Funds: Closed-ended mutual fund ranking per NAV discount

Ranking of best closed-ended mutual funds based on discount from net asset value (NAV), annual expense ratio, and plans to reduce or eliminate discount.

All open-ended mutual funds are guaranteed to perform worse than the securities that they hold. The same applies to many closed-ended mutual funds. However, there is a small group of closed-ended funds, listed below, whose performance expectation is much better than that of the securities they hold. They are not just the best buys among closed-ended mutual funds but are some of the best buys among all stocks whose expected performance can be analyzed mathematically.

Unlike other rankings that reflect past performance and are not predictors of future performance, our scientific ranking reflects the probability of high future return on the investment made today. Our ranking is based on two main factors that are the best quantifiable predictors of future returns: NAV discount and Expense Ratio. A third criterion taken into account in our ranking is evaluations of the plans the fund has, if any, to reduce its discount in the near future.

All the funds listed below are recommended. Among them, the reader may wish to choose those appearing at the top of the list. Some readers may wish to narrow down the selection further by analyzing other unquantifiable factors: investment policy, sector, dividends, and news about these funds. (We have already factored in the news that some of these funds intend to become open-ended funds or to implement another policy to expedite the reduction or elimination of their discount off NAV. A link to a list of news articles about all the funds we recommend, as well as other information, is given at the bottom of this report.)

We rank funds traded on U.S. markets; however, their portfolios may be composed of stocks traded on U.S. or foreign markets.

Funds with a high discount off NAV are likely to reduce their discount in the future, thus offering the investor a good possibility of appreciation of the fund's stock greater than the appreciation of the fund's portfolio. However, the appreciation is reduced by a high Annual Expense Ratio (particularly, the fund's management fees and other expenses but excepting expenses on interest). Therefore, in our ratings, we balance NAV discount and management fees etc. Additional factors that should be taken into account include the fund's plans to reduce discount via distributions, repurchase, tender offers, liquidation, and other means.

rank (9= a steal, 5=excellent, 3=very good, 1=good)
% discount off NAV (Market share price is under the Net Asset Value per share by %Discount)
Annual Expense Ratio % : administrative (management) fee %
Fund Symbol
date : Market price on the date/NAV on the date
linksFund nameclass, siteinvestment policy
9 43 1.45:.978 HFRO 10/07:6.54/11.46 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPHighland Opportunities and Income FundLoan Participation hcmlp.com to provide a high level of current income, consistent with preservation of capital. Under normal market conditions, the Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing at least 80% of its net assets in floating rate loans and other securities deemed to be floating rate investments.
9 43 1.3 :1 CGI 10/07:46.34/80.72 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPCanadian General Investments LimitedDeveloped Market mmainvestments.com to achieve capital appreciation primarily through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of non-Canadian-based corporations and to generate income for its shareholders.
8 39 2.63:1.02 FXBY 10/07:19.72/32.29 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPFoxby Corp.Diversified Equity foxbycorp.com total return from growth of capital and income by investing in any security type and in any industry sector.
8 34 0.73:.73 UNC 10/03:14.49/22.12 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPUnited Corporations LimitedDeveloped Market ucorp.ca Expense ratio imputedto provide current income while seeking capital growth by investing primarily in common stocks of U.S. companies with dominant market positions in their industries and that have a record of paying regular dividends on common stock or have the potential of capital appreciation.
7 29 1.51:.288 HGLB 10/07:9.87/13.81 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPHighland Global Allocation FundGlobal highlandfunds.com long-term growth of capital and future income by investing in U.S. and foreign equity, debt and money market securities. The Fund intends to normally invest at least 50% of its net assets in equity securities and at least 40% (plus any borrowings for investment purpose) in securities of non-U.S. issuers.
4 21 1.49:1.10 STEW 10/07:18.13/22.86 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPSRH Total Return Fund, IncDiversified Equity boulderfunds.net to produce both long-term capital appreciation through investment in common stocks and high current income consistent with preservation of capital through investments in income producing securities.
3 19 3.34:.784 GDL 10/07:8.53/10.53 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPGDL FundGlobal gabelli.com to achieve absolute returns in various market conditions without excessive risk of capital. Absolute returns are defined as positive total returns, regardless of the direction of securities markets. The Fund will seek to achieve its objective by investing primarily in merger arbitrage transactions.
3 17 1.91:1.08 MXE 10/07:11.53/13.95 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPMexico Equity & Income Fund, IncEmerging Markets mxefund.com high total return through capital appreciation and current income. The Fund invests at least 50% of its assets in equity and convertible debt securities issued by Mexican companies and the remainder of its assets in debt securities and in certain high quality short-term debt instruments.
3 15 1.61:.8 SWZ 10/07:5.97/7.04 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPTotal Return Securities FundDeveloped Market swz.com long-term capital appreciation through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies.
3 15 0.91:.54 TWN 10/07:55/64.73 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPTaiwan Fund, Inc.Emerging Markets thetaiwanfund.com long-term capital appreciation. The Fund will investment primarily in equity securities listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and in the Republic of China.
3 15 0.55:.35 CET 10/03:51.98/61.4 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPCentral Securities CorporationDiversified Equity centralsecurities.com to invest in good companies at sensible prices where it is believed there is an opportunity for a substantial gain over a three to five-year period.
2 9 0.56:.363 ADX 10/07:22.44/24.73 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPAdams Diversified Equity Fund, Inc.Diversified Equity adamsexpress.com preservation of capital, the attainment of a reasonable and dependable income from investments and an opportunity for capital appreciation consistent with the above.
2 14 1.63:1.32 CAF 10/07:16.81/19.47 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPMorgan Stanley China A Share Fund, IncEmerging Markets morganstanley.com capital growth. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing at least 80% of its assets in A-shares of Chinese companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. The Fund may invest, up to 15% of its assets, in warrants, structured investments or other Strategic Transactions.
2 14 1.35:1.09 TDF 10/07:11.83/13.74 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPTempleton Dragon Fund, IncEmerging Markets franklintempleton.com long-term capital appreciation. Invests at least 45% of assets in the equity securities of companies whose primary business are conducted in, or whose main offices are in China. This may also include companies whose business is expected to improve from development in China. May include other Asian firms.
2 13 1.71:1 RGT 10/07:13.07/15.02 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPRoyce Global Trust, IncGlobal roycefunds.com long-term growth of capital. The Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities and at least 65% of its net assets in equity securities of companies located in at least three countries outside of the United States. The Funds assets may be invested in companies located in a single country.
2 13 1.64:.671 ASA 10/07:46.59/53.38 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPASA Gold & Precious Metals LimitedSector Equity asaltd.com to invest at least 80% of the total assets in securities of companies engaged in the exploration, mining or processing of gold, silver, platinum, diamonds or other precious mineral and investment in direct forms, interests in and/or securities that seek to replicate the price movement of precious minerals.
2 13 1.49:.85 EEA 10/07:10.89/12.48 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPThe European Equity Fund IncDeveloped Market dws-investments.com long term capital appreciation by investing in equity and equity-linked securities of issuers domiciled in Europe. The Fund invests at least 80% of the Fund's net assets (plus any assets funded with leverage) will be invested in equity or equity-linked securities of issuers domiciled in Europe.
2 13 1.44:.7 KF 10/07:32.08/36.71 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPKorea Fund, IncEmerging Markets thekoreafund.com long-term capital appreciation through investment in securities, primarily equity securities, of Korean companies.
2 13 1.35:1.07 MXF 10/07:18.78/21.61 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPMexico Fund, IncEmerging Markets themexicofund.com long-term capital appreciation through investment in securities, primarily equity, listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange. It shall be the non-fundamental policy of the Fund normally to invest at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of issuers listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.
2 12 1.41:.937 BCV 10/07:22.79/25.94 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPBancroft Fund LtdConvertible Sec bancroftfund.com to provide income and the potential for capital appreciation by investing primarily in convertible securities.
2 12 1.36:1.04 HQL 10/07:15.78/17.92 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPabrdn Life Sciences InvestorsSector Equity teklacap.com long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity and related securities of U.S. and foreign companies principally engaged in the development, production or distribution of products or services related to scientific advances in health care, agriculture and environmental management.
2 11 1.46:.916 ECF 10/07:11.93/13.42 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPEllsworth Growth and Income Fund Ltd.Convertible Sec ellsworthfund.com a high level of total return on its assets through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The Fund invests at least 65% of its total assets in convertible securities which includes bonds, debentures, corporate notes or preferred stock that are convertible into common stock.
2 11 1.22:1.04 RMT 10/07:10.41/11.77 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPRoyce Micro-Cap Trust, IncDiversified Equity roycefunds.com The Trust seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in the securities of micro-cap companies traded in the over-the-counter market.
2 11 1.04:.376 PCF 10/07:6.25/7.05 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPHigh Income Securities FundConvertible Sec putnam.com to provide high current income by investing in high-yielding convertible securities. The Fund will also seek to augment current income by investing in nonconvertible high-yielding, lower -rated or non-rated debt securities.
2 11 0.61:.378 PEO 10/07:21.7/24.38 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPAdams Natural Resources Fund, Inc.Natural Resources peteres.com primarily the preservation of capital, the attainment of reasonable and dependable income from investments and an opportunity for capital appreciation consistent with the foregoing. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in energy stocks sector.
2 10 0.47:.42 TY 10/07:34.11/37.93 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPTri-Continental CorporationDiversified Equity tricontinental.com to produce future growth of both capital and income while providing reasonable current income. While common stocks make up the bulk of the Fund's investments, asset may be held in cash or invested in all types of securities.
1 9 1.3 :.885 JOF 10/07:10.61/11.67 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPJapan Smaller Capitalization Fund, IncDeveloped Market nomura.com to provide shareholders with long-term capital appreciation primarily through investments in equity securities traded in the Japanese over-the-counter market.
1 9 1.27:1.04 RVT 10/07:16.15/17.83 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPRoyce Small-Cap Trust, IncDiversified Equity roycefunds.com long-term capital growth by investing in the equity securities of small-cap and micro-cap companies, those with market capitalizations up to $2.5 billion.
1 9 1.07:1.02 NIE 10/07:25.36/27.9 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPVirtus Equity & Convertible Income FundConvertible Sec allianzinvestors.com total return comprised of capital appreciation, current income and gains. The Fund will pursue its investment objective by investing in a diversified portfolio of equity securities and income-producing convertible securities.
1 9 0.93:.824 BOE 10/07:11.75/12.88 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPBlackRock Enhanced Global Dividend TrustOpt Arbitrage/Opt Strat www1.blackrock.com current income and current gains, with a secondary objective of long-term capital appreciation. The Fund primarily invests in securities of companies with large capitalization and seeks to achieve its objectives by investing primarily in equity securities up to approximately 30% to 45% of its total assets.
1 9 0.92:.576 PMO 10/07:10.24/11.22 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPPutnam Municipal Opportunities TrustGen & Ins Leveraged putnam.com to provide a high level of current income exempt from Federal income taxes as is consistent with capital preservation. The Fund invests in a portfolio of municipal bonds issued by or for the benefit of entities principally engaged in the municipal bond market that present attractive opportunities.
1 9 0.89:.831 BXMX 10/07:14.37/15.79 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPNuveen S&P 500 Buy-Write Income FundOpt Arbitrage/Opt Strat nuveen.com to provide a high level of current income and gains. Under normal market circumstances, the Fund will invest its managed assets in a diversified equity portfolio that seeks to substantially replicate price movements of the S&P's 500 Stock Index and is designed to support the Fund's index option strategy.
1 8 0.98:.55 PMM 10/07:6.07/6.61 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPPutnam Managed Municipal Income TrustHi Yld Muni Debt putnam.com to provide a high level of current income exempt from federal income tax. The Fund has the flexibility to invest in municipal bonds issued by any state in the U.S. The Fund allocates its assets among high-quality bonds and lower-rated bonds.
1 8 0.91:.817 SPXX 10/07:17.27/18.85 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPNuveen S&P 500 Dynamic Overwrite FundOpt Arbitrage/Opt Strat nuveen.com attractive total return with less volatility than the S&P 500 Index. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its Assets in a diversified equity portfolio made up of securities comprising the Index that seeks to substantially replicate price movements of the Index and also to support the Funds Option Strategy.
1 8 0.9 :.83 USA 10/07:6.39/6.98 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPLiberty All-Star Equity FundDiversified Equity all-starfunds.com total investment return, comprised of long term capital appreciation and current income, through investment primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities.
1 15 4.08:1.33 DMA 10/07:8.73/10.29 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPDestra Multi-Alternative FundIncome & Pref Stock growthandincomefund.com to provide returns from capital appreciation and income with an emphasis on income generation. The Fund invest in income-producing securities; real estate investment trusts and alternative investment funds as well as common stocks and structured notes, notes, bonds, and asset-backed securities.
1 15 3.36:1.81 GLO 10/07:5.58/6.57 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPClough Global Opportunities FundGlobal cloughglobal.com to provide a high level of total return. The Fund pursues this objective by applying a fundamental research-driven investment process and will invest in equity and equity-related securities, as well as fixed income securities, including both corporate and sovereign debt, in both US and non-US markets.
1 15 3.29:1.67 GLQ 10/07:7.54/8.83 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPClough Global Equity FundGlobal cloughglobal.com a high level of total return. The Fund invests primarily in a managed mix of global equity securities; however, the Fund also expects to invest in securities of at least three countries (in addition to the United States) and it is also flexibly managed depending on the Fund's investment adviser's outlook.
1 13 1.68:1.68 RCG 10/07:2.59/2.96 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPRENN Fund, Inc.Global rencapital.com Expense ratio imputedto provide shareholders with current income and long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in convertible and equity securities of emerging growth public companies that are generally not available to the public, and which typically require substantial financial commitment.
1 11 4.26:.549 VFL 10/07:10.02/11.31 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPabrdn National Municipal Income FundGen & Ins Leveraged lfg.com to provide current by investing at least 80% of its net assets in securities, the income from which is exempt from federal income taxes, and up to 20% of its net assets in municipal bonds with an investment rating of Ba/BB or lower, or that are unrated to be of comparable quality by the Fund's adviser.
1 11 3.65:.71 FMN 10/07:10.95/12.34 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPFederated Hermes Premier Municipal Income FundGen & Ins Leveraged federatedinvestors.com to provide current income by investing primarily in securities that pay interest exempt from federal income tax, including AMT. Under normal circumstances, the Fund will maintain a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of 15 to 30 years and a dollar-weighted average duration of 7 to 13 years.
1 11 2.38:1.14 GGZ 10/07:14.45/16.26 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPGabelli Global Small & Mid Cap Value TrustGlobal gabelli.com long-term growth of capital. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of “small-cap companies”, or those defined as companies with capitalizations of less than $3 billion, and “mid-cap companies”, defined as those with capitalizations ranging between $3-$12 billion.
1 11 1.52:1.15 GDV 10/07:27.19/30.53 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPGabelli Dividend & Income TrustDiversified Equity gabelli.com to invest at least 80% of its assets in dividend paying or other income producing securities. In addition, under normal market conditions, at least 50% of the Fund's assets will consist of dividend paying equity securities.
1 11 1.36:.89 GF 10/07:11.69/13.09 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPNew Germany Fund, Inc.Developed Market dws-investments.com capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity or equity-linked securities of German companies. The fund invests primarily in equity or equity-linked securities of middle market German companies with up to 20% in other Western European companies (with no more than 15% in any single country).
1 11 1.31:1.13 IIF 10/07:26.76/30.18 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPMorgan Stanley India Investment Fund, IncEmerging Markets morganstanley.com long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities of Indian issuers. The Fund seeks to invest primarily in equity securities of companies organized in, India, denominated in Rupees and issued by companies to finance operations in India or of companies that alone.
1 10 2.47:.812 CEV 10/07:9.97/11.11 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPEaton Vance California Municipal Income TrustCA Muni Debt eatonvance.com to provide current income exempt from regular federal income tax and California state personal income taxes. Under normal conditions, substantially all of its assets will be invested in debt obligations, the interest on which is exempt from federal income tax and California state personal income taxes.
1 10 1.96:.888 AEF 10/07:6.5/7.23 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPabrdn Emerging Markets ex-China Fund, Inc.Emerging Markets aberdeen-asset.us/cef to provide both current income and long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in emerging markets (excluding China) equity securities. If the Board elects to change this policy, they will provide at least 60 days prior notice.
1 10 1.43:1.08 EMF 10/07:17.05/18.88 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPTempleton Emerging Markets FundEmerging Markets franklintempleton.com long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in emerging country equity securities.
1 10 1.37:1.25 NBXG 10/07:15.37/17.17 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPNeuberger Berman Next Generation Connectivity Fund Inc.Sector Equity nb.com to provide capital appreciation and income. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities issued by US and non-US companies, in any market capitalization range, that are relevant to the theme of investing in NextGen Companies that uses NextGen Connectivity.
1 10 1.13:1 FUND 10/07:8.36/9.33 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPSprott Focus Trust, IncDiversified Equity sprottfocustrust.com long-term capital appreciation, which it seeks by normally investing more than 75% of its assets in common stocks, convertible preferred stocks, convertible debentures and other equity securities.
1 10 1.11:.931 GAM 10/07:63.25/69.96 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPGeneral American Investors Company, IncDiversified Equity generalamericaninvestors.com long-term appreciation through investment in companies with above average growth potential.
1 10 0.96:.912 NFJ 10/07:13.12/14.52 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPVirtus Dividend, Interest & Premium Strategy FundOpt Arbitrage/Opt Strat allianzinvestors.com current income and gains. The secondary objective of the fund is long-term capital appreciation. The Fund will primarily invest in a diversified portfolio of dividend-paying common stocks and income-producing convertible securities. The Fund will also employ a strategy of writing call options.
1 10 0.93:.862 DIAX 10/07:14.8/16.41 GN Ch Hi Ne Al Go MS CN Ma Mb Bl Ho Se MPNuveen Dow 30 Dynamic Overwrite FundOpt Arbitrage/Opt Strat nuveen.com to provide stockholders with a high level of current income, with a secondary objective of capital appreciation. The Fund uses a two-part strategy. First, the Fund will invest in the thirty stocks included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Second, the Fund will write (sell) covered call options.

Charts and news about the above funds: Yahoo MSN MarketWatch

Updated:2025-10-08 07:31

Disclaimer: we do not recommend purchase or sale of any particular funds, merely present a compilation and mathematical manipulation of publicly available data; while we try to compile correct data, we cannot guarantee data correctness and are not responsible for its use.

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