Closed-end Buys at a Big Discount

Article Excerpt

CANADIAN GENERAL INVESTMENT TRUST $10.01 (Toronto symbol: CGI) mainly invests in shares of Canadian companies. Its discount to its net asset value now stands at 28%. The trust now holds a high 19.6% of its assets in cash, up from just 1.4% a year earlier. THIRD CANADIAN GENERAL INVESTMENT TRUST $20.86 (Toronto symbol: THD) holds 68% of its assets in units of Canadian General Investments. The rest of its holdings are mostly high-quality income trusts and stocks. The trust’s discount to its net asset value is 17%. Since Third Canadian trades at a discount to its asset value, as does its main holding, Canadian General, you might say Third Canadian in effect trades at a “double discount” of approximately 34%. The total MER for Third Canadian, including the MER paid on the units of Canadian General it holds, is 1.9%, a bit above the 1.7% MER on Canadian General. Third Canadian holds 4.7% of its assets in foreign stocks, while Canadian General holds…