Eagle Point Credit Company Inc. 6.6875% NT 28 (ECCX)

We continue our discussion on debt, this time focusing on corporate borrowing. CLOs and BDCs are two pillars of the credit markets, powering the U.S. economy. Securities from these asset classes tend to be volatile due to interest rates and credit health, but have safer preferreds/baby bonds.

Steven Bavaria, from Inside the Income Factory, discusses credit assets like high-yield bonds, senior loans, and BDCs for stable, high-yield income, favoring closed-end funds for their resilience and discounts. Expense ratios for BDC ETFs like PBDC appear high due to accounting rules, but actual fund expenses are low—professional management adds only about 0.4%.

5 Closed-End Fund Buys In The Month Of July 2025

Eagle Point Credit Co LLC (ECC) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

April's market volatility, driven by tariffs and led by tech sector declines, created opportunities to deploy cash. However, it was an opportunity to reposition my portfolio as well, with 2 swap trades to de-risk my portfolio. There were 2 corporate actions in the last month that also saw two more positions removed from my CEF portfolio, but overall, I was a net buyer for the month.

The CLO Equity CEF sector has doubled in size over the past two years, driven by new entrants and favorable market conditions. Key catalysts include a benign default environment, tightening credit spreads, and the attractiveness of floating-rate assets amid a flat/inverted yield curve. CLO Equity funds benefit from embedded options like reinvestment and call options, which enhance returns during periods of market volatility.

We review the CEF market valuation and performance through the third week of April and highlight recent market action. Nearly all CEF sectors finished in the green this week, though month-to-date performance remains underwater. The median CEF sector discount has bounced off the trough, trading near the longer-term historical average, recovering close to half its April drawdown.

Fearful markets present opportunities for income investors. Embrace the Income Method to cut through market noise, focusing on reliable, growing income by investing higher up in the capital structure. We discuss our top picks that enjoy safety by being higher up in the capital structure; yields +9%.

Collateralized loan obligation CEFs offer high yields but come with significant leverage, volatility and higher risk, making them less appropriate for all income investors. Baby bonds and preferred offerings from CLO CEFs provide safer, more stable income, balancing risk-reward when it comes to seeking income. We have new offerings in the space since our last update, leading to greater diversification potential and increasing the viability of setting up a ladder of maturities.

Eagle Point Credit Co LLC (NYSE:ECC ) Q4 2024 Earnings Conference Call February 20, 2025 10:00 AM ET Company Participants Garrett Edson - ICR, Investor Relations Thomas Majewski - Chief Executive Officer Ken Onorio - Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Conference Call Participants Randy Binner - B. Riley Securities Erik Zwick - Lucid Capital Markets Operator Greetings, and welcome to Eagle Point Credit Company Inc. Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial Results Conference Call.

We take a look at the action in preferreds and baby bonds through the last week of January and highlight some of the key themes we are watching. Preferred stocks saw mixed performance with Energy and Utilities sectors gaining; January's gain nearly offset December's losses. Agency mortgage REITs like AGNC and Annaly reported earnings that are broadly positive for preferreds shareholders.

We take a look at the action in preferreds and baby bonds through the second week of December and highlight some of the key themes we are watching. All preferred stock sectors declined as longer-term Treasury yields rose; mREITs outperformed due to SOFR Fix/Float and CMT Reset preferreds. BDC GAIN issued a 7.875% 2030 baby bond.

Eagle Point Credit Co LLC (NYSE:ECC ) Q3 2024 Earnings Conference Call November 14, 2024 10:00 AM ET Corporate Participants Garrett Edson - ICR, Investor Relations Tom Majewski - Chief Executive Officer Ken Onorio - Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Conference Call Participants Mickey Schleien - Ladenburg Thalmann Matthew Howlett - B. Riley Securities Paul Johnson - KBW Greg Kraut - KPG Funds Operator Greetings.

Eagle Point Credit Co LLC (NYSE:ECC ) Q2 2024 Earnings Conference Call August 6, 2024 10:00 AM ET Company Participants Garrett Edson - ICR, Investor Relations Thomas Majewski - Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Onorio - Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Conference Call Participants Mickey Schleien - Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. Mitchel Penn - Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Matthew Howlett - B. Riley Securities, Inc. Paul Johnson - Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Steven Bavaria - Inside the Income Factory Operator Greetings.

CLOs remain very popular investment vehicles and have seen sizable inflows recently, judging by the AUM of open-end funds. We highlight some of the dynamics and key themes in the CLO market that can help investors guide their allocations. Current CLO market themes include a lack of new loans, drop in credit spreads, strong demand for CLO exposure, and improvement in CLO portfolio quality.

Collateralized loan obligation closed-end fund preferreds and baby bonds can offer relatively secure sources of income generation for investors. These offerings are subject to stricter regulations under the 1940 Act, limiting leverage and that can provide more security to these instruments. New offerings since our last update include EICC and CCIA, which naturally came with higher issued yields thanks to the higher rate environment.