DAILY DATA
as of 7/29/2010
| Portfolio Status |
Primary
|
| Offer Price1 |
$8.965300
|
| Bid Price2 |
$8.906100
|
| Liquidation Price3 |
$8.661100
|
1 The "offer" price represents the net asset value of one unit of a trust plus a transactional sales charge.
2 The "bid" price represents the net asset value of one unit of a trust excluding deferred sales charge.
3 The "liquidation" price represents the net asset value of one unit of a trust and includes any front-end and deferred sales charges accounted for if investors liquidate units.
4 The Historical Annual Dividend Distribution is as of date of deposit. The amount of distributions of the Trust may be lower or greater than the above-stated amount due to certain factors that may include, but are not limited to, a change in the dividends paid by issuers, a change in Trust expenses or the sale or maturity of securities in the portfolio. Fees and expenses of the Trust may vary as a result of a variety of factors including the Trust's size, redemption activity, brokerage and other transaction costs and extraordinary expenses.
Investment Objective
The Closed-End Covered Call & Income Portfolio, Series 18 ("Trust") seeks to provide high current income and the potential for capital appreciation.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Under normal circumstances, the Trust will invest at least 80% of the value of its assets in common stocks of closed-end investment companies (“closed-end funds”) that are considered to be covered call funds and/or income funds. The closed-end funds may contain portfolios that are concentrated in high-yield bonds. See “Investment Risks” for a description of the risks of investing in high-yield securities. Claymore, through proprietary research, will strive to select closed-end funds featuring the potential for current income, diversification and overall liquidity.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The Sponsor has selected for the portfolio closed-end funds believed to have the best potential to achieve the Trust’s investment objective. The closed-end funds’ portfolios consist primarily of covered call securities and/or income producing securities, including high-yield bonds and preferred securities.
As of the Trust’s initial date of deposit (the “Inception Date”), 100% of the Trust’s portfolio is invested in securities of Closed-End Funds with portfolios that consist primarily of covered call securities and/or income producing securities, including high-yield bonds and preferred securities.
When selecting closed-end funds for inclusion in this portfolio the Sponsor looks at numerous factors. These factors include, but are not limited to:
- Investment Objective. The Sponsor favors funds that have a clear investment objective in line with the Trust’s objective and, based upon a review of publicly available information, appear to be maintaining it.
- Premium/Discount. The Sponsor favors funds that are trading at a discount relative to their peers and relative to their long-term average.
- Consistent Dividend. The Sponsor favors funds that have a history of paying a consistent and competitive dividend which, in the opinion of the Sponsor, can be maintained.
- Performance. The Sponsor favors funds that have a history of strong relative performance (based on market price and net asset value) when compared to their peers and an applicable benchmark.
Some of the securities held by the closed-end funds may be income-producing securities, including corporate bonds, preferred securities and high-yield bonds. High-yield or “junk” bonds, the generic names for bonds rated below the category of “BBB” by Standard & Poor’s or the category of “Baa” by Moody’s, are frequently issued by corporations in the growth stage of their development or by established companies who are highly leveraged or whose operations or industries are depressed. Obligations rated below investment-grade should be considered speculative as these ratings indicate a quality of less than investment-grade. Because high-yield bonds are generally subordinated obligations and are perceived by investors to be riskier than higher rated securities, their prices tend to fluctuate more than higher rated securities and are affected by short-term credit developments to a greater degree.
RISKS AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
As with all investments, you may lose some or all of your investment in the Trust. No assurance can be given that the Trust’s investment objective will be achieved. The Trust also might not perform as well as you expect. This can happen for reasons such as these:
- Securities prices can be volatile. The value of your investment may fall over time. Market value fluctuates in response to various factors. These can include stock market movements, purchases or sales of securities by the Trust, government policies, litigation, and changes in interest rates, inflation, the financial condition of the securities’ issuer or even perceptions of the issuer. Units of the Trust are not deposits of any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
- Due to the current state of the economy, the value of the securities held by the Trust may be subject to steep declines or increased volatility due to changes in performance or perception of the issuers. Starting in December 2007 and throughout most of 2009, economic activity declined across all sectors of the economy, and the United States experienced increased unemployment. The economic crisis affected the global economy with European and Asian markets also suffering historic losses. Although the latest economic data suggests slightly increased activity in the U.S. economy, unemployment remains high. Extraordinary steps have been taken by the governments of several leading economic countries to combat the economic crisis; however, the impact of these measures is not yet fully known and cannot be predicted.
- The Trust includes closed-end funds. Closed-end funds are actively managed investment companies that invest in various types of securities. Closed-end funds issue shares of common stock that are traded on a securities exchange. Closed-end funds are subject to various risks, including management’s ability to meet the closed-end fund’s investment objective and to manage the closed-end fund’s portfolio during periods of market turmoil and as investors’ perceptions regarding closed-end funds or their underlying investments change. Closed-end funds are not redeemable at the option of the shareholder and they may trade in the market at a discount to their net asset value. Closed-end funds may also employ the use of leverage which increases risk and volatility. Instability in the auction rate preferred shares market may affect the volatility of certain closed-end funds, especially those that use leverage or plan to use leverage.
- The value of the fixed-income securities in the closed-end funds will generally fall if interest rates, in general, rise. Typically, fixed-income securities with longer periods before maturity are more sensitive to interest rate changes.
- Certain closed-end funds held by the Trust invest in bonds that are rated below investment-grade and are considered to be “junk” securities. Below investment-grade obligations are considered to be speculative and are subject to greater market and credit risks, and accordingly, the risk of nonpayment or default is higher than with investment-grade securities. In addition, such securities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes and more likely to receive early returns of principal.
- Certain closed-end funds held by the Trust may invest in bonds that are rated as investment-grade by only one rating agency. As a result, such splitrated securities may have more speculative characteristics and are subject to a greater risk of default than securities rated as investment-grade by both Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s.
- Certain closed-end funds held by the Trust invest in foreign securities. Investment in foreign securities presents additional risk. Foreign risk is the risk that foreign securities will be more volatile than U.S. securities due to such factors as adverse economic, currency, political, social or regulatory developments in a country, including government seizure of assets, excessive taxation, limitations on the use or transfer of assets, the lack of liquidity or regulatory controls with respect to certain industries or differing legal and/or accounting standards.
- Certain closed-end funds held by the Trust invest in securities issued by companies headquartered or incorporated in countries considered to be emerging markets. Emerging markets are generally defined as countries with low per capita income in the initial stages of their industrialization cycles. Risks of investing in developing or emerging countries include the possibility of investment and trading limitations, liquidity concerns, delays and disruptions in settlement transactions, political uncertainties and dependence on international trade and development assistance. Companies headquartered in emerging market countries may be exposed to greater volatility and market risk.
- Current economic conditions may lead to limited liquidity and greater volatility. The markets for fixed-income securities, such as those held by the closed-end funds, have experienced periods of illiquidity and volatility since the latter half of 2007. General market uncertainty and consequent repricing risk have led to market imbalances of sellers and buyers, which in turn have resulted in significant valuation uncertainties in a variety of fixed-income securities. These conditions resulted, and in many cases continue to result in, greater volatility, less liquidity, widening credit spreads and a lack of price transparency, with many debt securities remaining illiquid and of uncertain value. These market conditions may make valuation of some of the securities held by a closed-end fund uncertain and/or result in sudden and significant valuation increases or declines in its holdings.
- The call writing portion of the investment strategy of the closed-end funds may not be successful in that the closed-end funds may not realize the full appreciation of stocks on which the closed-end funds have written call options. The ability to successfully implement the closed-end fund’s investment strategy depends on the closed-end fund’s adviser’s ability to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured.
- The value of a call option may be adversely affected if the market for the option becomes less liquid or smaller. The value of an option will be affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of the stock subject to the option, an increase in interest rates, a change in the actual and perceived volatility of the stock market and the common stock, and the remaining time to expiration.
- The closed-end funds held by the Trust invest in common stocks. Common stocks represent a proportional share of ownership in a company. Common stock prices fluctuate for several reasons including changes in investors’ perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer, changes in the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as the market volatility recently exhibited, or when political or economic events affect the issuers. Common stock prices may also be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase.
- A closed-end fund or an issuer of securities held by a closed-end fund may be unwilling or unable to make principal payments and/or to declare distributions in the future, may call a security before its stated maturity, or may reduce the level of distributions declared. This may result in a reduction in the value of your units.
- The financial condition of a closed-end fund or an issuer of securities held by a closed-end fund may worsen or its credit ratings may drop, resulting in a reduction in the value of your units. This may occur at any point in time, including during the primary offering period.
- Inflation may lead to a decrease in the value of assets or income from investments.
- The Sponsor does not actively manage the portfolio. The Trust will generally hold, and may continue to buy, the same securities even though a security’s outlook, market value or yield may have changed.
- Please note that the Sponsor may be engaged as a service provider to certain closed-end funds held by the Trust and therefore certain fees paid by the Trust to such closed-end funds will be paid to the Sponsor for it services to such closed-end funds.
- In addition to the expenses of the units of the Trust, the Trust is subject to various expenses of the closed-end fund.
Please see the Trust prospectus for more complete risk information.
Unit Investment Trusts (“UITs”) are fixed and not actively managed. An investment in this fixed portfolio should be made with an understanding of the risks involved with owning various types of investments. Industry predictions may not materialize and securities selected for the Trust may not participate in overall industry growth, if any. There is no guarantee that the portfolio will achieve its investment objective. Units, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original purchase price.
This UIT is part of a long-term strategy, and investors should consider their ability to invest in successive portfolios, if available, at the applicable sales charge. There are tax consequences associated with an investment from one series to the next. Investors should consult their tax advisor to determine tax consequences associated with an investment from one portfolio to the next. Units of certain portfolios may be well suited for purchase by Individual Retirement Accounts or other qualified retirement plans. Consult an attorney or tax advisor regarding tax consequences associated with the purchase or sale of units. Claymore Securities, Inc. does not offer tax advice.