The high-yield income space helped offset losses in the investment-grade category last year.
Meanwhile, the option strategy also helped augment yields, but the strategy misses out on the stock market’s upside during a rally. [Covered Call ETFs: Less Bad While Damping Volatility]
The PowerShares ETF has gained 1.4% over the past year. Underlying holdings have discounts of more than 5%.
XMPT provides access to municipal CEFs. Jim Colby, senior municipal strategist of Market Vectors, points out that muni funds can enhance yield due to discounts and leverage. [Competitive Yields with a Short-Term Muni Bond ETF]
“The yields of closed-end municipals are extremely attractive compared to Treasuries or other taxable bonds,” Colby said in the article.
The Market Vectors ETF is up 6.3% year-to-date but it is down 9.9% over the past year.
For more information on dividends, visit our dividend ETFs category.
Max Chen contributed to this article.