REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☒ |
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | □ |
Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 | ☒ |
INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☒ |
Amendment No. 3 | ☒ |
Counsel for the Fund: | |
Margery
K. Neale, Esq.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP 787 Seventh Avenue New York, New York 10019-6099 |
Benjamin
Archibald, Esq.
BlackRock Advisors, LLC 55 East 52nd Street New York, New York 10055 |
► | BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
Investor A: BFRAX • Investor C: BFRCX • Institutional: BFRIX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objectives, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
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Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distributions and other payments | |
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Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock and the Portfolio Managers | |
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Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
Fund
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General Information |
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Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
Terms
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For More Information |
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Inside Back Cover |
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Back Cover |
Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Investor
A
Shares |
Investor
C
Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price) | 2.50% | None | None |
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | None 1 | 1.00% 2 | None |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Investor
A
Shares |
Investor
C
Shares |
Institutional
Shares |
Management Fee 3,4 | 0.50% | 0.50% | 0.50% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | None |
Other Expenses 5 | 0.22% | 0.19% | 0.16% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 5,6 | 0.02% | 0.02% | 0.02% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 6 | 0.99% | 1.71% | 0.68% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 3,7 | (0.01)% | (0.01)% | — |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 3,7 | 0.98% | 1.70% | 0.68% |
1 | A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 0.75% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor A Shares made within 18 months after purchase where no initial sales charge was paid at the time of purchase as part of an investment of $500,000 or more. |
2 | There is no CDSC on Investor C Shares after one year. |
3 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 43, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through December 31, 2019. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of BlackRock Funds V (the “Trust”) or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
4 | Management Fee is based on the management fee rate of the Predecessor Fund (defined below). |
5 | Other Expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on the expenses of the Predecessor Fund for its most recent fiscal year. |
6 | The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets given in the Predecessor Fund’s most recent annual report which does not include the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. |
7 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 43, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 1.05% (for Investor A Shares), 1.80% (for Investor C Shares) and 0.70% (for Institutional Shares) of average daily net assets through December 31, 2019. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and/or reimbursements to BlackRock in the two years following such waivers and/or reimbursements. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor A Shares | $347 | $556 | $782 | $1,432 |
Investor C Shares | $273 | $538 | $927 | $2,019 |
Institutional Shares | $ 69 | $218 | $379 | $ 847 |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor C Shares | $173 | $538 | $927 | $2,019 |
■ | Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. |
■ | Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. |
■ | Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things. |
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. | |
The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest |
income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management. | |
To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. | |
These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change. | |
A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance. | |
Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. | |
Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. | |
Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. | |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Liquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. | |
Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. | |
Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through 2020. In addition, regulations adopted by prudential regulators that will begin to take effect in 2019 will require |
certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. | |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. |
■ | Dividend Risk — Because certain of the corporate loans held by the Fund will have floating or variable interest rates, the amounts of the Fund’s monthly distributions to its stockholders are expected to vary with fluctuations in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates fall, the amount of the distributions to stockholders will likewise decrease. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging securities markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. |
■ | Event Risk — Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include: |
■ | The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight. |
■ | Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. |
■ | The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. |
■ | The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. |
■ | Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. |
■ | Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments. |
■ | The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or |
to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. | |
■ | Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities carry the risk that the issuer will not be able to meet its obligations and that the equity securities purchased with the mezzanine investments may lose value. |
■ | Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk — Although non-investment grade securities generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, non-investment grade securities are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. |
■ | Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. |
An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan’s value. | |
No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. | |
Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. The senior loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. Senior loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater risks than other senior loans. For example, the risks of default or bankruptcy of the borrower or the risks that other creditors of the borrower may seek to nullify or subordinate the Fund’s claims on any collateral securing the loan are greater in highly leveraged transactions. | |
■ | Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the |
assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes. Structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero. | |
■ | U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. |
As
of 12/31/17
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio — Investor A Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 0.84% | 3.05% | 3.40% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | (0.79)% | 1.32% | 1.63% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 0.46% | 1.53% | 1.83% |
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio — Investor C Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 1.58% | 2.80% | 2.89% |
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio — Institutional Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 3.64% | 3.89% | 3.88% |
S&P/LSTA
Leveraged Loan Index
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
4.12% | 4.03% | 4.85% |
Name | Portfolio Manager of the Fund Since* | Title |
James Keenan, CFA | 2010 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
David Delbos | 2018 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Mitchell Garfin | 2018 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Joshua Tarnow | 2016 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Carly Wilson | 2018 | Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Matthew Maxwell | 2018 | Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Abigail Apistolas | 2018 | Associate of BlackRock, Inc. |
* | Includes management of the Predecessor Fund. |
Investor A and Investor C Shares | Institutional Shares | |
Minimum
Initial
Investment |
$1,000
for all accounts except:
• $50, if establishing an Automatic Investment Plan. • There is no investment minimum for employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs). • There is no investment minimum for certain fee-based programs. |
There
is no minimum initial investment for:
• Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to purchase such shares. • Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Fund’s distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. |
Minimum
Additional
Investment |
$50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum). | No subsequent minimum. |
■ | credit research on the issuers’ financial strength; |
■ | assessment of the issuers’ ability to meet principal and interest payments; |
■ | general industry trends; |
■ | the issuers’ managerial strength; |
■ | changing financial conditions; |
■ | borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules; and |
■ | the issuers’ responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest rates. |
■ | Active and Frequent Trading — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its primary investment strategies. |
■ | Borrowing — The Fund may borrow up to the limits set forth under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
■ | Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated ETFs. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements — The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques such as repurchase agreements. Under a repurchase agreement, the Fund buys a security at one price and simultaneously agrees to sell that same security back to the seller at a higher price. |
■ | Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1 ⁄ 3 % of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. |
■ | Short Sales — The Fund may engage in short sales of securities, either as a hedge against potential declines in value of a portfolio security or to realize appreciation when a security that the Fund does not own declines in value. The Fund will not make a short sale if, after giving effect to such sale, the market value of all securities sold short exceeds 10% of the value of its total assets. However, the Fund may make short sales “against the box” without regard to this restriction. In this type of short sale, at the time of the sale, the Fund owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost. |
■ | Temporary Defensive Strategies — For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may restrict the markets in which it invests and may invest without limitation in cash, cash equivalents, money market securities, such as U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, other U.S. Government securities, short-term debt obligations of corporate issuers, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper (short term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes of a domestic or foreign issuer) or other high quality fixed income securities. Temporary defensive positions may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | Warrants — A warrant gives the Fund the right to buy stock. The warrant specifies the amount of underlying stock, the purchase (or “exercise”) price and the date the warrant expires. The Fund has no obligation to exercise the warrant and buy the stock. A warrant has value only if the Fund is able to exercise it or sell it before it expires. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The Fund may invest in securities prior to their date of issue. The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. |
■ | Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. However, because the trading market for certain corporate loans may be less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties in selling its corporate loans. Transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of |
lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate’s agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the Fund may not recover its investment or recovery may be delayed. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund may become a member of the syndicate. | |
The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. | |
The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of loss of principal and income. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations they do not always do so. If they do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower’s obligations at the time of a default. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under the U.S. bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit the Fund’s rights to its collateral. In addition, the value of collateral may erode during a bankruptcy case. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a corporate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment and may not receive interest during the delay. | |
■ | Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. |
■ | Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things. |
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management. To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change. | |
Following the financial
crisis that began in 2007, the Federal Reserve has attempted to stabilize the economy and support the economic recovery by keeping the federal funds rate (the interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository
institutions overnight) at or near zero percent. In addition, as part of its monetary stimulus program known as quantitative easing, the Federal Reserve has purchased on the open market large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. As the Federal Reserve “tapers” or reduces the amount of securities it purchases pursuant to quantitative easing, and/or if the Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate, there is a risk
that interest rates will rise. A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from mutual funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income
securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance.
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During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Certain countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. | |
Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. |
Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. | |
Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security. | |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Liquidity Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. | |
Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. |
Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). | |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through 2020. In addition, regulations adopted by prudential regulators that will begin to take effect in 2019 will require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, |
including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. | |
Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. | |
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities |
and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. | |
■ | Dividend Risk — Because certain of the corporate loans held by the Fund will have floating or variable interest rates, the amounts of the Fund’s monthly distributions to its stockholders are expected to vary with fluctuations in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates fall, the amount of the distributions to stockholders will likewise decrease. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. |
Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries, including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. National policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. | |
Emerging markets may also have differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments. Sometimes, they may lack or be in the relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Many emerging markets do not have income tax treaties with the United States, and as a result, investments by the Fund may be subject to higher withholding taxes in such countries. In addition, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors. |
Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation. In addition, communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or |
an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. | |
■ | Event Risk — Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Securities traded in foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there may be fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of securities traded each day, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may go up and down more than prices of securities traded in the United States. |
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States — The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight of their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security, or any of their agents, goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund than for investment companies invested only in the United States. | |
Currency Risk — Securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For this reason, changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. | |
Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns. | |
Foreign Economy Risk — The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect securities prices or impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations. | |
Other potential foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social instability. Diplomatic and political developments, including rapid and adverse political changes, social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war, could affect the economies, industries and securities and currency markets, and the value of the Fund’s investments, in non-U.S. countries. These factors are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund’s investments. | |
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards — Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as such regulations exist in the United States. They also may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on material non-public information about that company. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. |
Settlement Risk — Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments. | |
At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable for any losses incurred. | |
European Economic Risk — The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. | |
Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, the United Kingdom has voted to withdraw from the European Union, and one or more other countries may withdraw from the European Union and/or abandon the Euro, the common currency of the European Union. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far reaching. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act, the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of instruments. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities generally are rated below investment grade and frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as senior loans, second lien loans and non-investment grade bonds. However, unlike senior loans and second lien loans, mezzanine securities are not a senior or secondary secured obligation of the related borrower. They typically are the most subordinated debt obligation in an issuer’s capital structure. Mezzanine securities also may often be unsecured. Mezzanine securities therefore are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the related borrower and the property securing the loan may be insufficient to repay the scheduled obligation after giving effect to any senior obligations of the related borrower. Mezzanine |
securities are also expected to be a highly illiquid investment. Mezzanine securities will be subject to certain additional risks to the extent that such loans may not be protected by financial covenants or limitations upon additional indebtedness. Investment in mezzanine securities is a highly specialized investment practice that depends more heavily on independent credit analysis than investments in other types of debt obligations. | |
■ | Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk — Although non-investment grade securities generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade securities, non-investment grade securities are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. The major risks of non-investment grade investments include: |
■ | Non-investment grade securities may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of non-investment grade securities may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade securities. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of holders of non-investment grade securities, leaving few or no assets available to repay holders of non-investment grade securities. |
■ | Prices of non-investment grade securities are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s industry and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of non-investment grade securities than on other higher rated fixed-income securities. |
■ | Issuers of non-investment grade securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. |
■ | Non-investment grade securities frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If the issuer redeems non-investment grade securities, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
■ | Non-investment grade securities may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the non-investment grade securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers. Because they are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of the Fund’s securities than is the case with securities trading in a more liquid market. |
■ | The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. |
There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in second lien loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure for the holders of such loans. Second lien loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities. | |
■ | Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments, and BlackRock relies primarily on its own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of BlackRock. |
An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan’s value. |
No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. Adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of some actively traded senior loans. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain senior loans, the market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. See “Liquidity Risk.” | |
Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a senior loan. If the terms of a senior loan do not require the borrower to pledge additional collateral in the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the borrower’s obligations under the senior loans. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of senior loans. | |
If a senior loan is acquired through an assignment, the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. If a senior loan is acquired through a participation, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. | |
The senior loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. As a result, the risks associated with senior loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade securities, although senior loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured. See “Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk.” The higher standing of senior loans has historically resulted in generally higher recoveries in the event of a corporate reorganization. In addition, because their interest rates are typically adjusted for changes in short-term interest rates, senior loans generally are subject to less interest rate risk than other below investment grade securities, which are typically fixed rate. | |
Senior loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater risks than other senior loans. For example, the risks of default or bankruptcy of the borrower or the risks that other creditors of the borrower may seek to nullify or subordinate the Fund’s claims on any collateral securing the loan are greater in highly leveraged transactions. | |
■ | Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes. Structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero. |
■ | U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. |
■ | Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may |
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers to the Fund’s management fees). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. |
■ | Short Sales Risk — Because making short sales in securities that it does not own exposes the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security sold short. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. As a result, if the Fund makes short sales in securities that increase in value, it will likely underperform similar funds that do not make short sales in securities they do not own. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a short sale position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the amount at which it sold a security short, its potential loss is limited only by the maximum attainable price of the security, less the price at which the security was sold. The Fund may also pay transaction costs and borrowing fees in connection with short sales. |
■ | Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but may be held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. |
■ | Warrants Risk — If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, the warrant generally expires without any value and the Fund will lose any amount it paid for the warrant. Thus, investments in warrants may involve substantially more risk than investments in common stock. Warrants may trade in the same markets as their underlying stock; however, the price of the warrant does not necessarily move with the price of the underlying stock. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
Investor A | Investor C 2,3 | Institutional | |
Availability | Generally available through Financial Intermediaries. | Generally available through Financial Intermediaries. |
Limited
to certain investors, including:
• Individuals and “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares. • Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock or its affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock. • Participants in certain programs sponsored by BlackRock or its affiliates or other Financial Intermediaries. • Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. • Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund. |
Investor A | Investor C 2,3 | Institutional | |
Conversion to Investor A Shares? | N/A | Yes, automatically approximately ten years after the date of purchase. It is the Financial Intermediary’s responsibility to ensure that the shareholder is credited with the proper holding period. As of the Effective Date (as defined below), certain Financial Intermediaries, including group retirement recordkeeping platforms, may not have been tracking such holding periods and therefore may not be able to process such conversions. In such instances, the automatic conversion of Investor C Shares to Investor A Shares will occur ten years after the Effective Date. | No. |
Advantage | Makes sense for investors who are eligible to have the sales charge reduced or eliminated or who have a long-term investment horizon because there are no ongoing distribution fees. | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. These shares may make sense for investors who have a shorter investment horizon relative to Investor A Shares. | No up-front sales charge so you start off owning more shares. No distribution or service fees. |
Disadvantage | You pay a sales charge up-front, and therefore you start off owning fewer shares. | You pay ongoing distribution fees each year you own Investor C Shares, which means that over the long term you can expect higher total fees per share than Investor A Shares and, as a result, lower total performance. | Limited availability. |
1 | Please see “Details About the Share Classes” for more information about each share class. |
2 | If you establish a new account directly with the Fund and do not have a Financial Intermediary associated with your account, you may only invest in Investor A Shares. Applications without a Financial Intermediary that select Investor C Shares will not be accepted. |
3 | The Fund will not accept a purchase order of $500,000 or more for Investor C Shares (may be lower on funds that have set a lower breakpoint for purchasing Investor A Shares without a front-end sales charge). Your Financial Intermediary may set a lower maximum for Investor C Shares. |
Your Investment |
Sales
Charge
As a % of Offering Price |
Sales
Charge
As a % of Your Investment 1 |
Dealer
Compensation As a % of Offering Price |
Less than $50,000 | 2.50% | 2.56% | 2.25% |
$50,000 but less than $100,000 | 2.25% | 2.30% | 2.00% |
$100,000 but less than $250,000 | 1.75% | 1.78% | 1.50% |
$250,000 but less than $500,000 | 1.25% | 1.27% | 1.00% |
$500,000 and over 2 | 0.00% | 0.00% | — 2 |
1 | Rounded to the nearest one-hundredth percent. |
2 | If you invest $500,000 or more in Investor A Shares, you will not pay an initial sales charge. In that case, BlackRock compensates the Financial Intermediary from its own resources. However, if you redeem your shares within 18 months after purchase, you may be charged a deferred sales charge of 0.75% of the lesser of the original cost of the shares being redeemed or your redemption proceeds. Such deferred sales charge may be waived in connection with certain fee-based programs. |
■ | Certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. For purposes of this waiver, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs; |
■ | Rollovers of current investments through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans, provided the shares are transferred to the same BlackRock Fund as either a direct rollover, or subsequent to distribution, the rolled-over proceeds are contributed to a BlackRock IRA through an account directly with the Fund; or purchases by IRA programs that are sponsored by Financial Intermediary firms provided the Financial Intermediary firm has entered into a Class A Net Asset Value agreement with respect to such program with the Distributor; |
■ | Insurance company separate accounts; |
■ | Registered investment advisers, trust companies and bank trust departments exercising discretionary investment authority with respect to amounts to be invested in the Fund; |
■ | Persons participating in a fee-based program (such as a wrap account) under which they pay advisory fees to a broker-dealer or other financial institution; |
■ | Financial Intermediaries who have entered into an agreement with the Distributor and have been approved by the Distributor to offer Fund shares to self-directed investment brokerage accounts that may or may not charge a transaction fee; |
■ | Persons associated with the Fund, the Fund’s manager, the Fund’s sub-adviser, transfer agent, Distributor, fund accounting agents, Barclays PLC (“Barclays”) and their respective affiliates (to the extent permitted by these firms) including: (a) officers, directors and partners; (b) employees and retirees; (c) employees of firms who have entered into selling agreements to distribute shares of BlackRock Funds; (d) immediate family members of such persons; and (e) any trust, pension, profit-sharing or other benefit plan for any of the persons set forth in (a) through (d); and |
■ | State sponsored 529 college savings plans. |
■ | Redemptions of shares purchased through certain employer-sponsored retirement plans and rollovers of current investments in the Fund through such plans; |
■ | Exchanges pursuant to the exchange privilege, as described in “How to Buy, Sell, Exchange and Transfer Shares — How to Exchange Shares or Transfer Your Account”; |
■ | Redemptions made in connection with minimum required distributions from IRA or 403(b)(7) accounts due to the shareholder reaching the age of 70½; |
■ | Certain post-retirement withdrawals from an IRA or other retirement plan if you are over 59½ years old and you purchased your shares prior to October 2, 2006; |
■ | Redemptions made with respect to certain retirement plans sponsored by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; |
■ | Redemptions resulting from shareholder death as long as the waiver request is made within one year of death or, if later, reasonably promptly following completion of probate (including in connection with the distribution of account assets to a beneficiary of the decedent); |
■ | Withdrawals resulting from shareholder disability (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) as long as the disability arose subsequent to the purchase of the shares; |
■ | Involuntary redemptions made of shares in accounts with low balances; |
■ | Certain redemptions made through the Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”) offered by the Fund, BlackRock or an affiliate; |
■ | Redemptions related to the payment of BNY Mellon Investment Servicing Trust Company custodial IRA fees; and |
■ | Redemptions when a shareholder can demonstrate hardship, in the absolute discretion of the Fund. |
■ | Individuals and “Institutional Investors” with a minimum initial investment of $2 million who may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Clients of Financial Intermediaries that: (i) charge such clients a fee for advisory, investment consulting, or similar services or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares through a no-load program or investment platform, in each case, with no minimum initial investment; |
■ | Clients investing through Financial Intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction based sales commission outside of the Fund, with a minimum initial investment of $1,000; |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs or SARSEPs), state sponsored 529 college savings plans, collective trust funds, investment companies or other pooled investment vehicles, unaffiliated thrifts and unaffiliated banks and trust companies, each of which is not subject to any minimum initial investment and may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares; |
■ | Trust department clients of PNC Bank and Bank of America, N.A. and their affiliates for whom they (i) act in a fiduciary capacity (excluding participant directed employee benefit plans); (ii) otherwise have investment discretion; or (iii) act as custodian for at least $2 million in assets, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; |
■ | Holders of certain Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”) sponsored unit investment trusts (“UITs”) who reinvest dividends received from such UITs in shares of the Fund, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; |
■ | Employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock, Inc., BlackRock Funds, BofA Corp., The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Barclays or their respective affiliates and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock, who are not subject to any minimum initial investment; and |
■ | Tax-qualified accounts for insurance agents that are registered representatives of an insurance company’s broker-dealer that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to offer Institutional Shares, and the family members of such persons. |
■ | Answering customer inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and redemptions or repurchases of shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the customers’ investments; |
■ | Assisting customers in designating and changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; and |
■ | Providing other similar shareholder liaison services. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase (continued) | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your purchase order |
The
price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. Any purchase orders placed prior to the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) (generally 4:00
p.m. Eastern time) will be priced at the net asset value determined that day. Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Purchase orders placed after that time will be priced at the net asset
value determined on the next business day.
|
Or contact BlackRock (for accounts held directly with BlackRock) | To purchase shares directly from BlackRock, call (800) 441-7762 and request a new account application. Mail the completed application along with a check payable to “BlackRock Funds” to the Transfer Agent at the address on the application. | |
Add to Your Investment | Purchase additional shares | For Investor A and Investor C Shares, the minimum investment for additional purchases is generally $50 for all accounts (with the exception of certain employer-sponsored retirement plans which may have a lower minimum for additional purchases). The minimums for additional purchases may be waived under certain circumstances. Institutional Shares have no minimum for additional purchases. |
Have your Financial Intermediary submit your purchase order for additional shares | To purchase additional shares you may contact your Financial Intermediary. For more details on purchasing by Internet see below. | |
Or contact BlackRock (for accounts held directly with BlackRock) |
Purchase
by Telephone:
Call (800) 441-7762 and speak with one of our representatives. The Fund has the right to reject any telephone request for any reason.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary. Shareholders should indicate whether they are redeeming Investor A, Investor C or Institutional Shares. The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s
net asset value after your order is placed. For your redemption request to be priced at the net asset value on the day of your request, you must submit your request to your Financial Intermediary prior to that day’s close of business on the
NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Any redemption request placed after that time will be priced at the net asset value at the close of business on
the next business day.
|
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
association.
A notary public seal will not be acceptable.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
custodian
is also open for business. Payment for redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) or on a day when the Fund’s custodian is closed is normally wired in Federal funds on the next business day following redemption on which the
Fund’s custodian is open for business. The Fund reserves the right to wire redemption proceeds within seven days after receiving a redemption order if, in the judgment of the Fund, an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund.
***
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. |
Redemption Proceeds |
Under
normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the
Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of
lenders, (ii) borrowing from another BlackRock Fund pursuant to an interfund lending program, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the SAI, and/or (iii) transferring portfolio securities
in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit and interfund lending program, to the extent applicable.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Investor
or Institutional Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your shares, paying any applicable deferred sales charge. |
Reinstatement Privilege | If you redeem Investor A or Institutional Shares and buy new Investor A Shares of the same or another BlackRock Fund (equal to all or a portion of the redemption amount) within 90 days of such redemption, you will not pay a sales charge on the new purchase amount. This right may be exercised within 90 days of the redemption, provided that the Investor A Share class of that fund is currently open to new investors or the shareholder has a current account in that closed fund. Shares will be purchased at the net asset value calculated at the close of trading on the day the request is received. To exercise this privilege, the Fund must receive written notification from the shareholder of record or the Financial Intermediary of record, at the time of purchase. Investors should consult a tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of exercising this reinstatement privilege. |
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.550% |
$1 billion – $2 billion | 0.500% |
$2 billion – $3 billion | 0.475% |
Greater than $3 billion | 0.450% |
1 | The contractual caps are in effect through December 31, 2019. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since* | Title and Recent Biography |
James Keenan, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the Fund’s investment process and performance. |
2010
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2008 and Head of the Leveraged Finance Portfolio Team; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. |
David Delbos | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2007 to 2011; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2006. |
Mitchell Garfin | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2008. |
Joshua Tarnow | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2016
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Senior Partner at R3 Capital Partners from 2008 to 2009; Managing Director at Lehman Brothers from 2006 to 2008. |
Carly Wilson | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Associate at BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2010; Associate at R3 Capital Partners from 2008 to 2009; Associate at Lehman Brothers from 2004 to 2008. |
Matthew Maxwell | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Executive Director at Morgan Stanley from 2014 to 2016; Vice President at Morgan Stanley from 2011 to 2014. |
Abigail Apistolas | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Associate of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Associate at Morgan Stanley from 2014 to 2016; Analyst at Morgan Stanley from 2012 to 2014. |
* | Includes management of the Predecessor Fund. |
Institutional | |||||
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 (a) | 2014 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 10.20 | $ 10.12 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.46 | $ 10.43 |
Net investment income (b) | 0.45 | 0.42 | 0.42 | 0.44 | 0.44 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.05) | 0.08 | (0.08) | (0.24) | 0.01 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.34 | 0.20 | 0.45 |
Distributions from net investment income (c) | (0.45) | (0.42) | (0.42) | (0.46) | (0.42) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 10.15 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.12 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.46 |
Total Return (d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 3.96% | 5.01% | 3.48% | 1.98% | 4.42% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) | |||||
Total expenses (f) | 0.66% | 0.67% | 0.68% | 0.69% | 0.72% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.66% | 0.67% | 0.67% | 0.68% | 0.70% |
Net investment income | 4.39% | 4.10% | 4.23% | 4.26% | 4.19% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $2,958,918 | $2,753,882 | $2,290,192 | $1,862,771 | $1,607,319 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 60% | 112% | 72% | 78% | 87% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Investments in underlying funds | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
(f) | Includes recoupment of past waived fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived fees, the expense ratios were as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Expense ratios | 0.66% | N/A | N/A | 0.67% | 0.69% |
Investor A | |||||
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 (a) | 2014 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 10.20 | $ 10.12 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.46 | $ 10.42 |
Net investment income (b) | 0.42 | 0.39 | 0.39 | 0.42 | 0.41 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.05) | 0.08 | (0.08) | (0.25) | 0.02 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.37 | 0.47 | 0.31 | 0.17 | 0.43 |
Distributions from net investment income (c) | (0.42) | (0.39) | (0.39) | (0.43) | (0.39) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 10.15 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.12 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.46 |
Total Return (d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 3.65% | 4.69% | 3.14% | 1.68% | 4.23% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) | |||||
Total expenses (f) | 0.97% | 0.99% | 1.01% | 0.98% | 0.98% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.96% | 0.98% | 1.01% | 0.97% | 0.97% |
Net investment income | 4.08% | 3.79% | 3.89% | 4.04% | 3.86% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $546,843 | $607,709 | $554,628 | $597,767 | $600,954 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 60% | 112% | 72% | 78% | 87% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Investments in underlying funds | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
(f) | Includes recoupment of past waived fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived fees, the expense ratios were as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Expense ratios | N/A | N/A | 1.00% | N/A | 0.97% |
Investor C | |||||
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 (a) | 2014 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 10.19 | $ 10.11 | $ 10.19 | $ 10.46 | $ 10.42 |
Net investment income (b) | 0.34 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.33 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.04) | 0.08 | (0.08) | (0.25) | 0.03 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.30 | 0.39 | 0.24 | 0.08 | 0.36 |
Distributions from net investment income (c) | (0.34) | (0.31) | (0.32) | (0.35) | (0.32) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 10.15 | $ 10.19 | $ 10.11 | $ 10.19 | $ 10.46 |
Total Return (d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 3.01% | 3.94% | 2.42% | 0.83% | 3.45% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) | |||||
Total expenses (f) | 1.69% | 1.70% | 1.71% | 1.72% | 1.74% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 1.68% | 1.70% | 1.70% | 1.71% | 1.73% |
Net investment income | 3.36% | 3.08% | 3.19% | 3.25% | 3.15% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $119,171 | $133,144 | $128,754 | $129,526 | $151,454 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 60% | 112% | 72% | 78% | 87% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Investments in underlying funds | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
(f) | Includes recoupment of past waived fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived fees, the expense ratios were as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Expense ratios | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.71% | 1.73% |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account. |
■ | Shares purchased by employer-sponsored retirement, deferred compensation and employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) and trusts used to fund those plans, provided that the shares are not held in a commission-based brokerage account and shares are held for the benefit of the plan/plan participants |
■ | Shares purchased by or through a 529 Plan |
■ | Shares purchased through a Merrill Lynch affiliated investment advisory program |
■ | Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Merrill Lynch’s platform |
■ | Shares of funds purchased through the Merrill Edge Self-Directed platform |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other BlackRock Fund) |
■ | Shares exchanged from Investor C (i.e. level-load) Shares of the same Fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Merrill Lynch or its affiliates and their family members |
■ | Shares purchased by directors of the Fund, and employees of BlackRock or any of its affiliates, as described in the prospectus |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions from another BlackRock Fund, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (known as Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | Shares sold due to death or disability of the shareholder |
■ | Shares sold as part of a systematic withdrawal plan as described in the prospectus |
■ | Shares bought due to return of excess contributions from an IRA Account |
■ | Shares sold as part of a required minimum distribution for IRA and retirement accounts due to the shareholder reaching age 70½ |
■ | Shares sold to pay Merrill Lynch fees but only if the transaction is initiated by Merrill Lynch |
■ | Shares acquired through a Right of Reinstatement |
■ | Investor A and C Shares of the Fund held in the following IRA or other retirement brokerage accounts: Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollover IRAs, Inherited IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, BASIC Plans, Educational Savings Accounts and Medical Savings Accounts, that are exchanged for Institutional Shares of the Fund due to transfer to certain fee based accounts or platforms |
■ | Breakpoints as described in the prospectus |
■ | Rights of Accumulation (ROA) entitle shareholders to breakpoint discounts that will be automatically calculated based on the aggregated holding of BlackRock Fund assets held by accounts within the purchaser’s household at Merrill Lynch. Eligible BlackRock Fund assets not held at Merrill Lynch may be included in the ROA calculation only if the shareholder notifies his or her financial advisor about such assets |
■ | Letters of Intent (LOI) allow for breakpoint discounts based on anticipated purchases of BlackRock Funds, through Merrill Lynch, over a 13-month period of time |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans do not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs or SAR-SEPs |
■ | Shares purchased through an Ameriprise Financial investment advisory program (if an advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available) |
■ | Shares purchased by third party investment advisors on behalf of their advisory clients through Ameriprise Financial’s platform (if an advisory or similar share class for such investment advisory program is not available) |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of capital gains distributions and dividend reinvestment when purchasing shares of the same fund (but not any other fund within BlackRock Funds) |
■ | Shares exchanged from Investor C Shares of the same fund in the month of or following the 10-year anniversary of the purchase date. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to such shares following a shorter holding period, that waiver will apply to exchanges following such shorter period. To the extent that this prospectus elsewhere provides for a waiver with respect to exchanges of Investor C Shares for load waived shares, that waiver will also apply to such exchanges |
■ | Shares purchased by employees and registered representatives of Ameriprise Financial or its affiliates and their immediate family members |
■ | Shares purchased by or through qualified accounts (including IRAs, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, 401(k)s, 403(b) TSCAs subject to ERISA and defined benefit plans) that are held by a covered family member, defined as an Ameriprise financial advisor (“FA”) and/or the FA’s spouse, FA’s lineal ascendant (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, great grandfather), FA’s lineal descendant (son, step-son, daughter, step-daughter, grandson, granddaughter, great grandson, great granddaughter) or any spouse of a covered family member who is a lineal descendant |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds, provided (1) the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, (2) the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and (3) redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge (i.e. Rights of Reinstatement) |
■ | Employer-sponsored retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans and defined benefit plans). For purposes of this provision, employer-sponsored retirement plans does not include SEP IRAs, Simple IRAs, SAR-SEPs or Keogh plans |
■ | Morgan Stanley employee and employee-related accounts according to Morgan Stanley’s account linking rules |
■ | Shares purchased through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions when purchasing shares of the same fund |
■ | Shares purchased through a Morgan Stanley self-directed brokerage account |
■ | Investor C Shares that are no longer subject to a contingent deferred sales charge and are exchanged for Investor A Shares of the same fund pursuant to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management’s share class conversion program |
■ | Shares purchased from the proceeds of redemptions within BlackRock Funds under a Rights of Reinstatement provision, provided the repurchase occurs within 90 days following the redemption, the redemption and purchase occur in the same account, and redeemed shares were subject to a front-end or deferred sales charge |
► | BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
Investor C1: BFRPX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objectives, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
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Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distributions and other payments | |
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Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock and the Portfolio Managers | |
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Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
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General Information |
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Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
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For More Information |
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Inside Back Cover |
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Shareholder
Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Investor
C1
Shares |
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as percentage of offering price) | None |
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) | None 1 |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Investor
C1
Shares |
Management Fee 2,3 | 0.50% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | 0.75% |
Other Expenses 4 | 0.18% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 4,5 | 0.02% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 5 | 1.45% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 2,6 | (0.01)% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 2,6 | 1.44% |
1 | A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% is assessed on certain redemptions of Investor C1 Shares made within one year after purchase. The CDSC does not apply to redemptions of shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends and capital gains by existing shareholders. |
2 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 33, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through December 31, 2019. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of BlackRock Funds V (the “Trust”) or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
3 | Management Fee is based on the management fee rate of the Predecessor Fund (defined below). |
4 | Other Expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on the expenses of the Predecessor Fund for its most recent fiscal year. |
5 | The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets given in the Predecessor Fund’s most recent annual report which does not include the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. |
6 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 33, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 1.80% for Investor C1 Shares of average daily net assets through December 31, 2019. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and/or reimbursements to BlackRock in the two years following such waivers and/or reimbursements. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Investor C1 Shares | $147 | $458 | $791 | $1,734 |
■ | Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other |
payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. | |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. |
■ | Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. |
■ | Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things. |
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Liquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. | |
Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. | |
Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through 2020. In addition, regulations adopted by prudential regulators that will begin to take effect in 2019 will require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. |
■ | Dividend Risk — Because certain of the corporate loans held by the Fund will have floating or variable interest rates, the amounts of the Fund’s monthly distributions to its stockholders are expected to vary with fluctuations in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates fall, the amount of the distributions to stockholders will likewise decrease. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging securities markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. |
■ | Event Risk — Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include: |
■ | The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight. |
■ | Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. |
■ | The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. |
■ | The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. |
■ | Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. |
■ | Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments. |
■ | The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is |
the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. | |
■ | Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities carry the risk that the issuer will not be able to meet its obligations and that the equity securities purchased with the mezzanine investments may lose value. |
■ | Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk — Although non-investment grade securities generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, non-investment grade securities are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. |
■ | Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. |
An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan’s value. | |
No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. | |
Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. The senior loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. Senior loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater risks than other senior loans. For example, the risks of default or bankruptcy of the borrower or the risks that other creditors of the borrower may seek to nullify or subordinate the Fund’s claims on any collateral securing the loan are greater in highly leveraged transactions. | |
■ | Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes. Structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero. |
■ | U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. |
As
of 12/31/17
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio — Investor C1 Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 2.84% | 3.08% | 3.16% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 1.38% | 1.55% | 1.52% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 1.60% | 1.65% | 1.72% |
S&P/LSTA
Leveraged Loan Index
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
4.12% | 4.03% | 4.85% |
Name | Portfolio Manager of the Fund Since* | Title |
James Keenan, CFA | 2010 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
David Delbos | 2018 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Mitchell Garfin | 2018 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Joshua Tarnow | 2016 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Carly Wilson | 2018 | Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Matthew Maxwell | 2018 | Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Abigail Apistolas | 2018 | Associate of BlackRock, Inc. |
* | Includes management of the Predecessor Fund. |
Investor C1 Shares | |
Minimum
Initial
Investment |
Available only for dividend and capital gain reinvestment by existing shareholders. |
Minimum
Additional
Investment |
N/A |
■ | credit research on the issuers’ financial strength; |
■ | assessment of the issuers’ ability to meet principal and interest payments; |
■ | general industry trends; |
■ | the issuers’ managerial strength; |
■ | changing financial conditions; |
■ | borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules; and |
■ | the issuers’ responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest rates. |
■ | Active and Frequent Trading — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its primary investment strategies. |
■ | Borrowing — The Fund may borrow up to the limits set forth under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
■ | Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated ETFs. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements — The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques such as repurchase agreements. Under a repurchase agreement, the Fund buys a security at one price and simultaneously agrees to sell that same security back to the seller at a higher price. |
■ | Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1 ⁄ 3 % of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. |
■ | Short Sales — The Fund may engage in short sales of securities, either as a hedge against potential declines in value of a portfolio security or to realize appreciation when a security that the Fund does not own declines in value. The Fund will not make a short sale if, after giving effect to such sale, the market value of all securities sold short exceeds 10% of the value of its total assets. However, the Fund may make short sales “against the box” without regard to this restriction. In this type of short sale, at the time of the sale, the Fund owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost. |
■ | Temporary Defensive Strategies — For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may restrict the markets in which it invests and may invest without limitation in cash, cash equivalents, money market securities, such as U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, other U.S. Government securities, short-term debt obligations of corporate issuers, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper (short term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes of a domestic or foreign issuer) or other high quality fixed income securities. Temporary defensive positions may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | Warrants — A warrant gives the Fund the right to buy stock. The warrant specifies the amount of underlying stock, the purchase (or “exercise”) price and the date the warrant expires. The Fund has no obligation to exercise the warrant and buy the stock. A warrant has value only if the Fund is able to exercise it or sell it before it expires. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The Fund may invest in securities prior to their date of issue. The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. |
■ | Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. However, because the trading market for certain corporate loans may be less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties in selling its corporate loans. Transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of |
lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate’s agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the Fund may not recover its investment or recovery may be delayed. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund may become a member of the syndicate. | |
The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. | |
The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of loss of principal and income. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations they do not always do so. If they do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower’s obligations at the time of a default. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under the U.S. bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit the Fund’s rights to its collateral. In addition, the value of collateral may erode during a bankruptcy case. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a corporate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment and may not receive interest during the delay. | |
■ | Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. |
■ | Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things. |
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management. To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change. | |
Following the financial
crisis that began in 2007, the Federal Reserve has attempted to stabilize the economy and support the economic recovery by keeping the federal funds rate (the interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository
institutions overnight) at or near zero percent. In addition, as part of its monetary stimulus program known as quantitative easing, the Federal Reserve has purchased on the open market large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. As the Federal Reserve “tapers” or reduces the amount of securities it purchases pursuant to quantitative easing, and/or if the Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate, there is a risk
that interest rates will rise. A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from mutual funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income
securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance.
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During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Certain countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. | |
Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. |
Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. | |
Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security. | |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Liquidity Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. | |
Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. |
Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). | |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through 2020. In addition, regulations adopted by prudential regulators that will begin to take effect in 2019 will require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, |
including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. | |
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities |
and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. | |
■ | Dividend Risk — Because certain of the corporate loans held by the Fund will have floating or variable interest rates, the amounts of the Fund’s monthly distributions to its stockholders are expected to vary with fluctuations in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates fall, the amount of the distributions to stockholders will likewise decrease. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. |
Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries, including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. National policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. | |
Emerging markets may also have differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments. Sometimes, they may lack or be in the relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Many emerging markets do not have income tax treaties with the United States, and as a result, investments by the Fund may be subject to higher withholding taxes in such countries. In addition, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors. |
Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation. In addition, communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or |
an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. | |
■ | Event Risk — Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Securities traded in foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there may be fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of securities traded each day, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may go up and down more than prices of securities traded in the United States. |
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States — The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight of their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security, or any of their agents, goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund than for investment companies invested only in the United States. | |
Currency Risk — Securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For this reason, changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. | |
Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns. | |
Foreign Economy Risk — The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect securities prices or impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations. | |
Other potential foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social instability. Diplomatic and political developments, including rapid and adverse political changes, social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war, could affect the economies, industries and securities and currency markets, and the value of the Fund’s investments, in non-U.S. countries. These factors are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund’s investments. | |
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards — Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as such regulations exist in the United States. They also may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on material non-public information about that company. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. |
Settlement Risk — Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments. | |
At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable for any losses incurred. | |
European Economic Risk — The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. | |
Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, the United Kingdom has voted to withdraw from the European Union, and one or more other countries may withdraw from the European Union and/or abandon the Euro, the common currency of the European Union. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far reaching. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act, the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of instruments. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities generally are rated below investment grade and frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as senior loans, second lien loans and non-investment grade bonds. However, unlike senior loans and second lien loans, mezzanine securities are not a senior or secondary secured obligation of the related borrower. They typically are the most subordinated debt obligation in an issuer’s capital structure. Mezzanine securities also may often be unsecured. Mezzanine securities therefore are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the related borrower and the property securing the loan may be insufficient to repay the scheduled obligation after giving effect to any senior obligations of the related borrower. Mezzanine |
securities are also expected to be a highly illiquid investment. Mezzanine securities will be subject to certain additional risks to the extent that such loans may not be protected by financial covenants or limitations upon additional indebtedness. Investment in mezzanine securities is a highly specialized investment practice that depends more heavily on independent credit analysis than investments in other types of debt obligations. | |
■ | Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk — Although non-investment grade securities generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade securities, non-investment grade securities are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. The major risks of non-investment grade investments include: |
■ | Non-investment grade securities may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of non-investment grade securities may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade securities. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of holders of non-investment grade securities, leaving few or no assets available to repay holders of non-investment grade securities. |
■ | Prices of non-investment grade securities are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s industry and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of non-investment grade securities than on other higher rated fixed-income securities. |
■ | Issuers of non-investment grade securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. |
■ | Non-investment grade securities frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If the issuer redeems non-investment grade securities, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
■ | Non-investment grade securities may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the non-investment grade securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers. Because they are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of the Fund’s securities than is the case with securities trading in a more liquid market. |
■ | The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. |
There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in second lien loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure for the holders of such loans. Second lien loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities. | |
■ | Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments, and BlackRock relies primarily on its own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of BlackRock. |
An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan’s value. |
No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. Adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of some actively traded senior loans. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain senior loans, the market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. See “Liquidity Risk.” | |
Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a senior loan. If the terms of a senior loan do not require the borrower to pledge additional collateral in the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the borrower’s obligations under the senior loans. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of senior loans. | |
If a senior loan is acquired through an assignment, the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. If a senior loan is acquired through a participation, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. | |
The senior loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. As a result, the risks associated with senior loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade securities, although senior loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured. See “Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk.” The higher standing of senior loans has historically resulted in generally higher recoveries in the event of a corporate reorganization. In addition, because their interest rates are typically adjusted for changes in short-term interest rates, senior loans generally are subject to less interest rate risk than other below investment grade securities, which are typically fixed rate. | |
Senior loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater risks than other senior loans. For example, the risks of default or bankruptcy of the borrower or the risks that other creditors of the borrower may seek to nullify or subordinate the Fund’s claims on any collateral securing the loan are greater in highly leveraged transactions. | |
■ | Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes. Structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero. |
■ | U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. |
■ | Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may |
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers to the Fund’s management fees). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. |
■ | Short Sales Risk — Because making short sales in securities that it does not own exposes the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security sold short. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. As a result, if the Fund makes short sales in securities that increase in value, it will likely underperform similar funds that do not make short sales in securities they do not own. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a short sale position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the amount at which it sold a security short, its potential loss is limited only by the maximum attainable price of the security, less the price at which the security was sold. The Fund may also pay transaction costs and borrowing fees in connection with short sales. |
■ | Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but may be held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. |
■ | Warrants Risk — If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, the warrant generally expires without any value and the Fund will lose any amount it paid for the warrant. Thus, investments in warrants may involve substantially more risk than investments in common stock. Warrants may trade in the same markets as their underlying stock; however, the price of the warrant does not necessarily move with the price of the underlying stock. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
■ | Answering customer inquiries regarding account status and history, the manner in which purchases, exchanges and redemptions or repurchases of shares may be effected and certain other matters pertaining to the customers’ investments; |
■ | Assisting customers in designating and changing dividend options, account designations and addresses; and |
■ | Providing other similar shareholder liaison services. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order |
You
can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary. The price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. For your redemption request to be priced at the net asset
value on the day of your request, you must submit your request to your Financial Intermediary prior to that day’s close of business on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time). Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require
submission of orders prior to that time. Any redemption request placed after that time will be priced at the net asset value at the close of business on the next business day.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Have your Financial Intermediary submit your sales order (continued) |
Regardless
of the method the Fund uses to make payment of your redemption proceeds (check, wire or the Automated Clearing House Network (“ACH”) your redemption proceeds typically will be sent one to two business days after your request is
submitted, but in any event within seven days
|
Selling shares held directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) | Selling shares held directly with BlackRock (continued) |
request,
but in any event within seven days. Shares can be redeemed by telephone and the proceeds sent by check to the shareholder at the address on record. Shareholders will pay $15 for redemption proceeds sent by check via overnight mail. You are
responsible for any additional charges imposed by your bank for this service.
***
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Redemption Proceeds |
Under
normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the
Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of
lenders, (ii) borrowing from another BlackRock Fund pursuant to an interfund lending program, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the SAI, and/or (iii) transferring portfolio securities
in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit and interfund lending program, to the extent applicable.
If the Fund pays redemption proceeds by transferring portfolio securities in-kind to you, you may pay transaction costs to dispose of the securities, and you may receive less for them than the price at which they were valued for purposes of redemption. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Investor
C1 Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for Investor C Shares of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary |
You
may transfer your shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets
must be coordinated by the receiving firm.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary (continued) | Transfer to a participating Financial Intermediary (continued) | If your account is held directly with BlackRock, you may call (800) 441-7762 with any questions; otherwise please contact your Financial Intermediary to accomplish the transfer of shares. |
Transfer to a non-participating Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your shares, paying any applicable deferred sales charge. |
Dividend Allocation Plan | Automatically invests your distributions into another BlackRock Fund of your choice pursuant to your instructions, without any fees or sales charges. | Dividend and capital gains distributions may be reinvested in your account to purchase additional shares or paid in cash. Using the Dividend Allocation Plan, you can direct your distributions to your bank account (checking or savings), to purchase shares of another fund at BlackRock without any fees or sales charges, or by check to a special payee. Please call (800) 441-7762 for details. If investing in another BlackRock Fund, the receiving fund must be open to new purchases. |
Systematic Exchange Plan | This feature can be used by investors to systematically exchange money from one fund to up to four other funds. | A minimum of $10,000 in the initial BlackRock Fund is required and investments in any additional funds must meet minimum initial investment requirements. |
Systematic Withdrawal Plan (“SWP”) | This feature can be used by investors who want to receive regular distributions from their accounts. |
To
start an SWP, a shareholder must have a current investment of $10,000 or more in a BlackRock Fund.
Shareholders can elect to receive cash payments of $50 or more at any interval they choose. Shareholders may sign up by completing the SWP Application Form which may be obtained from BlackRock. Shareholders should realize that if withdrawals exceed income the invested principal in their account will be depleted. |
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.550% |
$1 billion – $2 billion | 0.500% |
$2 billion – $3 billion | 0.475% |
Greater than $3 billion | 0.450% |
Contractual
Cap
1
on
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Investor C1 | 1.80% |
1 | The contractual cap is in effect through December 31, 2019. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since* | Title and Recent Biography |
James Keenan, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the Fund’s investment process and performance. |
2010
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2008 and Head of the Leveraged Finance Portfolio Team; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. |
David Delbos | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2007 to 2011; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2006. |
Mitchell Garfin | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2008. |
Joshua Tarnow | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2016
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Senior Partner at R3 Capital Partners from 2008 to 2009; Managing Director at Lehman Brothers from 2006 to 2008. |
Carly Wilson | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Associate at BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2010; Associate at R3 Capital Partners from 2008 to 2009; Associate at Lehman Brothers from 2004 to 2008. |
Matthew Maxwell | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Executive Director at Morgan Stanley from 2014 to 2016; Vice President at Morgan Stanley from 2011 to 2014. |
Abigail Apistolas | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Associate of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Associate at Morgan Stanley from 2014 to 2016; Analyst at Morgan Stanley from 2012 to 2014. |
* | Includes management of the Predecessor Fund. |
Investor C1 | |||||
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 (a) | 2014 (a) |
Net asset value, beginning of year | $ 10.19 | $ 10.12 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.46 | $ 10.42 |
Net investment income (b) | 0.37 | 0.34 | 0.35 | 0.36 | 0.36 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.04) | 0.07 | (0.09) | (0.24) | 0.02 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.33 | 0.41 | 0.26 | 0.12 | 0.38 |
Distributions from net investment income (c) | (0.37) | (0.34) | (0.34) | (0.38) | (0.34) |
Net asset value, end of year | $ 10.15 | $ 10.19 | $ 10.12 | $ 10.20 | $ 10.46 |
Total Return (d) | |||||
Based on net asset value | 3.28% | 4.11% | 2.69% | 1.19% | 3.73% |
Ratios to Average Net Assets (e) | |||||
Total expenses (f) | 1.43% | 1.44% | 1.45% | 1.45% | 1.47% |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 1.42% | 1.44% | 1.44% | 1.45% | 1.46% |
Net investment income | 3.61% | 3.39% | 3.46% | 3.53% | 3.41% |
Supplemental Data | |||||
Net assets, end of year (000) | $10,313 | $14,792 | $47,450 | $56,260 | $75,517 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 60% | 112% | 72% | 78% | 87% |
(a) | Consolidated Financial Highlights. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, excludes the effects of any sales charges and assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Investments in underlying funds | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
(f) | Includes recoupment of past waived fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived fees, the expense ratios were as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, | |||||
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
Expense ratios | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.45% |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account. |
► | BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
Class K: BFRKX |
Fund Overview | Key facts and details about the Fund, including investment objectives, principal investment strategies, principal risk factors, fee and expense information and historical performance information | |
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Account Information | Information about account services, sales charges and waivers, shareholder transactions, and distributions and other payments | |
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Management of the Fund | Information about BlackRock and the Portfolio Managers | |
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Financial Highlights |
Financial Performance of the
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General Information |
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Glossary |
Glossary of Investment
Terms
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For More Information |
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Inside Back Cover |
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Back Cover |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Class K Shares |
Management Fee 1,2 | 0.50% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees | None |
Other Expenses 3 | 0.13% |
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses 3,4 | 0.02% |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 4 | 0.65% |
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 1,5 | — |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements 1,5 | 0.65% |
1 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 32, BlackRock Advisors, LLC (“BlackRock”) has contractually agreed to waive the management fee with respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets estimated to be attributable to investments in other equity and fixed-income mutual funds and exchange-traded funds managed by BlackRock or its affiliates that have a contractual management fee, through December 31, 2019. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of BlackRock Funds V (the “Trust”) or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | Management Fee is based on the management fee rate of the Predecessor Fund (defined below). |
3 | Other Expenses and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on the expenses of the Predecessor Fund for its most recent fiscal year. |
4 | The Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses do not correlate to the ratio of expenses to average net assets given in the Predecessor Fund’s most recent annual report which does not include the Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses. |
5 | As described in the “Management of the Fund” section of the Fund’s prospectus beginning on page 32, BlackRock has contractually agreed to waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) to 0.65% of average daily net assets through December 31, 2019. The Fund may have to repay some of these waivers and/or reimbursements to BlackRock in the two years following such waivers and/or reimbursements. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Class K Shares | $66 | $208 | $362 | $810 |
■ | Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. |
■ | Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. |
■ | Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things. |
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. | |
The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management. | |
To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. | |
These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change. | |
A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance. | |
Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. | |
Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. | |
Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Liquidity Risk — The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. | |
Hedging Risk — Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences. | |
Tax Risk — Certain aspects of the tax treatment of derivative instruments, including swap agreements and commodity-linked derivative instruments, are currently unclear and may be affected by changes in legislation, regulations or other legally binding authority. Such treatment may be less favorable than that given to a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through 2020. In addition, regulations adopted by prudential regulators that will begin to take effect in 2019 will require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. |
■ | Dividend Risk — Because certain of the corporate loans held by the Fund will have floating or variable interest rates, the amounts of the Fund’s monthly distributions to its stockholders are expected to vary with fluctuations in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates fall, the amount of the distributions to stockholders will likewise decrease. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging securities markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions. |
■ | Event Risk — Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Foreign investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. These risks include: |
■ | The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories, which may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business and may be subject to only limited or no regulatory oversight. |
■ | Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. |
■ | The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. |
■ | The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. |
■ | Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as does the United States and may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. |
■ | Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets may result in delays in payment for or delivery of securities not typically associated with settlement and clearance of U.S. investments. |
■ | The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities carry the risk that the issuer will not be able to meet its obligations and that the equity securities purchased with the mezzanine investments may lose value. |
■ | Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk — Although non-investment grade securities generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, non-investment grade securities are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. |
■ | Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. |
An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan’s value. | |
No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. | |
Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. The senior loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. Senior loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater risks than other senior loans. For example, the risks of default or bankruptcy of the borrower or the risks that other creditors of the borrower may seek to nullify or subordinate the Fund’s claims on any collateral securing the loan are greater in highly leveraged transactions. | |
■ | Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes. Structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero. |
■ | U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. |
As
of 12/31/17
Average Annual Total Returns |
1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio — Class K Shares | |||
Return Before Taxes | 3.66% | 3.68% | 3.71% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions | 1.84% | 1.89% | 1.91% |
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | 2.06% | 1.98% | 2.07% |
S&P/LSTA
Leveraged Loan Index
(Reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) |
4.12% | 4.03% | 4.85% |
Name | Portfolio Manager of the Fund Since* | Title |
James Keenan, CFA | 2010 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
David Delbos | 2018 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Name | Portfolio Manager of the Fund Since* | Title |
Mitchell Garfin | 2018 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Joshua Tarnow | 2016 | Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Carly Wilson | 2018 | Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Matthew Maxwell | 2018 | Director of BlackRock, Inc. |
Abigail Apistolas | 2018 | Associate of BlackRock, Inc. |
* | Includes management of the Predecessor Fund. |
■ | credit research on the issuers’ financial strength; |
■ | assessment of the issuers’ ability to meet principal and interest payments; |
■ | general industry trends; |
■ | the issuers’ managerial strength; |
■ | changing financial conditions; |
■ | borrowing requirements or debt maturity schedules; and |
■ | the issuers’ responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest rates. |
■ | Active and Frequent Trading — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities to achieve its primary investment strategies. |
■ | Borrowing — The Fund may borrow up to the limits set forth under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), the rules and regulations thereunder and any applicable exemptive relief. |
■ | Investment Companies — The Fund has the ability to invest in other investment companies, such as exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), unit investment trusts, and open-end and closed-end funds. The Fund may invest in affiliated investment companies, including affiliated money market funds and affiliated ETFs. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements — The Fund may seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques such as repurchase agreements. Under a repurchase agreement, the Fund buys a security at one price and simultaneously agrees to sell that same security back to the seller at a higher price. |
■ | Securities Lending — The Fund may lend securities with a value up to 33 1 ⁄ 3 % of its total assets to financial institutions that provide cash or securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government as collateral. |
■ | Short Sales — The Fund may engage in short sales of securities, either as a hedge against potential declines in value of a portfolio security or to realize appreciation when a security that the Fund does not own declines in value. The Fund will not make a short sale if, after giving effect to such sale, the market value of all securities sold short exceeds 10% of the value of its total assets. However, the Fund may make short sales “against the box” without regard to this restriction. In this type of short sale, at the time of the sale, the Fund owns or has the immediate and unconditional right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost. |
■ | Temporary Defensive Strategies — For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may restrict the markets in which it invests and may invest without limitation in cash, cash equivalents, money market securities, such as U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, other U.S. Government securities, short-term debt obligations of corporate issuers, certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, commercial paper (short term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes of a domestic or foreign issuer) or other high quality fixed income securities. Temporary defensive positions may affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. |
■ | Warrants — A warrant gives the Fund the right to buy stock. The warrant specifies the amount of underlying stock, the purchase (or “exercise”) price and the date the warrant expires. The Fund has no obligation to exercise the warrant and buy the stock. A warrant has value only if the Fund is able to exercise it or sell it before it expires. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments — The Fund may invest in securities prior to their date of issue. The purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued basis, on a delayed delivery basis or through a forward commitment involves the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. |
■ | Collateralized Debt Obligations Risk — In addition to the typical risks associated with fixed-income securities and asset-backed securities, collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”) carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the risk that the collateral may default or decline in value or be downgraded, if rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization; (iii) the Fund may invest in tranches of CDOs that are subordinate to other tranches; (iv) the structure and complexity of the transaction and the legal documents could lead to disputes among investors regarding the characterization of proceeds; (v) the investment return achieved by the Fund could be significantly different than those predicted by financial models; (vi) the lack of a readily available secondary market for CDOs; (vii) the risk of forced “fire sale” liquidation due to technical defaults such as coverage test failures; and (viii) the CDO’s manager may perform poorly. In addition, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. |
■ | Convertible Securities Risk — The market value of a convertible security performs like that of a regular debt security; that is, if market interest rates rise, the value of a convertible security usually falls. In addition, convertible securities are subject to the risk that the issuer will not be able to pay interest or dividends when due, and their market value may change based on changes in the issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of the issuer’s creditworthiness. Since it derives a portion of its value from the common stock into which it may be converted, a convertible security is also subject to the same types of market and issuer risks that apply to the underlying common stock. |
■ | Corporate Loans Risk — Commercial banks and other financial institutions or institutional investors make corporate loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure. Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the London Interbank Offered Rate or the prime rates of U.S. banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally less exposed to the adverse effects of shifts in market interest rates than investments that pay a fixed rate of interest. However, because the trading market for certain corporate loans may be less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties in selling its corporate loans. Transactions in corporate loans may settle on a delayed basis. As a result, the proceeds from the sale of corporate loans may not be readily available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations. To the extent the extended settlement process gives rise to short-term liquidity needs, the Fund may hold additional cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks and other lenders. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of |
lenders, generally referred to as a syndicate. The syndicate’s agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the Fund may not recover its investment or recovery may be delayed. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund may become a member of the syndicate. | |
The market for corporate loans may be subject to irregular trading activity and wide bid/ask spreads. | |
The corporate loans in which the Fund invests are subject to the risk of loss of principal and income. Although borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations they do not always do so. If they do provide collateral, the value of the collateral may not completely cover the borrower’s obligations at the time of a default. If a borrower files for protection from its creditors under the U.S. bankruptcy laws, these laws may limit the Fund’s rights to its collateral. In addition, the value of collateral may erode during a bankruptcy case. In the event of a bankruptcy, the holder of a corporate loan may not recover its principal, may experience a long delay in recovering its investment and may not receive interest during the delay. | |
■ | Counterparty Risk — The counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract or a borrower of the Fund’s securities may be unable or unwilling to make timely principal, interest or settlement payments, or otherwise to honor its obligations. |
■ | Debt Securities Risk — Debt securities, such as bonds, involve interest rate risk, credit risk, extension risk, and prepayment risk, among other things. |
Interest Rate Risk — The market value of bonds and other fixed-income securities changes in response to interest rate changes and other factors. Interest rate risk is the risk that prices of bonds and other fixed-income securities will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low rates. For example, if interest rates increase by 1%, assuming a current portfolio duration of ten years, and all other factors being equal, the value of the Fund’s investments would be expected to decrease by 10%. The magnitude of these fluctuations in the market price of bonds and other fixed-income securities is generally greater for those securities with longer maturities. Fluctuations in the market price of the Fund’s investments will not affect interest income derived from instruments already owned by the Fund, but will be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply in a manner not anticipated by Fund management. To the extent the Fund invests in debt securities that may be prepaid at the option of the obligor (such as mortgage-backed securities), the sensitivity of such securities to changes in interest rates may increase (to the detriment of the Fund) when interest rates rise. Moreover, because rates on certain floating rate debt securities typically reset only periodically, changes in prevailing interest rates (and particularly sudden and significant changes) can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund to the extent that it invests in floating rate debt securities. These basic principles of bond prices also apply to U.S. Government securities. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. Government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price. Just like other fixed-income securities, government-guaranteed securities will fluctuate in value when interest rates change. | |
Following the financial
crisis that began in 2007, the Federal Reserve has attempted to stabilize the economy and support the economic recovery by keeping the federal funds rate (the interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository
institutions overnight) at or near zero percent. In addition, as part of its monetary stimulus program known as quantitative easing, the Federal Reserve has purchased on the open market large quantities of securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S.
Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. As the Federal Reserve “tapers” or reduces the amount of securities it purchases pursuant to quantitative easing, and/or if the Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate, there is a risk
that interest rates will rise. A general rise in interest rates has the potential to cause investors to move out of fixed-income securities on a large scale, which may increase redemptions from mutual funds that hold large amounts of fixed-income
securities. Heavy redemptions could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value and could hurt the Fund’s performance.
|
|
During periods of very low or negative interest rates, the Fund may be unable to maintain positive returns. Certain countries have recently experienced negative interest rates on certain fixed-income instruments. Very low or negative interest rates may magnify interest rate risk. Changing interest rates, including rates that fall below zero, may have unpredictable effects on markets, may result in heightened market volatility and may detract from Fund performance to the extent the Fund is exposed to such interest rates. | |
Credit Risk — Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of a debt security (i.e., the borrower) will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The degree of credit risk depends on both the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the obligation. |
Extension Risk — When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these obligations to fall. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates. The value of longer-term securities generally changes more in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities. As a result, in a period of rising interest rates, securities may exhibit additional volatility and may lose value. | |
Prepayment Risk — When interest rates fall, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor more quickly than originally anticipated, and the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in securities with lower yields. In periods of falling interest rates, the rate of prepayments tends to increase (as does price fluctuation) as borrowers are motivated to pay off debt and refinance at new lower rates. During such periods, reinvestment of the prepayment proceeds by the management team will generally be at lower rates of return than the return on the assets that were prepaid. Prepayment reduces the yield to maturity and the average life of the security. | |
■ | Derivatives Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may increase its costs, reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Derivatives involve significant risks, including: |
Volatility Risk — The Fund’s use of derivatives may reduce the Fund’s returns and/or increase volatility. Volatility is defined as the characteristic of a security, an index or a market to fluctuate significantly in price within a short time period. A risk of the Fund’s use of derivatives is that the fluctuations in their values may not correlate with the overall securities markets. | |
Counterparty Risk — Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation. | |
Market and Liquidity Risk — Some derivatives are more sensitive to interest rate changes and market price fluctuations than other securities. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for derivatives and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell or otherwise close a derivatives position could expose the Fund to losses and could make derivatives more difficult for the Fund to value accurately. The Fund could also suffer losses related to its derivatives positions as a result of unanticipated market movements, which losses are potentially unlimited. Finally, BlackRock may not be able to predict correctly the direction of securities prices, interest rates and other economic factors, which could cause the Fund’s derivatives positions to lose value. | |
Valuation Risk — Valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil since many investors and market makers may be reluctant to purchase complex instruments or quote prices for them. Derivatives may also expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. Certain transactions in derivatives involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses that exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. | |
Hedging Risk — When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging transactions will be effective. The use of hedging may result in certain adverse tax consequences noted below. |
Tax Risk — The federal income tax treatment of a derivative may not be as favorable as a direct investment in an underlying asset and may adversely affect the timing, character and amount of income the Fund realizes from its investments. As a result, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income rather than capital gains. In addition, certain derivatives are subject to mark-to-market or straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). If such provisions are applicable, there could be an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund. In addition, the tax treatment of certain derivatives, such as swaps, is unsettled and may be subject to future legislation, regulation or administrative pronouncements issued by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”). | |
Regulatory Risk — Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) in the United States and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, certain derivatives are subject to margin requirements and swap dealers are required to collect margin from the Fund with respect to such derivatives. Specifically, regulations are now in effect that require swap dealers to post and collect variation margin (comprised of specified liquid instruments and subject to a required haircut) in connection with trading of over-the-counter (“OTC”) swaps with the Fund. Shares of investment companies (other than certain money market funds) may not be posted as collateral under these regulations. Requirements for posting of initial margin in connection with OTC swaps will be phased-in through 2020. In addition, regulations adopted by prudential regulators that will begin to take effect in 2019 will require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, |
including many derivatives contracts, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such contracts, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. The implementation of these requirements with respect to derivatives, as well as regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading and margining of other derivatives, may increase the costs and risks to the Fund of trading in these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund. | |
Future regulatory developments may impact the Fund’s ability to invest or remain invested in certain derivatives. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. BlackRock cannot predict the effects of any new governmental regulation that may be implemented on the ability of the Fund to use swaps or any other financial derivative product, and there can be no assurance that any new governmental regulation will not adversely affect the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. | |
Risks Specific to Certain Derivatives Used by the Fund |
■ | Distressed Securities Risk — Distressed securities are speculative and involve substantial risks in addition to the risks of investing in junk bonds. The Fund will generally not receive interest payments on the distressed securities |
and may incur costs to protect its investment. In addition, distressed securities involve the substantial risk that principal will not be repaid. These securities may present a substantial risk of default or may be in default at the time of investment. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of principal of or interest on its portfolio holdings. In any reorganization or liquidation proceeding relating to a portfolio company, the Fund may lose its entire investment or may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than its original investment. Distressed securities and any securities received in an exchange for such securities may be subject to restrictions on resale. | |
■ | Dividend Risk — Because certain of the corporate loans held by the Fund will have floating or variable interest rates, the amounts of the Fund’s monthly distributions to its stockholders are expected to vary with fluctuations in market interest rates. Generally, when market interest rates fall, the amount of the distributions to stockholders will likewise decrease. |
■ | Emerging Markets Risk — The risks of foreign investments are usually much greater for emerging markets. Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative. Emerging markets may include those in countries considered emerging or developing by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation or the United Nations. Emerging markets are riskier than more developed markets because they tend to develop unevenly and may never fully develop. They are more likely to experience hyperinflation and currency devaluations, which adversely affect returns to U.S. investors. In addition, many emerging markets have far lower trading volumes and less liquidity than developed markets. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. In addition, traditional measures of investment value used in the United States, such as price to earnings ratios, may not apply to certain small markets. Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which U.S. companies are subject. |
Many emerging markets have histories of political instability and abrupt changes in policies. As a result, their governments are more likely to take actions that are hostile or detrimental to private enterprise or foreign investment than those of more developed countries, including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected market. Some countries have pervasive corruption and crime that may hinder investments. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war, and ethnic, religious and racial conflicts. In addition, governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets, which may impair investment and economic growth. National policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities include restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests. | |
Emerging markets may also have differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or U.S. governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments. Sometimes, they may lack or be in the relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. Many emerging markets do not have income tax treaties with the United States, and as a result, investments by the Fund may be subject to higher withholding taxes in such countries. In addition, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors. |
Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation. In addition, communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. |
■ | Equity Securities Risk — Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equities. The value of equity securities purchased by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or |
an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment. | |
■ | Event Risk — Event risk is the risk that corporate issuers may undergo restructurings, such as mergers, leveraged buyouts, takeovers, or similar events financed by increased debt. As a result of the added debt, the credit quality and market value of a company’s bonds and/or other debt securities may decline significantly. |
■ | Foreign Securities Risk — Securities traded in foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities traded in the United States. However, such investments often involve special risks not present in U.S. investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that because there may be fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of securities traded each day, it may be more difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may go up and down more than prices of securities traded in the United States. |
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States — The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight of their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries limit the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank, depository or issuer of a security, or any of their agents, goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund than for investment companies invested only in the United States. | |
Currency Risk — Securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For this reason, changes in foreign currency exchange rates can affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. | |
Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns. | |
Foreign Economy Risk — The economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position. Certain foreign economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investments in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect securities prices or impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations. | |
Other potential foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing legal judgments in foreign courts and political and social instability. Diplomatic and political developments, including rapid and adverse political changes, social instability, regional conflicts, terrorism and war, could affect the economies, industries and securities and currency markets, and the value of the Fund’s investments, in non-U.S. countries. These factors are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to predict and take into account with respect to the Fund’s investments. | |
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards — Many foreign governments do not supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities to the same extent as such regulations exist in the United States. They also may not have laws to protect investors that are comparable to U.S. securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company’s securities based on material non-public information about that company. In addition, some countries may have legal systems that may make it difficult for the Fund to vote proxies, exercise shareholder rights, and pursue legal remedies with respect to its foreign investments. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as U.S. accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company’s financial condition. |
Settlement Risk — Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement and clearance procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically associated with the settlement of U.S. investments. | |
At times, settlements in certain foreign countries have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions. These problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a purchase of securities, it may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain of its assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or is delayed in settling a sale of securities, it may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if it has contracted to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable for any losses incurred. | |
European Economic Risk — The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns in, or rising government debt levels of, several European countries. These events may spread to other countries in Europe. These events may affect the value and liquidity of certain of the Fund’s investments. | |
Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, the United Kingdom has voted to withdraw from the European Union, and one or more other countries may withdraw from the European Union and/or abandon the Euro, the common currency of the European Union. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far reaching. |
■ | Leverage Risk — Some transactions may give rise to a form of economic leverage. These transactions may include, among others, derivatives, and may expose the Fund to greater risk and increase its costs. As an open-end investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), the Fund is subject to the federal securities laws, including the Investment Company Act, the rules thereunder, and various SEC and SEC staff interpretive positions. In accordance with these laws, rules and positions, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets (often referred to as “asset segregation”), or engage in other SEC- or staff-approved measures, to “cover” open positions with respect to certain kinds of instruments. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to meet any required asset segregation requirements. Increases and decreases in the value of the Fund’s portfolio will be magnified when the Fund uses leverage. |
■ | Liquidity Risk — Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be difficult to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have the greatest exposure to liquidity risk. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed-income mutual funds may be higher than normal. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain securities, the Fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be subject to purchase and sale restrictions. |
■ | Market Risk and Selection Risk — Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Selection risk is the risk that the securities selected by Fund management will underperform the markets, the relevant indices or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and investment strategies. This means you may lose money. |
■ | Mezzanine Securities Risk — Mezzanine securities generally are rated below investment grade and frequently are unrated and present many of the same risks as senior loans, second lien loans and non-investment grade bonds. However, unlike senior loans and second lien loans, mezzanine securities are not a senior or secondary secured obligation of the related borrower. They typically are the most subordinated debt obligation in an issuer’s capital structure. Mezzanine securities also may often be unsecured. Mezzanine securities therefore are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the related borrower and the property securing the loan may be insufficient to repay the scheduled obligation after giving effect to any senior obligations of the related borrower. Mezzanine |
securities are also expected to be a highly illiquid investment. Mezzanine securities will be subject to certain additional risks to the extent that such loans may not be protected by financial covenants or limitations upon additional indebtedness. Investment in mezzanine securities is a highly specialized investment practice that depends more heavily on independent credit analysis than investments in other types of debt obligations. | |
■ | Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk — Although non-investment grade securities generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade securities, non-investment grade securities are high risk investments that are considered speculative and may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. The major risks of non-investment grade investments include: |
■ | Non-investment grade securities may be issued by less creditworthy issuers. Issuers of non-investment grade securities may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade securities. In the event of an issuer’s bankruptcy, claims of other creditors may have priority over the claims of holders of non-investment grade securities, leaving few or no assets available to repay holders of non-investment grade securities. |
■ | Prices of non-investment grade securities are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Adverse changes in an issuer’s industry and general economic conditions may have a greater impact on the prices of non-investment grade securities than on other higher rated fixed-income securities. |
■ | Issuers of non-investment grade securities may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. |
■ | Non-investment grade securities frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If the issuer redeems non-investment grade securities, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
■ | Non-investment grade securities may be less liquid than higher rated fixed-income securities, even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the non-investment grade securities market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers. Because they are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of the Fund’s securities than is the case with securities trading in a more liquid market. |
■ | The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
■ | Preferred Securities Risk — Preferred securities may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred securities are subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred securities generally pay dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred securities will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred securities of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred securities of larger companies. |
■ | Second Lien Loans Risk — Second lien loans generally are subject to similar risks as those associated with investments in senior loans. Because second lien loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second lien loans generally have greater price volatility than senior loans and may be less liquid. |
There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in second lien loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure for the holders of such loans. Second lien loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities. | |
■ | Senior Loans Risk — There is less readily available, reliable information about most senior loans than is the case for many other types of securities. In addition, there is no minimum rating or other independent evaluation of a borrower or its securities limiting the Fund’s investments, and BlackRock relies primarily on its own evaluation of a borrower’s credit quality rather than on any available independent sources. As a result, the Fund is particularly dependent on the analytical abilities of BlackRock. |
An economic downturn generally leads to a higher non-payment rate, and a senior loan may lose significant value before a default occurs. Moreover, any specific collateral used to secure a senior loan may decline in value or become illiquid, which would adversely affect the senior loan’s value. |
No active trading market may exist for certain senior loans, which may impair the ability of the Fund to realize full value in the event of the need to sell a senior loan and which may make it difficult to value senior loans. Adverse market conditions may impair the liquidity of some actively traded senior loans. To the extent that a secondary market does exist for certain senior loans, the market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. See “Liquidity Risk.” | |
Although senior loans in which the Fund will invest generally will be secured by specific collateral, there can be no assurance that liquidation of such collateral would satisfy the borrower’s obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a senior loan. If the terms of a senior loan do not require the borrower to pledge additional collateral in the event of a decline in the value of the already pledged collateral, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the value of the collateral will not at all times equal or exceed the amount of the borrower’s obligations under the senior loans. To the extent that a senior loan is collateralized by stock in the borrower or its subsidiaries, such stock may lose all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of the borrower. Uncollateralized senior loans involve a greater risk of loss. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate the senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to lenders, including the Fund. Such court action could under certain circumstances include invalidation of senior loans. | |
If a senior loan is acquired through an assignment, the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. If a senior loan is acquired through a participation, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation. | |
The senior loans in which the Fund invests are usually rated below investment grade. As a result, the risks associated with senior loans are similar to the risks of below investment grade securities, although senior loans are typically senior and secured in contrast to other below investment grade securities, which are often subordinated and unsecured. See “Non-Investment Grade Securities Risk.” The higher standing of senior loans has historically resulted in generally higher recoveries in the event of a corporate reorganization. In addition, because their interest rates are typically adjusted for changes in short-term interest rates, senior loans generally are subject to less interest rate risk than other below investment grade securities, which are typically fixed rate. | |
Senior loans made in connection with highly leveraged transactions are subject to greater risks than other senior loans. For example, the risks of default or bankruptcy of the borrower or the risks that other creditors of the borrower may seek to nullify or subordinate the Fund’s claims on any collateral securing the loan are greater in highly leveraged transactions. | |
■ | Structured Products Risk — Holders of structured products bear risks of the underlying investments, index or reference obligation and are subject to counterparty risk. The Fund may have the right to receive payments only from the structured product, and generally does not have direct rights against the issuer or the entity that sold the assets to be securitized. Certain structured products may be thinly traded or have a limited trading market. In addition to the general risks associated with debt securities discussed herein, structured products carry additional risks, including, but not limited to: the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; and the possibility that the structured products are subordinate to other classes. Structured notes are based upon the movement of one or more factors, including currency exchange rates, interest rates, reference bonds and stock indices, and changes in interest rates and impact of these factors may cause significant price fluctuations. Additionally, changes in the reference instrument or security may cause the interest rate on the structured note to be reduced to zero. |
■ | U.S. Government Issuer Risk — Treasury obligations may differ in their interest rates, maturities, times of issuance and other characteristics. Obligations of U.S. Government agencies and authorities are supported by varying degrees of credit but generally are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to its agencies and authorities if it is not obligated by law to do so. |
■ | Borrowing Risk — Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund’s portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may |
reduce the Fund’s return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations. |
■ | Cyber Security Risk — Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund’s adviser, distributor, and other service providers, or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and negatively impact the Fund’s business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cyber security plans and systems of the Fund’s service providers or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. |
■ | Expense Risk — Fund expenses are subject to a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the Fund’s net assets. Accordingly, actual expenses may be greater or less than those indicated. For example, to the extent that the Fund’s net assets decrease due to market declines or redemptions, the Fund’s expenses will increase as a percentage of Fund net assets. During periods of high market volatility, these increases in the Fund’s expense ratio could be significant. |
■ | High Portfolio Turnover Risk — The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of its portfolio securities. High portfolio turnover (more than 100%) may result in increased transaction costs to the Fund, including brokerage commissions, dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of the securities and on reinvestment in other securities. The sale of Fund portfolio securities may result in the realization and/or distribution to shareholders of higher capital gains or losses as compared to a fund with less active trading policies. These effects of higher than normal portfolio turnover may adversely affect Fund performance. |
■ | Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk — As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares of investment companies, including ones affiliated with the Fund, shareholders bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies (to the extent not offset by BlackRock through waivers to the Fund’s management fees). To the extent the Fund is held by an affiliated fund, the ability of the Fund itself to hold other investment companies may be limited. |
■ | Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts Risk — If the other party to a repurchase agreement or purchase and sale contract defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement. If the seller fails to repurchase the security in either situation and the market value of the security declines, the Fund may lose money. |
■ | Securities Lending Risk — Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Fund may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Fund could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. |
■ | Short Sales Risk — Because making short sales in securities that it does not own exposes the Fund to the risks associated with those securities, such short sales involve speculative exposure risk. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the security sold short. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. As a result, if the Fund makes short sales in securities that increase in value, it will likely underperform similar funds that do not make short sales in securities they do not own. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out a short sale position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Although the Fund’s gain is limited to the amount at which it sold a security short, its potential loss is limited only by the maximum attainable price of the security, less the price at which the security was sold. The Fund may also pay transaction costs and borrowing fees in connection with short sales. |
■ | Valuation Risk — The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. Pricing services that value fixed-income securities generally utilize a range of market-based and security-specific inputs and assumptions, as well as considerations about general market conditions, to establish a price. Pricing services generally value fixed-income securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional round lot size, but may be held or transactions may be conducted in such securities in smaller, odd lot sizes. Odd lots may trade at lower prices than institutional round lots. The Fund’s ability to value its investments may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers. |
■ | Warrants Risk — If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, the warrant generally expires without any value and the Fund will lose any amount it paid for the warrant. Thus, investments in warrants may involve substantially more risk than investments in common stock. Warrants may trade in the same markets as their underlying stock; however, the price of the warrant does not necessarily move with the price of the underlying stock. |
■ | When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments Risk — When-issued and delayed delivery securities and forward commitments involve the risk that the security the Fund buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Fund may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security’s price. |
Availability | Available only to (i) certain employee benefit plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs and SARSEPs) (collectively, “Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans”), (ii) collective trust funds, investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares, (iii) “Institutional Investors,” which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations family offices, banks and bank trusts, local, city and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, each of which may purchase shares of the Fund through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor to purchase such shares, (iv) fee-based advisory platforms of a Financial Intermediary that (a) has specifically acknowledged in a written agreement with the Distributor and/or its affiliate(s) that the Financial Intermediary shall offer such shares to fee-based advisory clients through an omnibus account held at the Fund or (b) transacts in the Fund’s shares through another intermediary that has executed such an agreement and (v) any other investors who met the eligibility criteria for BlackRock Shares or Class K Shares prior to August 15, 2016 and have continually held Class K Shares of the Fund in the same account since August 15, 2016. |
Minimum Investment |
$5
million minimum initial investment for Institutional Investors.
|
Initial Sales Charge? | No. Entire purchase price is invested in shares of the Fund. |
Deferred Sales Charge? | No. |
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees? | No. |
Redemption Fees? | No. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase |
Determine
the amount of
your investment |
There
is no minimum initial investment for any Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans or any other investors other than Institutional Investors.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Initial Purchase (continued) |
Have
your Financial
Intermediary submit your purchase order |
The
price of your shares is based on the next calculation of the Fund’s net asset value after your order is placed. Any purchase orders placed prior to the close of business on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) (generally 4:00
p.m. Eastern time) will be priced at the net asset value determined that day. Certain Financial Intermediaries, however, may require submission of orders prior to that time. Purchase orders placed after that time will be priced at the net asset
value determined on the next business day. A broker-dealer or financial institution maintaining the account in which you hold shares may charge a separate account, service or transaction fee on the purchase or sale of Fund shares that would be in
addition to the fees and expenses shown in the Fund’s “Fees and Expenses” table.
|
Or
contact BlackRock
(for accounts held directly with BlackRock) |
For investors not purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, to purchase shares directly from BlackRock, call (800) 537-4942 and request a new account application. | |
Add
to Your
Investment |
Purchase additional shares | There is no minimum investment amount for additional purchases. |
Have
your Financial
Intermediary submit your purchase order for additional shares |
To purchase additional shares, you may contact your Financial Intermediary or Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan. | |
Or
contact BlackRock
(for accounts held directly with BlackRock) |
For
investors not purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan:
|
|
Acquire
additional shares by
reinvesting dividends and capital gains |
All dividends and capital gains distributions are automatically reinvested without a sales charge. To make any changes to your dividend and/or capital gains distributions options, please call BlackRock at (800) 537-4942 (for investors who are not purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan) or contact your Financial Intermediary. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
How
to Pay for
Shares |
Making payment for purchases |
If
you are purchasing shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, payment for an order must be made in Federal funds or other immediately available funds by the time specified by your Financial Intermediary, but in no event later than 4:00
p.m. (Eastern time) on the first business day following the receipt of the order. If payment is not received by this time, the order will be canceled and you and your Financial Intermediary will be responsible for any loss to the Fund.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares |
Have
your Financial
Intermediary submit your sales order |
If
you purchased shares through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan, you can make redemption requests through your Financial Intermediary in accordance with the procedures applicable to your accounts. These procedures may vary according to the type
of account and the Financial Intermediary involved, and customers should consult their Financial Intermediary in this regard. Financial Intermediaries are responsible for transmitting redemption orders and crediting their customers’ accounts
with redemption proceeds on a timely basis. Information relating to such redemption services and charges to process a redemption of shares, if any, should be obtained by customers from their Financial Intermediaries.
|
Selling
shares held
directly with BlackRock |
Methods
of Redeeming if You Did Not Purchase Your Shares Through an Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Selling
shares held
directly with BlackRock (continued) |
that
are reasonably believed to be genuine in accordance with such procedures. The Fund may refuse a telephone redemption request if it believes it is advisable to do so.
Payment by Wire Transfer: Payment for redeemed shares for which a redemption order is received before 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) on a business day is normally made in Federal funds wired to the redeeming shareholder on the next business day, provided that the Fund’s custodian is also open for business. Payment for redemption orders received after 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time) or on a day when the Fund’s custodian is closed is normally wired in Federal funds on the next business day following redemption on which the Fund’s custodian is open for business. The Fund reserves the right to wire redemption proceeds within seven days after receiving a redemption order if, in the judgment of the Fund, an earlier payment could adversely affect the Fund. Shares can be redeemed by Federal wire transfer to a single previously designated bank account. No charge for wiring redemption payments with respect to Class K Shares is imposed by the Fund. You are responsible for any additional charges imposed by your bank for wire transfers. The Fund is not responsible for the efficiency of the Federal wire system or the shareholder’s firm or bank. To change the name of the single, designated bank account to receive wire redemption proceeds, it is necessary to send a written request to the Fund at the address on the back cover of this prospectus. *** |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Full or Partial Redemption of Shares (continued) |
Selling
shares held
directly with BlackRock (continued) |
If you make a redemption request before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares, the Fund may delay mailing your proceeds. This delay will usually not exceed ten days. |
Redemption Proceeds |
Under
normal circumstances, the Fund expects to meet redemption requests by using cash or cash equivalents in its portfolio or by selling portfolio assets to generate cash. During periods of stressed market conditions, when a significant portion of the
Fund’s portfolio may be comprised of less-liquid investments, the Fund may be more likely to limit cash redemptions and may determine to pay redemption proceeds by (i) borrowing under a line of credit it has entered into with a group of
lenders, (ii) borrowing from another BlackRock Fund pursuant to an interfund lending program, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions as set forth in the SAI, and/or (iii) transferring portfolio securities
in-kind to you. The SAI includes more information about the Fund’s line of credit and interfund lending program, to the extent applicable.
|
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Exchange Privilege | Selling shares of one BlackRock Fund to purchase shares of another BlackRock Fund (“exchanging”) |
Class
K Shares of the Fund are generally exchangeable for shares of the same class of another BlackRock Fund, to the extent such shares are offered by your Financial Intermediary. Investors who currently own Class K Shares of the Fund may make exchanges
into Class K Shares of other BlackRock Funds except for investors holding shares through certain client accounts at Financial Intermediaries that are omnibus with the Fund and do not meet applicable minimums. There is no required minimum amount with
respect to exchanges of Class K Shares. You may only exchange into Class K Shares of a BlackRock Fund that is open to new investors or in which you have a current account, if the BlackRock Fund is closed to new investors.
|
Transfer Shares to Another Financial Intermediary |
Transfer
to a participating
Financial Intermediary |
You may transfer your Class K Shares of the Fund only to another Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor. Certain shareholder services may not be available for the transferred shares. All future trading of these assets must be coordinated by the receiving firm. Please contact your Financial Intermediary to accomplish the transfer of your Class K Shares. |
Your Choices | Important Information for You to Know | |
Transfer
to a non-participating
Financial Intermediary |
You
must either:
• Transfer your Class K Shares to an account with the Fund; or • Sell your Class K Shares. |
■ | Suspend the right of redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act; |
■ | Postpone the date of payment upon redemption if trading is halted or restricted on the NYSE or under other emergency conditions described in the Investment Company Act or if a redemption request is made before the Fund has collected payment for the purchase of shares; |
■ | Redeem shares for property other than cash as may be permitted under the Investment Company Act; and |
■ | Redeem shares involuntarily in certain cases, such as when the value of a shareholder account falls below a specified level. |
Average Daily Net Assets |
Rate
of
Management Fee |
First $1 billion | 0.550% |
$1 billion – $2 billion | 0.500% |
$2 billion – $3 billion | 0.475% |
Greater than $3 billion | 0.450% |
Contractual
Cap
1
on
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 2 (excluding Dividend Expense, Interest Expense, Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses and certain other Fund expenses) |
|
Class K | 0.65% |
1 | The contractual cap is in effect through December 31, 2019. The contractual agreement may be terminated upon 90 days’ notice by a majority of the non-interested trustees of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. |
2 | As a percentage of average daily net assets. |
Portfolio Manager | Primary Role | Since* | Title and Recent Biography |
James Keenan, CFA | Jointly and primarily responsible for setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the Fund’s investment process and performance. |
2010
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2008 and Head of the Leveraged Finance Portfolio Team; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. |
David Delbos | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2012; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2007 to 2011; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2006. |
Mitchell Garfin | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2005 to 2008. |
Joshua Tarnow | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2016
|
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009; Senior Partner at R3 Capital Partners from 2008 to 2009; Managing Director at Lehman Brothers from 2006 to 2008. |
Carly Wilson | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Vice President of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Associate at BlackRock, Inc. from 2009 to 2010; Associate at R3 Capital Partners from 2008 to 2009; Associate at Lehman Brothers from 2004 to 2008. |
Matthew Maxwell | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Executive Director at Morgan Stanley from 2014 to 2016; Vice President at Morgan Stanley from 2011 to 2014. |
Abigail Apistolas | Jointly and primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio, including setting the Fund’s overall investment strategy and overseeing the management of the Fund. |
2018
|
Associate of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Associate at Morgan Stanley from 2014 to 2016; Analyst at Morgan Stanley from 2012 to 2014. |
* | Includes management of the Predecessor Fund. |
Class K | |||
Year Ended August 31, |
Period
from
03/28/2016 (a) to 08/31/2016 |
||
(For a share outstanding throughout each period) | 2018 | 2017 | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ 10.19 | $ 10.11 | $ 9.90 |
Net investment income (b) | 0.45 | 0.42 | 0.19 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) | (0.04) | 0.08 | 0.21 |
Net increase from investment operations | 0.41 | 0.50 | 0.40 |
Distributions from net investment income (c) | (0.45) | (0.42) | (0.19) |
Net asset value, end of period | $ 10.15 | $ 10.19 | $10.11 |
Total Return (d) | |||
Based on net asset value | 4.09% | 5.05% | 4.05% (e) |
Ratios to Average Net Assets (f) | |||
Total expenses (g) | 0.63% | 0.65% | 0.63% (h) |
Total expenses after fees waived and/or reimbursed | 0.63% | 0.63% | 0.63% (h) |
Net investment income | 4.44% | 4.08% | 4.44% (h) |
Supplemental Data | |||
Net assets, end of period (000) | $441,021 | $200,103 | $6,258 |
Portfolio turnover rate | 60% | 112% | 72% |
(a) | Commencement of operations. |
(b) | Based on average shares outstanding. |
(c) | Distributions for annual periods determined in accordance with U.S. federal income tax regulations. |
(d) | Where applicable, assumes the reinvestment of distributions. |
(e) | Aggregate total return. |
(f) | Excludes expenses incurred indirectly as a result of investments in underlying funds as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, |
Period
from
03/28/2016 (a) to 08/31/2016 |
||
2018 | 2017 | ||
Investments in underlying funds | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
(g) | Includes recoupment of past waived fees. Excluding the recoupment of past waived fees, the expense ratios were as follows: |
Year Ended August 31, |
Period
from
03/28/2016 (a) to 08/31/2016 |
||
2018 | 2017 | ||
Expense ratios | 0.62% | N/A | N/A |
(h) | Annualized. |
■ | Access the BlackRock website at http://www.blackrock.com/edelivery; and |
■ | Log into your account. |
Class | Ticker Symbol | |
Investor A
Shares
|
BFRAX | |
Investor C
Shares
|
BFRCX | |
Institutional
Shares
|
BFRIX | |
Investor C1
Shares
|
BFRPX | |
Class K
Shares
|
BFRKX |
BlackRock
Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
|
144A Securities | X |
Asset-Backed Securities | X |
Asset-Based Securities | X |
Precious Metal-Related Securities | X |
Bank Loans | X |
Borrowing and Leverage | X |
Cash Flows; Expenses | X |
Cash Management | X |
Collateralized Debt Obligations | X |
Collateralized Bond Obligations | X |
Collateralized Loan Obligations | X |
Commercial Paper | X |
Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments and Hybrid Instruments | X |
Qualifying Hybrid Instruments | |
Hybrid Instruments Without Principal Protection | |
Limitations on Leverage | |
Counterparty Risk | X |
Convertible Securities | X |
Cyber Security Issues | X |
Debt Securities | X |
BlackRock
Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
|
Depositary Receipts (ADRs, EDRs and GDRs) | X |
Derivatives | X |
Hedging | X |
Indexed and Inverse Securities | X |
Swap Agreements | X |
Interest Rate Swaps, Caps and Floors | X |
Credit Default Swap Agreements and Similar Instruments | X |
Contracts for Difference | |
Credit Linked Securities | X |
Interest Rate Transactions and Swaptions | See note 1 below |
Total Return Swap Agreements | X |
Types of Options | See note 1 below |
Options on Securities and Securities Indices | X |
Call Options | See note 1 below |
Put Options | See note 1 below |
Options on Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) Certificates | |
Risks Associated with Options | X |
Futures | X |
Risks Associated with Futures | X |
Foreign Exchange Transactions | X |
Forward Foreign Exchange Transactions | X |
Currency Futures | X |
Currency Options | See note 2 below |
Currency Swaps | X |
Limitations on Currency Transactions | X |
Risk Factors in Hedging Foreign Currency | X |
Risk Factors in Derivatives | X |
Credit Risk | X |
Currency Risk | X |
Leverage Risk | X |
Liquidity Risk | X |
Correlation Risk | X |
Index Risk | X |
Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives | X |
Distressed Securities | X |
Dollar Rolls | X |
Equity Securities | X |
Exchange Traded Notes (“ETNs”) | X |
Foreign Investment Risks | X |
Foreign Market Risk | X |
Foreign Economy Risk | X |
Currency Risk and Exchange Risk | X |
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards | X |
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States | X |
Publicly Available Information | X |
Settlement Risk | X |
Funding Agreements | X |
Guarantees | X |
Illiquid or Restricted Securities | X |
Inflation-Indexed Bonds | X |
Inflation Risk | X |
Information Concerning the Indexes | |
Bloomberg Barclays Indices | |
ICE BofA Indices |
BlackRock
Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
|
Interfund Lending Program | X |
Borrowing, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions | X |
Lending, to the extent permitted by the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions | X |
Investment Grade Debt Obligations | X |
Investment in Emerging Markets | X |
Brady Bonds | X |
Investment in Other Investment Companies | X |
Exchange Traded Funds | X |
Junk Bonds | X |
Lease Obligations | X |
Liquidity Management | X |
Master Limited Partnerships | X |
Mezzanine Investments | X |
Money Market Obligations of Domestic Banks, Foreign Banks and Foreign Branches of U.S. Banks | X |
Money Market Securities | X |
Mortgage-Related Securities | X |
Mortgage-Backed Securities | X |
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”) | X |
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Securities | X |
CMO Residuals | X |
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities | X |
Tiered Index Bonds | X |
TBA Commitments | |
Municipal Investments | X |
Risk Factors and Special Considerations Relating to Municipal Bonds | X |
Description of Municipal Bonds | X |
General Obligation Bonds | X |
Revenue Bonds | X |
Private Activity Bonds (“PABs”) | X |
Moral Obligation Bonds | X |
Municipal Notes | X |
Municipal Commercial Paper | X |
Municipal Lease Obligations | X |
Tender Option Bonds | X |
Yields | X |
Variable Rate Demand Obligations (“VRDOs”) and Participating VRDOs | X |
Transactions in Financial Futures Contracts | X |
Call Rights | X |
Municipal Interest Rate Swap Transactions | X |
Insured Municipal Bonds | X |
Build America Bonds | X |
Participation Notes | X |
Pay-in-kind Bonds | X |
Portfolio Turnover Rates | X |
Preferred Stock | X |
Real Estate Related Securities | X |
Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) | X |
Repurchase Agreements and Purchase and Sale Contracts | X |
Reverse Repurchase Agreements | X |
Rights Offerings and Warrants to Purchase | X |
Securities Lending | X |
Short Sales | X |
Sovereign Debt | X |
Standby Commitment Agreements | X |
BlackRock
Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
|
Stripped Securities | X |
Structured Notes | X |
Supranational Entities | X |
Tax-Exempt Derivatives | |
Tax-Exempt Preferred Shares | |
Taxability Risk | X |
Trust Preferred Securities | X |
U.S. Government Obligations | X |
U.S. Treasury Obligations | X |
Utility Industries | X |
When-Issued Securities, Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments | X |
Yields and Ratings | X |
Zero Coupon Securities | X |
1 | Fund may purchase (but not write) interest rate options. |
2 | Fund may purchase (but not write) currency options. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Independent Trustees | ||
James H. Bodurtha | James H. Bodurtha has served for more than 25 years on the boards of registered investment companies, most recently as a member of the Board of the Equity-Bond Complex and its predecessor funds, including as Chairman of the Board of certain of the legacy-Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (“MLIM”) funds. Prior thereto, Mr. Bodurtha was counsel to and a member of the board of a smaller bank-sponsored mutual funds group. In addition, Mr. Bodurtha is a member of, and previously served as Chairman of, the Independent Directors Council and served for 11 years as an independent director on the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute. He also has more than 30 years of executive management and business experience through his work as a consultant and as the chairman of the board of a privately-held company. In addition, Mr. Bodurtha has more than 20 years of legal experience as a corporate attorney and partner in a law firm, where his practice included counseling registered investment companies and their boards. | |
Bruce R. Bond | Bruce R. Bond has served for approximately 20 years on the board of registered investment companies, having served as a member of the Board of the Equity-Bond Complex and its predecessor funds, including the legacy-BlackRock funds and the State Street Research Mutual Funds. He also has executive management and business experience, having served as president and chief executive officer of several communications networking companies. Mr. Bond also has corporate governance experience from his service as a director of a computer equipment company. Mr. Bond has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable SEC rules. | |
The
Honorable
Stuart E. Eizenstat |
The Honorable Stuart E. Eizenstat has served for approximately 16 years on the board of registered investment companies, having served as a member of the Board of the Equity-Bond Complex and its predecessor funds, including the legacy-BlackRock funds. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business & Agricultural Affairs, and Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury during the Clinton Administration. He was Director of the White House Domestic Policy Staff and Chief Domestic Policy Adviser to President Carter. In addition, Mr. Eizenstat is a practicing attorney and Head of the International Practice at a major international law firm. Mr. Eizenstat has business and executive management experience and corporate governance experience through his service on the advisory boards and corporate boards of publicly-held consumer, energy, environmental delivery, metallurgical and telecommunications companies. | |
Henry Gabbay | Henry Gabbay’s many years of experience in finance provide the Board with a wealth of practical business knowledge and leadership. In particular, Mr. Gabbay’s experience as a Consultant for and Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc., Chief Administrative Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and President of BlackRock Funds provides the Fund with greater insight into the analysis and evaluation of both their existing investment portfolios and potential future investments as well as enhanced oversight of their investment decisions and investment valuation processes. In addition, Mr. Gabbay’s former positions as Chief Administrative Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and as Treasurer of certain closed-end funds in the BlackRock Fund Complex, as well as his former positions on the boards of directors/trustees of the funds in the Equity-Liquidity Complex and Closed-End Complex, provide the Board with direct knowledge of the operations of the BlackRock-advised Funds and their investment adviser. Mr. Gabbay’s previous service on and long-standing relationship with the Board also provide him with a specific understanding of the BlackRock-advised Funds, their operations, and the business and regulatory issues facing the BlackRock-advised Funds. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Lena G. Goldberg | Lena G. Goldberg has more than 20 years of business and oversight experience, most recently through her service as a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. Prior thereto, she held legal and management positions at FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments as well as positions on the boards of various Fidelity subsidiaries over a 12-year period. She has additional corporate governance experience as a member of board and advisory committees for privately held corporations and non-profit organizations. Ms. Goldberg also has more than 17 years of legal experience as an attorney in private practice, including as a partner in a law firm. | |
Robert M. Hernandez | Robert M. Hernandez has served for approximately 23 years on the board of registered investment companies, having served as Chair of the Board of the Equity-Bond Complex and as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Audit and Nominating/Governance Committees of its predecessor funds, including certain legacy-BlackRock funds. Mr. Hernandez has business and executive experience through his service as group president, chief financial officer, Chairman and vice chairman, among other positions, of publicly-held energy, steel, and metal companies. He has served as a director of other public companies in various industries throughout his career. He also has broad corporate governance experience, having served as a board member of publicly-held energy, insurance, chemicals, metals and electronics companies. Mr. Hernandez has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable SEC rules. | |
Henry R. Keizer | Henry R. Keizer brings over 40 years of executive, financial, operational, strategic and global expertise gained through his 35 year career at KPMG, a global professional services organization and by his service as a director to both publicly and privately held organizations. He has extensive experience with issues facing complex, global companies and expertise in financial reporting, accounting, auditing, risk management, and regulatory affairs for such companies. Mr. Keizer’s experience also includes service as an audit committee chair to both publicly and privately held organizations across numerous industries including professional services, property and casualty reinsurance, insurance, diversified financial services, banking, direct to consumer, business to business and technology. Mr. Keizer is a certified public accountant and also served on the board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Keizer has been determined by the Audit Committee to be an audit committee financial expert, as such term is defined in the applicable SEC rules. | |
John F. O’Brien | John F. O’Brien has served for approximately 12 years on the board of registered investment companies, having served as a member of the Board of the Equity-Bond Complex and its predecessor funds, including the legacy-MLIM funds. He also has investment management experience, having served as the president, director, and chairman of the board of an investment management firm and a life insurance company. Mr. O’Brien also has broad corporate governance and audit committee experience, having served as a board member and audit committee member of publicly-held financial, medical, energy, chemical, retail, life insurance and auto parts manufacturing companies, and as a director of a not-for-profit organization. | |
Donald C. Opatrny | Donald C. Opatrny has more than 39 years of business, oversight and executive experience, including through his service as president, director and investment committee chair for academic and not-for-profit organizations, and his experience as a partner, managing director and advisory director at Goldman Sachs for 32 years. He also has investment management experience as a board member of Athena Capital Advisors LLC. |
Trustees | Experience, Qualifications and Skills | |
Interested Trustees | ||
Robert Fairbairn | Robert Fairbairn has more than 20 years of experience with BlackRock, Inc. and over 28 years of experience in finance and asset management. In particular, Mr. Fairbairn’s positions as Senior Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. with oversight over BlackRock’s Strategic Partner Program and Strategic Product Management Group, Member of BlackRock’s Global Executive and Global Operating Committees and Co-Chair of BlackRock’s Human Capital Committee provide the Board with a wealth of practical business knowledge and leadership. In addition, Mr. Fairbairn has global investment management and oversight experience through his former positions as Global Head of BlackRock’s Retail and iShares ® businesses, Head of BlackRock’s Global Client Group and Chairman of BlackRock’s international businesses. Mr. Fairbairn also serves as a board member for the funds in the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex. | |
John M. Perlowski | John M. Perlowski’s experience as Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2009, as the Head of BlackRock Global Accounting and Product Services since 2009, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the BlackRock-advised Funds provides him with a strong understanding of the BlackRock-advised Funds, their operations, and the business and regulatory issues facing the BlackRock-advised Funds. Mr. Perlowski’s prior position as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the Global Product Group at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and his former service as Treasurer and Senior Vice President of the Goldman Sachs Mutual Funds and as Director of the Goldman Sachs Offshore Funds provides the Boards with the benefit of his experience with the management practices of other financial companies. Mr. Perlowski also serves as a board member for the funds in the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex. |
Name
and Year of Birth 1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service) 3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Independent Trustees | ||||||||
Robert
M. Hernandez
|
Chair
of the Board and Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Director, Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of USX Corporation (energy and steel business) from 1991 to 2001; Director and non-executive Chairman, RTI International Metals, Inc. from 1990 to 2015; Director, TE Connectivity (electronics) from 2006 to 2012. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios |
Chubb
Limited
(insurance company); Eastman Chemical Company |
||||
James
H. Bodurtha
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Director, The China Business Group, Inc. (consulting and investing firm) from 1996 to 2013 and Executive Vice President thereof from 1996 to 2003; Chairman of the Board, Berkshire Holding Corporation since 1980; Director, ICI Mutual since 2010. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios | None |
Name
and Year of Birth 1,2 |
Position(s)
Held (Length of Service) 3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
Number
of
BlackRock- Advised Registered Investment Companies (“RICs”) Consisting of Investment Portfolios (“Portfolios”) Overseen |
Public
Company and Other Investment Company Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
||||
Bruce
R. Bond
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Board Member, Amsphere Limited (software) since 2018; Trustee and Member of the Governance Committee, State Street Research Mutual Funds from 1997 to 2005; Board Member of Governance, Audit and Finance Committee, Avaya Inc. (computer equipment) from 2003 to 2007. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios | None | ||||
Honorable
Stuart E. Eizenstat
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Senior Counsel of Covington and Burling LLP (law firm) since 2016, Head of International Practice thereof since 2001, and Partner thereof from 2001 to 2016; Advisory Board Member, OCP S.A. (phosphates) since 2010; International Advisory Board Member, The Coca-Cola Company from 2002 to 2011; Advisory Board Member, Veracity Worldwide, LLC (risk management) from 2007 to 2012; Member of the International Advisory Board, GML Ltd. (energy) since 2003; Board of Directors, Ferroglobe (silicon metals) since 2016. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios |
Alcatel-Lucent
(telecommunications); Global Specialty Metallurgical; UPS Corporation (delivery service) |
||||
Henry
Gabbay
|
Trustee
(Since 2007) |
Board Member, Equity-Liquidity and Closed-End Fund Boards from 2007 through 2014; Consultant, BlackRock, Inc. from 2007 to 2008; Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. from 1989 to 2007; Chief Administrative Officer, BlackRock Advisors, LLC from 1998 to 2007; President of BlackRock Funds and BlackRock Allocation Target Shares (formerly, BlackRock Bond Allocation Target Shares) from 2005 to 2007 and Treasurer of certain closed-end funds in the BlackRock fund complex from 1989 to 2006. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios | None | ||||
Lena
G. Goldberg
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School, since 2008; Director, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc. since 2013; FMR LLC/Fidelity Investments (financial services) from 1996 to 2008, serving in various senior roles including Executive Vice President-Strategic Corporate Initiatives and Executive Vice President and General Counsel; Partner, Sullivan & Worcester LLP from 1985 to 1996 and Associate thereof from 1979 to 1985. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios | None | ||||
Henry
R. Keizer
|
Trustee
(Since 2016) |
Director, Park Indemnity Ltd. (captive insurer) since 2010; Director, MUFG Americas Holdings Corporation and MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (financial and bank holding company) from 2014 to 2016; Director, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants from 2009 to 2011; Director, KPMG LLP (audit, tax and advisory services) from 2004 to 2005 and 2010 to 2012; Director, KPMG International in 2012, Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer thereof from 2010 to 2012 and U.S. Vice Chairman of Audit thereof from 2005 to 2010; Global Head of Audit, KPMGI (consortium of KPMG firms) from 2006 to 2010; Director, YMCA of Greater New York from 2006 to 2010. | 32 RICs consisting of 95 Portfolios | Hertz Global Holdings (car rental); Sealed Air Corp. (packaging); WABCO (commercial vehicle safety systems); Montpelier Re Holdings, Ltd. (publicly held property and casual reinsurance) from 2013 until 2015 |
1 | The address of each Trustee is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52 nd Street, New York, NY 10055. |
2 | Each Independent Trustee holds office until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal as provided by the Trust’s by-laws or charter or statute, or until December 31 of the year in which he or she turns 75. The Board may determine to extend the terms of Independent Trustees on a case-by-case basis, as appropriate. Interested Trustees serve until their successor is duly elected and qualifies or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal as provided by the Trust’s by-laws or statute, or until December 31 of the year in which they turn 72. |
3 | Length of service includes service as trustee of the Predecessor Trust. Following the combination of MLIM and BlackRock, Inc. in September |
2006, the various legacy MLIM and legacy BlackRock fund boards were realigned and consolidated into three new fund boards in 2007. As a result, although the chart shows certain Independent Trustees as joining the Trust’s board in 2007, those Trustees first became members of the boards of other legacy MLIM or legacy BlackRock funds as follows: James H. Bodurtha, 1995; Bruce R. Bond, 2005; Honorable Stuart E. Eizenstat, 2001; Robert M. Hernandez, 1996; and John F. O’Brien, 2005. | |
4 | Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are both “interested persons,” as defined in the Investment Company Act, of the Trust based on their positions with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates. Mr. Fairbairn and Mr. Perlowski are also board members of the BlackRock Closed-End Complex and the BlackRock Equity-Liquidity Complex. |
Name
and Year of Birth 1,2 |
Position(s)
Held
(Length of Service) 3 |
Principal
Occupation(s)
During Past Five Years |
||
Officers Who Are Not Trustees | ||||
Jennifer
McGovern
|
Vice
President
(Since 2014) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2016; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2011 to 2015; Head of Product Structure and Oversight for BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory Group since 2013. | ||
Neal
J. Andrews
|
Chief
Financial Officer (Since 2007) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. | ||
Jay
M. Fife
|
Treasurer
(Since 2007) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2007. | ||
Charles
Park
|
Chief
Compliance Officer (Since 2014) |
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer for the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Equity-Bond Complex, the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex from 2014 to 2015; Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Equity-Bond Complex, the Equity-Liquidity Complex and the Closed-End Complex since 2014; Principal of and Chief Compliance Officer for iShares ® Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC since 2012 and BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”) since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for the BFA-advised iShares ® exchange traded funds since 2006; Chief Compliance Officer for BlackRock Asset Management International Inc. since 2012. | ||
John
MacKessy
|
Anti-Money
Laundering Compliance Officer
(Since 2018) |
Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2017; Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering at BlackRock, Inc. since 2017; Director of AML Monitoring and Investigations Group of Citibank from 2015 to 2017; Global Anti-Money Laundering and Economic Sanctions Officer for MasterCard from 2011 to 2015. | ||
Benjamin
Archibald
|
Secretary
(Since 2012) |
Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2014; Director of BlackRock, Inc. from 2010 to 2013; Secretary of the iShares ® exchange traded funds since 2015; Secretary of the BlackRock-advised mutual funds since 2012. |
1 | The address of each Officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 55 East 52 nd Street, New York, NY 10055. |
2 | Officers of the Trust serve at the pleasure of the Board. |
3 | Length of service includes service in such capacity for the Predecessor Trust. |
Name of Trustee |
Aggregate
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Predecessor Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in BlackRock Advised Funds |
||
Interested Trustees | ||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
$10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
John M.
Perlowski
|
Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Independent Trustees | ||||
James H.
Bodurtha
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Bruce R.
Bond
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Honorable Stuart E.
Eizenstat
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Henry
Gabbay
|
None | Over $100,000 |
Name of Trustee |
Aggregate
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in the Predecessor Fund |
Aggregate
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities in BlackRock Advised Funds |
||
Lena G.
Goldberg
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Robert M.
Hernandez
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Henry R.
Keizer
|
$10,001-$50,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
John F.
O’Brien
|
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Donald C.
Opatrny
|
None | Over $100,000 |
Name 1 |
Aggregate
Compensation from the Predecessor Fund |
Estimated
Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Aggregate
Compensation from the Predecessor Fund and other BlackRock- Advised Funds |
|||
Interested Trustees: 2 | ||||||
Robert
Fairbairn
|
None | None | None | |||
John M.
Perlowski
|
None | None | None | |||
Independent Trustees: | ||||||
James H.
Bodurtha
3
|
$5,537 | None | $380,000 | |||
Bruce R.
Bond
4
|
$6,175 | None | $380,000 | |||
Donald W.
Burton
5
|
$1,800 | None | $345,000 | |||
Honorable Stuart E.
Eizenstat
|
$5,347 | None | $345,000 | |||
Henry
Gabbay
|
$5,432 | None | $345,000 | |||
Lena G.
Goldberg
6
|
$6,730 | None | $331,667 | |||
Robert M.
Hernandez
7
|
$7,633 | None | $460,000 | |||
Henry R.
Keizer
8
|
$6,175 | None | $376,986 | |||
John F.
O’Brien
|
$5,242 | None | $345,000 | |||
Donald C.
Opatrny
9
|
$6,070 | None | $380,000 | |||
Roberta Cooper
Ramo
10
|
$1,800 | None | $345,000 | |||
David H.
Walsh
11
|
None | None | $17,222 | |||
Fred G.
Weiss
12
|
None | None | $17,222 |
1 | For the number of BlackRock-advised Funds from which each Trustee receives compensation see the Biographical Information Chart beginning on page I-11. |
2 | Messrs. Fairbairn and Perlowski receive no compensation from the BlackRock-advised Funds for their service as Trustees/Directors. |
3 | Chair of the Compliance Committee of the Predecessor Trust through December 31, 2017. |
4 | Chair of the Governance Committee of the Predecessor Trust effective January 1, 2017. |
5 | Mr. Burton resigned as a Trustee of the Predecessor Trust effective December 31, 2017. |
6 | Chair of the Compliance Committee of the Predecessor Trust effective January 1, 2017. |
7 | Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Predecessor Trust. |
8 | Chair of the Audit Committee of the Predecessor Trust effective February 1, 2017. |
9 | Chair of the Performance Committee of the Predecessor Trust effective January 1, 2017. |
10 | Ms. Ramo retired as a Trustee of the Predecessor Trust effective December 31, 2017. |
11 | Mr. Walsh retired as a Trustee of the Predecessor Trust effective January 31, 2017. |
12 | Mr. Weiss retired as a Trustee of the Predecessor Trust effective January 31, 2017. Mr. Weiss served as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Predecessor Trust and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Predecessor Trust through January 31, 2017. |
Average Daily Net Assets | Management Fee | |
First $1
billion
|
0.550% | |
$1 billion — $2
billion
|
0.500% | |
$2 billion — $3
billion
|
0.475% | |
Greater than $3
billion
|
0.450% |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, | Fees Paid | Waivers 1 | Reimbursements | |||
2018
|
$18,854,162 | $196,141 | $0 | |||
2017
|
$17,218,012 | $162,514 | $0 | |||
2016
|
$14,219,185 | $138,476 | $0 |
1 | In addition to the contractual waivers described above, the Manager may voluntarily waive a portion of the Fund’s management fee in connection with the Fund’s investment in an affiliated money market fund. |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, | Fees Paid to BlackRock | Fees Waived by BlackRock | ||
2018
|
$2,177,962 | $ 149 | ||
2017
|
$1,977,609 | $13,080 | ||
2016
|
$1,617,972 | $17,919 |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, | Reimbursed to BlackRock | |
2018
|
$19,625 | |
2017
|
$17,997 | |
2016
|
$20,877 |
Number
of Other Accounts Managed
and Assets by Account Type |
Number
of Other Accounts and
Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance-Based |
|||||
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Other
Registered Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
Other
Registered Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other
Accounts |
James Keenan, CFA | 14 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
$23.56 Billion | $8.66 Billion | $7.56 Billion | $0 | $0 | $1.08 Billion | |
David Delbos | 15 | 14 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
$23.55 Billion | $9.64 Billion | $9.23 Billion | $0 | $0 | $1.08 Billion | |
Mitchell Garfin | 16 | 17 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
$25.94 Billion | $9.29 Billion | $9.61 Billion | $0 | $0 | $1.08 Billion | |
Joshua Tarnow | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$5.00 Billion | $235.4 Million | $395.8 Million | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Carly Wilson | 8 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$9.00 Billion | $6.06 Million | $306.5 Million | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Matthew Maxwell | 7 | 26 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$5.21 Billion | $12.65 Billion | $1.22 Billion | $0 | $0 | $0 | |
Abigail Apistolas | 8 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$4.47 Billion | $6.16 Billion | $890.6 Billion | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Portfolio Manager | Benchmarks | |
James
Keenan
David Delbos Mitchell Garfin |
A combination of market-based indices (e.g., The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Corporate High Yield 2% Issuer Cap Index), certain customized indices and certain fund industry peer groups. | |
Joshua
Tarnow
Carly Wilson |
A combination of market-based indices (e.g. Bank of America Merrill Lynch 3 Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index) | |
Abigail
Apistolas
Matthew Maxwell |
A combination of market-based indices (e.g., S&P Leveraged All Loan Index), certain customized indices and certain fund industry peer groups. |
Portfolio Manager |
Dollar
Range of Equity Securities
Beneficially Owned in the Predecessor Fund 1 |
|
James Keenan,
CFA
|
Over $1 Million | |
David
Delbos
|
None | |
Mitchell
Garfin
|
None | |
Joshua
Tarnow
|
$500,001-$1,000,000 | |
Carly
Wilson
|
$10,001-$50,000 | |
Matthew
Maxwell
|
$10,001-$50,000 | |
Abigail
Apistolas
|
None |
1 | Includes securities attributable to the portfolio manager’s participation in certain deferred compensation and retirement programs. |
For the Fiscal Year Ended July 31, | Fees Paid to JPM or BNY Mellon | |
2018
|
$568,729 | |
2017
|
$512,394 | |
2016
|
$427,503 |
Investor A Shares | ||||||||
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, |
Gross
Sales
Charges Collected |
Sales
Charges
Retained by BRIL |
Sales
Charges
Paid to Affiliates |
CDSCs
Received
on Redemption of Load-Waived Shares |
||||
2018
|
$136,406 | $20,237 | $20,237 | $37,049 | ||||
2017
|
$195,038 | $27,723 | $27,723 | $18,666 | ||||
2016
|
$187,300 | $25,243 | $25,243 | $75,247 |
Investor C Shares | ||||
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, |
CDSCs
Received
by BRIL |
CDSCs
Paid to
Affiliates |
||
2018
|
$23,791 | $23,791 | ||
2017
|
$22,992 | $22,992 | ||
2016
|
$29,014 | $29,014 |
Investor C1 Shares | ||||
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, |
CDSCs
Received
by BRIL |
CDSCs
Paid to
Affiliates |
||
2018
|
$ 0 | $ 0 | ||
2017
|
$ 0 | $ 0 | ||
2016
|
$36 | $36 |
Class Name | Paid to BRIL | |
Investor A
Shares
|
$1,422,447 | |
Investor C
Shares
|
$1,248,665 | |
Investor C1
Shares
|
$ 95,754 |
Investor
A
Shares |
|
Net
Assets
|
$546,842,867 |
Number of Shares
Outstanding
|
53,875,924 |
Net Asset Value Per Share (net assets
divided by number of shares
outstanding)
|
$10.15 |
Sales Charge (for Investor A Shares:
2.50% of offering price; 2.57% of net
asset value per share)
1
|
$0.26 |
Offering
Price
|
$10.41 |
1 | Assumes maximum sales charge applicable. |
Fiscal Year Ended August 31, |
Aggregate
Brokerage
Commissions Paid |
Commissions
Paid
to Affiliates |
||
2018
|
$160,456 | $0 | ||
2017
|
$ 11,747 | $0 | ||
2016
|
$ 11,762 | $0 |
Amount
of Commissions
Paid to Brokers for Providing Research Services |
Amount
of Brokerage
Transactions Involved |
|||
$518 | $483,035 |
Regular Broker-Dealer | Debt(D)/Equity(E) | Aggregate Holdings (000’s) | ||
JPMorgan Chase &
Co.
|
D | $10,236 |
(1) | selecting borrowers from an approved list of borrowers and executing a securities lending agreement as agent on behalf of the Fund with each such borrower; |
(2) | negotiating the terms of securities loans, including the amount of fees; |
(3) | directing the delivery of loaned securities; |
(4) | monitoring the daily value of the loaned securities and directing the payment of additional collateral or the return of excess collateral, as necessary; |
(5) | investing cash collateral received in connection with any loaned securities; |
(6) | monitoring distributions on loaned securities (for example, interest and dividend activity); |
(7) | in the event of default by a borrower with respect to any securities loan, using the collateral or the proceeds of the liquidation of collateral to purchase replacement securities of the same issue, type, class and series as that of the loaned securities; and |
(8) | terminating securities loans and arranging for the return of loaned securities to the Fund at loan termination. |
Floating Rate Income Portfolio | |
Gross income from securities lending
activities
|
$10,791 |
Fees and/or compensation for securities lending activities and related services | |
Securities lending income paid to BIM for services as securities lending agent
|
$ 356 |
Cash collateral management expenses not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 191 |
Administrative fees not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 0 |
Indemnification fees not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 0 |
Rebates (paid to
borrowers)
|
$ 8,929 |
Other fees not included in securities lending income paid to
BIM
|
$ 0 |
Aggregate fees/compensation for securities lending
activities
|
$ 9,476 |
Net income from securities lending
activities
|
$ 1,315 |
Name | Address | % | Class | |||
Merrill
Lynch Pierce Fenner &
Smith Incorporated |
4800
Deer Lake Drive East
3 rd Floor Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
25.28% | Investor A Shares |
Name | Address | % | Class | |||
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC |
1
New York Plaza
Floor 12 New York, NY 10004-1901 |
10.00% | Investor A Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Blvd
Floor 5 Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
9.77% | Investor A Shares | |||
Charles Schwab & Co Inc. |
101
Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104-4122 |
9.17% | Investor A Shares | |||
JP Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
8.58% | Investor A Shares | |||
UBS WM USA |
1000
Harbor Blvd.
Weehawken, NJ 07086 |
8.36% | Investor A Shares | |||
Pershing LLC |
1
Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-0001 |
5.74% | Investor A Shares | |||
Merrill
Lynch Pierce Fenner &
Smith Incorporated |
4800
Deer Lake Drive East
3 rd Floor Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
28.16% | Investor C Shares | |||
JP Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
13.18% | Investor C Shares | |||
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC |
1
New York Plaza
Floor 12 New York, NY 10004-1901 |
11.29% | Investor C Shares | |||
Pershing LLC |
1
Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-0001 |
8.73% | Investor C Shares | |||
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLC |
2801
Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103 |
6.89% | Investor C Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Blvd
Floor 5 Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
6.76% | Investor C Shares | |||
Merrill
Lynch Pierce Fenner &
Smith Incorporated |
4800
Deer Lake Drive East
3 rd Floor Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
65.43% | Investor C1 Shares | |||
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC |
1
New York Plaza
Floor 12 New York, NY 10004-1901 |
11.49% | Investor C1 Shares | |||
National Financial Services LLC |
499
Washington Blvd
Floor 5 Jersey City, NJ 07310-2010 |
31.41% | Institutional Shares | |||
Merrill
Lynch Pierce Fenner &
Smith Incorporated |
4800
Deer Lake Drive East
3 rd Floor Jacksonville, FL 32246-6484 |
19.19% | Institutional Shares | |||
UBS WM USA |
1000
Harbor Blvd.
Weehawken, NJ 07086 |
8.94% | Institutional Shares | |||
Charles Schwab & Co Inc |
101
Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94104-4122 |
8.24% | Institutional Shares | |||
Pershing LLC |
1
Pershing Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07399-0001 |
5.46% | Institutional Shares |
Name | Address | % | Class | |||
JP Morgan Securities LLC |
4
Chase Metrotech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11245 |
29.26% | Class K Shares | |||
Lacera Master OPEB Trust |
300
N. Lake Ave.
STE: 850 Pasadena, CA 91101-4109 |
23.31% | Class K Shares | |||
Affiliated Independent Distributors Inc. |
500
E Swedesford Road
Suite 200 Wayne, PA 19087-1614 |
17.29% | Class K Shares | |||
BlackRock Advisors LLC |
100
Bellevue Parkway
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
12.75% | Class K Shares | |||
BlackRock Advisors LLC |
100
Bellevue Parkway
Wilmington, DE 19809 |
8.66% | Class K Shares |
• | Junk bonds may be issued by less creditworthy companies. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer’s industry and to general economic conditions. Issuers of junk bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing. |
• | The issuers of junk bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. The issuer’s ability to pay its debt obligations also may be lessened by specific issuer developments, or the unavailability of additional financing. Issuers of high yield securities are often in the growth stage of their development and/or involved in a reorganization or takeover. |
• | Junk bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations, which will potentially limit a Fund’s ability to fully recover principal or to receive interest payments when senior securities are in default. Thus, investors in high yield securities have a lower degree of protection with respect to principal and interest payments then do investors in higher rated securities. |
• | Junk bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from a Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the junk bonds, a Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
• | Prices of junk bonds are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of junk bonds than on those of other higher rated fixed-income securities. |
• | The secondary markets for high yield securities are not as liquid as the secondary markets for higher rated securities. The secondary markets for high yield securities are concentrated in relatively few market makers and participants in the markets are mostly institutional investors, including insurance companies, banks, other financial institutions and mutual funds. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that for higher rated securities and the secondary markets could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. Under certain economic and/or market conditions, a Fund may have difficulty disposing of certain high yield securities due to the limited number of investors in that sector of the market. An illiquid secondary market may adversely affect the market price of the high yield security, which may result in increased difficulty selling the particular issue and obtaining accurate market quotations on the issue when valuing a Fund’s assets. Market quotations on high yield securities are available only from a limited number of dealers, and such quotations may not be the actual prices available for a purchase or sale. When the secondary market for high yield securities becomes more illiquid, or in the absence of readily available market quotations for such securities, the relative lack of reliable objective data makes it more difficult to value a Fund’s securities, and judgment plays a more important role in determining such valuations. |
• | A Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
• | The junk bond markets may react strongly to adverse news about an issuer or the economy, or to the perception or expectation of adverse news, whether or not it is based on fundamental analysis. Additionally, prices for high yield securities may be affected by legislative and regulatory developments. These developments could adversely |
affect a Fund’s net asset value and investment practices, the secondary market for high yield securities, the financial condition of issuers of these securities and the value and liquidity of outstanding high yield securities, especially in a thinly traded market. For example, federal legislation requiring the divestiture by federally insured savings and loan associations of their investments in high yield bonds and limiting the deductibility of interest by certain corporate issuers of high yield bonds adversely affected the market in the past. | |
• | The rating assigned by a rating agency evaluates the issuing agency’s assessment of the safety of a non-investment grade security’s principal and interest payments, but does not address market value risk. Because such ratings of the ratings agencies may not always reflect current conditions and events, in addition to using recognized rating agencies and other sources, the sub-adviser performs its own analysis of the issuers whose non-investment grade securities a Fund holds. Because of this, the Fund’s performance may depend more on the sub-adviser’s own credit analysis than in the case of mutual funds investing in higher-rated securities. |
(a) | U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued or supported by the credit of U.S. or foreign banks or savings institutions with total assets in excess of $1 billion (including obligations of foreign branches of such banks); |
(b) | high quality commercial paper and other obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. and foreign corporations and other issuers rated (at the time of purchase) A-2 or higher by S&P, Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s or F-2 or higher by Fitch, as well as high quality corporate bonds rated (at the time of purchase) A or higher by those rating agencies; |
(c) | unrated notes, paper and other instruments that are of comparable quality to the instruments described in (b) above as determined by the Fund’s Manager; |
(d) | asset-backed securities (including interests in pools of assets such as mortgages, installment purchase obligations and credit card receivables); |
(e) | securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or by its agencies or authorities and related custodial receipts; |
(f) | dollar-denominated securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments or their political subdivisions, agencies or authorities; |
(g) | funding agreements issued by highly-rated U.S. insurance companies; |
(h) | securities issued or guaranteed by state or local governmental bodies; |
(i) | repurchase agreements relating to the above instruments; |
(j) | municipal bonds and notes whose principal and interest payments are guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies or authorities or which otherwise depend on the credit of the United States; |
(k) | fixed and variable rate notes and similar debt instruments rated MIG-2, VMIG-2 or Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s, SP-2 or A-2 or higher by S&P, or F-2 or higher by Fitch; |
(l) | tax-exempt commercial paper and similar debt instruments rated Prime-2 or higher by Moody’s, A-2 or higher by S&P, or F-2 or higher by Fitch; |
(m) | municipal bonds rated A or higher by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch; |
(n) | unrated notes, paper or other instruments that are of comparable quality to the instruments described above, as determined by the Fund’s Manager under guidelines established by the Board; and |
(o) | municipal bonds and notes which are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or an agency or instrumentality thereof or which otherwise depend directly or indirectly on the credit of the United States. |
Mortgage-Related Securities |
• | Portfolio Holdings: “Portfolio Holdings” are a Fund’s portfolio securities and other instruments, and include, but are not limited to: |
• | for equity securities, information such as issuer name, CUSIP, ticker symbol, total shares and market value; |
• | for fixed income securities, information such as issuer name, CUSIP, ticker symbol, coupon, maturity, current face value and market value; |
• | for all securities, information such as quantity, SEDOL, market price, yield, WAL, duration and convexity as of a specific date; |
• | for derivatives, indicative data including, but not limited to, pay leg, receive leg, notional amount, reset frequency and trade counterparty; and |
• | trading strategies, specific portfolio holdings, including the number of shares held, weightings of particular holdings, trading details, pending or recent transactions and portfolio management plans to purchase or sell particular securities or allocation within particular sectors. |
• | Portfolio Characteristics: “Portfolio Characteristics” include, but are not limited to, sector allocation, credit quality breakdown, maturity distribution, duration and convexity measures, average credit quality, average maturity, average coupon, top 10 holdings with percent of the fund held, average market capitalization, capitalization range, risk related information (e.g., value at risk, standard deviation), ROE, P/E, P/B, P/CF, P/S and EPS. |
• | Additional characteristics specific to money market funds include, but are not limited to, historical daily and weekly liquid assets (as defined under Rule 2a-7) and historical fund net inflows and outflows. |
Money Market Funds | ||
Time Periods (Calendar Days) | ||
Prior
to 5 Calendar Days
After Month-End |
5
Calendar Days After
Month-End to Date of Public Filing |
|
Portfolio
Holdings |
Cannot
disclose without non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and CCO approval except the following portfolio holdings information may be released as follows:
• Weekly portfolio holdings information released on the website at least one business day after week-end. • Other information as may be required under Rule 2a-7 ( e.g. , name of issuer, category of investment, principal amount, maturity dates, yields). |
May disclose to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third-party data providers. If portfolio holdings are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
Portfolio
Characteristics |
Cannot
disclose without non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and CCO approval except the following information may be released on the Fund’s website daily:
• Historical net asset values per share (“NAVs”) calculated based on market factors ( e.g. , marked to market) • Percentage of fund assets invested in daily and weekly liquid assets (as defined under Rule 2a-7) • Daily net inflows and outflows • Yields, SEC yields, WAM, WAL, current assets • Other information as may be required by Rule 2a-7 |
May disclose to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries, consultants and third-party data providers. If Portfolio Characteristics are disclosed to one party, they must also be disclosed to all other parties requesting the same information. |
(i) | the preparation and posting of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings and/or Portfolio Characteristics to its website on a more frequent basis than authorized above; |
(ii) | the disclosure of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings to third-party service providers not noted above; and |
(iii) | the disclosure of the Fund’s Portfolio Holdings and/or Portfolio Characteristics to other parties for legitimate business purposes. |
• | Fund Fact Sheets are available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries and consultants on a monthly or quarterly basis no earlier than the fifth calendar day after the end of a month or quarter. |
• | Money Market Performance Reports are typically available to shareholders, prospective shareholders, intermediaries and consultants by the tenth calendar day of the month (and on a one day lag for certain institutional funds). They contain monthly money market Fund performance, rolling 12-month average and benchmark performance. |
1. | Fund’s Board of Directors and, if necessary, Independent Directors’ counsel and Fund counsel. |
2. | Fund’s Transfer Agent. |
3. | Fund’s Custodian. |
4. | Fund’s Administrator, if applicable. |
5. | Fund’s independent registered public accounting firm. |
6. | Fund’s accounting services provider. |
7. | Independent rating agencies — Morningstar, Inc., Lipper Inc., S&P, Moody’s, Fitch. |
8. | Information aggregators — Markit on Demand, Thomson Financial and Bloomberg, eVestments Alliance, Informa/PSN Investment Solutions, Crane Data and iMoneyNet. |
9. | Sponsors of 401(k) plans that include BlackRock-advised funds — E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company, Inc. |
10. | Sponsors and consultants for pension and retirement plans that invest in BlackRock-advised funds — Rocaton Investment Advisors, LLC, Mercer Investment Consulting, Callan Associates, Brockhouse & Cooper, Cambridge Associates, Morningstar/Investorforce, Russell Investments (Mellon Analytical Solutions), Wilshire Associates and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
11. | Pricing Vendors — Reuters Pricing Service, Bloomberg, FT Interactive Data (FT IDC), ITG, Telekurs Financial, FactSet Research Systems, Inc., JP Morgan Pricing Direct (formerly Bear Stearns Pricing Service), Standard and Poor’s Security Evaluations Service, Lehman Index Pricing, Bank of America High Yield Index, Loan Pricing Corporation (LPC), LoanX, Super Derivatives, IBoxx Index, Barclays Euro Gov’t Inflation-Linked Bond Index, JPMorgan Emerging & Developed Market Index, Reuters/WM Company, Nomura BPI Index, Japan Securities Dealers Association, Valuation Research Corporation and Murray, Devine & Co., Inc. |
12. | Portfolio Compliance Consultants — Oracle/i-Flex Solutions, Inc. |
13. | Third-party feeder funds — Alight Money Market Fund, Alight Series Trust, Alight Financial Solutions LLC, Homestead, Inc., Transamerica, State Farm Mutual Fund and Sterling Capital Funds and their respective boards, sponsors, administrators and other service providers. |
14. | Affiliated feeder funds — Treasury Money Market Fund (Cayman) and its board, sponsor, administrator and other service providers. |
15. | Other — Investment Company Institute, Mizuho Asset Management Co., Ltd., Nationwide Fund Advisors and State Street Bank and Trust Company. |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
0.50% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.25% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.15% |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
0.75% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
0.15% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.10% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.05% |
$1 million but less than $3
million
|
1.00% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$500,000 but less than $3
million
|
0.75% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$250,000 and above
|
0.50% |
$250,000 but less than $4
million
|
1.00% |
$4 million but less than $10
million
|
0.50% |
$10 million and
above
|
0.25% |
$250,000 but less than $3
million
|
0.75% |
$3 million but less than $15
million
|
0.50% |
$15 million and
above
|
0.25% |
Aaa | Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk. |
Aa | Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. |
A | Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. |
Baa | Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics. |
Ba | Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk. |
B | Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. |
Caa | Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. |
Ca | Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. |
C | Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. |
P-1 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-2 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-3 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations. |
NP | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories. |
MIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing. |
MIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group. |
MIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established. |
SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection. |
VMIG 1 | This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
VMIG 2 | This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
VMIG 3 | This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
SG | This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand. |
• | Likelihood of payment — capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; |
• | Nature of and provisions of the obligation, and the promise we impute; |
• | Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights. |
AAA | An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. |
AA | An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. |
A | An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong. |
BBB | An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
BB;
B;
CCC; CC; and C |
Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions. |
BB | An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CCC | An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CC | An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. |
C | An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher. |
D | An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
NR | This indicates that no rating has been requested, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that S&P does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy. |
A-1 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong. |
A-2 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. |
A-3 | A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. |
C | A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
D | A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligation’s rating is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
• | Amortization schedule — the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and |
• | Source of payment — the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note. |
S&P’s municipal short-term note rating symbols are as follows: |
SP-1 | Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation. |
SP-2 | Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes. |
SP-3 | Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest. |
AAA | Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events. |
AA | Very high credit quality. ‘AA’ ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events. |
A | High credit quality. ‘A’ ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings. |
BBB | Good credit quality. ‘BBB’ ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. |
BB | Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. |
B | Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present. |
CCC | Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present. |
CC | Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk. |
C | Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk. |
F1 | Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature. |
F2 | Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. |
F3 | Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate. |
B | Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions. |
C | High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility. |
RD | Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only. |
D | Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation. |
1 | iShares MSCI Peru ETF and the Social Index Funds, as defined in Appendix A of the Proxy Voting Policy for Social Index Funds have separate Fund Proxy Voting Policies. |
Page | |
|
B-5 |
|
B-5 |
|
B-5 |
|
B-6 |
|
B-7 |
|
B-7 |
|
B-8 |
|
B-8 |
|
B-8 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-9 |
|
B-10 |
|
B-11 |
|
B-11 |
• | Boards and directors |
• | Auditors and audit-related issues |
• | Capital structure, mergers, asset sales and other special transactions |
• | Remuneration and benefits |
• | Social, ethical and environmental issues |
• | General corporate governance matters |
• | establishing an appropriate corporate governance structure; |
• | supporting and overseeing management in setting strategy; |
• | ensuring the integrity of financial statements; |
• | making decisions regarding mergers, acquisitions and disposals; |
• | establishing appropriate executive compensation structures; and |
• | addressing business issues including social, ethical and environmental issues when they have the potential to materially impact company reputation and performance. |
• | current employment at the company or a subsidiary; |
• | former employment within the past several years as an executive of the company; |
• | providing substantial professional services to the company and/or members of the company’s management; |
• | having had a substantial business relationship in the past three years; |
• | having, or representing a shareholder with, a substantial shareholding in the company; |
• | being an immediate family member of any of the aforementioned; and |
• | interlocking directorships. |
• | BlackRock has adopted a proxy voting oversight structure whereby the Corporate Governance Committees oversee the voting decisions and other activities of the Corporate Governance Group, and particularly its activities with respect to voting in the relevant region of each Corporate Governance Committee’s jurisdiction. |
• | The Corporate Governance Committees have adopted Guidelines for each region, which set forth the firm’s views with respect to certain corporate governance and other issues that typically arise in the proxy voting context. The Corporate Governance Committees receive periodic reports regarding the specific votes cast by the Corporate Governance Group and regular updates on material process issues, procedural changes and other matters of concern to the Corporate Governance Committees. |
• | BlackRock’s Global Corporate Governance Oversight Committee oversees the Global Head, the Corporate Governance Group and the Corporate Governance Committees. The Global Corporate Governance Oversight Committee conducts a review, at least annually, of the proxy voting process to ensure compliance with BlackRock’s risk policies and procedures. |
• | BlackRock maintains a reporting structure that separates the Global Head and Corporate Governance Group from employees with sales responsibilities. In addition, BlackRock maintains procedures intended to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers or dissident shareholders are managed consistently and without regard to BlackRock’s relationship with the issuer of the proxy or dissident shareholder. Within the normal course of business, the Global Head or Corporate Governance Group may engage directly with BlackRock clients, and with employees with sales responsibilities, in discussions regarding general corporate governance policy matters, and to otherwise ensure that proxy-related client service levels are met. The Global Head or Corporate Governance Group does not discuss any specific voting matter with a client prior to the disclosure of the vote decision to all applicable clients after the shareholder meeting has taken place, except if the client is acting in the capacity as issuer of the proxy or dissident shareholder and is engaging through the established procedures independent of the client relationship. |
• | In certain instances, BlackRock may determine to engage an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest or as otherwise required by applicable law. The independent fiduciary may either vote such proxies or provide BlackRock with instructions as to how to vote such proxies. In the latter case, BlackRock votes the proxy in accordance with the independent fiduciary’s determination. Use of an independent fiduciary has been adopted for voting the proxies related to any company that is affiliated with BlackRock or any company that includes BlackRock employees on its board of directors. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(a) | — | Articles of Incorporation |
(1) | — | Declaration of Trust of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2018. |
(2) | — | Amended and Restated Certificate of Classification of Shares is filed herewith. |
(b) | — | Bylaws |
(1) | — | Bylaws of the Registrant are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (b)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2018. |
(c) | — | Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders. Incorporated by reference to Exhibits (a) and (b) above. |
(d) | — | Investment Advisory Contracts |
(1) | — | Form of Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(2) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(3) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(3) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(4) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(4) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(5) | — | Form of Sub-Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(5) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(6) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(6) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(7) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(7) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(8) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(8) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(9) | — | Form of Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and BlackRock International Limited (BlackRock Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund) is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (d)(9) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(e) | — | Underwriting Contracts |
(1) | — | Form of Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Investments, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (e)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(f) | — | Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts |
(1) | — | None. |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(g) | — | Custodian Agreement |
(1) | — | Form of Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 7(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds II (File No. 333-142592) filed on January 29, 2008. |
(2) | — | Form of Custody Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 7 of Post-Effective Amendment No. 10 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of Merrill Lynch Maryland Municipal Bond Fund of BlackRock Multi-State Municipal Series Trust (File No. 33-49873), filed on October 30, 2001. |
(3) | — | Form of Master Global Custody Agreement between the Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 7(d) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 728 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds SM (File No. 33-26305), filed on July 28, 2017. |
(h) | — | Other Material Contracts |
(1) | — | Form of Administration Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 148 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds II (File No. 333-142592) filed on January 28, 2015. |
(2) | — | Form of Amendment No. 1 Administration Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(2) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(3) | — | Form of Transfer Agency and Shareholder Services Agreement between the Registrant and BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(a) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Series Fund, Inc. (File No. 2-69062), filed on April 18, 2014. |
(4) | — | Form of Eighth Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement, by and between the Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8(f) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 736 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds SM (File No. 33-26305), filed on September 28, 2017. |
(5) | — | Form of Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(i) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 35 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock EuroFund (File No. 33-04026), filed on October 26, 2012. |
(6) | — | Form of Fifth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement among the Registrant, a syndicate of banks and certain other parties is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8(d) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 63 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Series Fund, Inc. (File No. 002-69062), filed on April 23, 2018. |
(7) | — | Form of Fourth Amended and Restated Securities Lending Agency Agreement between the Registrant and BlackRock Investment Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 8(i) to Post-Effective Amendment No. 808 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds SM (File No. 33-26305), filed on January 25, 2018. |
(8) | — | Form of Master Fund Services Agreement between the Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(n) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 728 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Funds SM (File No. 33-26305), filed on July 28, 2017. |
(9) | — | Form of Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 8(d) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Focus Growth Fund, Inc. (File No. 333-89775), filed on March 20, 2001. |
(10) | — | Investment Advisory Agreement between BlackRock Advisors, LLC and Cayman Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio, Ltd. is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (h)(12) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(i) | — | Legal Opinion |
Exhibit
Number |
Description | |
(1) | — | Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (i)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(j) | — | Other Opinions |
(1) | — | Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP is filed herewith. |
(k) | — | Omitted Financial Statements |
(1) | — | None. |
(l) | — | Initial Capital Agreements |
(1) | — | Purchase Agreement is filed herewith. |
(m) | — | Rule 12b-1 Plan |
(1) | — | Distribution and Service Plan for Service, Investor A, Investor C, Institutional, Investor A1, Investor C1, Investor C2 and Class R Shares is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (m)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
(n) | — | Rule 18f-3 Plan |
(1) | — | Second Amended and Restated Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 for Operation of a Multi-Class Distribution System is filed herewith. |
(o) | — | Reserved |
(p) | — | Codes of Ethics |
(1) | — | Code of Ethics of the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (p)(1) of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Variable Series Funds II, Inc. (File No. 333-224376), filed on July 2, 2018. |
(2) | — | Code of Ethics of BlackRock Investments, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 15(b) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (File No. 2-60836), filed on July 28, 2014. |
(3) | — | Code of Ethics of BlackRock Advisors, LLC is incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 15(c) of Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of BlackRock Advantage U.S. Total Market Fund, Inc. (File No. 2-60836), filed on July 28, 2014. |
(q) | — | Power of Attorney is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (q) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed on July 23, 2018. |
Name | Position(s) and Office(s) with BRIL |
Position(s)
and
Office(s) with Registrant |
Abigail Reynolds | Chairman and Member, Board of Managers, and Chief Executive Officer | None |
Christopher J. Meade | General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer and Senior Managing Director | None |
Saurabh Pathak | Chief Financial Officer and Director | None |
Gregory Rosta | Chief Compliance Officer and Director | None |
Jon Maro | Chief Operating Officer and Director | None |
Anne Ackerley | Member, Board of Managers, and Managing Director | None |
Blair Alleman | Managing Director | None |
Michael Bishopp | Managing Director | None |
Thomas Callahan | Managing Director | None |
Samara Cohen | Managing Director | None |
John Diorio | Managing Director | None |
Lisa Hill | Managing Director | None |
Brendan Kyne | Managing Director | None |
Paul Lohrey | Managing Director | None |
Martin Small | Managing Director | None |
Jonathan Steel | Managing Director | None |
Katrina Gil | Director | None |
Chris Nugent | Director | None |
Andrew Dickson | Director and Secretary | None |
Terri Slane | Director and Assistant Secretary | None |
Lourdes Sanchez | Vice President | None |
Lita Midwinter | Anti-Money Laundering Officer | None |
Robert Fairbairn | Member, Board of Managers | Trustee |
Sarah Melvin | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Richard Prager | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Gerald Pucci | Member, Board of Managers | None |
Salim Ramji | Member, Board of Managers | None |
BlackRock
Funds V
(Registrant) on behalf of BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
|
By: | /s/ John M. Perlowski |
(John
M. Perlowski,
President and Chief Executive Officer) |
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/
John M. Perlowski
(John M. Perlowski) |
Trustee,
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer) |
December 21, 2018 | ||
/s/
Neal J. Andrews
(Neal J. Andrews) |
Chief
Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
December 21, 2018 | ||
James
H. Bodurtha*
(James H. Bodurtha) |
Trustee | |||
Bruce
R. Bond*
(Bruce R. Bond) |
Trustee | |||
Stuart
E. Eizenstat*
(Stuart E. Eizenstat) |
Trustee | |||
Henry
Gabbay*
(Henry Gabbay) |
Trustee | |||
Lena
G. Goldberg*
(Lena G. Goldberg) |
Trustee | |||
Robert
M. Hernandez*
(Robert M. Hernandez) |
Trustee | |||
Henry
R. Keizer*
(Henry R. Keizer) |
Trustee | |||
John
F. O’Brien*
(John F. O’Brien) |
Trustee | |||
Donald
C. Opatrny*
(Donald C. Opatrny) |
Trustee | |||
Robert
Fairbairn*
(Robert Fairbairn) |
Trustee |
Signature | Title | Date | ||
*By:
/s/ Benjamin
Archibald
(Benjamin Archibald, Attorney-In-Fact) |
December 21, 2018 |
Exhibit Number | Description | |
(a)(2) | — | Amended and Restated Certificate of Classification of Shares. |
(l)(1) | — | Purchase Agreement. |
(j)(1) | — | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Deloitte & Touche LLP. |
(n)(1) | — | Second Amended and Restated Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 for Operation of a Multi-Class Distribution System. |
Exhibit (a)(2)
BLACKROCK FUNDS V
(A Massachusetts Business Trust)
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF CLASSIFICATION OF SHARES
The undersigned, Secretary of BlackRock Funds V (the Trust), does hereby certify to the following:
1. The Declaration of Trust of the Trust, dated the 19th day of April, 2018 (the Declaration), provides in Section 5.1 that (a) the shares of the Trust shall be of one class, par value $0.001 (each, a Share and collectively, the Shares), provided that, subject to the terms of the Declaration and the requirements of applicable law, the Trustees have the power to classify any unissued Shares into any number of additional classes of Shares, (b) the Trustees may further classify or reclassify any class of Shares into one or more series of such class, (c) the Trustees shall give each class of Shares an alphabetical designation and may give any class of Shares such supplementary designations as the Trustees may deem appropriate and (d) more than one class of Shares may have the same alphabetical designation.
2. By written consent of the initial Trustee of the Trust dated May 7, 2018, the initial Trustee of the Trust approved the classification of unissued Shares of the Trust into twelve classes of Shares, each with the alphabetical designation and supplemental designation set forth in paragraph (3) of the Certificate of Classification of Shares of the Trust dated May 7, 2018 (the Prior Certificate), and further approved the classification of each class into one or more classes with the alphabetical designation and supplemental designation set forth in paragraph (3) of the Prior Certificate (such classes with the same alphabetical designation referred to herein as a Class Group).
3. At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Trust on November 13, 2018, the Trustees of the Trust by resolution approved, with respect to the Class Groups with the alphabetical designations A, F and H and with the supplementary designations of BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio, BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio and BlackRock Strategic Income Portfolio, respectively, the termination of the classes of shares with the alphabetical designations of A-10, F-10 and H-10, respectively, representing shares with the supplementary designation of Class T Shares, effective November 13, 2018.
4. Following the actions referenced above, the following classes of Shares of beneficial interests in the Trust have been established and designated by the Board of Trustees of the Trust in accordance with the Trusts Declaration with the relative rights and preferences set forth below and such classes remain in effect as of the date hereof:
Alphabetical
|
Supplementary Designation |
Alphabetical Designation of Classes of Shares with the Same Alphabetical Designation (Classes in the Same Class Group) |
Supplementary Designation of Classes of Shares with the Same Alphabetical Designation (Classes in the same Class Group) |
|||
A | BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio | A-1 | Investor A | |||
A-2 | Investor C | |||||
A-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
A-4 | K Shares | |||||
A-5 | R Shares | |||||
A-6 | Service Shares | |||||
A-7 | Investor A1 | |||||
A-8 | Investor C2 | |||||
A-9 | Investor C3 | |||||
B | BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio | B-1 | Investor A | |||
B-2 | Investor C | |||||
B-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
B-4 | K Shares | |||||
B-5 | R Shares | |||||
B-6 | Service Shares | |||||
B-11 | Investor C1 | |||||
C | BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio | C-1 | Investor A | |||
C-2 | Investor C | |||||
C-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
C-4 | K Shares | |||||
C-5 | R Shares | |||||
C-6 | Service Shares | |||||
D | BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio | D-1 | Investor A | |||
D-2 | Investor C | |||||
D-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
D-4 | K Shares | |||||
D-5 | R Shares | |||||
D-6 | Service Shares | |||||
E | BlackRock GNMA Portfolio | E-1 | Investor A | |||
E-2 | Investor C | |||||
E-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
E-4 | K Shares | |||||
E-5 | R Shares | |||||
E-6 | Service Shares |
2
Alphabetical
|
Supplementary Designation |
Alphabetical Designation of Classes of Shares with the Same Alphabetical Designation (Classes in the Same Class Group) |
Supplementary Designation of Classes of Shares with the Same Alphabetical Designation (Classes in the same Class Group) |
|||
F | BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio | F-1 | Investor A | |||
F-2 |
Investor C | |||||
F-3 |
Institutional Shares | |||||
F-4 |
K Shares | |||||
F-5 |
R Shares | |||||
F-6 | Service Shares | |||||
F-11 | Investor C1 | |||||
G | BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio | G-1 | Investor A | |||
G-2 | Investor C | |||||
G-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
G-4 | K Shares | |||||
H | BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio | H-1 | Investor A | |||
H-2 | Investor C | |||||
H-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
H-4 | K Shares | |||||
I | BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund | I-1 | Investor A | |||
I-2 | Investor C | |||||
I-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
I-4 | K Shares | |||||
J | BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio | J-1 | Investor A | |||
J-2 | Investor C | |||||
J-3 | Institutional Shares | |||||
J-4 | K Shares | |||||
J-11 | Investor C1 | |||||
K | BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund | K-3 | Institutional Shares | |||
K-4 | K Shares | |||||
L | BlackRock Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund | L-3 | Institutional Shares | |||
L-4 | K Shares |
4. The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Shares of beneficial interest of each such class.
3
5. All consideration received by the Trust for the issue or sale of Shares of all classes in the same Class Group shall be invested and reinvested with the consideration received by the Trust for the issue and sale of all other Shares of that Class Group, together with all income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, including: (i) any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation thereof, (ii) any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form the same may be, and (iii) any general assets of the Trust allocated to Shares of that Class Group by the Trustees in accordance with the Trusts Declaration; and each class included in each Class Group shall share on the basis of relative net asset values (or on such other basis established by the Trustees or officers of the Trust) with such other classes of Shares in such Class Group in such consideration and other assets, income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, including any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange or liquidation thereof, and any assets derived from any reinvestment of such proceeds in whatever form.
6. In determining the income attributable to each Share of each particular class included in each Class Group: any general expenses and liabilities of the Trust allocated by the Trustees to all Class Groups shall be allocated among all Class Groups on the basis of relative net asset values (or on such other basis established by the Trustees or officers of the Trust), and any expenses and liabilities of the Trust allocated by the Trustees to a particular Class Group shall be allocated among the classes included in such Class Group on the basis of relative net asset values (or on such other basis established by the Trustees or officers of the Trust), except that to the extent permitted by rule or order of the SEC, Shares shall bear all: (1) expenses and liabilities relating to those Shares payable under the Trusts Distribution and Service Plan with respect to those Shares and (2) other expenses and liabilities directly attributable to such Shares which the Trustees determine should be borne solely by such Shares.
7. Shares shall (1) have all the preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption as determined by the Trustees and set forth in the Trusts Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information with respect to such Shares and such further terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Trustees and set forth in the Trusts prospectus and statement of additional information with respect to such Shares and (2) shall be subject to the terms of the Declaration. as the same may be amended from time to time and shall have the same voting powers, provided that: (i) when expressly required by law, or when otherwise permitted by the Trustees acting in their sole discretion, Shares shall be voted by individual class and/or series; and (ii) only Shares of the respective class, classes and/or series, as the case may be, affected by a matter shall be entitled to vote on such matter, and provided further that without affecting any provisions in the Trusts Declaration, Shares of each class shall be subject to the express right of the Trust to redeem Shares of such class at any time if the Trustees determine in their sole discretion and by majority vote that failure to so redeem may have adverse consequences to the holders of the Shares of such class, and upon such redemption the holders of the Shares so redeemed shall have no further right with respect thereto other than to receive payment of the redemption price; and
(8) Each Share of each Class Group issued for the purchase price established in its Prospectus will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
4
WITNESS my hand as of this 10 th day of December, 2018
/s/ Benjamin Archibald |
Benjamin Archibald |
Secretary |
5
Exhibit 99_(l)(1)
PURCHASE AGREEMENT
BlackRock Funds V (the Trust ), a Massachusetts business trust, on behalf of its series BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund, BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund, BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund, BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio, BlackRock GNMA Portfolio, BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio and BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio (each, a Fund ), and BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. ( BFM ), a Delaware corporation, hereby agree as follows:
1. The Trust hereby offers BFM and BFM hereby purchases one share of each share class of each Fund set forth in Schedule A hereto (the Shares ) for $10 per Share. The Trust hereby acknowledges receipt from BFM of funds in full payment for the foregoing Shares.
2. BFM represents and warrants to the Trust that the foregoing Shares are being acquired for investment purposes and not with a view to the distribution thereof.
3. The names BlackRock Funds V and Trustees of BlackRock Funds V refer respectively to the Trust created and the Trustees, as trustees but not individually or personally, acting from time to time under a Declaration of Trust dated April 19, 2018, which is hereby referred to and a copy of which is on file at the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and at the principal office of the Trust, as may be amended from time to time. The obligations of BlackRock Funds V entered into in the name or on behalf thereof by any of the Trustees, officers, representatives or agents are made not individually, but in such capacities, and are not binding upon any of the Trustees, shareholders, officers, representatives or agents of the Trust personally, but bind only the Trust Property (as defined in the Declaration of Trust), and all persons dealing with any class of shares of the Trust must look solely to the Trust Property belonging to such class for the enforcement of any claims against the Trust.
- Signature page follows -
IN AGREEMENT WHEREOF, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto have executed this Purchase Agreement as of the 18 th day of July, 2018.
BLACKROCK FUNDS V, on behalf of BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund, BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund, BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund, BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio, BlackRock GNMA Portfolio, BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio, BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio and BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio |
||
By: | /s/ John Perlowski | |
Name: | John Perlowski | |
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer |
BLACKROCK FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Benjamin Archibald | |
Name: | Benjamin Archibald | |
Title: | Managing Director |
- 2 -
Schedule A
Fund Name |
Share Classes |
|
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
R Shares | ||
Service Shares | ||
Investor A1 | ||
Investor C2 | ||
Investor C3 | ||
T Shares | ||
BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
R Shares | ||
Service Shares | ||
Investor C1 | ||
BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
R Shares | ||
Service Shares |
- 3 -
Fund Name |
Share Classes |
|
BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
R Shares | ||
Service Shares | ||
BlackRock GNMA Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
R Shares | ||
Service Shares | ||
BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
R Shares | ||
Service Shares | ||
T Shares | ||
Investor C1 | ||
BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
T Shares |
- 4 -
Fund Name |
Share Classes |
|
BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio |
Investor A | |
Investor C | ||
Institutional Shares | ||
K Shares | ||
Investor C1 | ||
BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund |
Institutional Shares | |
K Shares | ||
BlackRock Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund |
Institutional Shares | |
K Shares |
- 5 -
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement No. 333-224371 on Form N-1A of our report dated October 23, 2018, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights of BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio of BlackRock Funds V (formerly, of BlackRock Funds II), appearing in the Annual Report on Form N-CSR of BlackRock Funds II for the year ended August 31, 2018, and to the references to us under the headings Financial Highlights and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Prospectuses and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Financial Statements in the Statement of Additional Information, which are part of such Registration Statement.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
December 21, 2018
Exhibit (n)(1)
BLACKROCK FUNDS V
(the Fund)
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED PLAN PURSUANT TO RULE 18f-3 FOR OPERATION OF
A MULTI-CLASS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
I. INTRODUCTION
On February 23, 1995, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) promulgated Rule 18f-3 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), which permits the creation and operation of a multi-class distribution system without the need to obtain an exemptive order under Section 18 of the 1940 Act. Rule 18f-3, which became effective on April 3, 1995, requires an investment company to file with the Commission a written plan specifying all of the differences among the classes, including the various services offered to shareholders, the different distribution arrangements for each class, the methods for allocating expenses relating to those differences and any conversion features or exchange privileges. The Board of Trustees of the Fund approved this Second Amended and Restated Plan, effective November 13, 2018, in connection with the Funds operation of its current multi-class distribution system in compliance with Rule 18f-3.
II. ATTRIBUTES OF CLASSES
A. |
Generally |
Each investment portfolio of the Fund (each a Portfolio and, collectively, the Portfolios) as set out in Appendix A hereto may offer up to 10 of the following classes of shares: Service Shares; Investor A Shares; Investor C Shares; Institutional Shares; Investor A1 Shares; Investor C1 Shares; Investor C2 Shares; Investor C3 Shares; Class R Shares; and Class K Shares.
In general, shares of each class shall be identical except for different expense variables (which will result in different yields or total returns for each class), certain related rights and certain shareholder services. More particularly, Investor A Shares, Investor C Shares, Service Shares, Institutional Shares, Investor A1 Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares, Investor C3 Shares, Class R Shares, and Class K Shares of each Portfolio shall represent equal pro rata interests in the assets of the particular Portfolio, and shall be identical in all respects, except for: (a) the impact of (i) distribution and shareholder servicing expenses under the Funds Distribution and Service Plan assessed to each particular share class; (ii) transfer agency and certain administration expenses assessed from time to time to particular share classes; and (iii) any other expenses identified from time to time that should be properly allocated to each particular share class so long as any changes in expense allocations are reviewed and approved by a vote of the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the non-interested trustees; (b) the fact that each class shall vote separately on any matter submitted to shareholders that pertains to (i) the Funds Distribution and Service Plan applicable to such class and (ii) the class expenses borne by such class (except that Investor C, Investor C1 and Investor C2 Shares may vote on certain changes to the ongoing fees and expenses paid by Investor A Shares); (c) the exchange privileges and/or conversion features of each class of shares; (d) the sales charge(s) applicable to certain classes of shares; (e) the designation of each class of shares of a Portfolio; and (f) the different shareholder services relating to each class of shares.
B. |
Sales Charges; Distribution Arrangements; Other Expenses |
Investor A Shares
Investor A Shares shall be available for purchase through securities brokers, dealers or financial institutions or through the Funds transfer agent, subject to restrictions described in their prospectus.
Investor A Shares of the Funds equity portfolios (the Equity Portfolios) and bond portfolios (the Bond Portfolios) generally shall be subject to a front-end sales charge at the rates (and subject to the
reductions and exemptions) described in their prospectus. When the aggregate offering price of Investor A Shares of the Equity and Bond Portfolios purchased by an investor qualifies the investor to purchase such shares without paying a front-end sales charge, a contingent deferred sales charge may be imposed at the rates (and subject to the reductions and exemptions) described in the prospectus. Investor A Shares of the Funds money market portfolios, if any (the Money Market Portfolios), shall not be subject to a sales charge.
Investor A Shares of a Portfolio shall bear the expense of distribution and shareholder servicing fees described in the prospectus, if any.
Distribution fees shall be payable to the Funds distributor and/or to BlackRock Advisors, LLC or its affiliates (collectively, BlackRock) primarily: (i) to compensate the distributor for distribution and sales support services and to reimburse the distributor for related expenses, including payments to brokers, dealers, other financial institutions or other industry professionals (collectively, Selling Agents) for sales support services; and (ii) to compensate BlackRock for sales support services and to reimburse BlackRock for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services. The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Investor A Shares out of its past profits or any additional sources (other than distribution fees) which are available to it.
Shareholder servicing fees shall be payable to brokers, dealers, other financial institutions or other industry professionals (including BlackRock) (collectively, Service Agents) for general shareholder liaison services.
Investor A1 Shares
Investor A1 Shares are to be issued in connection with certain business combinations and generally shall not be available for purchase by the general public. Additional Investor A1 Shares shall only be issued in connection with the reinvestment of dividends and other distributions and to certain qualified employee benefit plans. Investor A1 Shares of the Equity and Bond Portfolios may be subject to a front-end or contingent deferred sales charge at the rates (and subject to the reductions and exemptions) described in the prospectus.
Investor A1 Shares of a Portfolio shall bear the expense of distribution and shareholder servicing fees described in the prospectus, if any.
Distribution fees shall be payable to the Funds distributor and/or to BlackRock primarily: (i) to compensate the distributor for distribution and sales support services and to reimburse the distributor for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services; and (ii) to compensate BlackRock for sales support services and to reimburse BlackRock for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services. The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Investor A1 Shares out of its past profits or any additional sources (other than distribution fees) which are available to it.
Shareholder servicing fees shall be payable to Service Agents for general shareholder liaison services.
Investor C Shares
Investor C Shares shall be available for purchase through securities brokers, dealers or financial institutions or through the Funds transfer agent, subject to restrictions described in their prospectus. Investor C Shares of the Equity and Bond Portfolios generally shall be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge at the rates (and subject to the reductions and exemptions) described in their prospectus.
Investor C Shares of a Portfolio shall bear the expense of distribution and shareholder servicing fees described in the prospectus, if any.
- 2 -
Distribution fees shall be payable to the Funds distributor and/or to BlackRock primarily: (i) to compensate the distributor for distribution and sales support services and to reimburse the distributor for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services; and (ii) to compensate BlackRock for sales support services and to reimburse BlackRock for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services. The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Investor C Shares out of its past profits or any additional sources (other than distribution fees) which are available to it.
Shareholder servicing fees shall be payable to Service Agents for general shareholder liaison services.
Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares
Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares are to be issued in connection with certain business combinations and generally shall not be available for purchase by the general public. Additional Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares shall only be issued in connection with the reinvestment of dividends and other distributions and to certain qualified employee benefit plans. Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares of the Equity and Bond Portfolios generally shall be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge at the rates (and subject to the reductions and exemptions) described in their prospectus.
Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares of a Portfolio shall bear the expense of distribution and shareholder servicing fees described in the prospectus, if any.
Distribution fees shall be payable to the Funds distributor and/or to BlackRock primarily: (i) to compensate the distributor for distribution and sales support services and to reimburse the distributor for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services; and (ii) to compensate BlackRock for sales support services and to reimburse BlackRock for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services. The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares out of its past profits or any additional sources (other than distribution fees) which are available to it.
Shareholder servicing fees shall be payable to Service Agents for general shareholder liaison services.
Service Shares
Service Shares shall be available for purchase by institutions which act on behalf of their customers maintaining accounts with such institutions and which provide their customers with certain shareholder services, subject to restrictions described in their prospectus. Service Shares shall also be available to investors acquiring Service Shares in connection with certain business combinations (Direct Service Investors) and investors that participate in certain asset allocation programs described in the prospectus. Service Shares of a Portfolio shall not be subject to a sales charge.
Service Shares of a Portfolio shall bear the expense of shareholder servicing fees described in the prospectus, if any.
Shareholder servicing fees shall be payable to Service Agents for general shareholder liaison services.
The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Service Shares out of its past profits or any sources which are available to it.
- 3 -
Institutional Shares
Institutional Shares shall be available from the distributor for purchase by institutional investors, individuals and others meeting certain minimum investment and other requirements described in the prospectus. Institutional Shares shall also be available for purchase through financial intermediaries that have entered into an agreement with the distributor to offer such shares on a platform that charges a transaction-based sales commission outside of the Portfolio. Institutional Shares shall not be subject to a sales charge or a separate fee payable pursuant to any distribution plan or shareholder servicing plan. The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Institutional Shares out of its past profits or any sources which are available to it.
Class R Shares
Class R Shares shall be available for purchase only through certain retirement plans, subject to restrictions described in their prospectus. Class R Shares of a Portfolio shall not be subject to a sales charge.
Class R Shares of a Portfolio shall bear the expense of distribution and shareholder servicing fees described in the prospectus, if any.
Distribution fees shall be payable to the Funds distributor and/or to BlackRock primarily: (i) to compensate the distributor for distribution and sales support services and to reimburse the distributor for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services; and (ii) to compensate BlackRock for sales support services and to reimburse BlackRock for related expenses, including payments to Selling Agents for sales support services. The Funds distributor, BlackRock and other parties may each make payments without limitation as to amount in connection with distribution or sales support activities relating to Class R Shares out of its past profits or any additional sources (other than distribution fees) which are available to it.
Shareholder servicing fees shall be payable to Service Agents for general shareholder liaison services.
Class K Shares
Class K Shares shall be available only to (i) certain employee benefit plans, such as health savings accounts, and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans (not including SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs and SARSEPs), (ii) collective trust funds, investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles, each of which may purchase shares of a Portfolio through a financial professional or selected securities dealer, broker, investment adviser, service provider or industry professional (including BlackRock and its affiliates) (each a Financial Intermediary) that has entered into an agreement with the Funds distributor to purchase such shares, (iii) Institutional Investors, which include, but are not limited to, endowments, foundations, family offices, banks and bank trusts, local, city, and state governmental institutions, corporations and insurance company separate accounts, each of which may purchase shares of a Portfolio through a Financial Intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Portfolios distributor to purchase such shares, (iv) fee-based advisory platforms of a Financial Intermediary that (a) has specifically acknowledged in a written agreement with the Portfolios distributor and/or its affiliate(s) that the Financial Intermediary shall offer such shares to fee-based advisory clients through an omnibus account held at the Portfolio or (b) transacts in the Portfolios shares through another intermediary that has executed such an agreement and (v) any other investors who met the eligibility criteria for BlackRock Shares or Class K Shares prior to August 15, 2016 and have continually held Class K Shares of the Portfolio in the same account since August 15, 2016.
Class K Shares of a Portfolio are also available to employees, officers and directors/trustees of BlackRock, Inc. and of mutual funds sponsored and advised by BlackRock and immediate family members of such persons, if they open an account directly with BlackRock. Class K Shares are not subject to sales charges or distribution fees.
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Other Class-Specific Expenses
In addition to the class-specific expenses mentioned above, each class of shares shall bear the transfer agency expenses and class-specific administration expenses payable to the transfer agent and administrators for such share class under agreements approved by the Funds Board of Trustees from time to time.
C. |
Exchange Privileges |
Investor A Shares and Investor A1 Shares
A holder of Investor A Shares or Investor A1 Shares in a Portfolio generally shall be permitted to exchange his shares for Investor A Shares of any other Portfolio of the BlackRock Fund family at the net asset value of such shares next determined after the transfer agents receipt of a request for an exchange, plus any applicable sales charge, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus.
Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares
A holder of Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares or Investor C3 Shares of a Portfolio generally shall be permitted to exchange his shares for Investor C Shares of any other Portfolio of the BlackRock Fund family at the net asset value of such shares next determined after the transfer agents receipt of a request for an exchange, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus.
Service Shares
Unless he is a Direct Service Investor, a holder of Service Shares in a Portfolio generally shall be permitted to exchange his shares for Service Shares of any other Portfolio of the BlackRock Fund family at the net asset value of such shares next determined after the transfer agents receipt of a request for an exchange, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus. To the extent permitted from time to time by the Fund, at the election of Direct Service Investors, Service Shares of a Portfolio may be exchanged for Investor A Shares of the same Portfolio on the basis of the net asset values of each class of shares next determined after the transfer agents receipt of an exchange request, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus. Except as stated above, Direct Service Investors shall have no exchange privileges.
Institutional Shares
A holder of Institutional Shares in a Portfolio generally shall be permitted to exchange such shares for Institutional Shares of any other Portfolio of the BlackRock Fund family at the net asset value of such shares next determined after the transfer agents receipt of a request for an exchange, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus.
Class R Shares
The Fund shall not offer Class R Shares with an exchange privilege.
Class K Shares
A holder of Class K Shares in a Portfolio generally shall be permitted to exchange his shares for Class K Shares of any other Portfolio of the BlackRock Fund family at the net asset value of such shares next determined after the transfer agents receipt of a request for an exchange, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus.
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D. |
Conversion Features |
Investor A Shares and Investor A1 Shares
The Fund shall not offer Investor A Shares or Investor A1 Shares with a conversion feature.
Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares
A certain number of years (specified in the prospectus) after the date of purchase or acquisition, Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares and Investor C3 Shares of a Portfolio shall automatically convert to Investor A Shares, as stated in the prospectus, of the same Portfolio at the net asset value of each class of shares at the time of conversion. Upon each conversion of Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares or Investor C3 Shares of a Portfolio that were not acquired through reinvestment of dividends or distributions, a proportionate amount of Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares or Investor C3 Shares, as the case may be, of such Portfolio that were acquired through reinvestments of dividends or distributions will likewise automatically convert to Investor A Shares, as stated in the prospectus, of the same Portfolio.
Service Shares, Institutional Shares, Class R Shares and Class K Shares
The Fund shall not offer Service Shares, Institutional Shares, Class R Shares or Class K Shares with a conversion feature.
E. |
Shareholder Services |
1. |
Systematic Withdrawal Program |
The Fund shall offer a systematic withdrawal program, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus, whereby, in general: (i) investors may arrange to have Investor A Shares, Investor A1 Shares, Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares or Investor C3 Shares redeemed automatically; and (ii) Direct Service Investors may arrange to have Service Shares redeemed automatically.
The Fund shall not offer a systematic withdrawal program to investors in Institutional Shares, Class R Shares or Class K Shares or to investors in Service Shares who are not Direct Service Investors.
2. |
Automatic Investing Program |
The Fund shall offer an automatic investing program, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus, whereby, in general: (i) an investor may arrange to have Investor A Shares or Investor C Shares purchased automatically by authorizing the Funds transfer agent to withdraw funds from the investors bank account; and (ii) a Direct Service Investor may arrange to have Service Shares purchased automatically by authorizing the Funds transfer agent to withdraw funds from the Direct Service Investors bank account.
The Fund shall not offer the automatic investment program to investors in Investor A1 Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares, Investor C3 Shares, Institutional Shares, Class R Shares or Class K Shares or to investors in Service Shares who are not Direct Service Investors.
3. |
Systematic Exchange Program |
The Fund shall offer a systematic exchange program, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus, whereby, in general, an investor may arrange to have Investor A Shares, Investor A1 Shares, Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares or Investor C3 Shares exchanged automatically from one Portfolio to up to four other Portfolios.
The Fund shall not offer the systematic exchange program to investors in Service Shares, Institutional Shares, Class R Shares or Class K Shares.
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4. |
Dividend Allocation Plan |
The Fund shall offer a dividend allocation plan, subject to the restrictions described in the prospectus, whereby, in general, an investor may arrange to have dividends and distributions on such Investor A Shares, Investor A1 Shares, Investor C Shares, Investor C1 Shares, Investor C2 Shares or Investor C3 Shares of one Portfolio automatically invested in another Portfolio.
The Fund shall not offer the dividend allocation plan to investors in Service Shares, Institutional Shares, Class R Shares or Class K Shares.
F. |
Methodology for Allocating Expenses Among Classes |
Class-specific expenses of a Portfolio shall be allocated to the specific class of shares of that Portfolio. Non-class-specific expenses of a Portfolio shall be allocated in accordance with Rule 18f-3(c).
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Appendix A
BlackRock Funds V
BlackRock Core Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Credit Strategies Income Fund
BlackRock Emerging Markets Bond Fund
BlackRock Emerging Markets Flexible Dynamic Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond Fund
BlackRock Floating Rate Income Portfolio
BlackRock GNMA Portfolio
BlackRock High Yield Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Inflation Protected Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Low Duration Bond Portfolio
BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities Portfolio
BlackRock U.S. Government Bond Portfolio
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