longer be listed on the NYSE. Shareholders of an open-end investment company may require the company to redeem their shares on any business day (except in certain circumstances as authorized by or 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 companies typically engage in a continuous offering of their shares. Open-end companies are thus subject to periodic asset in-flows and out-flows that can complicate portfolio management. The Fund’s Board of the Fund may at any time propose conversion of the Fund to an open-end company depending upon their judgment as to the advisability of such action in light of circumstances then prevailing.

The repurchase by the Fund of its shares at prices below net asset value would result in an increase in the net asset value of those shares that remain outstanding. However, there can be no assurance that share repurchases or tenders at or below net asset value would result in the Fund’s shares trading at a price equal to their net asset value. Nevertheless, the fact that the Fund’s shares may be the subject of repurchase or tender offers at net asset

 

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value from time to time, or that the Fund may be converted to an open-end company, may reduce any spread between market price and net asset value that might otherwise exist.

In addition, a purchase by the Fund of its Common Shares would decrease the Fund’s total assets which would likely have the effect of increasing the Fund’s expense ratio. Any purchase by the Fund of its Common Shares at a time when preferred shares are outstanding will increase the leverage applicable to the outstanding Common Shares then remaining.

Before deciding whether to take any action if the Fund’s common shares trade below net asset value, the Board of the Fund would consider all relevant factors, including the extent and duration of the discount, the liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio, the impact of any action that might be taken on the Fund or its shareholders and market considerations. Based on these considerations, even if the Fund’s shares should trade at a discount, the Fund’s Board may determine that, in the interest of the Fund and its shareholders, no action should be taken.

TAX MATTERS

The following is intended to be a general summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investing, holding and disposing of Common Shares of the Fund. It is not intended to be a complete discussion of all such federal income tax consequences, nor does it purport to deal with all categories of investors. INVESTORS ARE THEREFORE ADVISED TO CONSULT WITH THEIR TAX ADVISORS BEFORE MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND.

Set forth below is a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax issues concerning the Fund and the purchase, ownership and disposition of Fund shares. This discussion does not purport to be complete or to deal with all aspects of federal income taxation that may be relevant to shareholders in light of their particular circumstances. Unless otherwise noted, this discussion assumes you are a U.S. shareholder and that you hold your shares as a capital asset. This discussion is based upon present provisions of the Code, the regulations promulgated thereunder, and judicial and administrative ruling authorities, all of which are subject to change, which change may be retroactive. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisers with regard to the federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership, or disposition of Fund shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, foreign country, or other taxing jurisdiction.

The Fund intends to qualify annually as a regulated investment company (a “RIC”) under the Code. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to a RIC, the Fund must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships; (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), U.S. Government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other RICs) of a single issuer, in the securities (other than securities of other RICs) of two or more issuers which the Fund controls and are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or in the securities of one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships; and (c) distribute for each taxable year an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and 90% of its net tax exempt interest income.

As a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income (which, includes dividends, taxable interest, and the excess of net short-term capital gains over net long-

 

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term capital losses, less operating expenses) and net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, that it timely distributes to shareholders. The Fund might not distribute all of its net investment income, and the Fund is not required to distribute any portion of its net capital gain to qualify for treatment as a RIC. If the Fund qualifies for such treatment but does not distribute all of its net capital gain and net investment income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it may designate the retained amount of capital gain as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who, if subject to federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their share of such undistributed amount; (ii) will be deemed to have paid their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount and will be entitled to credit that amount of tax against their federal income tax liabilities, if any; and (iii) will be entitled to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. For federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholder’s gross income and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder.

 

The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, substantially all of its net investment income and net capital gain. Amounts not distributed on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax. To prevent imposition of the excise tax, the Fund must distribute during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98.2% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the one-year period ending October 31 of the calendar year, and (3) any ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during those years. To prevent application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement.

Although dividends generally will be treated as distributed when paid, any dividend declared by the Fund in October, November or December and payable to shareholders of record in such a month that is paid during the following January will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as received by shareholders on December 31 of the calendar year in which it was declared. In addition, certain other distributions made after the close of a taxable year of the Fund may be “spilled back” and treated for certain purposes as paid by the Fund during such taxable year. In such case, shareholders generally will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made. For purposes of calculating the amount of a RIC’s undistributed income and gain subject to the 4% excise tax described above, such “spilled back” dividends are treated as paid by the RIC when they are actually paid.

If the Fund fails to satisfy the qualifying income or diversification requirements in any taxable year, the Fund may be eligible for certain relief provisions if the failures are due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. In order to be eligible for the relief provisions with respect to a failure to meet the diversification requirements, the Fund may be required to dispose of certain assets. If these relief provisions are not available to the Fund and it fails to qualify for treatment as a RIC for a taxable year, the Fund will be taxable at regular corporate tax rates (and, to the extent applicable, at corporate alternative minimum tax rates). In such an event, all distributions (including capital gains distributions) will be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, subject to the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders and to the lower tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income distributed to non-corporate shareholders. In such an event, distributions in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares (reducing that basis accordingly), and any remaining distributions will be treated as a capital gain. To requalify for treatment as a RIC in a subsequent taxable year, the Fund would be required to satisfy the RIC qualification requirements for that year and to distribute any earnings and profits from

 

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any year in which the Fund failed to qualify for tax treatment as a RIC. In addition, if the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, it would generally be required to pay a Fund-level tax on certain net built-in gains recognized with respect to certain of its assets upon a disposition of such assets within five years of qualifying as a RIC in a subsequent year.

The Board reserves the right not to maintain the qualification of the Fund for treatment as a RIC if it determines such course of action to be beneficial to shareholders.

Distributions

Dividends paid out of the Fund’s net investment income will be taxable to a shareholder as ordinary income to the extent of the Fund’s earnings and profits, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. The Fund does not expect to make any distributions that would be treated as qualified dividend income, which is taxable to non-corporate taxpayers at rates of up to 20%. Distributions of net capital gain (the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), if any, reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends are taxable to a shareholder as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held Fund shares. Long-term capital gains are taxable to noncorporate taxpayers at rates of up to 20%. Distributions of short-term capital gain are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Shareholders receiving distributions in the form of additional shares, rather than cash, generally will have a cost basis in each such share equal to the greater of the net asset value or fair market value of a share of the Fund on the reinvestment date. A distribution of an amount in excess of the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will first be treated by a shareholder as a return of capital which is applied against and reduces the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares. To the extent the amount of any such distribution exceeds the shareholder’s basis in his or her shares, the excess will be treated by the shareholder as gain from a sale or exchange of shares.

A dividend or distribution received shortly after the purchase of shares reduces the net asset value of the shares by the amount of the dividend or distribution and, although in effect a return of capital, will be taxable to the shareholder. If the net asset value of shares were reduced below the shareholder’s cost by dividends or distributions representing gains realized on sales of securities, such dividends or distributions, although also in effect returns of capital, would be taxable to the shareholder in the same manner as other dividends or distributions. This is know as “buying a dividend” and should be avoided by taxable investors.

The Fund is required in certain circumstances to withhold (as “backup withholding”) a portion of dividends and certain other payments paid to certain holders of the Fund’s shares who do not furnish to the Fund their correct taxpayer identification numbers (in the case of individuals, their social security numbers) and certain certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. The backup withholding rate is 28%. 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 federal income tax liability, provided the required information and forms are timely furnished to the IRS.

Capital losses in excess of capital gains (“net capital losses”) are not permitted to be deducted against a RIC’s net investment income. Instead, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to offset capital gains in future years. The Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss from any taxable year that began on or before December 22, 2010 to offset its capital gains, if any, for up to eight years following the year of the loss. The Fund is permitted to carry forward indefinitely a net capital loss from any taxable year that began after December 22, 2010 to offset its capital gains, if any, in years following the year of the loss. To the extent subsequent capital gains are offset by such losses, they will not result in U.S. federal income tax liability to the Fund and may not be distributed as capital gains to shareholders. Carryforwards of losses from taxable years that began after December 22, 2010 must be fully utilized before the Fund may utilize carryforwards of losses from taxable years that began on or before December 22, 2010. Generally, the Fund may not carry forward any losses other than net capital losses. Under certain circumstances, the Fund may elect to treat certain losses as though they were

 

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incurred on the first day of the taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which they were actually incurred.

As of July 31, 2016, the Fund’s tax year end, the Fund had unused capital loss carryforwards available for federal tax purposes to be applied against future capital gains, if any. If not applied, the carryforwards will expire as shown in the table below. The losses not subject to expiration will be utilized first by the Fund.

 

Expiration:

  

July 31, 2017

   $ 503,687  

July 31, 2018

     46,332,843  

Not subject to expiration

     2,257,033  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 49,093,563  
  

 

 

 

Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares

Sales and repurchases generally are taxable events for shareholders that are subject to tax. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with reference to their individual circumstances to determine whether any particular transaction in Fund shares is properly treated as a sale for tax purposes, as the following discussion assumes, and to ascertain the tax treatment of any gains or losses recognized in such transactions. In general, if Fund shares are sold, the shareholder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares. Such gain or loss generally will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for more than one year and otherwise generally will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any loss recognized by a shareholder upon the sale, repurchase 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 to the shareholder of long-term capital gain with respect to such shares (including any amounts credited to the shareholder as undistributed capital gains).

Losses on sales or other dispositions of shares may be disallowed under “wash sale” rules in the event of other investments in the fund (including investments made pursuant to reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions) within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale or other disposition of shares or in the event the shareholder enters into a contract or option to repurchase shares within such period. In such a case, the disallowed portion of any loss generally would be included in the adjusted tax basis of the shares acquired in the other investments.

Nature of Fund’s Investments

Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) affect the ability of the Fund to qualify as a RIC, (ii) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (iii) convert long-term capital gain into short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (iv) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (v) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (vi) change the time at which a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur and (vii) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions. The Fund may make certain tax elections in order to mitigate the effect of these provisions.

The Code imposes constructive sale treatment for federal income tax purposes on certain hedging strategies with respect to appreciated financial positions. Under these rules, taxpayers will recognize gain, but not loss, with respect to securities if they enter into short sales or “offsetting notional principal contracts” (as defined by the Code) with respect to, or futures or forward contracts to deliver, the same or substantially identical property, or if they enter into such transactions and then acquire the same or substantially identical property.

 

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As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or expense, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year).

The Fund’s investment program and the tax treatment of Fund distributions may be affected by IRS interpretations of the Code and future changes in tax laws and regulations.

Original Issue Discount Securities

Investments by the Fund in zero coupon or other discount securities will result in income to the Fund equal to a portion of the excess of the face value of the securities over their issue price (the “original issue discount”) each year that the securities are held, even though the Fund may receive no cash interest payments or may receive cash interest payments that are less than the income recognized for tax purposes. This income is included in determining the amount of income which the Fund must distribute to avoid the payment of federal income tax and the 4% excise tax. Because such income may not be matched by a corresponding cash payment to the Fund, the Fund may be required to borrow money or dispose of securities to be able to make distributions to its shareholders.

Market Discount

Any market discount recognized on a market discount bond is taxable as ordinary income. A market discount bond is a bond acquired in the secondary market at a price below redemption value, or below adjusted issue price if issued with original issue discount. Absent an election by the Fund to include the market discount in income as it accrues, gain on the Fund’s disposition of such an obligation will be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gain to the extent of the accrued market discount.

Futures Contracts and Options

The Fund’s transactions in futures contracts and options will be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), may accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and may defer Fund losses. These rules could, therefore, affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) may require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each taxable year), and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for qualifying to be taxed as a RIC and the distribution requirements for avoiding excise taxes. The Fund intends to monitor its transactions, make tax elections and make appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any futures contract, option or hedged investment in an effort to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund from being treated as a RIC.

Foreign Taxes

Since the Fund may invest in foreign securities, its income from such securities may be subject to non-U.S. taxes. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. Shareholders of the Fund generally will not be entitled to a credit or deduction with respect to any such taxes paid by the Fund.

Currency Fluctuations

Gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually

 

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collects such income or receivables or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, gains or losses on foreign currency forward contracts and the disposition of debt securities denominated in foreign currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss.

Foreign Shareholders

U.S. taxation of a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, a foreign trust or estate, a foreign corporation or foreign partnership (“foreign shareholder”) generally depends on whether the income received from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the shareholder. In addition, unless certain foreign entities that hold Fund shares comply with IRS requirements that will generally require them to report information regarding U.S. persons investing in, or holding accounts with, such entities, a 30% withholding tax may apply to Fund distributions payable to such entities and repurchase proceeds and certain capital gain dividends payable to such entities after December 31, 2018. A foreign shareholder may be exempt from the withholding described in this paragraph under an applicable intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and a foreign government, provided that the shareholder and the applicable foreign government comply with the terms of such agreement.

Income not Effectively Connected with a U.S. Trade or Business

If the income received from the Fund is not “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by the foreign shareholder, distributions of net investment income (including distributions of short-term capital gain) will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax of 30% (or lower treaty rate, except in the case of any excess inclusion income allocated to the shareholder), which tax is generally withheld from such distributions.

Dividends reported by the Fund as (i) interest-related dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the fund’s “qualified net interest income,” or (ii) short-term capital gain dividends, to the extent such dividends are derived from the Fund’s “qualified short-term gain,” are generally exempt from this 30% withholding tax. “Qualified net interest income” is the Fund’s net income derived from U.S.-source interest and original issue discount, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. “Qualified short-term gain” generally means the excess of the Fund’s net short-term capital gain for the taxable year over its net long-term capital loss, if any.

Distributions of net capital gain and any amounts retained by the Fund which are designated as undistributed capital gains generally will not be subject to U.S. tax at the rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). In the case of a foreign shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the Fund may be required to withhold U.S. income tax from distributions of net capital gain unless the foreign shareholder certifies his or her non-U.S. status under penalties of perjury or otherwise establishes an exemption.

Income Effectively Connected with a U.S. Trade or Business

If the income from the Fund is “effectively connected” with a U.S. trade or business carried on by a foreign shareholder, then distributions of net investment income and capital gain dividends, any amounts retained by the Fund which are designated as undistributed capital gains and any gains realized upon the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the graduated rates applicable to U.S. citizens, residents and domestic corporations. Foreign corporate shareholders may also be subject to the branch profits tax imposed by the Code. Certain certification and disclosure requirements, including delivery of a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI, must be satisfied for income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business to be exempt from the 30% withholding described above under “Foreign Shareholders—Income not Effectively Connected with a U.S. Trade or Business”.

The tax consequences to a foreign shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may differ from those described herein. Foreign shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

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Other Tax Considerations

A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax generally applies to all or a portion of the net investment income of a shareholder who is an individual and not a nonresident alien for federal income tax purposes and who has adjusted gross income (subject to certain adjustments) that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain shareholders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, interest, dividends and certain capital gains, including capital gain distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of Fund shares (among other categories of income) are generally taken into account in computing a shareholder’s net investment income.

Fund shareholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes on their Fund distributions. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

If a shareholder recognizes a loss on disposition of a Fund’s Shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, in any single taxable year (or certain greater amounts over a combination of years), the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. In addition, significant penalties may be imposed for the failure to comply with the reporting requirements. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.

The foregoing discussion is a summary only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Common Shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such Common Shares, including under state, local and other tax laws.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Financial Statements and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report thereon, appearing in the Fund’s annual shareholder report for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2016 is incorporated herein by reference in this SAI. The Fund’s annual financial statements, including the financial highlights, as of and for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2016 and 2015, have been audited by KPMG LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. KPMG has not reviewed or examined any records, transactions or events after the date of such report. The information with respect to the fiscal years ended prior to July 31, 2015 has been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm. The Fund’s annual shareholder report may be obtained without charge by calling (800)  257-8787.

CUSTODIAN AND TRANSFER AGENT

The custodian of the assets, including all foreign assets, of the Fund is State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111 (“Custodian”). The Custodian performs custodial, fund accounting and portfolio accounting services. The Custodian may place and maintain the Fund’s foreign securities with foreign banking institution sub-custodians employed by State Street of the Foreign Custody Agreement. The use of foreign sub-custodians or foreign securities depositories may give rise to additional risks to the Fund. The Fund’s transfer, shareholder services and dividend paying agent is also State Street Bank and Trust Company (“Transfer Agent”). The Transfer Agent is located at 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021.

 

74


INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

KPMG LLP (“KPMG”), an independent registered public accounting firm, provides auditing services to the Fund. The principal business address of KPMG is 200 East Randolph, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.

LEGAL OPINION

Certain legal matters in connection with the Common Shares will be passed upon for the Fund by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Washington, D.C.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A Registration Statement on Form N-2, including amendments thereto, relating to the shares of the Fund offered hereby, has been filed by the Fund with the SEC, Washington, D.C. The Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement, including any exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to the Fund and the Common Shares offered hereby, reference is made to the Fund’s Registration Statement. Statements contained in the Fund’s Prospectus and this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete and in each instance reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference. Copies of the Registration Statement may be inspected without charge at the SEC’s principal office in Washington, D.C., and copies of all or any part thereof may be obtained from the SEC upon the payment of certain fees prescribed by the SEC.

 

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APPENDIX A

Ratings of Investments

Standard & Poor’s Corporation—A brief description of the applicable Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (“Standard & Poor’s” or “S&P”), rating symbols and their meanings (as published by S&P) follows:

A Standard & Poor’s issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion evaluates the obligor’s capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default. The issue credit rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.

Issue credit ratings are based on current information furnished by the obligors or obtained by Standard & Poor’s from other sources it considers reliable. Standard & Poor’s does not perform an audit in connection with any credit rating and may, on occasion, rely on unaudited financial information. Credit ratings may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn as a result of changes in, or unavailability of, such information, or based on other circumstances.

Issue credit ratings can be either long term or short term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 days—including commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. The result is a dual rating, in which the short-term rating addresses the put feature, in addition to the usual long-term rating. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.

LONG-TERM ISSUE CREDIT RATINGS

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:

 

   

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

 

   

Nature of and provisions of the obligation;

 

   

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

AAA

An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

A-1


AA

An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

A

An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

BBB

An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

BB, B, CCC, CC, and C

Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

BB

An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B

An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CCC

An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

CC

An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

C

A ‘C’ rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the ‘C’ rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms.

 

A-2


D

An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Plus (+) or minus (-)

The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

NR

This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

A-1

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B

A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of ‘B-1’, ‘B-2’, and ‘B-3’ may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the ‘B’ category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

B-1.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B-1’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

B-2.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B-2’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

A-3


B-3.

A short-term obligation rated ‘B-3’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

C

A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

D

A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

Dual Ratings

Standard & Poor’s assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.—A brief description of the applicable Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moody’s) follows:

Municipal Bonds

Aaa

Bonds that are rated ‘Aaa’ are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged.” Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.

Aa

Bonds mat are rated ‘Aa’ are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the ‘Aaa’ group they comprise what are generally known as high grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in ‘Aaa’ securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present mat make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than in ‘Aaa’ securities.

A

Bonds that are rated ‘A’ possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper medium grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present that suggest a susceptibility to impairment sometime in the future.

Baa

Bonds that are rated ‘Baa’ are considered as medium grade obligations, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.

 

A-4


Ba

Bonds that are rated ‘Ba’ are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class.

B

Bonds that are rated ‘B’ generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.

Caa

Bonds that are rated ‘Caa’ are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.

Ca

Bonds that are rated ‘Ca’ represent obligations that are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.

C

Bonds that are rated ‘C’ are the lowest rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor Prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.

#(hatchmark): Represents issues that are secured by escrowed funds held in cash, held in trust, invested and reinvested in direct, non-callable, non-prepayable United States government obligations or non-callable, non-prepayable obligations unconditionally guaranteed by the U.S. Government, Resolution Funding Corporation debt obligations.

Con. (…): Bonds for which the security depends upon the completion of some act or the fulfillment of some condition are rated conditionally. These are bonds secured by (a) earnings of projects under construction, (b) earnings of projects unseasoned in operation experience, (c) rentals that begin when facilities are completed, or (d) payments to which some other limiting condition attaches. The parenthetical rating denotes probable credit stature upon completion of construction or elimination of the basis of the condition.

(P): When applied to forward delivery bonds, indicates the rating is provisional pending delivery of the bonds. The rating may be revised prior to delivery if changes occur in the legal documents or the underlying credit quality of the bonds.

Note: Moody’s applies numerical modifiers 1,2 and 3 in each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates mat the issue ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates that the issue ranks in the lower end of its generic rating category.

Short-Term Loans

MIG 1/VMIG 1

This designation denotes best quality. There is present strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

 

A-5


MIG 2/VMIG 2

This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.

MIG 3/VMIG 3

This designation denotes favorable quality. All security elements are accounted for but there is lacking the undeniable strength of the preceding grades. Liquidity and cash flow protection may be narrow and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well established.

MIG 4/VMIG 4

This designation denotes adequate quality. Protection commonly regarded as required of an investment security is present and although not distinctly or predominantly speculative, there is specific risk.

SG

This designation denotes speculative quality. Debt instruments in this category lack margins of protection.

Commercial Paper

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will normally be evidenced by the following characteristics:

 

   

Leading market positions in well-established industries.

 

   

High rates of return on funds employed.

 

   

Conservative capitalization structures with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection.

 

   

Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation.

 

   

Well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity.

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This will normally be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation than is the case for Prime-2 securities. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. The effect of industry characteristics and market composition may be more pronounced. Variability in earnings and profitability may result in changes in the level of debt protection measurements and the requirement for relatively high financial leverage. Adequate alternate liquidity is maintained.

Issuers rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

Fitch Ratings—A brief description of the applicable Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”) ratings symbols and meanings (as published by Fitch) follows:

Long-Term Credit Ratings

Investment Grade

AAA

Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

A-6


AA

Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote a very low expectation of credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

A

High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

BBB

Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that there is currently a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse changes in circumstances and in economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment-grade category.

Speculative Grade

BB

Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.

B

Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

CCC, CC, C

High default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic developments. A ‘CC rating indicates that default of some kind appears probable. ‘C’ ratings signal imminent default.

DDD, DD, and D Default

The ratings of obligations in this category are based on their Prospects for achieving partial or full recovery in a reorganization or liquidation of the obligor. While expected recovery values are highly speculative and cannot be estimated with any precision, the following serve as general guidelines. ‘DDD’ obligations have the highest potential for recovery, around 90%-100% of outstanding amounts and accrued interest ‘DD’ indicates potential recoveries in the range of 50%-90%, and ‘D’ the lowest recovery potential, i.e., below 50%. Entities rated in this category have defaulted on some or all of their obligations. Entities rated ‘DDD’ have the highest Prospect for resumption of performance or continued operation with or without a formal reorganization process. Entities rated ‘DD’ and ‘D’ are generally undergoing a formal reorganization or liquidation process; those rated ‘DD’ are likely to satisfy a higher portion of their outstanding obligations, while entities rated ‘D’ have a poor Prospect for repaying all obligations.

 

A-7


Short-Term Credit Ratings

The following ratings scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings. A Short-term rating has a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for US public finance, in line with industry standards, to reflect unique risk characteristics of bond, tax, and revenue anticipation notes that are commonly issued with terms up to three years. Short-term ratings thus place greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner.

Fl

Highest credit quality. Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

F2

Good credit quality. A satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.

F3

Fair credit quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non-investment grade.

B

Speculative Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

C

High default risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.

D

Default. Denotes actual or imminent payment default.

Notes to Long-term and Short-term ratings:

“+” or “-” may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the ‘AAA’ Long-term rating category, to categories below ‘CCC, or to Short-term ratings other than ‘FT.

‘NR’ indicates that Fitch Ratings does not rate the issuer or issue in question.

‘Withdrawn’: A rating is withdrawn when Fitch Ratings deems the amount of information available to be inadequate for rating purposes, or when an obligation matures, is called, or refinanced.

Rating Watch: Ratings are placed on Rating Watch to notify investors that there is a reasonable probability of a rating change and the likely direction of such change. These are designated as “Positive”, indicating a potential upgrade, “Negative”, for a potential downgrade, or “Evolving”, if ratings may be raised, lowered or maintained. Rating Watch is typically resolved over a relatively short period.

 

A-8


A Rating Outlook indicates the direction a rating is likely to move over a one to two year period. Outlooks may be positive, stable, or negative. A positive or negative Rating Outlook does not imply a rating change is inevitable. Similarly, ratings for which outlooks are ‘stable’ could be downgraded before an outlook moves to positive or negative if circumstances warrant such an action. Occasionally, Fitch Ratings may be unable to identify the fundamental trend. In these cases, the Rating Outlook may be described as evolving.

 

A-9


APPENDIX B

DERIVATIVE STRATEGIES AND RISKS

Set forth below is additional information regarding the various techniques involving the use of derivatives.

Financial Futures

A financial future is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security for a set price on a future date. They have been designed by boards of trade which have been designated “contracts markets” by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”).

The purchase of financial futures is for the purpose of hedging the Fund’s existing or anticipated holdings of long-term debt securities. For example, if the Fund desires to increase its exposure to long-term bonds and has identified long-term bonds it wishes to purchase at a future time, but expects market interest rates to decline (thereby causing the value of those bonds to increase), it might purchase financial futures. If interest rates did decrease, the value of those to-be-purchased long-term bonds would increase, but the value of the Fund’s financial futures would be expected to increase at approximately the same rate, thereby helping maintain the Fund’s purchasing power. When the Fund purchases a financial future, it deposits in cash or securities an “initial margin”, typically equal to an amount between 1% and 5% of the contract amount. Thereafter, the Fund’s account is either credited or debited on a daily basis in correlation with the fluctuation in price of the underlying future or other requirements imposed by the exchange in order to maintain an orderly market. The Fund must make additional payments to cover debits to its account and has the right to withdraw credits in excess of the liquidity, the Fund may close out its position at any time prior to expiration of the financial future by taking an opposite position. At closing a final determination of debits and credits is made, additional cash is paid by or to the Fund to settle the final determination and the Fund realizes a loss or gain depending on whether on a net basis it made or received such payments.

The sale of financial futures is for the purpose of hedging the Fund’s existing or anticipated holdings of long-term debt securities. For example, if the Fund owns long-term bonds and market interest rates were expected to increase (causing those bonds’ values to decline), it might sell financial futures. If interest rates did increase, the value of long-term bonds in the Fund’s portfolio would decline, but the value of the Fund’s financial futures would be expected to increase at approximately the same rate thereby keeping the net asset value of the Fund from declining as much as it otherwise would have.

Among the risks associated with the use of financial futures by the Fund as a hedging or anticipatory device, perhaps the most significant is the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the financial futures and movements in the price of the debt securities which are the subject of the hedge.

Thus, if the price of the financial future moves less or more than the price of the securities which are the subject of the hedge, the hedge will not be fully effective. To compensate for this imperfect correlation, the Fund may enter into financial futures in a greater dollar amount than the dollar amount of the securities being hedged if the historical volatility of the prices of such securities has been greater than the historical volatility of the financial futures. Conversely, the Fund may enter into fewer financial futures if the historical volatility of the price of the securities being hedged is less than the historical volatility of the financial futures.

The market prices of financial futures may also be affected by factors other than interest rates. One of these factors is the possibility that rapid changes in the volume of closing transactions, whether due to volatile markets or movements by speculators, would temporarily distort the normal relationship between the markets in the financial future and the chosen debt securities. In these circumstances as well as in periods of rapid and large price movements. The Fund might find it difficult or impossible to close out a particular transaction.

 

B-1


Options on Financial Futures

The Fund may also purchase put or call options on financial futures which are traded on a U.S. Exchange or board of trade and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. The purchase of put options on financial futures is analogous to the purchase of put options by the Fund on its portfolio securities to hedge against the risk of rising interest rates. As with options on debt securities, the holder of an option may terminate his position by selling an option of the Fund. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.

Index Contracts

Index Futures

A tax-exempt bond index which assigns relative values to the tax-exempt bonds included in the index is traded on the Chicago Board of Trade. The index fluctuates with changes in the market values of all tax-exempt bonds included rather than a single bond. An index future is a bilateral agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash-rather than any security-equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the index value at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index future was originally written. Thus, an index future is similar to traditional financial futures except that settlement is made in cash.

Index Options

The Fund may also purchase put or call options on U.S. Government or tax- exempt bond index futures and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. Options on index futures are similar to options on debt instruments except that an option on an index future gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in an index contract rather than an underlying security at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance of the writer’s futures margin account which represents the amount by which the market price of the index futures contract, at exercise, is less than the exercise price of the option on the index future.

Bond index futures and options transactions would be subject to risks similar to transactions in financial futures and options thereon as described above.

Swap Agreements

Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors, typically for periods ranging from a few weeks to several years. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are calculated with respect to a notional amount (the amount or value of the underlying asset used in computing the particular interest rate, return, or other amount to be exchanged) of a particular security, or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Swap agreements may include, by way of example, (i) interest rate swaps, in which one party exchanges a commitment to pay a floating, shorter-term interest rate (typically by reference to the rate of a specific security or index) for the other party’s commitment to pay a fixed, longer-term interest rate (either as specifically agreed, or by reference to a specified security or index); (ii) interest rate caps, in which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate or cap; (iii) interest rate floors, in which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified level or floor; (iv) interest rate collars, in which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor, or vice versa, in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels or collar amounts; (v) total return swaps, in which one party commits to pay the total return of an underlying security or asset in return for receiving from the other party a

 

B-2


specified return or the return of another instrument (typically a floating short-term interest rate), and (vi) credit default swap, in which the buyer pays a periodic fee in return for a contingent payment by the seller upon a credit event (such as a default) happening with respect to a specified instrument, typically in an amount equivalent to the loss incurred on a specific investment in that security due to the credit event.

A Fund may enter into such swap agreements for any purpose consistent with the Fund’s investment objective, such as for the purpose of attempting to obtain, enhance, or preserve a particular desired return or spread at a lower cost to the Fund than if the Fund had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return or spread. The Fund also may enter into swaps in order to protect against an increase in the price of securities that the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date.

Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend, in part, on the ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments and the changes in the future values, indices, or rates covered by the swap agreement. Swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Fund will enter swap agreements only with counterparties that the Adviser reasonably believes are capable of performing under the swap agreements. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have to rely on its contractual remedies (which may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws) pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. Certain requirements imposed on the Fund by the Code may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. The swap market is largely unregulated.

 

B-3


Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund

 

 

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

 

February 22, 2017


PART C—OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 25: Financial Statements and Exhibits.

1. Contained in Part A:

 

       Financial Highlights of Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund (the “Fund” or the “Registrant”) for the fiscal years ended July 31, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2007.

 

       Contained in Part B:

 

       Financial Statements of the Fund are incorporated in Part B by reference to Registrant’s July 31, 2016 Annual Report (audited) on Form N-CSR as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 30, 2016.

 

  2. Exhibits:

 

  a.1 Registrant’s Declaration of Trust dated April 27, 2004. Filed on May 5, 2004 as Exhibit a.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  a.2 Registrant’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated May 17, 2004. Filed on June 9, 2004 as Exhibit a.2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  b. Registrant’s By-laws (Amended and Restated as of November 18, 2009). Filed on June 2, 2010 as Exhibit b. to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167242) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  c. None.

 

  d. Not Applicable.

 

  e. Terms and Conditions of the Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan. Filed on July 27, 2004 as Exhibit e. to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  f. None.

 

  g.1 Investment Management Agreement between the Registrant and Nuveen Asset Management (now, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC) dated November 13, 2007. Filed on June 2, 2010 as Exhibit g.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167242) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  g.2 Renewal of Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC dated July 27, 2016.*

 

  g.3 Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between Nuveen Asset Management (now, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC) and Symphony Asset Management LLC dated November 13, 2007. Filed on June 2, 2010 as Exhibit g.2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167242) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.1 Form of Underwriting Agreement between the Registrant, Nuveen Institutional Advisory Corp. (now, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC), Symphony Asset Management LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Filed on September 16, 2004 as Exhibit h.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-117123) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.2 Form of Solomon Smith Barney Inc. Master Selected Dealer Agreement. Filed on September 16, 2004 as Exhibit h.2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-117123) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.3 Form of Nuveen Master Selected Dealer Agreement. Filed on September 16, 2004 as Exhibit h.3 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-117123) and incorporated by reference herein.


  h.4 Form of Solomon Smith Barney Inc. Master Agreement Among Underwriters. Filed on September 16, 2004 as Exhibit h.4 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-117123) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.5 Form of Dealer Letter Agreement between Nuveen Investments and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Filed on July 27, 2004 as Exhibit h.5 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.6 Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Nuveen Investments, LLC (now, Nuveen Securities, LLC) dated August 27, 2010. Filed on September 28, 2010 as Exhibit h.6 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167242) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.7 First Amendment, dated August 17, 2012, to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Nuveen Investments, LLC (now, Nuveen Securities, LLC) dated August 27, 2010. Filed on August 17, 2012 as Exhibit h.7 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167328) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.8 Equity Distribution Agreement between the Registrant, Nuveen Investments, LLC (now, Nuveen Securities, LLC), Nuveen Asset Management (now, Nuveen Fund Advisor, LLC), and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated dated August 27, 2010. Filed on September 28, 2010 as Exhibit h.7 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167242) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  h.9 First Amendment, dated August 17, 2012, to the Equity Distribution Agreement between the Registrant, Nuveen Investments, LLC (now, Nuveen Securities, LLC), Nuveen Asset Management (now, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC), and Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, dated August 27, 2010. Filed on August 17, 2012 as Exhibit h.9 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-167242) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  i.1 Nuveen Open-End and Closed-End Funds Deferred Compensation Plan for Independent Directors and Trustees. Filed on July 27, 2004 as Exhibit i. to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  i.2 Nuveen Open-End and Closed-End Funds Deferred Compensation Plan for Independent Directors and Trustees (Restated effective March 28, 2016).*

 

  j.1 Amended and Restated Master Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated July 15, 2015. Filed on April 22, 2016 as Exhibit j.1 to Nuveen High Income December 2019 Target Term Fund’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-209703) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  j.2 Appendix A, dated March 9, 2012, to the Amended and Restated Master Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated April 14, 2016. Filed on April 22, 2016 as Exhibit j.2 to Nuveen High Income December 2019 Target Term Fund’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-209703) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  k.1 Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated October 7, 2002. Filed on July 27, 2004 as Exhibit k.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  k.2 Schedule A, dated August 1, 2016, to the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company dated October 7, 2002. Filed on November 2, 2016 as Exhibit k.3 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-212356) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  k.3 Revolving Credit and Security Agreement among the Registrant, various lenders and Citibank, N.A. as agent, dated as of May 16, 2008, as amended (the “Credit Agreement”). Filed on November 2, 2016 as Exhibit k.4 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-212356) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

2


  k.4 Agreement of Amendment No. 8, dated as of May 20, 2013, to the Credit Agreement. Filed on November 2, 2016 as Exhibit k.5 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-212356) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  l.1 Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.*

 

  l.2 Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.*

 

  m. None.

 

  n. Consent of KPMG LLP.*

 

  o. None.

 

  p. Subscription Agreement dated July 6, 2004. Filed on July 27, 2004 as Exhibit p. to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-115200) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  q. None.

 

  r.1 Code of Ethics and Reporting Requirements of Nuveen Investments, Inc. (including affiliated entities) and the Nuveen Funds effective September 2016. Filed on October 7, 2016 as Exhibit r.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-212356) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  r.2 Code of Ethics for the Independent Trustees of Nuveen Funds. Filed on October 7, 2016 as Exhibit r.2 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-212356) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

  s. Powers of Attorney dated May 25, 2016 and June 24, 2016. Filed on November 10, 2016 as Exhibit s. to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-2 (File No. 333-212356) and incorporated by reference herein.

 

* Filed herewith.

 

Item 26: Marketing Arrangements.

See relevant Sections of the Distribution Agreement and Equity Distribution Agreement which have been filed as Exhibits h.6 and h.8, respectively, to this Registration Statement.

 

Item 27: Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

Printing and Engraving Fees

   $ 35,000  

Legal Fees

   $ 45,000  

Accounting Fees

   $ 4,000  

Miscellaneous Fees

   $ 1,000  
  

 

 

 
   $ 85,000  
  

 

 

 

 

Item 28: Persons Controlled by or under Common Control with Registrant.

Not applicable.

 

3


Item 29: Number of Holders of Securities.

As of January 31, 2017:

 

Title of Class

   Number of
Record Holders
 

Common Shares, $0.01 par value

     18,338  

Preferred Shares, $0.01 par value

     3  
  

 

 

 

Total

     18,341  
  

 

 

 

 

Item 30: Indemnification.

Section 4 of Article XII of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust provides as follows:

Subject to the exceptions and limitations contained in this Section 4, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person”), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.

No indemnification shall be provided hereunder to a Covered Person:

(a) against any liability to the Trust or its Shareholders by reason of a final adjudication by the court or other body before which the proceeding was brought that he engaged in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office;

(b) with respect to any matter as to which he shall have been finally adjudicated not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his action was in the best interests of the Trust; or

(c) in the event of a settlement or other disposition not involving a final adjudication (as provided in paragraph (a) or (b)) and resulting in a payment by a Covered Person, unless there has been either a determination that such Covered Person did not engage in willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his office by the court or other body approving the settlement or other disposition or a reasonable determination, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that he did not engage in such conduct:

(i) by a vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees acting on the matter (provided that a majority of the Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter); or

(ii) by written opinion of independent legal counsel.

The rights of indemnification herein provided may be insured against by policies maintained by the Trust, shall be severable, shall not affect any other rights to which any Covered Person may now or hereafter be entitled, shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be such a Covered Person and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. Nothing contained herein shall affect any rights to indemnification to which Trust personnel other than Covered Persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law.

 

4


Expenses of preparation and presentation of a defense to any claim, action, suit or proceeding subject to a claim for indemnification under this Section 4 shall be advanced by the Trust prior to final disposition thereof upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the recipient to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that he is not entitled to indemnification under this Section 4, provided that either:

(a) such undertaking is secured by a surety bond or some other appropriate security or the Trust shall be insured against losses arising out of any such advances; or

(b) a majority of the Disinterested Trustees acting on the matter (provided that a majority of the Disinterested Trustees then in office act on the matter) or independent legal counsel in a written opinion shall determine, based upon a review of the readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the recipient ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.

As used in this Section 4, a “Disinterested Trustee” is one (x) who is not an Interested Person of the Trust (including anyone, as such Disinterested Trustee, who has been exempted from being an Interested Person by any rule, regulation or order of the Commission), and (y) against whom none of such actions, suits or other proceedings or another action, suit or other proceeding on the same or similar grounds is then or has been pending.

As used in this Section 4, the words “claim,” “action,” “suit” or “proceeding” shall apply to all claims, actions, suits, proceedings (civil, criminal, administrative or other, including appeals), actual or threatened; and the words “liability” and “expenses” shall include without limitation, attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, amounts paid in settlement, fines, penalties and other liabilities.

The trustees and officers of the Registrant are covered by the Mutual Fund Professional Liability policy in the aggregate amount of $70,000,000 against liability and expenses of claims of wrongful acts arising out of their position with the Registrant and other Nuveen Funds, except for matters that involve willful acts, bad faith, gross negligence and willful disregard of duty (i.e., where the insured did not act in good faith for a purpose he or she reasonably believed to be in the best interest of the Registrant or where he or she had reasonable cause to believe this conduct was unlawful). The policy has a $1,000,000 deductible for operational failures and $1,000,000 deductible for all other claims.

Section 9 of the Form of Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit h.1 to this Registration Statement provides for each of the parties thereto, including the Registrant and the Agent, to indemnify the others, their trustees, directors, certain of their officers, trustees, directors and persons who control them against certain liabilities in connection with the offering described herein, including liabilities under the federal securities laws.

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”) may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

Item 31: Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser and Subadviser.

A description of any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which the directors and officers of Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (“NFALLC”), the Fund’s investment adviser, who serve as officers or Trustees of the Fund have engaged during the last two years for his or her account or in the capacity of

 

5


director, officer, employee, partner or trustee appears under “Management” in the Statement of Additional Information. Such information for the remaining senior officers appears below:

 

Name and Position with NFALLC

  

Other Business, Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years

Sherri Hlavacek, Executive Vice President and Controller    Executive Vice President (since 2015, formerly, Managing Director), Treasurer and Controller of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC; Executive Vice President, Principal Financial Officer (since 2015), Treasurer and Corporate Controller Of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Executive Vice President (since 2015) Treasurer and Corporate Controller of Nuveen Investments Advisers, LLC; Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Controller of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Vice President, Controller and Treasurer of NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC; Vice President and Controller of Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC; Managing Director and Controller of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC; Certified Public Accountant.
Joseph T. Castro, Senior Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer    Senior Managing Director (since February 2017), Head of Compliance (since 2013) of Nuveen LLC.
Stuart J. Cohen, Managing Director and Assistant Secretary    Managing Director and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Investments, Inc., Nuveen Investments, Advisers, LLC, Nuveen Asset Management, LLC and Nuveen Securities, LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC, NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC.
Lucas A. Satre, Managing Director and Assistant Secretary    Managing Director, Secretary and General Counsel of Nuveen Securities, LLC; Managing Director and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Asset Management, LLC, Nuveen Investments, Advisers, LLC, and Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Nuveen Commodities Asset Management, LLC, NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC, Santa Barbara Asset Management, LLC, Symphony Asset Management LLC and Winslow Capital Management, LLC.
Diane M. Whelan, Executive Vice President    Executive Vice President (2014-2017) of Nuveen Investments, Inc.; Executive Vice President of Nuveen Securities, LLC. (2014-2016).

Symphony Asset Management LLC (“Symphony”) currently serves as an investment adviser or subadviser to certain other open-end and closed-end funds and as investment adviser to separately managed accounts. The address for Symphony is 555 California Street, Suite 2975, San Francisco, California 94104. See “Investment Adviser and Subadviser” in Part B of the Registration Statement.

Set forth below is a list of each director and officer of Symphony, indicating each business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which such person has been, at any time during the past two fiscal years, engaged for his or her own account or in the capacity of director, officer, partner or trustee.

 

Name and Position with Symphony

  

Other Business Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years

Anne B. Popkin, President

  

Formerly, Principal, BlueCrest Capital Management LLC 40 Grosvenor Place, London, SW1X 7AW,

England

David Goldstein, Vice President and

Chief Operating Officer

   None

 

6


Name and Position with Symphony

  

Other Business Profession, Vocation or Employment During Past Two Years

Angela McKillen, Vice President and

Chief Financial Officer

   None
Gunther M. Stein, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer    None

Ross S. Sakamoto, Co-Director of Equity

and Portfolio Manager

   Formerly, Director, Deutsche Bank Advisors 345
Park Ave
New York, NY 10154

 

Item 32: Location of Accounts and Records.

NFALLC, 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, maintains the Declaration of Trust, By-Laws, minutes of trustees and shareholders meetings and contracts of the Registrant and all advisory material of the investment adviser. Symphony, 555 California Street, Suite 2975, San Francisco, California 94104, in its capacity as subadviser, also may maintain certain books and records of the Fund.

State Street Bank and Trust Company, 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts, 02021, maintains all general and subsidiary ledgers, journals, trial balances, records of all portfolio purchases and sales, and all other required records not maintained by NFALLC and Symphony.

 

Item 33: Management Services.

Not applicable.

 

Item 34: Undertakings.

1. Registrant undertakes to suspend the offering of its shares until the prospectus is amended if: (1) subsequent to the effective date of its registration statement, the net asset value declines more than ten percent from its net asset value as of the effective date of the registration statement; or (2) the net asset value increases to an amount greater than its net proceeds as stated in the prospectus.

2. Not applicable.

3. Not applicable.

4. (a) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(1) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”);

(2) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement; and

(3) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

(b) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of those securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

(c) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering;

 

7


(d) that, for the purpose of determining liability under the 1933 Act to any purchaser, if the Registrant is subject to Rule 430C: Each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the 1933 Act as part of the registration statement relating to an offering, other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A under the 1933 Act, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into this registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

(e) that for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the 1933 Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities:

The undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to the purchaser:

(1) any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 497 under the 1933 Act;

(2) the portion of any advertisement pursuant to Rule 482 under the 1933 Act relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and

(3) any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser.

5. The Registrant undertakes that:

a. For purposes of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this Registration Statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 497(h) under the 1933 Act shall be deemed to be part of this Registration Statement as of the time it was declared effective; and

b. For the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

6. The Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any Statement of Additional Information.

 

8


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in this City of Chicago, and State of Illinois, on the 22nd day of February, 2017.

 

NUVEEN FLOATING RATE INCOME OPPORTUNITY FUND

 

/s/ Gifford R. Zimmerman

Gifford R. Zimmerman

Vice President and Secretary

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

  

Date

/s/ Stephen D. Foy

Stephen D. Foy

   Vice President and Controller (principal financial and accounting officer)    February 22, 2017

/s/ Cedric H. Antosiewicz

Cedric H. Antosiewicz

   Chief Administrative Officer (principal executive officer)   
William J. Schneider*    Chairman of the Board and Trustee   
William Adams IV*    Trustee   
Margo L. Cook*    Trustee   
Jack B. Evans*    Trustee   
William C. Hunter*    Trustee   
David J. Kundert*    Trustee   
Albin F. Moschner*    Trustee   
John K. Nelson*    Trustee   
Judith M. Stockdale*    Trustee   
Carole E. Stone*    Trustee   
Terence J. Toth*    Trustee   
Margaret L. Wolff*    Trustee   

 

By*:   /s/ Gifford R. Zimmerman
  Gifford R. Zimmerman,
  Attorney-In-Fact
  February 22, 2017

 

* The original powers of attorney authorizing Gifford R. Zimmerman, among others, to execute this Registration Statement, and Amendments thereto, for the Trustees of the Registrant on whose behalf this Registration Statement is filed, have been executed and filed as Exhibit s. to this Registration Statement.


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Name

   Exhibit

Renewal of Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC dated July 27, 2016

   g.2

Nuveen Open-End and Closed-End Funds Deferred Compensation Plan for Independent Directors and Trustees (Restated effective March 28, 2016)

   i.2

Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

   l.1

Consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

   l.2

Consent of KPMG LLP

   n.