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Strategies & Market Trends : A.I.M Users Group Bulletin Board -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rgammon who wrote (17081)	10/15/2001 10:49:41 AM
From: Bernie Goldberg	Respond to of 18931

Hi Robert, The reason for the change in the dividend. Was that some time ago Alliance Govt. Securities fund (GSF) was merged into Alliance Govt. Income fund. This caused a slight change in the number of shares and dividend paid. With such a large percentage of bonds of long duration, it is not likely that the dividend will change very much in the future (10 years out). What will change is the yield on the fund shares when the market bids the price either up or down. Bernie

To: rgammon who wrote (17081)	10/15/2001 6:48:22 PM
From: rgammon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 18931

Credible Terrorist Threat?? I heard a story today that feels very much like a credible terrorist threat. Read it and make up your own minds. My wife (Karen) got this from a co-worker today. The co-worker was talking to Mom in Tennessee this weekend. Turns out Mom has a Muslim neighbor. The husband disappeared several weeks ago. Husband is now on the list of 200 or so people in the US that the FBI is most anxious to talk to. The FBI has been to the house multiple times, searching top to bottom for ?? only God and the FBI know what they were looking for ??. The wife confided to Mom that her husband told her right as he left - Don't take the children, don't go yourself, to a mall on Oct 31. Mom called the FBI and relayed this tale to them. So, is this an Urban Legend? Product of hypersensitive imaginations? A malicious tale? A hoax? Or is it a real threat? Has the news media heard about this? I don't know the answers, and I suspect we'll need to wait an see what happens on 10/31/01. Robert

To: rgammon who wrote (17081)	10/16/2001 3:53:06 PM
From: Bernie Goldberg	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 18931

Hi Robert, This came from the CNBC web site which has recently merged with MSN, but I hope you will take the time to read it hear. Closed-end bond funds Closed-end funds have special risks, but they also can offer income investors extra returns. The special risk is that the market prices of these securities, which trade like stocks, will differ from their net asset values. They often do, going to discounts to their net asset values when the funds are out of favor, and premiums when they are hot. But closed-ends can use leverage to boost returns, which open-end funds cannot. The typical closed-end bond fund can borrow against the high quality of its holdings, hoping for yields that beat the cost of borrowing. As much as a third of the fund’s total assets can be borrowed; that is, a $100 million fund can borrow $50 million, creating a $150 million bond portfolio. Some closed-end yields are so lush that tax-free bonds yield nearly as much as taxable open-end funds. Special note“If a fraction of investors knew as much about closed-end funds as open-end funds, we wouldn’t have these discounts,” says Mariana Bush, head of closed-end fund research for First Union Securities. The fact that they don’t creates an opportunity for you. Fund Current yield Discount to net asset value RCM Strategic Global Government Fund (RCS, news, msgs) YLD 8.5% - 4.2% Nuveen Premium Income Municipal (NPI, news, msgs)YLD 6.1* Discount- 7.3 Colonial InterMarket Fund (CMK, news, msgs) YLD 9.8 Discount- 5.3 Hyperion Total Return (HTR, news, msgs) YLD 10.4 Discount- 13.3 Templeton Emerging Markets Income (TEI, news, msgs) YLD 12.4 Discount- 6.2 Notes: Discounts as of 9/18, except HTR, which is 9/6. * Equal to 8.8% for investor in the 31% federal tax bracket. Sources: First Union Securities, Closed-end Fund Association, MSN Money