INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”), dated as of January 17, 2024 between Octagon XAI CLO Income Fund, a Delaware statutory trust (the “Trust”), and XA Investments LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Adviser”).
WHEREAS, the Adviser has agreed to furnish investment management and advisory services to the Trust, a closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”);
WHEREAS, the Adviser is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”);
WHEREAS, this Agreement has been approved in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, and the Adviser is willing to furnish such services upon the terms and conditions herein set forth; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual premises and covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, it is agreed by and between the parties hereto as follows:
1. Appointment
(a) The Trust hereby appoints the Adviser to act as the investment adviser to the Trust and to furnish the management and investment advisory services described herein, for the period and upon the terms herein set forth.
(b) The Adviser xxxxxx agrees, all as more fully set forth herein, to act as investment adviser to the Trust with respect to the investment of the Trust’s assets and to supervise and arrange for the day-to-day operations of the Trust and the purchase of securities for and the sale of securities held in the investment portfolio of the Trust.
(c) The Adviser for all purposes in this Agreement will be deemed to be an independent contractor and, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized in this Agreement, will have no authority to act for or represent the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.
2. Duties and Obligations of the Adviser with Respect to Investment of Assets of the Trust.
(a) Subject to the direction and control of the Trust’s Board of Trustees, the Adviser shall:
| (i) | act as investment adviser for and supervise and manage the investment and reinvestment of the Trust’s assets and, in connection therewith, have complete discretion in purchasing and selling securities and other assets for the Trust and in voting, exercising consents and exercising all other rights appertaining to such securities and other assets on behalf of the Trust; |
| (ii) | supervise the investment program of the Trust and the composition of its investment portfolio; and |
| (iii) | arrange, subject to the provisions of Section 5 hereof, for the purchase and sale of securities and other assets held in the investment portfolio of the Trust. |
(b) In performing its duties under this Section 2, the Adviser may delegate some or all of its duties and obligations under this Agreement to one or more investment sub-advisers; provided, however, that any such delegation shall be pursuant to an agreement with terms agreed upon by the Trust and approved in a manner consistent with the 1940 Act and provided, further, that no such delegation shall relieve the Adviser from its duties and obligations of management and supervision of the management of the Trust’s assets pursuant to this Agreement and to applicable law.
3. Duties and Obligations of the Adviser with Respect to the Management of the Trust
The Adviser shall perform the management services necessary for the operation of the Trust, including providing the Trust necessary personnel and such other services as the Adviser, subject to review by the Board of Trustees, from time to time shall determine to be necessary or useful to perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Adviser, also on behalf of the Trust, shall conduct relations with administrators, custodians, depositories, transfer agents, pricing agents, investor support service providers, investor relations providers, dividend disbursing agents, other shareholder servicing agents, accountants, attorneys, underwriters, brokers and dealers, corporate fiduciaries, insurers, banks and such other persons in any such other capacity deemed to be necessary or desirable.
4. Covenants
(a) In the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Adviser shall at all times conform to, and act in accordance with, any requirements imposed by:
| (i) | the provisions of the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act and all applicable Rules and Regulations of the SEC; |
| (ii) | any other applicable provision of law; |
| (iii) | the provisions of this Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Trust, as such documents are amended from time to time; |
| (iv) | the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Trust as set forth in its Registration Statement on Form N-2; and |
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| (v) | any policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Trust. |
(b) The Adviser will maintain a written code of ethics (the “Code of Ethics”) pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act, a copy of which will be provided to the Trust, and will institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons (as defined in Rule 17j-1) from violating its Code of Ethics. The Adviser will follow such Code of Ethics in performing its services under this Agreement.
(c) The Adviser will maintain compliance policies and procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 206(4)-7 under the Advisers Act and Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, a copy of which will be provided to the Trust, and follow such compliance policies and procedures in performing its services under this Agreement; and
(d) The Adviser will cooperate with the chief compliance officer of the Trust in connection with the implementation and operation of the Trust’s compliance policies and procedures adopted pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, and will prepare necessary reports and provide the Trust’s chief compliance officer with access to information reasonably necessary for the Trust to comply with Rule 38a-1.
5. Portfolio Transactions
(a) In the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Adviser will place orders either directly with the issuer or with any broker or dealer. Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph, in placing orders with brokers and dealers, the Adviser will attempt to obtain the best price and the most favorable execution of its orders. In placing orders, the Adviser will consider the experience and skill of the firm’s securities traders as well as the firm’s financial responsibility and administrative efficiency. Consistent with this obligation, the Adviser may select brokers on the basis of the research, statistical and pricing services they provide to the Trust and other clients of the Adviser. Information and research received from such brokers will be in addition to, and not in lieu of, the services required to be performed by the Adviser hereunder. A commission paid to such brokers may be higher than that which another qualified broker would have charged for effecting the same transaction, provided that the Adviser determines in good faith that such commission is reasonable in terms either of the transaction or the overall responsibility of the Adviser to the Trust and its other clients and that the total commissions paid by the Trust will be reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Trust over the long-term. In no instance, however, will the Trust’s securities be purchased from or sold to the Adviser, or any affiliated person thereof, except to the extent permitted by the SEC or by applicable law.
(b) At the request of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Adviser will identify and provide a written description to the Board of Trustees of “soft dollar” arrangements that the Adviser maintains with respect to the Trust or with brokers or dealers that execute transactions for the Trust, and of research and other services provided to the Adviser by a broker or dealer (whether prepared by such broker or dealer or by a third party) as a result, in whole or in part, of the direction of Trust transactions to the broker or dealer.
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(c) From time to time, the Adviser or brokers or dealers affiliated with it may find themselves in a position to buy for certain of their clients (each an “Account”) securities which the Adviser’s investment advisory clients wish to sell, and to sell for certain of their clients securities which other advisory clients wish to buy. Where one of the parties is an advisory client, the Adviser or the affiliated broker or dealer cannot participate in this type of transaction (known as a cross transaction) on behalf of an advisory client and retain commissions from one or both parties to the transaction without the advisory client’s consent. This is because in a situation where the Adviser is making the investment decision (as opposed to a brokerage client who makes his own investment decisions), and the Adviser or an affiliate is receiving commissions from both sides of the transaction, there is a potential conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities on the Adviser’s part regarding the advisory client. The SEC has adopted a rule under the Advisers Act that permits the Adviser or its affiliates to participate on behalf of an Account in agency cross transactions if the advisory client has given written consent in advance. By execution of this Agreement, the Trust authorizes the Adviser or its affiliates to participate in agency cross transactions involving an Account. The Trust may revoke its consent at any time by written notice to the Adviser.
6. Confidentiality
Each of the Trust and the Adviser acknowledge and agree that pursuant to this Agreement, either party may have access to the other party’s confidential and proprietary information and materials concerning or pertaining to the other’s business. Each party will receive and hold such information in the strictest confidence, and acknowledge, represent, and warrant that it will use its best efforts to protect the confidentiality of this information. Each party agrees that, without the prior written consent of the other party, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, they will not use, copy, or divulge to third parties or otherwise use, except in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, any information obtained from or through the other party in connection with this Agreement; provided, however, this covenant shall not apply to information (i) which is in the public domain now or when it becomes in the public domain in the future, other than by reason of a breach of this Agreement, (ii) which has come to either party from a lawful source not bound to maintain the confidentiality of such information, other than from the other party or an affiliate or representative of that party, (iii) disclosures which are required by law, regulatory authority, regulation or legal process or are made to any regulatory agency in the normal course of an examination, audit or investigation involving such party, or (iv) disclosure as reasonably necessary in the course of business to third parties subject to a duty to maintain the confidentiality of the information.
7. Services Not Exclusive
(a) Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Adviser or any officer, employee or other affiliate thereof from acting as investment adviser for any other person, firm or corporation, or from engaging in any other lawful activity, and shall not in any way limit or restrict the Adviser or any of its officers, employees or agents from buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own accounts or for the accounts of others for whom it or they may be acting; provided, however, that the Adviser will undertake no activities which, in its judgment, will adversely affect the performance of its obligations under this Agreement.
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(b) The Adviser may manage other investment accounts and funds, including those with investment objectives similar to the Trust. Securities considered as investments for the Trust may also be appropriate for other investment accounts and funds that may be managed by the Adviser. Subject to applicable laws and regulations, the Adviser will attempt to allocate equitably portfolio transactions among the portfolios of its other investment accounts and funds purchasing securities whenever decisions are made to purchase or sell securities by the Trust and one or more of such other accounts or funds simultaneously. In making such allocations, the main factors to be considered by the Adviser will be the respective investment objectives of the Trust and such other accounts and funds, the relative size of portfolio holdings of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment by the Trust and such other accounts and funds, the size of investment commitments generally held by the Trust and such accounts and funds, and the opinions of the persons responsible for recommending investments to the Trust and such other accounts and funds.
8. Books and Records
(a) The Adviser undertakes and agrees to maintain or cause others to maintain, in the form and for the period required by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act, all records relating to the Trust’s investments that are required to be maintained by the Trust pursuant to the 1940 Act with respect to the Adviser’s responsibilities under this Agreement for the Trust, and which are not otherwise maintained by the administrator, fund accounting agent, custodian or other service providers to the Trust.
(b) In compliance with the requirements of Rule 31a-3 under the 1940 Act, the Adviser xxxxxx agrees that all records which it maintains for the Trust are the property of the Trust and further agrees to surrender promptly to the Trust any such records upon the Trust’s request.
9. Custody
Nothing in this Agreement will require the Adviser to take or receive physical possession of cash, securities, or other investments of the Trust.
10. Expenses
(a) During the term of this Agreement, the Adviser will bear all costs and expenses of its employees and any overhead incurred in connection with its duties hereunder, except as provided pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section 10, and shall bear the costs of any salaries or trustees fees of any officers or trustees of the Trust who are affiliated persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Adviser.
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(b) The Trust will bear all other costs, fees and expenses of its operations and transactions, including those relating to: (1) organization; (2) calculation of the Trust’s net asset value (including the cost and expenses of any independent valuation firm, agent or other provider); (3) expenses payable to third parties, including agents, consultants or other advisors, in monitoring financial and legal affairs for the Trust and in monitoring the Trust’s investments; (4) interest payable on indebtedness and dividends and distributions on preferred shares, as applicable, if any, incurred to finance the Trust’s investments; (5) sales and repurchases of the Trust’s common shares and other securities (including federal and state registration fees and other costs and expenses related thereto); (6) fees payable to third parties, including agents, legal counsel, consultants or other advisors, relating to, or associated with, evaluating and making investments; (7) administrator, transfer agent and custodian fees; (8) federal, state and local taxes; (9) independent trustees’ fees and expenses; (10) costs of preparing and filing reports or other documents required by governmental bodies (including the SEC), including printing costs; (11) costs of any reports, proxy statements or other notices to shareholders, including printing costs; (12) insurance premiums for fidelity bond and other insurance coverage, including the Trust’s allocable portion of the fidelity bond, trustees and officers errors and omissions liability insurance, including independent trustees liability insurance, and any other insurance premium; (13) direct costs and expenses of administration, including printing, mailing, long distance telephone, copying, secretarial and other staff, independent auditors and outside legal costs; (14) brokerage commissions, assignment fees and other costs in connection with the purchase, holding or sale of securities and other investment instruments (including, without limitation, security settlement costs); (15) expenses incidental to holding meetings of the Trust’s shareholders, including proxy solicitations therefor; provided, however, that the Trust will not bear such expenses with respect to any meeting of the Trust’s shareholders held for the purpose of seeking shareholder approval of a new investment advisory agreement in connection with a change of control of the Adviser; (16) unusual, non-recurring or extraordinary expenses as may arise, including those relating to actions, suits or proceedings to which the Trust is a party and legal obligations that the Trust may have to indemnify the Trust’s directors, officers and/or employees or agents with respect to these actions, suits or proceedings; and (17) all other expenses incurred by the Trust in connection with administering the Trust’s business.
(c) The Trust may, if and to the extent approved by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any party to this Agreement, from time to time reimburse the Adviser for certain costs and expenses incurred by the Adviser in connection with the management of the Trust’s assets, which may include the Trust’s allocable share of portfolio management and trading software costs, research expenses (including modeling and analytic software costs), diligence expenses and out-of-pocket travel costs incurred in connection with the management of the Trust’s assets. For the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall expenses associated with the general overhead of the Adviser be reimbursed by the Trust.
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11. Compensation of the Adviser
(a) The Trust agrees to pay to the Adviser and the Adviser agrees to accept as full compensation for all services rendered by the Adviser as such, a monthly fee in arrears at an annual rate equal to 1.50% of the Trust’s average daily Managed Assets. For any period less than a month during which this Agreement is in effect, the fee shall be prorated according to the proportion which such period bears to a full month of 28, 29, 30 or 31 days, as the case may be.
(b) “Managed Assets” means the total assets of the Trust, including the assets attributable to the proceeds from financial leverage (including through the issuance of preferred shares or the issuance senior securities representing indebtedness), minus liabilities, other than liabilities related to any financial leverage.
(c) For purposes of this Agreement, the total assets of the Trust shall be calculated pursuant to the procedures adopted by resolutions of the Trustees of the Trust for calculating the value of the Trust’s assets, and on days on which the value of the Trust’s assets are not so determined, the asset value computation to be used will be as determined on the immediately preceding day on which the value of the Trust’s assets was determined.
(d) The Adviser may elect from time to time, in its sole discretion, to waive its right to reimbursement or its receipt of the advisory fee.
12. Representations and Warranties
(a) The Trust represents and covenants to the Adviser as follows:
| (i) | The Trust is duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware with the power to own and possess its assets. |
| (ii) | The execution, delivery and performance by the Trust of this Agreement are within the Trust’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary actions of the Board of Trustees, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the parties to this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a default under (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Trust’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instruments binding upon the Trust. |
| (iii) | The Trust is, or will be prior to commencing operations, registered as a closed-end management investment company under the 1940 Act and the Trust’s shares are, or will be prior to commencing operations, registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and under any applicable state securities laws, or exempt from such registration. |
(b) The Adviser represents and covenants to the Trust as follows:
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| (i) | The Adviser is duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware. |
| (ii) | The execution, delivery and performance by the Adviser of this Agreement are within the Adviser’s powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary action, and no action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official is required on the part of the Adviser for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the parties to this Agreement, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the parties to this Agreement do not contravene or constitute a default under (i) any provision of applicable law, rule or regulation, (ii) the Adviser’s governing instruments, or (iii) any agreement, judgment, injunction, order, decree or other instruments binding upon the Adviser. |
| (iii) | The Adviser is not prohibited by the 1940 Act or the Advisers Act from performing the services contemplated by this Agreement. |
13. Limitation on Liability
The Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by Adviser or by the Trust in connection with the performance of this Agreement, except a loss resulting from a breach of a fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services or a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its duties and obligations under this Agreement (as the same shall be determined in accordance with the 1940 Act and any interpretations or guidance by the SEC or its staff thereunder).
14. Indemnification
The Trust shall indemnify, defend and protect the Adviser, its members and their respective officers, managers, partners, agents, employees, controlling persons, members and any other person affiliated with any of them (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) (each of whom shall be deemed a third party beneficiary hereof) and hold them harmless from and against all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlement) incurred by the Indemnified Parties in or by reason of any pending, threatened or completed action, suit, investigation or other proceeding (including an action or suit by or in the right of the Trust or its security holders) arising out of or otherwise based upon the performance of any of the Adviser’s duties or obligations under this Agreement or otherwise as an investment adviser of the Trust. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 12 to the contrary, nothing contained herein shall protect or be deemed to protect the Indemnified Parties against or entitle or be deemed to entitle the Indemnified Parties to indemnification in respect of, any liability to the Trust or its security holders to which the Indemnified Parties would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of any Indemnified Party’s duties or by reason of the reckless disregard of the Adviser’s duties and obligations under this Agreement (as the same shall be determined in accordance with the 1940 Act and any interpretations or guidance by the SEC or its staff thereunder).
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15. Duration and Termination
(a) This Agreement shall become effective as of the date hereof and, unless sooner terminated with respect to the Trust as provided herein, shall continue in effect for a period of two years. Thereafter, if not terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to the Trust for successive periods of 12 months, provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by both:
| (i) | the vote of a majority of the Trust’s Board of Trustees or the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, and |
| (ii) | the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement or interested persons of any party to this Agreement, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. |
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Agreement may be terminated by the Trust at any time, without the payment of any penalty, upon giving the Adviser 60 days’ notice (which notice may be waived by the Adviser), provided that such termination by the Trust shall be directed or approved by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust in office at the time or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the voting securities of the Trust at the time outstanding and entitled to vote, or by the Adviser on 60 days’ written notice to the Trust (which notice may be waived by the Trust).
(c) This Agreement will immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
(d) As used in this Agreement, the terms “majority of the outstanding voting securities,” “interested person” and “assignment” shall have the same meanings of such terms in the 1940 Act.
(e) The terms of Sections 6, 8, 13 and 14, 18, 19 and 20 of this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
16. Notices
Any notice under this Agreement shall be in writing to the other party at such address as the other party may designate from time to time for the receipt of such notice and shall be deemed to be received on the earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark if such notice is mailed first class postage prepaid.
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17. Amendment of this Agreement
No provision of this Agreement may be changed, waived, discharged or terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by the party against which enforcement of the change, waiver, discharge or termination is sought. Any amendment of this Agreement shall be subject to the 1940 Act.
18. Governing Law
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware for contracts to be performed entirely therein without reference to choice of law principles thereof and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act.
19. Use of the Name
The Adviser has consented to the use by the Trust of the name or identifying word “XA,” “XAI” or “XA Investments” in the name of the Trust. Such consent is conditioned upon the employment of the Adviser as the investment adviser to the Trust. The name or identifying word “XA,” “XAI” or “XA Investments” may be used from time to time in other connections and for other purposes by the Adviser and any of its affiliates. The Adviser may require the Trust to cease using “XA,” “XAI” or “XA Investments” in the name of the Trust, if the Trust ceases to employ, for any reason, the Adviser, any successor thereto or any affiliate thereof as investment adviser of the Trust. If so required by the Adviser, the Trust will cease using “XA,” “XAI” or “XA Investments” in its name as promptly as practicable and make all reasonable efforts to remove “XA,” “XAI” or “XA Investments” from its name.
20. Miscellaneous
(a) The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of reference only and in no way define or delimit any of the provisions hereof or otherwise affect their construction or effect.
(b) If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement will be deemed to require the Trust to take any action contrary to the Trust’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust or By-laws, as they may be amended and/or restated from time to time, or any applicable statute or regulation, or to relieve or deprive the Board of Trustees of its responsibility for and control of the conduct of the affairs of the Trust.
(d) This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors.
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(e) This Agreement may be executed in counterparts by the parties hereto, each of which shall constitute an original counterpart, and all of which, together, shall constitute one Agreement. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, e.g., xxx.xxxxxxxx.xxx) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
(f) This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding and agreement, and supersedes any and all other proposals, understandings, and agreements among the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the foregoing instrument to be executed by their duly authorized officers, all as of the day and the year first above written.
| OCTAGON XAI CLO INCOME FUND | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: Xxxxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxx | |||
| Title: Secretary & Chief Legal Officer | |||
| XA INVESTMENTS LLC | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: Xxxx “Yogi” Xxxxxx | |||
| Title: Co-Chief Executive Officer | |||
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