Eaton Vance
National Municipal Opportunities Trust (EOT)
Semiannual Report
September 30, 2022
Commodity Futures Trading Commission Registration.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) has adopted regulations that subject registered investment companies and advisers to regulation by the CFTC if a fund invests more than a prescribed level of its assets in certain CFTC-regulated instruments (including futures, certain options and swap agreements) or markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The investment adviser has claimed an exclusion from the definition of “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to its management of the Fund. Accordingly, neither the Fund nor the adviser with respect to the operation of the Fund is subject to CFTC regulation. Because of its management of other strategies, the Fund’s adviser is registered with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator. The adviser is also registered as a commodity trading advisor.
Fund shares are not insured by the FDIC and are not deposits or other obligations of, or guaranteed by, any depository institution. Shares are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of principal invested.
Eaton Vance
National Municipal Opportunities Trust
September 30, 2022
Performance
Portfolio Manager(s)
Cynthia J. Clemson and William J. Delahunty, Jr., CFA
% Average Annual Total Returns 1,2 |
Inception Date |
Six Months |
One Year |
Five Years |
Ten Years |
| Fund at NAV | 05/29/2009 | (11.72)% | (17.94)% | (0.20)% | 2.11% |
| Fund at Market Price | — | (11.82) | (27.72) | (1.93) | 1.38 |
| | |||||
| Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index | — | (6.30)% | (11.50)% | 0.59% | 1.79% |
% Premium/Discount to NAV 3 |
|
| ( |
Distributions 4 |
|
| Total Distributions per share for the period | $0.375 |
| Distribution Rate at NAV | 4.32% |
| Taxable-Equivalent Distribution Rate at NAV | 7.30 |
| Distribution Rate at Market Price | 4.56 |
| Taxable-Equivalent Distribution Rate at Market Price | 7.70 |
% Total Leverage 5 |
|
| Residual Interest Bond (RIB) Financing | 12.69% |
See Endnotes and Additional Disclosures in this report.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns are historical and are calculated net of management fees and other expenses by determining the percentage change in net asset value (NAV) or market price (as applicable) with all distributions reinvested in accordance with the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan. Furthermore, returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders may have to pay on Fund distributions or upon the sale of Fund shares. Performance at market price will differ from performance at NAV due to variations in the Fund’s market price versus NAV, which may reflect factors such as fluctuations in supply and demand for Fund shares, changes in Fund distributions, shifting market expectations for the Fund’s future returns and distribution rates, and other considerations affecting the trading prices of closed-end funds. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance for periods less than or equal to one year is cumulative. Performance is for the stated time period only; due to market volatility, current Fund performance may be lower or higher than the quoted return. For performance as of the most recent month-end, please refer to eatonvance.com.
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Eaton Vance
National Municipal Opportunities Trust
September 30, 2022
Fund Profile
| Credit Quality (% of total investments) 1,2 |
Footnotes:
1 |
For purposes of the Fund’s rating restrictions, ratings are based on Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”), as applicable. If securities are rated differently by the ratings agencies, the highest rating is applied. Ratings, which are subject to change, apply to the creditworthiness of the issuers of the underlying securities and not to the Fund or its shares. Credit ratings measure the quality of a bond based on the issuer’s creditworthiness, with ratings ranging from AAA, being the highest, to D, being the lowest based on S&P’s measures. Ratings of BBB or higher by S&P or Fitch (Baa or higher by Moody’s) are considered to be investment-grade quality. Credit ratings are based largely on the ratings agency’s analysis at the time of rating. The rating assigned to any particular security is not necessarily a reflection of the issuer’s current financial condition and does not necessarily reflect its assessment of the volatility of a security’s market value or of the liquidity of an investment in the security. Holdings designated as “Not Rated” (if any) are not rated by the national ratings agencies stated above. |
2 |
The chart includes the municipal bonds held by a trust that issues residual interest bonds, consistent with the Portfolio of Investments. |
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Eaton Vance
National Municipal Opportunities Trust
September 30, 2022
Endnotes and Additional Disclosures
1 |
Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index is an unmanaged index of municipal bonds traded in the U.S. Unless otherwise stated, index returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales charges, commissions, expenses, taxes or leverage, as applicable. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. |
2 |
Performance results reflect the effects of leverage. |
3 |
The shares of the Fund often trade at a discount or premium to their net asset value. The discount or premium may vary over time and may be higher or lower than what is quoted in this report. For up-to-date premium/discount information, please refer to https://funds.eatonvance.com/closed-end-fund-prices.php. |
4 |
The Distribution Rate is based on the Fund’s last regular distribution per share in the period (annualized) divided by the Fund’s NAV or market price at the end of the period. The Fund’s distributions may be comprised of amounts characterized for federal income tax purposes as tax-exempt income, qualified and non-qualified ordinary dividends, capital gains and nondividend distributions, also known as return of capital. The Fund will determine the federal income tax character of distributions paid to a shareholder after the end of the calendar year. This is reported on the IRS form 1099-DIV and provided to the shareholder shortly after each year-end. For information about the tax character of distributions made in prior calendar years, please refer to Performance-Tax Character of Distributions on the Fund’s webpage available at eatonvance.com. The Fund’s distributions are determined by the investment adviser based on its current assessment of the Fund’s long-term return potential. Fund distributions may be affected by numerous factors including changes in Fund performance, the cost of financing for leverage, portfolio holdings, realized and projected returns, and other factors. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of distributions paid by the Fund could change. Taxable- equivalent performance is based on the highest combined federal and state income tax rates, where applicable. Lower tax rates would result in lower tax-equivalent performance. Actual tax rates will vary depending on your income, exemptions and deductions. Rates do not include local taxes. |
5 |
Fund employs RIB financing. The leverage created by RIB investments provides an opportunity for increased income but, at the same time, creates special risks (including the likelihood of greater price volatility). The cost of leverage rises and falls with changes in short-term interest rates. See “Floating Rate Notes Issued in Conjunction with Securities Held” in the notes to the financial statements for more information about RIB financing. RIB leverage represents the amount of Floating Rate Notes outstanding at period end as a percentage of Fund net assets plus Floating Rate Notes. |
| Fund profile subject to change due to active management. |
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