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Energy & MLP Insights: Market Implications of a Third Gulf War
K
Kenny Zhu
Apr 1, 202612 min read
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The Global X research team has created a piece on the General Partners of MLPs, explaining who they are, how they are compensated, and where they stand in the current low energy price environment.
Read the full piece here
Who are the General Partners?
A General Partner is compensated for its management efforts through incentive distribution rights (IDRs), which are a form of carried interest. The structure of IDRs incentivizes a GP to increase the MLP’s distributions to its common unit holders. As the General Partner raises the nominal amount of distributions made by the MLP to predetermined thresholds, the GP receives an increasing percentage of the distribution.
Because of the presence of IDRs, GPs are often considered a leveraged play on MLPs
General Partners have more flexibility in distribution payments to shareholders than MLPs. In the current environment, some have elected to cut distributions to reduce debt and to organically fund growth projects
General Partners are often structured as traditional c-corporations, which means that they do not have many of the tax complications associated with MLPs. Therefore, tax efficient MLP ETFs, mutual funds, and Closed End Funds often have a high percentage of their assets in GPs to avoid fund-level taxation.
Global X offers MLPX, a tax efficient ETF that invests <25% of its assets in midstream MLPs, and the remainder in midstream General Partners and energy infrastructure corporations.
The War in Iran could impair energy output and thus reshape supply chains. It also highlights the growing importance of North American energy infrastructure.
The War in Iran could impair energy output and thus reshape supply chains. It also highlights the growing importance of North American energy infrastructure.
With diversification potential and inflation pass-through capabilities, midstream equities may provide unique energy exposure to investor portfolios.
Rohan Reddy
A fund with over 25% of its assets invested in Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) is structured as a C-Corporation for tax purposes (C-Corp).
Global X Research
Kenny Zhu