defa14a
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Preliminary Proxy Statement. |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
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Definitive Proxy Statement. |
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Definitive Additional Materials. |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-11(c) or §240.14a-12 |
Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income and Growth Fund (JPC)
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income and Growth Fund (JPC)
Portfolio Repositioning Overview
August 22, 2011
What did the fund recently announce?
Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income and Growth Fund (NYSE: JPC) announced that the funds Board of
Trustees has authorized the fund to implement a portfolio repositioning plan. The fund will hold a
special shareholder meeting later this year to seek approval for certain aspects of the plan that
require shareholder approval. The Board also approved changing the funds name to Nuveen Preferred
Income Opportunities Fund once the repositioning is completed.
What is the goal of the funds proposed repositioning plan?
The goal of the proposed repositioning is to increase the attractiveness of the funds common
shares and narrow the funds trading discount by:
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Simplifying the fund to focus on one of its current core portfolio strategies; |
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Positioning the fund in a closed-end fund category that is well understood and has
historically seen more consistent secondary market demand; and |
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Differentiating the fund from similar funds, including other Nuveen closed-end funds in
the same fund category. |
Will the proposed repositioning change the funds investment objective?
No. JPCs investment objective of high current income with a secondary objective of total return
will remain unchanged.
Will the funds portfolio be managed differently in the interim?
No. The fund will continue to seek to achieve its investment objectives consistent with its
existing investment mandate, which will remain unchanged through the shareholder vote.
What changes will this mean for the fund?
JPC currently features a mix of debt and equity investment strategies. After the proposed
repositioning, it will focus on investments in preferred securities. The Lipper Income and
Preferred closed-end fund category historically has traded, on average, more strongly than JPCs
common shares.
Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (NAM) and NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC (NWQ), affiliates
of Nuveen Investments, would assume portfolio management
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responsibilities from JPCs existing sub-advisers and each would manage approximately half of JPCs
investment portfolio.
Upon completion of its proposed repositioning, the fund also will discontinue its managed
distribution policy (in which distributions may be sourced not just from income but also from
realized capital gains and, if necessary, from capital), and shift from quarterly to monthly
distributions. The repositioning is not expected to initially affect the level of the funds
annualized distribution per share.
The following chart summarizes the principal changes anticipated for the fund:
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JPC |
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Proposed |
Name/Symbol
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Nuveen Multi-Strategy Income and Growth Fund / JPC
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Nuveen Preferred Income Opportunities Fund / JPC |
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Target Portfolio Composition
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- 70% debt securities
- 30% equity securities
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- At least 80% preferred securities.
- Up to 20% other income-oriented securities |
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Portfolio Management
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- Spectrum Asset Management, Inc. (Spectrum)
- Symphony Asset Management, LLC* (Symphony)
- Tradewinds Global Investors, LLC (Tradewinds)*
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- Nuveen Asset Management, LLC* (NAM)
- NWQ Investment Management Company, LLC*
(NWQ) |
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Distribution Policy
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Managed Distribution (Quarterly)
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Income Distributions (Monthly) |
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Lipper Category
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Income and Preferred
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Income and Preferred |
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An affiliate of Nuveen Investments |
Is the proposed repositioning in response to portfolio underperformance?
No. Neither JPCs recent nor historical fund performance on net asset value (NAV) are factors in
the proposed repositioning. The funds existing investment strategies have performed well over time
versus their respective benchmarks.
The repositioning has been proposed primarily because the fund has not been able to attract
sufficient investor interest to enable its common shares to persistently trade well relative to its
NAV. The goal of the funds proposed repositioning plan is to increase the attractiveness of the
funds common shares and narrow the discount at which its common shares trade relative to NAV.
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Do the proposed portfolio management changes reflect concerns regarding portfolio manager
performance?
No. The portfolio management changes are driven by the stated goals of the funds proposed
repositioning. JPCs current sub-advisers have historically performed well versus their respective
benchmarks. Spectrum, Symphony and Tradewinds will continue to serve as sub-advisers for other
Nuveen closed-end funds.
Why is JPC proposing to change the management of its preferred securities portfolio?
The portfolio management change is a consequence of the stated goals of the funds proposed
repositioning, including differentiating JPC from other similar Nuveen closed-end funds. Currently
Spectrum, JPCs existing preferred securities manager, serves as sub-adviser for three other Nuveen
closed-end funds that invest in preferred securities. Thus, in proposing NAM and NWQ as fund
sub-advisers to each manage a portion of JPCs restructured investment portfolio, Nuveen is
seeking to differentiate JPC from Nuveens other existing preferred securities funds, as well as
offer investors access to investment managers with distinctive, complementary approaches to the
preferred securities market.
How will the repositioned fund differ from other similar Nuveen closed-end Funds?
JPC will take a different approach to investing in preferred securities compared with Nuveens
three other closed-end funds sub-advised by Spectrum. Because preferred securities can have
characteristics of debt, equity or both types of securities depending on their position in a
companys capital structure, JPC will employ two experienced portfolio teams with distinctive,
complementary approaches to this market. NAM employs a debt-oriented approach that combines top
down relative value analysis of industry sectors with fundamental credit analysis. NWQ employs a
bottom up, fundamentally-driven approach that combines equity research to identify which companies
to own with fixed income analysis to identify the most attractive securities of a company to hold.
This unique, multi-team approach gives investors access to a broader investment universe with
greater diversification potential.
What elements of the proposed repositioning plan require shareholder approval?
JPC shareholders will be asked to approve NAM and NWQ as fund sub-advisers to manage JPCs
investment portfolio.
Will the portfolio repositioning be a taxable event to JPC shareholders?
No. The funds capital loss carry-forwards are anticipated to offset any gains realized on the
sale of existing portfolio investments.
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What alternatives to the proposed repositioning were considered?
In approving the proposed repositioning plan, the funds Board of Trustees discussed and considered
a broad range of alternatives for improving the level at which the funds common shares trade
relative to NAV. These alternatives included expanded share repurchases, tender offers, fund
restructuring, mergers, fund reorganization, conversion to open-end format and liquidation.
The Board concluded that the proposed portfolio repositioning represented the most attractive
alternative for enhancing investor appeal and therefore was in the best interest of the fund and
its shareholders.
Will the repositioned fund continue to employ a quarterly managed distribution program?
No. Upon repositioning, JPC will discontinue managed distributions and shift to monthly
income-only distributions. The repositioning is not expected to initially affect the level of the
funds annualized distribution per share.
When will the proposed repositioning take place?
The proposed repositioning will take place following the funds special shareholder meeting later
this year. Subject to market conditions, the repositioning is expected to be completed shortly
after receipt of shareholder approval.
Do I need to take any action at this time?
No. You should look for additional information regarding the funds proposed repositioning plan in
its proxy statement, which is expected to be filed in the coming weeks.
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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements made herein are forward-looking statements. Actual future results or occurrences
may differ significantly from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements due to numerous
factors. These include, but are not limited to:
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market developments; |
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legal and regulatory developments; and |
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other additional risks and uncertainties. |
Nuveen and the closed-end funds managed by Nuveen and its affiliates undertake no responsibility to
update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.
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The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports and other regulatory filings of the Nuveen closed-end funds with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are
accessible on the SECs web site at www.sec.gov
and on Nuveen`s web site at www.nuveen.com/cef and may discuss the above-mentioned or other factors that
affect the Nuveen closed-end funds. The information contained on our web site is not a part of
this document.
Nothing contained herein shall constitute an offer for sale of any securities. A Proxy Statement
relating to the proposed repositioning will be filed with the SEC in the coming weeks and will
contain important information relating to the repositioning. Shareholders are urged to read the
Proxy Statement carefully. After they are filed, free copies of the Proxy Statement will be
available on the SECs web site at www.sec.gov.
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