Closed-end fund (CEF).
In plain English
A closed-end fund raises money once through an IPO, issues a fixed number of shares, and then those shares trade on an exchange. Because the share count is fixed, the market price can drift away from the fund's net asset value, the per-share worth of its holdings, trading at a premium above it or, often, a discount below it. That gap is the defining feature: buying at a discount can add value, buying at a premium destroys it. Many closed-end funds also use leverage to boost income, which raises both yield and risk.
01Why it matters
A closed-end fund's price can differ sharply from what its holdings are worth, so understanding the premium or discount is essential to avoid overpaying for the same assets.
02The math, step by step
A closed-end fund holds assets worth 20 dollars a share but trades at 18 dollars, a 10 percent discount. You buy 20 dollars of assets for 18 dollars; if it traded at a premium, you would pay more than the holdings are worth.
03What this is NOT
A closed-end fund is NOT priced at its net asset value like a mutual fund. Its fixed shares trade on an exchange at a market price that can be a premium or a discount to the value of its holdings.
04Receipts
Every figure on this page is sourced to a primary document. Tap to open the original.