Common use of Interest Rate Swap Transactions Clause in Contracts

Interest Rate Swap Transactions. In order to seek to hedge the value of the Fund against interest rate fluctuations, to hedge against increases in the Fund's costs associated with the dividend payments on any preferred shares, including the VRDP Shares, or to seek to increase the Fund's return, the Fund may enter into interest rate swap transactions such as Municipal Market Data AAA Cash Curve swaps ("MMD Swaps") or Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association Municipal Swap Index swaps ("SIFMA Swaps"). To the extent that the Fund enters into these transactions, the Fund expects to do so primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio as a duration management technique or to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. The Fund may enter into these transactions primarily as a hedge or for duration or risk management rather than as a speculative investment. However, the Fund also may invest in MMD Swaps and SIFMA Swaps to seek to enhance return or gain or to increase the Fund's yield, for example, during periods of steep interest rate yield curves (i.e., wide differences between short term and long term interest rates). The Fund may purchase and sell SIFMA Swaps in the SIFMA swap market. In a SIFMA Swap, the Fund exchanges with another party their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of fixed rate payments for floating rate payments linked to the SIFMA Municipal Swap Index). Because the underlying index is a tax-exempt index, SIFMA Swaps may reduce cross-market risks incurred by the Fund and increase the Fund's ability to hedge effectively. SIFMA Swaps are typically quoted for the entire yield curve, beginning with a seven day floating rate index out to 30 years. The duration of a SIFMA Swap is approximately equal to the duration of a fixed-rate municipal bond with the same attributes as the swap (e.g., coupon, maturity, call feature). The Fund may also purchase and sell MMD Swaps, also known as MMD rate locks. An MMD Swap permits the Fund to lock in a specified municipal interest rate for a portion of its portfolio to preserve a return on a particular investment or a portion of its portfolio as a duration management technique or to protect against any increase in the price of securities to be purchased at a later date. By using an MMD Swap, the Fund can create a synthetic long or short position, allowing the Fund to select the most attractive part of the yield curve. An MMD Swap is a contract between the Fund and an MMD Swap provider pursuant to which the parties agree to make payments to each other on a notional amount, contingent upon whether the Municipal Market Data AAA General Obligation Scale is above or below a specified level on the expiration date of the contract. For example, if the Fund buys an MMD Swap and the Municipal Market Data AAA General Obligation Scale is below the specified level on the expiration date, the counterparty to the contract will make a payment to the Fund equal to the specified level minus the actual level, multiplied by the notional amount of the contract. If the Municipal Market Data AAA General Obligation Scale is above the specified level on the expiration date, the Fund will make a payment to the counterparty equal to the actual level minus the specified level, multiplied by the notional amount of the contract. In connection with investments in SIFMA and MMD Swaps, there is a risk that municipal yields will move in the opposite direction than anticipated by the Fund, which would cause the Fund to make payments to its counterparty in the transaction that could adversely affect the Fund's performance. The Fund has no obligation to enter into SIFMA Swaps or MMD Swaps and may elect not to do so. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and the Fund will segregate or designate on its books and records liquid assets having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess. If there is a default by the other party to an uncleared interest rate swap transaction, generally the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. With respect to interest rate swap transactions cleared through a central clearing counterparty, a clearing organization will be substituted for the counterparty and will guarantee the parties' performance under the swap agreement. However, there can be no assurances that the clearing organization will satisfy its obligation to the Fund or that the Fund would be able to recover the full amount of assets deposited on its behalf with the clearing organization in the event of the default by the clearing organization or the Fund's clearing broker. Certain U.S. federal income tax requirements may limit the Fund's ability to engage in interest rate swaps. Distributions attributable to transactions in interest rate swaps generally will be taxable as ordinary income to shareholders.