The folks at a $9.4-billion-AUM boutique and a $1.3-trillion-AUM (as of June 30) multinational asset manager are celebrating a tin milestone for an active, options-based mutual fund.

David L. Giunta Natixis Investment Managers CEO for the U.S.

Earlier this month, Michael Buckius, CEO and chief investment officer at at Gateway Investment Advisers, LLC, and David Giunta, CEO for the U.S. at Natixis Investment Managers (Gateway's parent) [profile], highlighted the recent tenth anniversary of the Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund. Cincinnati-based Gateway serves as investment advisor to the fund.

The Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund's tenth birthday was late last month. The open-end mutual fund's inception date was September 30, 2014.

As of yesterday, the Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund had $345.2 million in AUM and is also available in SMAs. The mutual fund comes in five flavors:

A shares (GCPAX), with a maximum upfront load of 575 basis points, a 93bps expense ratio, and a $2,500 minimum initial investment;

C shares (GCPCX), with a maximum deferred load of 100bps, a 168bps expense ratio, and a $2,500 initial minimum;

N shares (GCNPX) with no load, a 63bps expense ratio, and a $1 million initial minimum;

Y shares (GCPYX), with no load, a 68bps expense ratio, and a $100,000 initial minimum; and

T shares (GCPTX) with no load and a 93bps expense ratio, though T shares are not currently available for purchase.

(All the expense ratios bake in a 16bps fee waiver promised through April 30, 2025, expect N shares, which have a 65bps fee waiver.)

The Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund's PM team includes: Daniel Ashcraft, vice president and portfolio manager; Kenneth Toft, senior vice president and PM; Michael Trotta, PM; and Buckius. Toft, Buckius, and Ashcraft have PMed the fund since its birth year of 2104, while Trotta joined the fund's PM team in 2021.

Buckius highlights the Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund's "success and strong performance."

"Today's market dynamics provide strategies like ours, that write covered index call options, with the ability to generate much more cash flow," Buckius states. "Option premiums benefit from interest rates away from zero and a sustained shift higher in volatility compared to the post-crisis period of quantitative easing. This environment has helped enhance the Fund’s downside risk mitigation and participation in the equity market's advance."

Giunta trumpets Gateway's "long track record of serving risk-conscious investors."

"This milestone is a testament to their focus on managing risk and enhancing cash flow for its clients through the active use of index options strategies," Giunta states. "Gateway and the Equity Call Premium Fund exemplify Natixis Investment Managers’ focus on providing access to a wide range of actively managed investment strategies that seek to provide superior returns for investors."

The Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund is a series of Gateway Trust. The fund's other service providers include: Natixis Distribution, LLC as distributor; PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent accounting firm; Ropes & Gray LLP as counsel; SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc. as transfer agent; and State Street Bank and Trust Company as custodian. 

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