Abstract
This paper provides a new explanation for closedâend fund (CEF) discounts and premiums using the local martingale theory of asset price bubbles. This is a rational asset pricing model that is shown to be consistent with the existing empirical evidence on CEF discounts/premiums. Additional testable implications of the model are derived, which await subsequent research for their resolution. This bubble theory also applies equally well to understanding discounts and premiums on exchange traded funds.