i.
|
Materials: Cement
and concrete companies with free cash flow yield of 6.3% in 2018 and an estimated 11.0% in 2019 as of 4Q18. Unique and hard to replicate 100% geographic footprint in the U.S. (sales and EBITDA) supported by a sophisticated distribution
network. Forex and energy costs are their primary challenge, according to management. Attractive valuations with approximately 40% discount to its average 5-year EV/EBITDA, according to PAM.
|
|
ii.
|
Consumer Staples:
Food and staples retailing which presents healthy top-line trends driven by resilient consumption supported by job creation, remittances, and increasing real wages assuming a 2.0% economic growth in 2019.
|
|
iii.
|
Financials:
Appealing thesis for financial groups according to PAM as loan growth is expected to increase by 9.5% in 2019. ROE’s are expected to increase by 32 basis points in 2019. PAM’s bottom-up analysis favors banks with ROE’s of over 19.0% while
the sector stands at 16.0%. Interest revenue and net income will increase by 15% and 12%. Attractive P/E valuations with a 45% discount to its 5-year average. Forward 12-month 8.3 times Price-to-Earnings multiple plots an earnings yield of
approximately 12%.
|
➢
|
Founded in 2003 by Maria Eugenia (Maru) Pichardo.
|
|
➢
|
+25-year experience Portfolio Managers specialized in Mexican equities and debt instruments.
|
|
➢
|
Investment philosophy focused on high quality growth and value (“Special Situations”) investments, mainly in the
universe of the Mexican Stock Exchange.
|
|
➢
|
Bottom-up, intrinsic value approach.
|
|
➢
|
Committed analysts with +5-year experience.
|
|
➢
|
Investment strategy seeks to outperform market cycles.
|
•
|
BANXICO: Banco de Mexico is the central bank of Mexico. By constitutional mandate, it is autonomous in both its
operations and management. Its main function is to provide domestic currency to the Mexican economy and its main priority is to ensure the stability of the domestic currency’s purchasing power.
|
•
|
MEXBOL, or the IPC (Indice de Precios y Cotizaciones), is a capitalization-weighted in¬dex of the leading stocks traded
on the Mexican Stock Exchange. The index was developed with a base level of 0.78 on October 30th, 1978.
|
|
•
|
MSCI-MEXICO: The Morgan Stanley Capital International Index Mexico is a capitalization weighted index that monitors the
performance of stocks traded in Mexico. One cannot invest directly in an index.
|
|
•
|
Basis point (bps) is one hundredth of a percentage point (0.01%).
|
|
•
|
UW: Underweight refers to one of two situations in regard to trading and finance. An underweight portfolio does not hold
a sufficient amount of a particular security when compared to the weight of that security held in the underlying benchmark portfolio. Underweight can also refer to an analyst’s opinion regarding the future performance of a security in
scenarios where it is expected to underperform.
|
|
•
|
The net asset value per share (“NAV”) is calculated as the total market value of all the securities and other assets
held by a fund minus total liabilities divided by the total number of common shares outstanding. The NAV of an investment company will fluctuate due to changes in the market prices of the underlying securities.
|
|
•
|
The market price of the common share of a closed-end fund is determined in the open market by buyers and sellers and is
the price at which investors may purchase or sell the common shares of a closed-end fund, which fluctuates throughout the day. The common share market price may differ from the Fund’s Net Asset Value; shares of a closed-end fund may trade
at a premium to (higher than) or a discount to (lower than) NAV. The difference between the market price and NAV is expressed as a percentage that is either a discount or a premium to NAV.
|
|
•
|
References to other funds should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
|
|
•
|
INEGI: The National Institute of Statistics and Geography.
|
|
•
|
GDP: Gross Domestic Product proxy. The monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s
borders in a specific time period, though GDP is usually calculated on an annual basis. It includes all of private and public consumption, government outlays, investments and exports less imports that occur within a defined territory.
|
|
•
|
Average forex depreciation: The average currency depreciation is the loss of value of a country’s currency with respect
to one or more foreign reference currencies, typically in a floating exchange rate system in which no official currency value is maintained.
|
|
•
|
IMF: The International Monetary Fund is an international organization that aims to promote global economic growth and
financial stability, to encourage international trade, and to reduce poverty.
|
|
•
|
USMCA: The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement is a pending free trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the
United States, intended to replace the current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It is the result of the 2017–2018 renegotiation of NAFTA by its
|
member states, which informally agreed to the terms on September 30, 2018, and formally on October 1. Final ratification
and implementation is pending.
|
||
•
|
Intrinsic Value: Intrinsic value is the perceived or calculated value of a company, including tangible and intangible
factors, using fundamental analysis. Also called the true value, the intrinsic value may or may not be the same as the current market value.
|
|
•
|
CAGR: The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the mean annual growth rate of an investment over a specified period of
time longer than one year.
|
|
•
|
EBITDA: Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation & Amortization (EBITDA), is one indicator of a company’s
financial performance, and is used as a proxy for the earnings potential of a business, although doing so has its drawbacks. EBITDA strips out the cost of debt capital and its tax effects by adding back interest and taxes to earnings.
|
|
•
|
Net Income: A company’s total earnings (or profit). Net income is calculated by taking revenues and adjusting for the
cost of doing business, depreciation, interest, taxes and other expenses. This number is found on a company’s income statement and is an important measure of how profitable the company is over a period of time. The measure is also used to
calculate earnings per share.
|
|
•
|
EV/EBITDA: Enterprise value/EBITDA (more commonly referred to by the acronym EV/EBITDA) is a popular valuation multiple
used in the finance industry to measure the value of a company. It is the most widely used valuation multiple based on enterprise value and is often used in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, the P/E ratio (Price/Earnings ratio) to
determine the fair market value of a company. An advantage of this multiple is that it is capital structure-neutral, and, therefore, this multiple can be used to directly compare companies with different levels of debt.
|
|
•
|
Dividend Yield: Dividend yield refers to a stock’s annual dividend payments to shareholders, expressed as a percentage
of the stock’s current price. Dividend yield is used to calculate the earnings on investment (shares) considering only the returns in the form of total dividends declared by the company during the year.
|
|
•
|
Share repurchase: A share repurchase is a program by which a company buys back its own shares from the marketplace,
usually because management thinks the shares are undervalued, and thereby reducing the number of outstanding shares.
|
|
•
|
ROE: Return on equity (ROE) is a measure of financial performance calculated by dividing net income by shareholders’
equity. Because shareholders’ equity is equal to a company’s assets minus its debt, ROE could be thought of as the return on net assets. ROE is considered a measure of how effectively management is using a company’s assets to create
profits.
|
|
•
|
Free Cash Flow Yield: Free cash flow yield is a financial ratio that standardizes the free cash flow per share a company
is expected to earn against its market value per share. The ratio is calculated by taking the free cash flow per share divided by the share price. Free cash flow yield is similar in nature to the earnings yield metric, which is usually
meant to measure GAAP earnings per share divided by share price.
|
•
|
Price to Earnings Ratio P/E: A valuation ratio of a company’s current share price compared to its per-share earnings
(EPS).
|
|
•
|
Earnings per Share EPS: The portion of a company’s profit allocated to each outstanding share of common stock. Earnings
per share serves as an indicator of a company’s profitability.
|
|
•
|
M&A: Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a general term that refers to the consolidation of companies or assets
through various types of financial transactions. M&A can include a number of different transactions, such as mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, tender offers, purchase of assets and management acquisitions. In all cases, two
companies are involved.
|
|
•
|
Small & Mid-Caps: Small & Mid-Capitalization companies are companies with a market capitalization of less than
U.S. $ 1.0 billion for Small Cap companies, and between U.S. $1.0 and U.S. $5.0 billion for Mid-Cap companies, as defined by PAM.
|
|
•
|
Hard Currency: A hard currency is a monetary system that is widely accepted around the world as a form of payment for
goods and services. It usually comes from a country that has a strong economic and political situation.
|
|
•
|
10-Year US T-Bond: A Treasury bond (T-Bond) is a marketable, fixed-interest U.S. government debt security with a
maturity of more than 10 years.
|
|
•
|
M-Bond: Mexico Federal Government fixed-rate development bonds that are issued and placed at terms of over one year, pay
interest every six months and their interest rate is determined at issue date and remains fixed all along the life of the bond.
|
|
•
|
Spread: A spread can have several meanings in finance. Basically, however, they all refer to the difference between two
prices, rates or yields. In fixed income securities, spread refers to the yield difference between two different securities with the same maturity date, or two similar securities with different maturity dates.
|
|
•
|
Jensen’s Alpha: A measure of the return on a portfolio over what the capital asset pricing model predicts, given the
beta and market return on that portfolio. The index also adjusts for risk.
|
|
•
|
BETA: Beta is a measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a portfolio in comparison to the entire
market or a benchmark. Beta is used in the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), which calculates the expected return of an asset based on its beta and expected market returns. Beta is also known as the beta coefficient.
|
|
•
|
Turnover: Portfolio turnover is a measure of how frequently assets within a fund are bought and sold by the managers.
Portfolio turnover is calculated by taking either the total amount of new securities purchased, or the amount of securities sold (whichever is less) over a period, divided by the total net asset value (NAV) of the fund. The measurement is
usually reported for a 12-month time period.
|
Real Activity (million US$)
|
2018
|
2017
|
2016
|
2015
|
2014
|
||||||||||
Real GDP Growth (y-o-y)
|
2.00
|
%
|
2.00
|
%
|
2.36
|
%
|
2.46
|
%
|
2.25
|
%
|
|||||
Industrial Production (y-o-y)
|
0.20
|
%
|
0.10
|
%
|
0.00
|
%
|
0.95
|
%
|
2.65
|
%
|
|||||
Trade Balance (US billions)
|
-$13.70
|
-$10.80
|
-$13.14
|
-$14.60
|
-$3.06
|
||||||||||
Exports
|
$450.57
|
$409.49
|
$373.93
|
$380.62
|
$396.91
|
||||||||||
Export growth (y-o-y)
|
10.10
|
%
|
9.50
|
%
|
-1.80
|
%
|
-4.12
|
%
|
4.40
|
%
|
|||||
Imports
|
$464.28
|
$420.37
|
$387.06
|
$395.23
|
$399.98
|
||||||||||
Import growth (y-o-y)
|
10.40
|
%
|
8.60
|
%
|
-2.10
|
%
|
-1.20
|
%
|
4.90
|
%
|
|||||
Financial Variables and Prices
|
|||||||||||||||
28-Day CETES (T-bills)/Average
|
7.64
|
%
|
6.69
|
%
|
4.16
|
%
|
2.98
|
%
|
2.99
|
%
|
|||||
Exchange rate (Pesos/US$)Average
|
19.23
|
18.91
|
18.68
|
15.88
|
13.31
|
||||||||||
Inflation IPC, 12 month trailing
|
4.83
|
%
|
6.77
|
%
|
3.36
|
%
|
2.13
|
%
|
4.08
|
%
|
|||||
Mexbol Index
|
|||||||||||||||
USD Return
|
-13.80
|
%
|
15.44
|
%
|
-9.74
|
%
|
-13.15
|
%
|
-9.43
|
%
|
|||||
Market Cap (US billions)
|
$259.58
|
$298.87
|
$252.77
|
$279.00
|
$326.32
|
||||||||||
7.39
|
x
|
9.27
|
x
|
9.57
|
x
|
9.93
|
x
|
9.92
|
x
|
||||||
Fund's NAV & Common Share
|
|||||||||||||||
Market Price Performance
|
|||||||||||||||
NAV
|
-5.65
|
%
|
11.82
|
%
|
-14.88
|
%
|
-6.90
|
%
|
-3.45
|
%
|
|||||
Market Price
|
-1.84
|
%
|
12.40
|
%
|
-14.78
|
%
|
-10.23
|
%
|
-4.57
|
%
|
Allocation of Portfolio Assets
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
Schedule of Investments
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
MEXICO – 72.15%
|
Shares
|
Value
|
||||||
COMMON STOCKS – 67.59%
|
||||||||
Airports – 2.56%
|
||||||||
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series B
|
194,580
|
$
|
1,082,682
|
|||||
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series B
|
114,220
|
1,025,171
|
||||||
2,107,853
|
||||||||
Beverages – 8.81%
|
||||||||
Arca Continental, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
584,866
|
3,401,733
|
||||||
Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series UBD
|
423,844
|
3,856,039
|
||||||
7,257,772
|
||||||||
Building Materials – 6.78%
|
||||||||
Grupo Cementos de Chihuahua, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
1,016,816
|
5,584,386
|
||||||
Chemical Products – 6.32%
|
||||||||
Alpek, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series A (a)
|
2,340,100
|
3,191,560
|
||||||
Mexichem, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
753,550
|
2,012,908
|
||||||
5,204,468
|
||||||||
Construction and Infrastructure – 5.47%
|
||||||||
Promotora y Operadora de Infraestructura, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
307,234
|
3,134,961
|
||||||
Promotora y Operadora de Infraestructura, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series L
|
203,045
|
1,369,755
|
||||||
4,504,716
|
||||||||
Consumer Financing Services – 1.19%
|
||||||||
Credito Real, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
948,460
|
977,612
|
||||||
Financial Groups – 12.42%
|
||||||||
Banco del Bajio, S.A.
|
1,408,167
|
2,936,772
|
||||||
Grupo Financiero Banorte, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series O
|
1,004,584
|
5,577,097
|
||||||
Regional, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
325,733
|
1,721,821
|
||||||
10,235,690
|
||||||||
Food – 2.33%
|
||||||||
Gruma, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series B
|
157,314
|
1,916,586
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
|
Schedule of Investments (continued)
|
COMMON STOCKS (continued)
|
Shares
|
Value
|
||||||
Hotels, Restaurants, and Recreation – 5.22%
|
||||||||
Alsea, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series A
|
1,187,000
|
$
|
3,284,971
|
|||||
Grupe, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series B (a)(b)(c)(d)
|
429,707
|
1,016,839
|
||||||
4,301,810
|
||||||||
Real Estate Services – 3.84%
|
||||||||
Corporacion Inmobiliaria Vesta, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
2,261,124
|
3,166,620
|
||||||
Retail – 5.20%
|
||||||||
El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series C – 1
|
195,199
|
1,278,240
|
||||||
Wal-Mart de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V.
|
1,145,728
|
3,007,781
|
||||||
4,286,021
|
||||||||
Telecommunication – 7.45%
|
||||||||
America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. – Series L
|
6,198,614
|
4,962,846
|
||||||
Telesites S.A.B. de C.V. (a)
|
1,871,027
|
1,174,147
|
||||||
6,136,993
|
||||||||
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $52,960,068)
|
55,680,527
|
|||||||
CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES – 1.98%
|
||||||||
Atlas Discovery Trust II (b)(c)(d)
|
300,000
|
1,634,655
|
||||||
TOTAL CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT CERTIFICATES (Cost $1,460,703)
|
1,634,655
|
|||||||
MEXICAN MUTUAL FUNDS – 1.46%
|
||||||||
Scotiabankinverlat – Scotia Gubernamental S.A. de C.V. SIID (a)
|
6,498,579
|
1,202,787
|
||||||
TOTAL MEXICAN MUTUAL FUNDS (Cost $1,202,598)
|
1,202,787
|
|||||||
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS – 1.12%
|
||||||||
Concentradora Fibra Danhos, S.A. de C.V.
|
642,889
|
918,833
|
||||||
TOTAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (Cost $794,040)
|
918,833
|
|||||||
TOTAL MEXICO (Cost $56,417,409)
|
59,436,802
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
|
Schedule of Investments (concluded)
|
UNITED STATES – 26.75%
|
Shares
|
Value
|
||||||
COMMON STOCKS – 3.05%
|
||||||||
Mining (except Oil and Gas) – 3.05%
|
||||||||
Southern Copper Corp.
|
74,750
|
$
|
2,513,095
|
|||||
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $2,457,369)
|
2,513,095
|
|||||||
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS – 23.70%
|
||||||||
Fidelity Investments Money Market Funds –
|
||||||||
Government Portfolio – Institutional Class – 2.270% (e)
|
4,000,000
|
4,000,000
|
||||||
First American Government Obligations Fund – Class Z – 2.276% (e)
|
4,000,000
|
4,000,000
|
||||||
Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds –
|
||||||||
Government Portfolio – Institutional Class – 2.300% (e)
|
4,000,000
|
4,000,000
|
||||||
Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds –
|
||||||||
Treasury Portfolio – Institutional Class – 2.268% (e)
|
4,000,000
|
4,000,000
|
||||||
STIT – Treasury Portfolio – Institutional Class – 2.278% (e)
|
3,525,732
|
3,525,732
|
||||||
TOTAL SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS (Cost $19,525,732)
|
19,525,732
|
|||||||
TOTAL UNITED STATES ($21,983,101)
|
22,038,827
|
|||||||
Total Investments (Cost $78,400,510) – 98.90%
|
81,475,629
|
|||||||
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities – 1.10%
|
906,895
|
|||||||
TOTAL NET ASSETS – 100.00%
|
$
|
82,382,524
|
(a)
|
Non-income producing security.
|
(b)
|
Fair valued securities. The total market value of these securities were $2,651,494, representing 3.22% of net assets.
|
(c)
|
Illiquid securities. The total market value of these securities were $2,651,494, representing 3.22% of net assets.
|
(d)
|
Level 3 securities. Values determined using significant unobservable inputs.
|
(e)
|
The rate shown represents the 7-day yield at January 31, 2019.
|
Statement of Assets & Liabilities
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
ASSETS:
|
||||
Investments, at value (cost $78,400,510)
|
$
|
81,475,629
|
||
Receivable for investments sold
|
3,105,174
|
|||
Interest receivable
|
20,114
|
|||
Foreign currency (cost $1,041)
|
1,034
|
|||
Other assets
|
20,780
|
|||
Total Assets
|
84,622,731
|
|||
LIABILITIES:
|
||||
Payable for securities purchased
|
2,027,347
|
|||
Advisory fees payable
|
79,559
|
|||
Administration fees payable
|
24,078
|
|||
NYSE fees payable
|
21,999
|
|||
Legal fees payable
|
21,524
|
|||
Audit fees payable
|
17,453
|
|||
Custody fees payable
|
13,224
|
|||
Fund accounting fees payable
|
11,966
|
|||
Printing and mailing fees payable
|
9,458
|
|||
CCO fees payable
|
5,900
|
|||
Transfer Agent fees and expenses payable
|
4,146
|
|||
Director fees payable
|
3,269
|
|||
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
|
284
|
|||
Total Liabilities
|
2,240,207
|
|||
Net Assets
|
$
|
82,382,524
|
||
Net Asset Value Per Common Share ($82,382,524 / 6,895,464)
|
$
|
11.95
|
||
NET ASSETS CONSIST OF:
|
||||
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 6,895,464 shares outstanding (98,144,872 shares authorized)
|
6,895
|
|||
Paid-in capital
|
91,550,966
|
|||
Total distributable earnings
|
(9,175,337
|
)
|
||
Net Assets
|
$
|
82,382,524
|
Statement of Operations
|
For the Six Months Ended
January 31, 2019 (Unaudited)
|
INVESTMENT INCOME
|
||||
Dividends(1)
|
$
|
663,471
|
||
Interest
|
69,622
|
|||
Total Investment Income
|
733,093
|
|||
EXPENSES
|
||||
Advisory fees (Note B)
|
483,854
|
|||
Directors’ fees and expenses (Note B)
|
103,676
|
|||
Administration fees (Note B)
|
53,123
|
|||
Legal fees
|
38,828
|
|||
Printing and mailing fees
|
27,890
|
|||
Custodian fees (Note B)
|
26,528
|
|||
CCO fees and expenses (Note B)
|
26,390
|
|||
Fund accounting fees (Note B)
|
23,440
|
|||
Insurance expense
|
18,032
|
|||
Audit fees
|
17,448
|
|||
NYSE fees
|
13,462
|
|||
Transfer agent fees and expenses (Note B)
|
7,670
|
|||
Total Expenses
|
840,341
|
|||
NET INVESTMENT LOSS
|
(107,248
|
)
|
||
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED LOSS ON INVESTMENTS
|
||||
Net realized loss from investments and foreign currency transactions
|
(1,745,995
|
)
|
||
Net change in unrealized depreciation on investments and foreign currency transactions
|
(7,664,974
|
)
|
||
Net loss from investments and foreign currency transactions
|
(9,410,969
|
)
|
||
Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations
|
$
|
(9,518,217
|
)
|
(1)
|
Net of $19,804 in dividend withholding tax.
|
For the
|
||||||||
Six Months Ended
|
For the
|
|||||||
January 31, 2019
|
Year Ended
|
|||||||
(Unaudited)
|
July 31, 2018
|
|||||||
DECREASE IN NET ASSETS
|
||||||||
Operations:
|
||||||||
Net investment income (loss)
|
$
|
(107,248
|
)
|
$
|
306,262
|
|||
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and foreign currency transactions
|
(1,745,995
|
)
|
39,148
|
|||||
Net change in unrealized depreciation in value of investments and
|
||||||||
foreign currency transactions
|
(7,664,974
|
)
|
(3,421,225
|
)
|
||||
Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations
|
(9,518,217
|
)
|
(3,075,815
|
)
|
||||
Distributions to Common Shareholders from:
|
||||||||
Net dividends and distributions
|
(8,274
|
)
|
(352,484
|
)(1)
|
||||
Decrease in net assets resulting from distributions
|
(8,274
|
)
|
(352,484
|
)
|
||||
Capital Share Transactions:
|
||||||||
Repurchase of common stock through tender offer
|
—
|
(4,461,164
|
)
|
|||||
Repurchase of common stock
|
(434,544
|
)
|
(522,027
|
)
|
||||
Decrease in net assets from capital share transactions
|
(434,544
|
)
|
(4,983,191
|
)
|
||||
Total decrease in net assets
|
(9,961,035
|
)
|
(8,411,490
|
)
|
||||
Net Assets:
|
||||||||
Beginning of period
|
92,343,559
|
100,755,049
|
||||||
End of period
|
$
|
82,382,524
|
$
|
92,343,559
|
(2)
|
(1)
|
Includes net investment income distributions of $352,484.
|
(2)
|
Includes accumulated undistributed net investment income of $111.
|
For the Six
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Months Ended
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
January 31,
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019
|
For the Year Ended July 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
2018
|
2017
|
2016
|
2015
|
2014
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Per Share Operating Performance
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period
|
$
|
13.32
|
$
|
13.71
|
$
|
12.32
|
$
|
13.79
|
$
|
17.77
|
$
|
17.91
|
||||||||||||
Net investment income (loss)
|
(0.02
|
)
|
0.05
|
0.09
|
0.01
|
(0.09
|
)
|
0.01
|
||||||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gains (losses) on
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
investments and foreign currency transactions
|
(1.36
|
)
|
(0.43
|
)
|
1.28
|
(0.92
|
)
|
(2.14
|
)
|
2.10
|
||||||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) from
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
investment operations
|
(1.38
|
)
|
(0.38
|
)
|
1.37
|
(0.91
|
)
|
(2.23
|
)
|
2.11
|
||||||||||||||
Less: Distributions
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends from net investment income
|
(0.00
|
)(2)
|
(0.05
|
)
|
—
|
—
|
(0.01
|
)
|
—
|
|||||||||||||||
Distributions from net realized gains
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
(0.56
|
)
|
(1.61
|
)
|
(2.13
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||
Total dividends and distributions
|
—
|
(0.05
|
)
|
—
|
(0.56
|
)
|
(1.62
|
)
|
(2.13
|
)
|
||||||||||||||
Capital Share Transactions
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Anti-dilutive effect of
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Common Share Repurchase Program
|
0.01
|
0.01
|
0.02
|
0.03
|
—
|
0.00
|
(2)
|
|||||||||||||||||
Anti-dilutive effect of Tender Offer
|
—
|
0.03
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
||||||||||||||||||
Anti-dilutive effect of
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preferred Share Redemption
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
0.00
|
(2)
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||||||||||||
Dilutive effect of Reinvestment of
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions to the Fund’s Stockholders
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
(0.03
|
)
|
(0.13
|
)
|
(0.12
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||
Total capital share transactions
|
0.01
|
0.04
|
0.02
|
—
|
(0.13
|
)
|
(0.12
|
)
|
||||||||||||||||
Net Asset Value, end of period
|
$
|
11.95
|
$
|
13.32
|
$
|
13.71
|
$
|
12.32
|
$
|
13.79
|
$
|
17.77
|
||||||||||||
Per share market value, end of period
|
$
|
11.22
|
$
|
11.40
|
$
|
11.88
|
$
|
10.78
|
$
|
12.11
|
$
|
16.08
|
||||||||||||
Total Investment Return Based on
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Market Value, end of period(1)
|
-1.57
|
%
|
-3.60
|
%
|
10.20
|
%
|
-6.35
|
%
|
-15.19
|
%
|
15.93
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net assets, end of period (000’s)
|
$
|
82,383
|
$
|
92,344
|
$
|
100,755
|
$
|
91,579
|
$
|
102,448
|
$
|
120,386
|
||||||||||||
Ratios of expenses to average net assets
|
2.00
|
%(3)
|
1.75
|
%
|
1.71
|
%
|
1.89
|
%
|
1.76
|
%
|
1.79
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Ratios of net investment income (loss)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
to average net assets
|
(0.26
|
)%(3)
|
0.34
|
%
|
0.72
|
%
|
0.10
|
%
|
(0.58
|
)%
|
0.07
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate
|
111.44
|
%
|
187.26
|
%
|
315.95
|
%
|
167.08
|
%
|
175.19
|
%
|
134.98
|
%
|
(1)
|
Total investment return is calculated assuming a purchase of common stock at the current market price on the first
day and a sale at the current market price on the last day of each period reported. Dividends and distributions, if any, are assumed for purposes of this calculation to be reinvested at the closing market price on the dividend ex-date.
Total investment does not reflect brokerage commissions.
|
(2)
|
Less than 0.5 cents per share.
|
(3)
|
Annualized.
|
Notes to Financial Statements
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Interest income on debt issued by the Mexican federal government is generally not subject to withholding. Withholding
tax on interest from other debt obligations such as publicly traded bonds and loans by banks or insurance companies is at a rate of 4.9% under the tax treaty between Mexico and the United States.
|
|
Gains realized from the sale or disposition of debt securities may be subject to a 4.9% withholding tax. Gains realized
by the Fund from the sale or disposition of equity securities that are listed and traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange (“MSE”) are exempt from Mexican withholding tax if sold through the stock exchange. Gains realized on transactions
outside of the MSE may be subject to withholding at a rate of 25% (20% rate prior to January 1, 2002) of the value of the shares sold or, upon the election of the Fund, at 35% (40% rate prior to January 1, 2002) of the gain. If the Fund has
owned less than 25% of the outstanding stock of the issuer of the equity securities within the 12 month period preceding the disposition, then such disposition will not be subject to capital gains taxes as provided for in the treaty to
avoid double taxation between Mexico and the United States.
|
Level 1 –
|
Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the company has the ability to
access.
|
Level 2 –
|
Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either
directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted prices for the identical instrument on an inactive market, prices for similar instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and similar data.
|
Level 3 –
|
Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs are not available, representing
the company’s own assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on the best information available.
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3*
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||
Equity
|
||||||||||||||||
Airports
|
$
|
2,107,853
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
2,107,853
|
||||||||
Beverages
|
7,257,772
|
—
|
—
|
7,257,772
|
||||||||||||
Building Materials
|
5,584,386
|
—
|
—
|
5,584,386
|
||||||||||||
Capital Development Certificates
|
—
|
—
|
1,634,655
|
1,634,655
|
||||||||||||
Chemical Products
|
5,204,468
|
—
|
—
|
5,204,468
|
||||||||||||
Construction and Infrastructure
|
4,504,716
|
—
|
—
|
4,504,716
|
||||||||||||
Consumer Financing Services
|
977,612
|
—
|
—
|
977,612
|
||||||||||||
Financial Groups
|
10,235,690
|
—
|
—
|
10,235,690
|
||||||||||||
Food
|
1,916,586
|
—
|
—
|
1,916,586
|
||||||||||||
Hotels, Restaurants, and Recreation
|
3,284,971
|
—
|
1,016,839
|
4,301,810
|
||||||||||||
Mining (except Oil and Gas)
|
2,513,095
|
—
|
—
|
2,513,095
|
||||||||||||
Real Estate Services
|
3,166,620
|
—
|
—
|
3,166,620
|
||||||||||||
Retail
|
4,286,021
|
—
|
—
|
4,286,021
|
||||||||||||
Telecommunication
|
6,136,993
|
—
|
—
|
6,136,993
|
||||||||||||
Total Equity
|
$
|
57,176,783
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
2,651,494
|
$
|
59,828,277
|
||||||||
Mexican Mutual Funds
|
$
|
1,202,787
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
1,202,787
|
||||||||
Real Estate Investment Trusts
|
$
|
918,833
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
918,833
|
||||||||
Short-Term Investments
|
$
|
19,525,732
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
19,525,732
|
||||||||
Total Investments in Securities
|
$
|
78,824,135
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
2,651,494
|
$
|
81,475,629
|
*
|
The Fund measures Level 3 activity as of the beginning and end of each financial reporting period.
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Capital
|
||||||||
Common
|
Development
|
|||||||
Category
|
Stock
|
Certificates
|
||||||
Balance as of July 31, 2018
|
$
|
—
|
$
|
1,695,905
|
||||
Acquisitions
|
—
|
—
|
||||||
Dispositions
|
(265
|
)
|
—
|
|||||
Transfer in and/or out of Level 3
|
1,065,217
|
—
|
||||||
Realized gain (loss)
|
104
|
—
|
||||||
Change in unrealized depreciation(1)
|
(48,217
|
)
|
(61,250
|
)
|
||||
Balance as of January 31, 2019
|
$
|
1,016,839
|
$
|
1,634,655
|
||||
Change in unrealized depreciation(1)
during the period
|
||||||||
for Level 3 investments held at January 31, 2019
|
$
|
(48,217
|
)
|
$
|
(61,250
|
)
|
(1)
|
Included in the net unrealized depreciation on investments and foreign currency on the Statement of Assets &
Liabilities.
|
Fair Value
|
Valuation
|
Unobservable
|
||
January 31, 2019
|
Methodologies
|
Input(1)
|
Range
|
|
Common Stock
|
$1,016,839
|
Market
|
Liquidity
|
$2.187 –
|
Comparables
|
Discount
|
$2.501
|
||
Capital Development Certificates
|
$1,634,655
|
Market
|
Liquidity
|
$5.073 –
|
Comparables/
|
Discount
|
$5.667
|
||
Sum of the Parts
|
||||
Valuation
|
(1)
|
In determining these inputs, management evaluates a variety of factors including economic conditions, foreign exchange
rates, industry and market developments, market valuations of comparable companies and company specific developments.
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Accumulated Undistributed Net Investment Income
|
$(305,266
|
)
|
||
Accumulated Net Realized Loss
|
305,266
|
|||
Paid-in Capital
|
—
|
(i)
|
market value of investment securities, assets and liabilities at the current Mexican peso exchange rate on the valuation
date, and
|
|
(ii)
|
purchases and sales of investment securities, income and expenses at the Mexican peso exchange rate prevailing on the
respective dates of such transactions. Fluctuations in foreign currency rates, however, when determining the gain or loss upon the sale of foreign currency denominated debt obligations pursuant to U.S. Federal income tax regulations; such
amounts are categorized as foreign exchange gain or loss for income tax reporting purposes.
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Distributions paid from:
|
7/31/18
|
7/31/17
|
||||||
Ordinary Income
|
$
|
352,484
|
$
|
—
|
||||
Long-Term Capital Gain
|
—
|
—
|
||||||
Total
|
$
|
352,484
|
$
|
—
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Cost of Investments for tax purposes(a)
|
$
|
85,719,927
|
|||
Gross tax unrealized appreciation on investments
|
12,521,299
|
||||
Gross tax unrealized depreciation on investments
|
(5,718,750
|
)
|
|||
Net tax unrealized appreciation on investments
|
6,802,549
|
||||
Undistributed ordinary income
|
8,093
|
||||
Undistributed long-term capital gains
|
—
|
||||
Total distributable earnings
|
8,093
|
||||
Other accumulated gains(losses)
|
$
|
(6,459,488
|
)
|
||
Total accumulated earnings(losses)
|
$
|
351,154
|
(a)
|
Represents cost for federal income tax purposes. Differences between the Fund’s cost basis of investments at July 31,
2018, for book and tax purposes, relates primarily to the deferral of losses related to wash sales and PFIC’s.
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Notes to Financial Statements (concluded)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Additional Information
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Additional Information (concluded)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Dividends and Distributions
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Dividends and Distributions (concluded)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Results of Annual
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
Stockholders Meeting
|
I.
|
(A) Election of Directors – Common
|
|||
Votes For
|
Votes Against
|
Votes Withheld
|
||
Richard Abraham
|
3,322,192
|
2,984,501
|
93,603
|
|
I.
|
(B) Election of Directors – Common
|
|||
Votes For
|
Votes Against
|
Votes Withheld
|
||
Rajeev Das
|
3,346,278
|
2,960,415
|
93,603
|
Privacy Policy
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
FACTS
|
WHAT DOES THE MEXICO EQUITY AND INCOME FUND, INC. (THE “FUND”),
|
||
AND SERVICE PROVIDERS TO THE FUND, ON THE FUND’S BEHALF, DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
|
|||
Why?
|
Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some
but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do.
|
||
What?
|
The types of personal information we, and our service providers, on our behalf, collect and share depends on the product
or service you have with us. This information can include:
|
||
• Social Security number
|
|||
• account balances
|
|||
• account transactions
|
|||
• transaction history
|
|||
• wire transfer instructions
|
|||
• checking account information
|
|||
When you are no longer
our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.
|
|||
How?
|
All financial companies need to share customers' personal information to run their everyday business. In the section
below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers’ personal information; the reasons the Fund, and our service providers, on our behalf, choose to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.
|
Reasons we can share your personal information
|
Does the Fund share?
|
Can you limit this sharing?
|
For our everyday business purposes –
|
||
such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s),
|
||
respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to
|
||
credit bureaus
|
Yes
|
No
|
For our marketing purposes –
|
||
to offer our products and services to you
|
No
|
We don’t share
|
For joint marketing with other financial companies
|
No
|
We don’t share
|
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes –
|
||
information about your transactions and experiences
|
Yes
|
No
|
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes –
|
||
information about your creditworthiness
|
No
|
We don’t share
|
For our affiliates to market to you
|
No
|
We don’t share
|
For nonaffiliates to market to you
|
No
|
We don’t share
|
Questions?
|
Call (877) 785-0376
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Privacy Policy (concluded)
|
(Unaudited)
|
What we do
|
|||
Who is providing this notice?
|
The Mexico Equity and Income Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”)
|
||
How does the Fund, and the
|
To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use,
|
||
Fund’s service providers, on the
|
we and our service providers use security measures that comply with
|
||
Fund’s behalf, protect my
|
federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured
|
||
personal information?
|
files and buildings.
|
||
How does the Fund, and the
|
We collect your personal information, for example, when you:
|
||
Fund’s service providers, on
|
• open an
account
|
||
the Fund’s behalf, collect my
|
• provide
account information
|
||
personal information?
|
• give us your contact information
|
||
• make a wire transfer
|
|||
We also collect your information from others, such as credit bureaus, affiliates, or other companies.
|
|||
Why can’t I limit all sharing?
|
Federal law gives you the right to limit only
|
||
• sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes – information about your creditworthiness
|
|||
• affiliates from using your information to market to you
|
|||
• sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you
|
|||
State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing.
|
|||
Definitions
|
|||
Affiliates
|
Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.
|
||
• None
|
|||
Nonaffiliates
|
Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.
|
||
• The Fund does not
share with nonaffiliates so they can market to you.
|
|||
Joint marketing
|
A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you.
|
||
• The Fund does not
jointly market.
|
Management of the Fund
|
January 31, 2019
(Unaudited)
|
Term of
|
|||||
Year
|
Position(s)
|
Office/Length
|
Principal Occupation
|
Other Directorships
|
|
Name and Address
|
Born
|
with the Fund
|
of Time Served
|
During the Past Five Years
|
Held by Director
|
Gerald Hellerman
|
1937
|
Director, Chief
|
Since
|
Managing Director of
|
Trustee, High Income
|
615 E. Michigan Street
|
Compliance
|
2016 / 17 years
|
Hellerman Associates
|
Securities Fund;
|
|
Milwaukee, WI 53202
|
Officer
|
(a financial and corporate
|
Director, Swiss
|
||
consulting firm) since 1993
|
Helvetia Fund, Inc.;
|
||||
(which terminated activities
|
Trustee, Crossroads
|
||||
as of December 31, 2013).
|
Liquidating Trust;
|
||||
Director,
|
|||||
MVC Capital, Inc.;
|
|||||
Director, Special
|
|||||
Opportunities
|
|||||
Fund, Inc.; Trustee,
|
|||||
Fiera Capital Series
|
|||||
Trust; Director,
|
|||||
Ironsides Partners
|
|||||
Opportunity
|
|||||
Offshore Fund Ltd.
|
|||||
(until 2016);
|
|||||
Director, Emergent
|
|||||
Capital, Inc.
|
|||||
(until 2017).
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Management of the Fund (continued)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Term of
|
|||||
Year
|
Position(s)
|
Office/Length
|
Principal Occupation
|
Other Directorships
|
|
Name and Address
|
Born
|
with the Fund
|
of Time Served
|
During the Past Five Years
|
Held by Director
|
Phillip Goldstein
|
1945
|
Chairman
|
Since
|
Since its inception in 2009,
|
Chairman, High
|
Park 80 West, Plaza Two,
|
2017 / 18 years
|
Mr. Goldstein has been a
|
Income Securities
|
||
250 Pehle Avenue,
|
member of Bulldog Investors,
|
Fund; Director, Swiss
|
|||
Suite 708
|
LLC, the investment advisor
|
Helvetia Fund, Inc.;
|
|||
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
|
of Special Opportunities
|
Trustee, Crossroads
|
|||
Fund, Inc. and the Bulldog
|
Liquidating Trust;
|
||||
Investors group of funds.
|
Director, Brookfield
|
||||
He also is a member of
|
DTLA Fund Office
|
||||
Kimball & Winthrop, LLC,
|
Trust Investor;
|
||||
the managing general
|
Director, MVC
|
||||
partner of Bulldog Investors
|
Capital, Inc.;
|
||||
General Partnership, since
|
Chairman, Special
|
||||
2012. From 1992-2012,
|
Opportunities Fund,
|
||||
Mr. Goldstein was a
|
Inc.; Chairman,
|
||||
member of the general
|
Emergent Capital,
|
||||
partners of several private
|
Inc. (until 2017).
|
||||
funds in the Bulldog
|
|||||
Investors group of funds
|
|||||
and in 2012 became a
|
|||||
member of Bulldog
|
|||||
Holdings, LLC, which
|
|||||
became the sole owner of
|
|||||
such general partners.
|
|||||
Glenn Goodstein
|
1963
|
Director
|
Since
|
Registered Investment
|
None
|
5650 El Camino Real,
|
2016 / 17 years
|
Advisor; held numerous
|
|||
Suite 155
|
executive positions with
|
||||
Carlsbad, CA 92008
|
Automatic Data Processing
|
||||
until 1996.
|
January 31, 2019
|
|
Management of the Fund (concluded)
|
(Unaudited)
|
Term of
|
|||||
Year
|
Position(s)
|
Office/Length
|
Principal Occupation
|
Other Directorships
|
|
Name and Address
|
Born
|
with the Fund
|
of Time Served
|
During the Past Five Years
|
Held by Director
|
Rajeev Das
|
1968
|
Director
|
Since
|
Since 2004, Mr. Das has
|
Trustee, High Income
|
68 Lafayette Avenue
|
2018 / 17 years
|
been a Principal of the
|
Securities Fund.
|
||
Dumont, NJ 07628
|
entities serving as the general
|
||||
partner of the private
|
|||||
investment partnerships in
|
|||||
the Bulldog Investors group
|
|||||
of investment funds. Head
|
|||||
Trader of Bulldog Investors,
|
|||||
LLC, the investment
|
|||||
adviser to the Special
|
|||||
Opportunities Fund, Inc.,
|
|||||
since its inception in
|
|||||
2009. Secretary of the Swiss
|
|||||
Helvetia Fund. Treasurer of
|
|||||
Special Opportunities Fund,
|
|||||
Inc., from 2009-2014.
|
|||||
Richard Abraham
|
1955
|
Director
|
Since
|
Since 1998, Mr. Abraham
|
None
|
143 Colfax Rd
|
2018 / 3 years
|
has been self employed as
|
|||
Havertown, PA 19083
|
a securities trader.
|
||||
Maria Eugenia Pichardo
|
1950
|
Officer,
|
Indefinite / 15 years
|
Portfolio Manager of the
|
None
|
Andres Bello No. 45 – 22 Floor
|
President
|
Fund since the Fund’s
|
|||
Col. Chapultepec Polanco
|
Inception; President and
|
||||
Del. Miguel Hidalgo
|
General Partner, Pichardo
|
||||
Mexico, CDMX (D.F.),
|
Asset Management, S.A. de
|
||||
C.P. 11560
|
C.V. since 2003; Managing
|
||||
Director, Acciones y Valores
|
|||||
de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
|
|||||
from 1979-2002.
|
|||||
Luis Calzada
|
1965
|
Secretary
|
Indefinite / 8 years
|
Administrative and
|
None
|
Andres Bello No. 45 – 22 Floor
|
|
Compliance Director,
|
|||
Col. Chapultepec Polanco
|
Pichardo Asset
|
||||
Mexico, CDMX (D.F.),
|
Management S.A. de C.V.
|
||||
C.P. 11560
|
|||||
Arnulfo Rodriguez
|
1962
|
Chief
|
Since
|
Strategist and Debt Portfolio
|
None
|
Andres Bello No. 45 – 22 Floor
|
Financial
|
2016 / 3 years
|
Manager, Pichardo Asset
|
||
Col. Chapultepec Polanco
|
Officer
|
Management, S.A. de C.V.
|
|||
Mexico, CDMX (D.F.),
|
from January 2016-present;
|
||||
C.P. 11560
|
Local Fixed Income Research
|
||||
Vice President, Acciones y
|
|||||
Valores Banamex from July
|
|||||
2011-January 2016.
|
(a)
|
Schedule of Investments is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this Form.
|
(b)
|
Not Applicable.
|
Period
|
(a)
Total Number of
Shares (or Units)
Purchased
|
(b)
Average Price Paid
per Share (or Unit)
|
(c)
Total Number of
Shares (or Units)
Purchased as Part
of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs
|
(d)
Maximum Number
(or Approximate
Dollar Value) of
Shares (or Units)
that May Yet Be
Purchased Under
the Plans or
Programs
|
8/1/18 to 8/31/18
|
29,912
|
$11.46
|
0
|
0
|
9/1/18 to 9/30/18
|
8,452
|
$10.87
|
0
|
0
|
10/1/18 to 10/31/18
|
0
|
$0.00
|
0
|
0
|
11/1/18 to 11/30/18
|
0
|
$0.00
|
0
|
0
|
12/1/18 to 12/31/18
|
0
|
$0.00
|
0
|
0
|
1/1/19 to 1/31/19
|
0
|
$0.00
|
0
|
0
|
Total
|
38,364(1)
|
$11.33
|
0
|
0
|
(a)
|
The Registrant’s President and Chief Financial Officer have reviewed the Registrant's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Act”)) as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report, as required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Act and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d‑15(b) under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. Based on their review, such officers have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed in this report is appropriately recorded, processed,
summarized and reported and made known to them by others within the Registrant and by the Registrant’s service provider.
|
(b)
|
There were no changes in the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act) that
occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
|
(a)
|
(1) Any code of ethics or
amendment thereto, that is the subject of the disclosure required by Item 2, to the extent that the registrant intends to satisfy Item 2 requirements through filing an exhibit. Not Applicable.
|
(b)
|
Certifications pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes‑Oxley Act of 2002. Furnished herewith.
|