Earn income from gold and energy

Using a covered call strategy, this resource-focused fund generates a double-digit yield.

By TheStockAdvisors Nov 28, 2011 10:00AM
Image: Golden Nest Egg (© Chris Collins/Photographer)By Mark Skousen, Forecasts & Strategies

I am recommending a new high-income fund for our model portfolio Gabelli Global Gold and Natural Resource Income Fund (GGN).

This is a closed-end fund that offers an 11% dividend yield. The fund generates monthly income and pays 14 cents a month in dividends by trading covered calls.

An investor uses a covered call when he holds a long position in an asset while writing (selling) call options on the same asset in an attempt to boost his return from that asset. GGN uses covered calls.

Writing covered call options on mining and energy stocks does limit the upside potential of your investments, but the double-digit percentage yield should offset the downside risks of investing in natural resources.

The Gabelli Natural Resource Income Fund has $1.2 billion under management. It invests in 107 stocks: 51% in gold mining companies (such as Newmont, Barrick, Kinross, and Randgold) and 45% in energy companies (such as Suncor Energy, and Halliburton), and then writes calls on these stocks.

An estimated 4% to 5% remains in cash. The expense ratio is 1.3%, which is reasonable, considering its active management.

GGN opened at $20 a share back in March 2005, and its high dividend has made up for the capital loss over the past six years.

Its average total return is 8% per year, compared with 2% for the S&P 500 Index. It is a closed-end fund and is selling close to its net asset value.

As a closed-end fund, GGN is selling at a slight premium over its NAV of $14.93 and has risen a bit from the time we recommended it on the hot line. But it's still a good buy and is making a comeback to its $19 price enjoyed in May.

Related articles:

0Comments

DATA PROVIDERS

Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.

Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.

Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.

Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.

STOCK SCOUTER

StockScouter rates stocks from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, using a system of advanced mathematics to determine a stock's expected risk and return. Ratings are displayed on a bell curve, meaning there will be fewer ratings of 1 and 10 and far more of 4 through 7.

125
125 rated 1
272
272 rated 2
424
424 rated 3
589
589 rated 4
697
697 rated 5
589
589 rated 6
666
666 rated 7
435
435 rated 8
260
260 rated 9
144
144 rated 10
12345678910

Top Picks

SYMBOLNAMERATING
ABTAbbott Laboratories10
AIGAmerican International Group Inc10
AMTDTD Ameritrade Holding Corp10
ATVIActivision Blizzard Inc10
CACA Inc10
More
Fidelity Brokerage Services, Member NYSE, SIPC. (c) 2011 FMR LLC. All rights reserved

VIDEO ON MSN MONEY

ABOUT

Top Stocks provides analysis about the most noteworthy stocks in the market each day, combining some of the best content from around the MSN Money site and the rest of the Web.

Contributors include professional investors and journalists affiliated with MSN Money.

Follow us on Twitter @topstocksmsn.