Author Archive: Michael Foster

Iran War volatility has tossed finance stocks “out with the bathwater.” It’s giving us a nice “second chance to buy” my favorite finance-focused dividend.

That would be the John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (BTO), which yields 7.7% today and, as we’ll see, trades at a discount that’s double what most investors think it is.

Why April 2026 Could Be April 2025 Redux (But With a Faster Rebound) 

To see why I think the market is making a mistake when it comes to finance stocks, let’s rewind to last year, when stocks sold off on the so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs.

From the Spring 2025 Selloff …

That selloff has actually looked a lot like this one so far, with a similar depth:

… to Its 2026 “Twin”

Here’s what I really want to draw your attention to: In 2025, the finance sector—shown by its benchmark ETF in purple below, didn’t fall as hard as the rest of the market, and soared on the other side:

Finance Beat the S&P 500 in the 2025 Plunge …

Fast-forward to this year, and finance stocks are being hit harder in the Iran War fallout, falling much further than the market since the start of the year.… Read more

There’s an activist story shaking the CEF world right now. And no matter how it plays out, it could lead to shrinking discounts in these high-yielding funds.

We’re going to break down what’s happening today. Then I’m going to give you my favorite way to line yourself up for one-time events like this—an activist play, a takeover, a stock split—in your own portfolio.

Ackman/CP Was the Classic Activist “Unlock”

One of the most successful activist plays came when Bill Ackman installed veteran railroader Hunter Harrison at Canadian Pacific Railway—now Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP). Five years later, the stock had more than doubled:

“Classic” Activist Move Ignited CP

But of course, not every activist move is this successful.… Read more

Today we’re going to talk about a closed-end fund (CEF) that not only helps us protect our portfolio as this market wobbles—it gives our income stream a boost, too.

The situation in the Middle East (and the market reaction to it) is behind our opportunity here. That and the fact that this fund has proven that its strategy is purpose-built for times like these.

But that said, this isn’t a fund we can “set and forget”: Timing matters (on both the buy and sell side)—and the current moment is particularly well suited to its portfolio and strategy.

The fund we’re going to discuss holds everyday stocks, like those in the S&P 500.… Read more

This private-credit mess we’ve been talking about lately has raised a question no one wants to ask: Is 2026 shaping up to be another 2008?

It’s easy to see why some investors may be thinking along those lines. And it’s something I’ve been giving a lot of thought to lately. But here’s the twist: There’s another year I think 2026 resembles a lot more than 2008.

That would be 2023.

If you remember, that year was a buying opportunity in stocks—and to pick up the closed-end fund (CEF) we’re going to discuss today. In fact, both 2008 and 2023 ultimately turned into strong setups for this 7.7%-paying fund.… Read more

Boaz Weinstein is a name many CEF investors know. He’s an activist investor who’s targeted CEFs in the past, particularly those he sees as underperforming.

Now, another closed-end fund (CEF) investor is adopting Weinstein’s tactics—and turning them on two of the activist’s own funds. This investor’s goal? Wipe out the discounts to net asset value (NAV, or the value of their underlying portfolios) on these two funds, and in doing so drive their prices higher.

It’s a fascinating story, and one that shows how, in the small world of CEFs, skilled activists sometimes turn their attention to each other.

Let’s back up for a moment.… Read more

The Iran conflict has, of course, sent oil prices spiking. And the tensions in the region are unlikely to end soon.

Wherever you stand on the conflict, let’s set that aside for a moment and look at the situation through an investment lens—specifically what it means for those invested in oil, either directly or through shares of producers.

It’s clear that anyone holding oil and oil-related stocks saw a bump in their share prices after hostilities broke out, and prices have bounced higher and lower since.

Let’s look at exactly what’s played out so far this year (as of this writing) from the oil-price side—through the crude-tracking United States Oil Fund (USO)—and the producer side, through the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE).… Read more

These worries around private credit are giving us CEF investors a nice “bonus”: They’re throwing a very positive light on our favorite 8%+ income plays.

After all, the CEFs we hold in the portfolio of our CEF Insider service offer transparency, high (and often monthly paid) dividends and attractive discounts, too, in part due to geopolitical worries.

We’ll get to a specific bond fund that’s giving us a generous discount and an 11.6% dividend in a moment. First, let’s take a closer look at what’s really happening with private credit, and the opportunity that concerns around it are setting up for us now.… Read more

Can income investors get in on the coming SpaceX IPO before the stock goes public (and ideally without overpaying?) Let’s find out.

No announcement of an IPO has been made, but SpaceX’s recent acquisition of Starlink and Musk’s xAI firm signal that an offering is in the pipeline.

Even though the company still feels relatively new, SpaceX successfully launched its first rocket 18 years ago. Since then, it has reportedly earned roughly $20 billion in government contracts, with Morningstar recently reporting that it posted about $8 billion of profits on $15 billion of revenue in 2025.

If those numbers stand up—and there’s no way for us to confirm them—that’s a profit margin above 50%.… Read more

AI has investors in a roil again—this time over … a blog post?

The article in question—written by Citrini Research and posted on Substack—was fear-based (to say the least!). It essentially argued that AI was going to cause a “jobs apocalypse,” wiping out demand and taking the economy down with it.

It was pure science fiction. But it was enough to wipe $2 trillion from stocks in one day on February 22. And it comes after the same sorts of fears have hit software stocks, IT-security stocks and even logistics stocks over the last few weeks.

It’s one of the most absurd panics I’ve ever seen, frankly.… Read more

Today I want to get into a question that comes up on the regular in 8%+ yielding CEFs:

What if you run across two of these income generators that seem to be equal in pretty well every way. Can you just buy one or the other?

Truth is, sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t, but it’s not always clear when simply closing your eyes and picking one fund is the right move. That’s because with CEFs, there are a lot of moving parts one needs to pick apart and look at carefully.

Let me show you what I mean with two CEFs holding real estate investment trusts (REITs)—publicly traded “landlords” holding properties ranging from senior-care facilities to malls and warehouses.… Read more