Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage (a) The Manager is authorized, in arranging the purchase and sale of the Fund’s publicly-traded portfolio securities, to employ or deal with such members of securities exchanges, brokers or dealers (hereinafter “broker-dealers”), including broker-dealers that are affiliated persons of the Fund or the Manager, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, as may, in its best judgment, implement the policy of the Fund to obtain the best execution of the Fund’s portfolio transactions.
Research Independence The Company acknowledges that each Underwriter’s research analysts and research departments, if any, are required to be independent from their respective investment banking divisions and are subject to certain regulations and internal policies, and that such Underwriter’s research analysts may hold and make statements or investment recommendations and/or publish research reports with respect to the Company and/or the offering that differ from the views of its investment bankers. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against such Underwriter with respect to any conflict of interest that may arise from the fact that the views expressed by their independent research analysts and research departments may be different from or inconsistent with the views or advice communicated to the Company by such Underwriter’s investment banking divisions. The Company acknowledges that the Representative is a full service securities firm and as such from time to time, subject to applicable securities laws, may effect transactions for its own account or the account of its customers and hold long or short position in debt or equity securities of the Company.
Brokerage In connection with the services provided under subparagraph (b) of paragraph 1 of this Agreement, the Sub-Advisor shall place all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities for the Portfolio's account with brokers or dealers selected by the Sub-Advisor, which may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the Advisor or Sub-Advisor. The Sub-Advisor shall use its best efforts to seek to execute portfolio transactions at prices which are advantageous to the Portfolio and at commission rates which are reasonable in relation to the benefits received. In selecting brokers or dealers qualified to execute a particular transaction, brokers or dealers may be selected who also provide brokerage and research services (as those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to the Portfolio and/or to the other accounts over which the Sub-Advisor or Advisor exercise investment discretion. The Sub-Advisor is authorized to pay a broker or dealer who provides such brokerage and research services a commission for executing a portfolio transaction for the Portfolio which is in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the Sub-Advisor determines in good faith that such amount of commission is reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer. This determination may be viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities which the Sub-Advisor has with respect to accounts over which it exercises investment discretion. The Trustees of the Trust shall periodically review the commissions paid by the Portfolio to determine if the commissions paid over representative periods of time were reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Portfolio.